Sec. of State Brewer Appoints Clark Dierks for Clean Elections Seat

Expects New Commissioner to be Evenhanded in Implementing Clean Elections Law

PHOENIX -- Secretary of State Jan Brewer today appointed Flagstaff Republican Clark R. Dierks to serve on the Citizens Clean Elections Commission. The appointment officially fills the term for this seat scheduled to expire on January 31, 2011.

Mr. Dierks was the State Treasurer for the State of Arizona from 1978 to 1982. He went on to serve as a Government Relations Officer for the United States Department of Commerce from 1983 to 1985. From 1985 till 1992, Mr. Dierks served the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture as Arizona's Director of the Farmers Home Administration. Mr. Dierks was Honorably Discharged from the United States Navy in 1963. He is currently retired, and over the last seven years has been serving as an officer of the San Luis Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited and of the Northern Arizona Flycasters, both conservation organizations.

“Clark has a strong understanding of the need for public accountability and will bring fairness and consistency to the Clean Election process,” stated Secretary Brewer, “I am very impressed with his deep belief in our system of government and I feel his impressive experience will serve the citizens of Arizona well. I have ultimate confidence that Clark will do an extremely good job in representing the public on the Clean Election Commission.”

No more than two members of the Clean Election Commission may be residents of the same county and no more than two may be members of the same political party. All candidates for this Commissioner seat had to meet the following criteria per Arizona Revised Statute:

• Shall not be a member of the Democratic Party;
• Shall have been registered to vote continuously recorded for at least five years immediately preceding appointment with the same political party or as an independent;
• Shall be committed to enforcing the Act in an honest, independent and impartial fashion and to seek to uphold public confidence in the integrity of the electoral system;
• Shall be a qualified elector who has not, in the previous five years in the state, been appointed to, been elected to, or run for any public office, including precinct committeeman, or served as an officer of a political party;
• No commissioner, during his or her tenure or for three years thereafter, shall seek or hold any other public office, serve as an officer or a political party;
• No commissioner, during his or her tenure or for three years thereafter, shall seek or hold any other public office, serve as an officer of any political committee, or employ or be employed as a lobbyist.

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