Gary L. Pierce (born c. 1952) is a former
Arizona Corporation Commission
The Arizona Corporation Commission is the Public Utilities Commission of the Arizona, State of Arizona, established by Article 15 of the Constitution of Arizona, Arizona Constitution. Arizona is one of only fourteen states with elected commission ...
er and a former member of the
Arizona House of Representatives
The Arizona House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. The upper house is the Arizona Senate, Senate. The House convenes in the le ...
.
Political career
In the House of Representatives, Mr. Pierce served as the
Majority Whip (2005–2006). He was a member of the Rules, Environment, and Federal Mandates and Property Rights committees. He had previously served on the
Judiciary Committee and others.
Prior to his election to the Legislature he was twice elected to the
Yuma County Board of Supervisors.
The Maricopa (County) Association of Government's awarded Gary Pierce (R-
Mesa, Arizona
Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 504,258 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, third-most populous city in Arizona, after Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, T ...
) the coveted ''Peak Award'' (Summit Award) in 2004. In their citation they state "Representative Gary Pierce was instrumental in guiding the $15.8 billion Regional Transportation Plan through the legislative process. He sponsored House Bill 2292, which laid the framework for the planning process and formalized the Transportation Policy Committee in state law. To help legislators keep abreast of developments, Representative Pierce created the Joint Ad Hoc Committee on the Maricopa County Regional Transportation Plan, a bicameral, bipartisan committee made up of lawmakers interested in transportation issues. His leadership helped advance House Bill 2456, calling for a continuation of the half-cent sales tax for transportation, after it stalled in a Senate subcommittee. His efforts are credited with the ultimate approval by the legislature of an election that will allow voters to decide their transportation future."
His record of public service includes serving on the Governor's Commission on National and Community Service from 1994 to 1997 and on the
Arizona Housing Commission in 1996 and 1997. He also served on the
Maricopa County
Maricopa County () is a county in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census the population was 4,420,568, or about 62% of the state's total, making it the fourth-most populous county in the United States and ...
Planning and Zoning Commission and the Maricopa County Department of Transportation Advisory Board. In Yuma, he served two years on the City Board of Adjustment.
The Arizona
Republican Party unanimously selected Gary Pierce as a candidate for the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC). He replaced ACC candidate Marc Spitzer who withdrew when he was appointed to the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee (July 2006).
Legal Issues
In 2015 the FBI opened a long-term investigation related to the financing of certain statewide races in the 2014 election cycle that allegedly influenced the regulators who decide how much consumers will pay for power. This investigation specifically centered around alleged so-called "dark money" campaign contributions from the utility company Arizona Public Service's (APS) in the 2014 Corporation Commission race. Pierce was interviewed by the FBI in the course of this investigation.
On May 25, 2017 Gary Pierce and his wife Sherry were indicted in federal court on felony conspiracy, bribery, mail fraud and five counts of wire fraud. The indictment alleged that Pierce, his wife and utility owner George Johnson conspired to have Johnson pay the Pierce couple by channeling the money through longtime Capitol lobbyist Jim Norton, who at times lobbied on Johnson's behalf, and an "unindicted coconspirator" in exchange for Pierce's votes.
On July 17, 2018, a federal judge declared a mistrial in the Pierce's case after the jury informed the judge that it was deadlocked. A majority of the jurors believed the Pierces were innocent. On August 7, 2018, the government announced it would not seek a retrial and instead moved to dismiss the case.
Personal life
Gary was born in
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
and moved to
Mesa, Arizona
Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 504,258 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, third-most populous city in Arizona, after Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, T ...
with his family in 1960. He attended Emerson, Lincoln, Mesa Junior and
Mesa High School, graduating in 1970. A track scholarship provided an education at
Mesa Community College
Mesa Community College (MCC) is a Public college, public community college in Mesa, Arizona. It is the largest of the 10 community colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District, the largest community college district in the Unite ...
where he graduated in 1972. Moving on to
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
, he graduated in 1974 with a bachelor's degree in Education.
For three years Pierce taught at Taft Elementary School in Mesa. A career in the automobile business followed his teaching experience, which culminated as a
Honda
commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...
and
Nissan
is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...
new car dealer in
Yuma, Arizona
Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 95,548 at the 2020 census, up from the 2010 census population of 93,064.
Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, Metropolitan ...
. Concurrently with his new automobile dealerships, Gary owned a
Shell
Shell may refer to:
Architecture and design
* Shell (structure), a thin structure
** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses
Science Biology
* Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...
gas station and
Budget Rent-A-Car
Budget Rent a Car System, Inc. is an American car rental company that was founded in 1958 in Los Angeles, California by Morris Mirkin. Budget is a subsidiary of the Avis Budget Group, with its operations headquartered in Parsippany-Troy Hills, N ...
franchise. Upon selling his businesses he became involved in local politics.
Gary is married to Sherry (Moore), a Mesa, Arizona native, since 1973. They have four sons. He is a member of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
.
References
External links
Arizona legislatureMaricopa County
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierce, Gary
Living people
Republican Party members of the Arizona House of Representatives
Politicians from Mesa, Arizona
1950s births
Mesa High School alumni
21st-century members of the Arizona State Legislature
Year of birth missing (living people)