Chester J. Crandell[2] (June 19, 1946 – August 4, 2014) was an American politician and a Republican member of the Arizona Senate representing District 6 since January 14, 2013. Crandell served consecutively in the Arizona State Legislature from January 10, 2011, until January 14, 2013, in the Arizona House of Representatives District 5 seat.
Crandell, a fifth-generation rural Arizonan and rancher, had served in the Legislature since 2011.
2012 Redistricted to District 6, and with incumbent Republican Senator Lori Klein redistricted to District 1, Crandell was unopposed for the Senate District 6 August 28, 2012 Republican Primary, winning with 17,089 votes;[4] and won the November 6, 2012 General election with 45,105 votes against Democratic Representative Tom Chabin.[5]
2010 With House District 5 incumbent Democratic Representative retiring and Republican Representative Bill Konopnicki running for Arizona Senate and leaving both seats open, Crandell ran in the three-way August 24, 2010 Republican Primary and placed second with 9,975 votes;[6] in the four-way November 2, 2010 General election, fellow Republican nominee Brenda Barton took the first seat and Crandell took the second seat with 30,890 votes ahead of Democratic nominees Bill Shumway and Prescott Winslow.[7]
Sponsored legislation
In 2014, Crandell sponsored SB1093, which would have required federal law enforcement and other agencies doing business in an Arizona county to register with and present a warrant to the county sheriff.[8][9] The proposed bill also stipulated that half of all fines imposed by the federal government must be turned over to Arizona's general fund.[8][9] The bill was rejected by the Senate Rules Committee, which voted 4–2 against it after its attorney said that it would likely violate the Constitution.[8] The American Conservative Union gave him an evaluation of 92%.
Death
He was found dead August 4, 2014, after failing to return from a horseback ride near Heber-Overgaard. He was 68. According to the Navajo County Sheriff's Office, Crandell had left for a one-hour ride at about 10 A.M. on what investigators were told was a new colt. When he did not return, family members searched the area where he was riding, and, at about 2 P.M, found him dead. The horse was found in the area.[10] After an autopsy, the cause of death was determined to be injuries from being thrown from his horse.[11]
^ abcAleshire, Pete (13 March 2014). "Local Lawmakers Would Make Sheriffs Ultimate Authority". Payson Roundup. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014. A bill sponsored by Rim Country's state legislative delegation that would have required federal law enforcement personnel to register with local sheriffs and turn over half of their fines to the counties has died in committee ... The law represented an effort to write into state law a movement that insists county sheriffs have a constitutional position superior to the federal government – so they don't have to adhere to federal law if they think that law is in conflict with the U.S. Constitution ... The Senate Rules Committee voted against the bill 2–4, effectively killing it. The committee's attorney said the bill would probably violate the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution, which gives federal laws priority over conflicting state laws.
