Who They Are: Pima County
Pima County's government serves 1.1 million people: five elected supervisors set policy and hire one administrator, who runs the departments. Seven more county officers are elected on their own, countywide, and answer to voters rather than to the board.
Also: Tucson · Oro Valley · Marana · Congress · Arizona Legislature
Board of Supervisors6 people
Five members elected by district to four-year terms, all on the presidential-year ballot. The board sets the budget, hires and fires the county administrator, and sits as the board of the flood control, library and wastewater districts.
Countywide elected officers7 people
Each runs their own office and answers to voters, not the board, though the board sets their budgets. All seven seats are on the presidential-year ballot.
County Administrator1 person
Hired by the board. Runs day-to-day county government, proposes the budget, and supervises every department that is not headed by an elected officer.
Administrator's office4 people
Three deputy administrators split the departments among them; the chief of staff runs the office.
Department directors8 people
The directors the administrator's office hires. Not every department is listed yet; these are the ones that have come before the board in our reporting.
What's changing
- James W. Giacomino, Clerk of the Superior Court: Appointed by Gov. Katie Hobbs on April 1, 2025, to complete the term of retiring Clerk Gary L. Harrison, elected in 2022. The seat is on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot; Giacomino was unopposed in the July 21 Democratic primary.
- Andrés Cano, District 5: Appointed by the Board of Supervisors, 3-0, on April 15, 2025, to fill out Adelita Grijalva's term after she resigned to run for Congress. The seat is on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot; Cano was unopposed in the July 21 Democratic primary.
- Jorge Soto, Treasurer: Appointed by the Board of Supervisors after Brian Johnson resigned. Whether the seat goes on the 2026 or 2028 ballot is being checked.
- Jan Lesher, County Administrator: Retiring when her contract ends Jan. 7, 2027. The board is recruiting a successor; its Sept. 22 study session takes the hiring process into executive session.
Where the pay figures come from
Each figure on the chart is the annual base pay for the seat, from the statute, charter section, resolution or reported contract linked here. Click any person for the same citation on their card.
- Board of Supervisors: $96,600 a year, by statute since Jan. 1, 2025. A.R.S. § 11-419(A), counties of 500,000 or more (azleg.gov).
- Countywide elected officers — Chris Nanos: $120,824 a year, by statute since Jan. 1, 2025. A.R.S. § 11-419(A) (azleg.gov).
- Countywide elected officers — Laura Conover: $143,678 a year, by statute since Jan. 1, 2025. A.R.S. § 11-419(A) (azleg.gov).
- Countywide elected officers — Gabriella Cázares-Kelly, Suzanne Droubie, Jorge Soto, Dustin Williams: $96,600 a year, by statute since Jan. 1, 2025. A.R.S. § 11-419(A) (azleg.gov).
- Countywide elected officers — James W. Giacomino: Amount pending. Set by state statute; section being confirmed (azleg.gov).
- County Administrator: $330,000 a year, by contract since Jan. 8, 2025. Employment contract approved by the Board of Supervisors Jan. 7, 2025 (plus $31,000 a year deferred compensation and a $6,600 vehicle allowance), as reported (tucsonsentinel.com).
Seats and terms come from each government's own pages and election canvasses; pay figures link to their sources above; each person's list of reports is drawn from What They Decided. Tell us what's wrong or missing: nicholas@tucsondailybrief.com.
Who They Are was researched and written by Nicholas De Leon with Claude Fable 5.1 from the official pages, election canvasses, statutes and contracts linked on each chart; the reports naming each person are matched by code from What They Decided, and no model wrote any of it. Last updated 10:31 AM MST on October 5, 2026. Read more about how this is made.
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