The Fountain Hills Democratic Club welcomed a number of candidates running for state and local offices at its meeting Thursday, May 17.

Mark Robert Gordon, who is running for Arizona Secretary of State, and Kathy Hoffman, candidate for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction, were guest speakers.

Gordon told attendees his passion to run for Secretary of State has been fueled by major violations of voters’ rights and lack of protection in the election process during the 2016 election. He said he will make voting easy, efficient and secure for all. Gordon is a voting rights attorney. He recently was appointed to the bipartisan transition team of the newly elected Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes.

Hoffman, an Arizona educator, has a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Arizona. She prioritizes collaboration with teachers, administrators, specialists and parents to provide the best possible solutions for students. She said she is committed to competitive pay for all educators, improvement of graduation rates and inclusion of all students.

In addition to those presentations, club members heard from Kenosha Skinner, Community Relations Coordinator for District 4 of the county recorder’s office. She provided information on upcoming elections, including the primary election set for Aug. 28.

She discussed the importance of having a special request made to have a ballot forwarded in the event the voter would be out of town at the time of the election. Visit maricopa.vote or call 602-506-1511 for more information to have a ballot forwarded.

Other candidates attending Thursday’s meetings included Daria Lohman, running for Arizona state senate; Anita Malik, U.S. House of Representatives candidate; Fountain Hills mayoral candidate Ginny Dickey; and Sharon Grzybowski, who is exploring a run for a seat on the Fountain Hills Town Council.

Following the candidate presentations, Democrats changed their bylaws to elect a new position of Civic Engagement Chair. Stephen Gay was elected to the position by acclimation.

Carol Comito, vice present of the National Federation of Democratic Women and co-chair of Liberal Ladies, encouraged members to attend the 2018 national convention of NFDW, scheduled for June 14-17 at Tempe Mission Palms Hotel. The Arizona contingent is hosting the Friday, June 15 reception. For more information, visit azfdw.org.

The Democratic Club meets next at La Botana restaurant for happy hour June 21. More information will be announced closer to the event.