Max Wilson, one of five members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, announced today that he will retired and step down from his post on March 11 due to health concerns.
The real-estate developer was appointed to his seat representing the west Valley in 2002 and won his third full term on the board last year.
Here's a statement just released from Wilson:
Based on the advice of my doctors, it's in the best interest of everyone that I reprioritize, spend more time with my family and concentrate on my health. It has been an honor to serve, and I think I've made a positive contribution to the county and to the West Valley that I love. I respect the county too much not to give it and my constituents 100 percent of my effort and time.
From the county's news release:
Wilson was first appointed to the Board of Supervisors in February 2002 and has won subsequent elections in 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2012. He served as chairman of the five-member board in 2005, 2009 and 2012. Wilson came to Arizona in 1959 when he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served till 1963. After working briefly as a civilian at Luke Air Force Base, he began his career in real estate and development, chiefly in the West Valley. Wilson also served on the Litchfield Park City Council and as vice mayor before his appointment to the board of supervisors. He is considered a common-sense conservative and a strong advocate of Luke Air Force Base and the West Valley.
Wilson was one of the quieter Supervisors, and during the years-long infighting between county leaders on one side and Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former County Attorney Andrew Thomas on the other, he typically kept his head down, quietly supporting the sheriff. He tried to make nice with Thomas, inviting him to personally discuss the many lawsuits between the feuding parties.
Wilson's loyalty to the other GOP elected officials didn't keep him from being threatened by Arpaio in mid-2009 over budget issues. Later that year, Arpaio seemed to follow up on the threat, naming Wilson as a conspirator in a 2009 racketeering lawsuit along with four other Supervisors, judges, county staff members and local lawyers. The RICO lawsuit was later discredited, and Arpaio and Thomas withdrew it in disgrace.
