Pima County Constable Bennett Bernal doesn’t think of his job as simply delivering paperwork, but rather trying to help the people he serves.
His political opponent in Precinct 6, Roberto Ponti, says his years of working with the courts and his commitment to integrity make him the best candidate.
Constables work as peace officers for the county and its judges to serve civil and criminal papers, including eviction notices.
During the Aug. 4 Democratic primary, the constable seat for Precinct 6 will be decided, unless write-in candidates emerge for the November general election; no Republicans are running for the seat.
The Precinct 6 Democratic race includes incumbent Bernal and challenger Ponti, who is self-employed as a process server and private investigator. The precinct is bounded by Linda Vista Boulevard to the north, Interstate 10 to the west, Sixth Street to the south and Country Club Road to the east.
The post pays a capped salary of $67,000 per year.
Here is a Q&A with the candidates:
Bennett Bernal
Q. What are your qualifications to be a constable and how you see the role of constables in our community?
Bernal: My experience and my training make me the most qualified person to continue in this role. I have had the privilege of serving as constable for Precinct 6 for nine years. Each year we have to get 16 hours of post-certified training. Also, in my nine years in office, I have had the opportunity to work with Tucson City Council members, members of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, neighborhood leaders, nonprofit organizations, and Pima County Justice Courts to better our community.
Q: Why do you want to retain this position?
Bernal: Being a constable has never just been about the paperwork and the legal requirements to me. While those things are a given, it has always been about bringing hope and change to people and to the constable role. Throughout my years as a constable, I have served thousands of civil and criminal papers in difficult and dangerous situations, but what is the most gratifying thing to me is when I don’t have to evict a family or an individual. Instead, we find ways to keep them in their homes.
Q: Although it’s not an official part of the job, some Pima County constables have taken the initiative to focus on eviction prevention. What are your ideas about that?
Bernal: Some of the rental assistance resources that are being made available could get to landlords and property owners more quickly if they were distributed at the local levels in a coordinated fashion. ... Ongoing collaboration between the public and private sector takes time. Educating landlords, managers and residents about the resources that are available to assist people that are in the process of being evicted also takes time. Our community needs to continue to look at improving processes so that it takes days instead of weeks to get the resources to people who need them the most.
In my nine years in this role, I have also served on the county’s Animal Cruelty Task Force, and have worked closely with animal rescue and adoption groups as well as Pima Animal Care Center. Our focus is on assuring that pets are well taken care during the eviction process.
Roberto Ponti
Q: What are your qualifications to be constable, and how do you see the role of constables in our community?
Ponti: As a (self-employed) process server and an officer of Pima County Superior Court, I have served thousands of papers in Pima County. As a private investigator licensed by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, I have done thousands of hours of civil and criminal investigation while closing multiple cases in the pretrial releases of defendants in guaranteeing their presence in court hearings. Constables walk a fine line. While a constable must uphold the law, he or she must have honesty, integrity, and decency to proactively help the people affected by his or her visit. This is where many years of experience, continued education and a clean ethical record with courts is important.
Q: Why do you want this position?
Ponti: I am running for the constable position because my qualifications, experiences and integrity make me ideally qualified. I’m not a politician. I’m passionate and I believe I can facilitate resolutions between multiple parties such as landlords, tenants and courts. I see myself as the liaison between the courts and the community.
Q: Although it’s not an official part of the job, some Pima County constables have taken the initiative to focus on eviction prevention. What are your ideas about that?
Ponti: As a group, all Pima County constables must reach out to Gov. Doug Ducey for a long-term solution to the problem. In the meantime, the chain of property payments should be temporarily waived. This is a national emergency and should be treated with that level of solemnity. I also believe that part of present or future grants to the constables maybe can be diverted for emergency like we have today with COVID-19. ... There are multiple problems that contribute to rates of eviction, including access to affordable housing and employment rates. If elected, I look forward to working with the City Council on ways to tackle this and other issues.
