Kevin Thompson (politician)
Kevin Thompson | |
---|---|
Member of the Arizona Corporation Commission | |
Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
Preceded by | Sandra Kennedy |
Personal details | |
Born | West Monroe, Louisiana, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Children | 2 |
Education | University of Nevada, Las Vegas (BS) |
Website | Campaign website |
Kevin Thompson is an American politician and former enlisted member of the United States Air Force and current member of the
Personal life and education
Born in
At the age of 19, Thompson joined the
After his service, Thompson went on to complete a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, (UNLV) with an emphasis in Metallurgy.[3]
In 1998, he was recruited to work for Southwest Gas. Thompson spent 12 years in Operations, working his way up to Manager of Engineering, before transitioning to Government Relations during the Great Recession, where he spent another 5 years. After 17 years, Thompson left the utility in late 2014 having been elected to the Mesa City Council.[4]
Thompson has given back to the community serving on various boards, including The Centers for Habilitation, MesaCAN, Mesa United Food Bank, and Mesa Chamber of Commerce. He has represented the City of Mesa as the President of the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association, National League of Cities Community and Economic Development Committee, and the American Public Gas Association’s Government Relations Committee. As a Commissioner, Thompson represents Arizona on the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Electric Committee.
Thompson is the principal owner of his consulting firm, Broadmore Consulting. He and his wife Donna have two children.
Military Service
Thompson joined the
In July 1990, the 79th TFS, 20th Tactical Fighter Wing was deployed to
Thompson received orders in June 1991 to
Thompson received an Honorable Discharge in 1996 after 8 years of serving his Country.
Political career
Mesa
Thompson was elected to the City of Mesa Council, representing District 6, in the Primary in August 2014, and sworn into office in January 2015.[3] Just the 3rd Councilmember elected to fill the seat, he was re-elected for a second term in 2018, running unopposed in the General election. Thompson was sworn into office the second time in January 2019. His term on Mesa’s City Council ended on January 3, 2023.
During his time on council, Thompson was focused on bringing economic opportunities to the community, and supporting public safety. Thompson served as a champion of Economic Development during his tenure on council, and developed the vision for much of the economic development and growth that southeast Mesa experienced from 2015 to 2023. Thompson also fought to increase pay and the number of sworn members for Mesa Fire and Medical as well as Mesa Law Enforcement.
Thompson was instrumental in the City adopting Quality Development Design Guidelines in December 2019, which not only built in assurances for developers, but also set the expectation for the quality of development the City desired.
Arizona Corporation Commission
Thompson announced that he was running for a seat on the Arizona Corporation Commission in 2022. His campaign focused on finding efficiencies in how the Commission runs day-to-day operations, secure pay raises for employees, fill vacant positions, and ensure reliability and resiliency in Arizona’s energy grid.
Thompson and fellow Republican Nick Myers won the Primary as the top vote getters, and went on to win the General Election in November.[5]
Electoral history
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Kevin Thompson | 1,190,555 | 26.02 | |
Republican | Nick Myers | 1,189,991 | 26.01 | |
Democratic | Sandra Kennedy (incumbent) | 1,133,292 | 24.77 | |
Democratic | Lauren Kuby | 1,061,021 | 23.19 | |
Total votes | 4,574,859 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold | ||||
Republican gain from Democratic |
References
- ^ "Kevin Thompson". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
- ^ Tribune, Trevor Godfrey. "Mesa City Council welcomes Kevin Thompson". East Valley Tribune. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
- ^ a b "Councilmember Kevin Thompson | City of Mesa". www.mesaaz.gov. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
- ^ Tiwari, Ananya. "Arizona Corporation Commission candidate Kevin Thompson wants to end subsidies and mandates". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
- ^ Randazzo, Ryan. "Republican candidates Kevin Thompson and Nick Myers win race for Corporation Commission". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
- ^ "State of Arizona – Official Canvass – 2022 General Election". Arizona Secretary of State. December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.