Colorado City, Hildale officials welcome Arizona attorney general

COLORADO CITY, Ariz. — Some of the most prominent citizens of Colorado City, a town once embroiled in legal controversy, applauded a visit from the highest legal authority in Arizona on Nov. 15.

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich is welcomed by a resident during a visit to the Colorado City Marshals Office while Colorado City Police Chief Robb Radley looks on, Colorado City, Ariz., Nov. 15, 2021 | Photo by Sarah Torribio, St. George News

Mark Brnovich, the Republican attorney general for Arizona, paid a morning visit to the Colorado City Marshals Office, where he toured the newly-renovated police headquarters and shared his views with attendees to the event, including Police Chief Robb Radley, Colorado City Mayor Joseph Allred and Hildale, Utah, Mayor Donia Jessop.

Allred and Jessop share leadership over the region collectively known as Short Creek, once comprising almost exclusively members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

The two cities have their own respective mayors and councils but share many resources, including their water systems, Water Canyon High School and the Colorado City Marshals Office, which Hildale contracts out with for their policing.

Brnovich has previously stated his intentions to run for a seat as a Republican U.S. Senator in the 2022 election. While legislative hopefuls don’t often campaign in a small town like Colorado City, which has under 5,000 residents, he said during his visit that it’s important for the attorney general to “get out to other parts of the state.”

“I thought it was important to sit down with the town marshal and other community organizations here, and even the town council, to get a feel for what’s going on and talk to people about a place that at one time was in the news,” Brnovich said.

Radley said this is the first time since he’s been on the job that a state-level official of Brnovich’s stature has visited Colorado City. Radley added that in his professional capacity, he has to limit expressing his political opinions, but he was comfortable telling Brnovich he was happy to have him serving as Arizona’s attorney general.

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich (center-left, blue shirt) visits the Colorado City Marshal’s Office, Colorado City, Arizona, Nov. 15, 2021 | Photo by Sarah Torribio, St. George News

“I know it takes an extreme amount of knowledge to get where you’re at,” Radley said to Brnovich. “I’ve just watched you fight some of the fights for the state, and that’s impressive. I’m great with some of the stances you’ve taken for the state.”

During Brnovich’s comments at the meeting, he noted that he was the first person in the country to sue the Biden Administration over the constitutionality of vaccine mandates and that he’s involved with several lawsuits on that front.

He mentioned a suit he filed with the 15th Circuit Court on behalf of Arizona and 10 other states against the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, questioning the regulatory body’s plans to enforce vaccine mandates for private companies of 100 or more. OSHA announced Wednesday that it’s shelving the mandate after judges from the 18th Circuit Court delivered a 22-page opinion calling it an unnecessary overreach.

“I think they’re (vaccine mandates) unconstitutional,” Brnovich said. “The president doesn’t have the authority to mandate anyone inject anything into their body. It’s a very dangerous precedent. … I hope you appreciate that I’ve sued the Biden Administration more than anyone else.”

Speaking in a conservative town that straddles two red states, Brnovich’s comments received warm applause.

Allred thanked Brnovich for making the nearly six-hour trek from Phoenix to Colorado City. He said there are people even in Mohave County, where Colorado City is located, that haven’t visited the town.

“There is a lot of value in having some in-person contact and communication,” he said to Brnovich. “And I know that you realize that in today’s world, when stories go viral and you get media involved, there’s a lot of skewing that goes on. And (for the attorney general) to be able to have some contact with people that can tell the truth and can give things in proper perspective, there’s a lot of value in that.”

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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