SAFFORD — The political consulting group in Maricopa County that is seeking to overturn a Graham County Board of Supervisors’ decision has enough valid signatures to qualify the issue for the ballot.
At issue was the 2-1 vote by the Board of Supervisors to approve the rezoning of Sites 5 and 6 of the NatureSweet greenhouse complex in Bonita, which will allow NatureSweet to sell those sites to Bayacan for an indoor medical-grade cannabis grow.
Hannah Duderstadt, elections director for Graham County, confirmed that the group calling itself Respect The Will Of The People: Graham County Voters & The Arizona Public Integrity Alliance Encourages A No Vote On Massive Marijuana Expansion In Our Area submitted enough qualifying signatures to put before the voters final approval of the supervisors’ decision.
The question of whether to affirm or overturn the decision by the supervisors should go before the voters in November 2022, pending a vote setting the election date by the Board of Supervisors, Duderstadt told Gila Valley Central via text.
The chairman of the referendum campaign is George Khalaf, who is a managing partner of The Resolute Group, a “public relations, campaigns, strategic consulting, direct mail” company that is “advancing conservative values,” according to its website.
In a prepared statement issued on Resolute Group letterhead, Khalaf called on the supervisors to “forgo an election . . . by rescinding their approval of the marijuana operation.”
In his statement, Khalaf appeared to threaten to hold the voters of Graham County, Bayacan and NatureSweet hostage by promising another petition campaign if the referendum does not move forward.
“Khalaf also indicated his support for another group’s effort to establish a new tax on marijuana in Graham County. Khalaf said his group is strongly considering launching its own petition drive in support of the idea and would almost assuredly do so, if opponents of his Bonita referendum successfully sue to keep his referendum off the ballot. As such, a marijuana tax initiative would have another ten months to qualify for the ballot,” the prepared statement reads.
Khalaf is referencing another Maricopa County-based group seeking to dictate how Graham County does business, Protect Graham County No to Drugs. That group started gathering signatures in July for an initiative that, if qualified for the ballot and voters approved, would levy a tax of $1,000 to grow cannabis in Graham County and another $1,000 per pound of cannabis harvested.
Duderstadt said Protect Graham County No to Drugs has not yet turned in any petitions.
