Cochise County Board votes to appoint three to Mescal J6 Fire District Board

The Cochise County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to appoint three new members to the Mescal J6 Fire District Board in a special meeting on Tuesday, July 2.

Michael A. Nervick, Alan Keith Rogers and Sonja Salcido will fill the roles left vacant after district board members Phyllis Ellis, JoAnne Ellsworth and Bob Murray resigned in late June .

Their departures followed the resignation of district Fire Chief John Moran .

Moran said it was because he was micromanaged and had to waste time on special projects, researching and providing documents every week about their finances for a special interest group he said could be tied to a board member.

With the recent resignations, the Mescal J6 board did not have a quorum, which is required for budget and financial deadlines to be met.

While the board discussed the possibility of appointing an administrator, someone who would run the district with the same duties and obligations of the elected board until the next election, they opted instead to appoint three out of the four candidates who expressed interest in serving on the board.

Chris Anthis was the lone applicant who was not appointed.

The appointments only last until the next election.

"I would like to remind the community they they can work together and support their preferred candidate in the next election," said Supervisor Peggy Judd during the meeting.

Judd said she recognized that the fire district needed changes.

"I do think they need to do something different," she said. "We just didn't have the tools or the time available to make that change happen."