A retired U.S. Army colonel with 30 years of service is running to be Sierra Vista’s first new mayor in more than a decade, and he is learning that politics is truly not for the thin-skinned nor the faint of heart.
Clea McCaa was subjected all summer to rumors he was “under investigation” in connection with his candidacy. But McCaa could not imagine what he may have done wrong given that he was never contacted by city election officials nor the Cochise County Election Department.
McCaa brushed off the whispers and social media comments and stayed focused on his campaign platform for the city of 50,000 which is home to the Army’s Fort Huachuca. He also continued with his well-documented “Walking On Wednesday” effort to visit every business in the city before election day.
Then a few weeks ago a reporter asked McCaa about a complaint someone filed concerning his nominating petitions. The reporter had confirmed the complaint was not filed in court as a formal election challenge, which by law must be publicly resolved within days.
Instead, the complaint was made to Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s Election Integrity Unit where it became one of a few thousand complaints received since November 2020. The attorney general’s office has no timeline for resolving such complaints and can be a transparent or as opaque with the public as Brnovich chooses.
McCaa, who is also a pastor and youth mentor, says he immediately contacted Brnovich’s office after being contacted by the reporter. He offered his full cooperation to the attorney general and to provide any information the agency needed.
Then McCaa waited, expecting to hear back in a few days. But weeks later, he is still waiting.
And with early voting starting Oct. 12, McCaa and his supporters are concerned there will not be enough time to clear his name with any voters who have heard the rumors.
McCaa says he knew he had a lot to learn about politics, but he never imagined a respected state agency established to protect election integrity could be used by political foes as a weapon. Still, he refuses to answer hypothetical questions about whether the tactic means supporters of other candidates are threatened by his campaign.
“I prefer to spend my time and energy on finding ways to make Sierra Vista an even better place for everyone – our residents, our business owners, our visitors, and those who come here to work,” McCaa said. “Guessing why someone made the complaint the way they did doesn’t move any of us forward.”
Several employees authorized by Brnovich to speak to the media ignored multiple requests from Arizona Daily Independent for a comment on the fact their election integrity unit’s refusal to respond to McCaa is allowing the secretive complaint to be used as a campaign weapon.
McCaa has two opponents on the Nov. 8 General Election ballot: Steve Conroy, a relative community newcomer whose policy positions fall in line with McCaa’s “Vote for New Leadership” mantra, and Rachel Gray, a longtime city politico who served several years on the city council before resigning to run for mayor.
An important sign of the shift a political rookie like McCaa has caused in the city is the fact the Arizona State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police gave its coveted endorsement to McCaa. The Sierra Vista Firefighters Local 4492 PAC has also endorsed McCaa, a 1984 graduate of the local high school.
McCaa has spent a lot of time this year at various community events but it is his campaign’s voter outreach effort that he says has become one of his favorite parts of campaigning, whether it is engaging with registered voters who have not voted in recent city elections or talking with qualified voters who have never registered to vote.
“There is too much of a sense among many of our Sierra Vista residents that their voices will not be listened to, so why bother voting,” McCaa says. “We need to engage them, particularly younger residents, because the future of our city depends on it. We tell them ‘your vote can make a difference’ because it truly can.”
