Contributed Photo: Steve McGaughey would like your vote on Aug. 2 to be re-elected to the Safford City Council.
This is the eighth installment of the Gila Herald’s candidate series for the council races for Safford, Thatcher, and Pima, and features Steve McGaughey, incumbent candidate for the Safford City Council. Early voting for the Aug. 2 primary has begun.
Second in our series is the city of Safford, which has four candidates vying for three council seats up for election. The candidates include incumbents Gene Seale, Arnold Lopez, and Steve McGaughey, as well as Luke Arbizo looking to make the cut. Each candidate was given the opportunity to provide their own editorial and picture. This is the first installment of the Safford series and features Steve McGaughey.
Safford City Council – Steve McGaughey
My name is Steve McGaughey, and I am seeking re-election to the Safford City Council, having first been appointed to fill a vacant seat in 2015.
I am a life-long citizen of Safford having worked since I was young, delivering newspapers, chopping cotton, and working on a farm in the summers. I worked for Ray and Nayda Luster at Caldwell’s Funeral Home while in high school and college. Later, I worked alongside my father in the family automotive collision repair business, known as Fender Vendor. I have been with Graham County now for 19 years where I first worked as a dispatcher for the Sheriff’s Office, then with the highway yard, and currently in Planning and Zoning.
I am a first responder, serving both the Safford Volunteer Fire Departme t and Graham County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue with almost 34 years in both organizations. I’ve been married to Donna McEuen for 32 years and enjoy our family time.
I have always had an interest in seeing Safford progress, yet keep its family-oriented, small-town values. I am fiscally conservative, but I believe in attracting and retaining the best employees, as they are our most valuable assets. I hope to retain my seat on the council to see through the various projects we have started, such as the effluent water transfer to the Graham County Fairgrounds, street and drainage improvements, and the development of parks to name just a few.
I hope the citizens of Safford will re-elect me knowing I have the best interests of the taxpayers, and all the residents of Safford at heart.
