Contributed Photo: Adrian Fuentes, a candidate for Arizona Secretary of State, addresses the crowd at the second annual Rose Mofford dinner held at The Venue in Safford on Saturday, Feb. 19. About 80 people attended the event. Fuentes is a former Maricopa County Recorder.
Event honored former Arizona governor
By Walt Mares
SAFFORD – Gone but not at all forgotten. That describes former and late-Arizona Governor Rose Mofford. Her memory and accomplishments were the focus of the second annual Rose Mofford Dinner in Safford Saturday night, Feb. 19.
The event was held by the Graham County Democrat Party as a fundraiser and a means to honor Mofford who valued and championed rural Arizona during her governorship and terms as Arizona Secretary of State.
She held rural Arizona at heart as she was from her hometown of Globe, itself a part of the state’s rural setting.
The dinner was a gala affair held at The Venue in Downtown Safford. Speakers included Arizona State Senator and Democratic Party Chair Raquel Teran; former Maricopa County Recorder and candidate for Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes; Arizona State Senator and candidate for new Congressional District 6 Daniel Hernandez; former Arizona State Senator and candidate for Governor Aaron Lieberman and Graham County Supervisor Paul David.
With approximately 80 people in attendance, it was the largest gathering of Democrats in Graham County in recent memory. The newly formed Young Democrats of Graham County were servers.
A plaque was awarded to Graham Democrats Treasurer Patty Cervantez for her work in obtaining, organizing, and staffing the new Democratic Headquarters at 624 S. 5th Ave., Safford.
The night ended with a donkey skit in which two women dressed as donkeys performed a skit as Willie and Jo. It drew laughter and applause from the crowd.
“The skit topped off the night with a touch of humor and we all need a good laugh at least once in a while,” said Susan Breen who was dressed as one of the donkeys. Breen is chair of the Greenlee County Democratic Party. (Breen played donkey Willie and Kerry Kelley was Jo.)
“No doubt with the night’s program, the audience, and guest speaker, it was most certainly a big hit,” the Greenlee Chair said.
Breen recalled how Mofford, who served as governor in the 1990s, was very supportive of Graham County in its effort to progress economically “and in so many other ways.”
She said she recalls how Mofford was strongly involved with Clifton in Greenlee County during its initial flood recovery efforts from the October 1983 flood that devastated the town. Breen was among the many flood victims.
“She played a key role in Clifton receiving help from the State of Arizona and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. When the corps needed prodding, she was there to do it,” Breen said.
She added that Mofford was a key figure in obtaining the huge levee that now protects South Clifton. Many homes were heavily damaged or destroyed by flooding in that part of town. The levee was constructed by the corps in the 1990s. Mofford was present at the levee’s dedication in 1995.
