Jake Flake

On Friday the Navajo Board of Supervisors chose state house candidate Sylvia Tenney Allen to fill the seat left open with the death of LD5 Republican Senator Jake Flake.  But with the time frame to turn in nomination signatures passed, it was up to the local LD5 Republican committee to select who would be on the ballot in November.  Whoever received that honor would effectively become the winner of the November election as there was no Democratic opponent. 

The Navajo County Board of Supervisors named Sylvia Allen to the state Senate, to fill out the remainder of late Sen. Jake Flake (R-Snowflake)'s term.

“I will fight for our County,” said Allen in a statement from Navajo County. “I will fight for our rural issues. I will move forward to work as well as I can. I will do everything in my power to ensure you do not lose faith in me.”

Allen was chosen over Snowflake councilman Charlie Hendrickson and former Show Low mayor Gerry Whipple by the Board. The three were selected Thursday by a citizens panel comprised of prominent members of Najavo County.

The Navajo County Board of Supervisors has just finished their meeting and has chose Sylvia Tenney Allen to serve the remainder of the term for Jake Flake who passed away last weekend.

If my email conversations with LD5 Republicans are any indication, look for Sylvia Tenney Allen to get the nod from the Navajo County Board of Supervisors today. 

Allen, who is the former chairman of the Navajo County Republican Committee, was the nomination committee’s top choice to replace Jake Flake and leaders give her the edge with the supervisors.  Allen is also a current candidate for representative in LD5. 

But we are reminded nothing like this is ever 100%, but we all will know around 2pm today.

A citizens panel of Navajo County luminaries has selected three candidates to fill the seat of state Sen. Jake Flake (R-Snowflake), who died Saturday of a heart attack at age 72. Topping the list is Sylvia Tenney Allen, who is also running for the state House.

"That's just so humbling," Allen told PolitickerAZ.com of her nomination. "I'm so filled with pride and humbled. [Sen. Flake] was a great friend and a great senator." 

Allen, however, still plans to go up against state Rep. Bill Konopnicki (R-Safford) at a meeting of Republican precinct committeemen on Saturday, in hopes of being selected to replace Flake on the Republican primary ballot. Republican insiders have related that both Allen and Konopnicki have been gathering support behind them since the beginning of the week.

The Navajo County Board of Supervisors will pick the replacement for Senator Jake Flake as early as tomorrow from the following people.

Sylvia Tenney Allen.  Allen is a current state representative candidate from LD5 and a also has served for 5 years as the Navajo County Republican Chairman.

Charlie Hendrickson.  Hendrickson is a council member of the Snowflake Town Council.

Gary Whipple.  Whipple is the former mayor of Showlow.

By Friday, the 5th Legislative District should have a new senator, according to the Navajo County Board of Supervisors. The citizens panel charged with finding three candidates will convene Thursday morning to make their selections, and Friday the Board will likely make the final decision as to who will sit in late state Sen. Jake Flake's seat.

The nine-person citizens panel formed yesterday, and includes mayors Robin Boyd of Winslow, Jeff Hill of Holbrook, and Kelly Willis of Snowflake, as well as Pinetop-Lakeside councilman Larry Vicario and Show Low councilman Jack Latham. Greg Shalow, superintendent of Blue Ridge Schools, and citizens Carla Bowen, Alice Franco-Anderson and Brad Click round out the list of members.

They must choose three people who are Navajo County residents, registered Republicans and eligible in all other ways to serve in the state Senate. Those names will go to the Board, and the winner will be selected from among them. 

Even as tributes continue to pour in, the clock has started ticking to fill the seat of long-serving state legislator Jake Flake (R-Snowflake).

A citizens panel has been formed and has the task of picking three people who are eligible to replace Flake in the state Senate. According to a Republican Party insider, some names should start to surface soon. Flake's seat must be filled by a Republican.

Sen. Flake's passing has cast uncertainty on an election where Flake was running unopposed. A two-part process is under way to first fill his seat and to replace him on the primary ballot.

Franklin Lars "Jake" Flake (August 4, 1935 – June 8, 2008)

We would like to send our condolences to the Flake family. Here is Flake’s bio from the Senate web site.

Franklin “Jake” Flake is a native Arizonan, who was born and raised in Snowflake, Arizona—named after his great grandfather who founded the town. The fourth of eight children, Jake learned the value of teamwork earlier in life than most. His childhood chores on the family ranch taught him that true success comes through hard work and self-sufficiency.