Supervisors appoint candidate to vacant constable post

Pima County Supervisors on Tuesday filled a vacant constable post with the sole candidate seeking to win it in the upcoming election.

Democrat Tracy Ethridge-Nielsen was appointed to the post as she “is the only individual that could fill the vacancy,” Adelita Grijalva, who chairs the board, said during Tuesday’s meeting.

Ethridge-Nielsen is running unopposed for the seat in November’s election after former Precinct 4 constable Oscar Vasquez was suspended in February for the remainder of his term. He then resigned in May, leaving the office vacant, the Star previously reported. The other Democrat who filed a statement of interest for the post withdrew in April, county records show.

Appointing Ethridge-Nielsen now will allow for her to complete training that wouldn’t have been available until she was elected, Grijalva said.

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Supervisors could have made this appointment when Vasquez resigned, but decided not to, District 1 Supervisor Rex Scott said during Tuesday’s meeting, “because it was a moot point, there was already not going to be anybody in the position until the end of this calendar year.”

“However, then we got a presentation from the presiding constable (Eric Krznarich),” Scott said, “who pointed out a lot of the logistical issues that the office is dealing with, and he asked that we reconsider filling the position.”

Pima County constables are peace officers tasked with serving civil-and-criminal Justice Court papers, such as eviction notices.