Susan Bitter Smith
2021 - Present
2028
4
Susan Bitter Smith is a member of the Maricopa County Community College District in Arizona, representing District 2. She assumed office on January 1, 2021. Her current term ends on December 31, 2028.
Smith won re-election to the Maricopa County Community College District to represent District 2 in Arizona outright after the general election on November 5, 2024, was canceled.
Biography
While in charge of the Arizona Corporation Commission, Bitter Smith was also the executive director of the Arizona-New Mexico Cable Communications Association, a position she had held since 1980. She was also running a public relations firm called Technical Solutions. Born and raised in Arizona, she has served on the Scottsdale City Council and was vice mayor. She has been elected to two consecutive six-year terms on the Central Arizona Water Conservation District Board of Directors and was the first woman to serve as president of the Board.[1][2]
Education
- Undergraduate degree in business administration, Arizona State University
- MBA, Arizona State University[2]
Political career
Arizona Corporation Commission (2013-2016)
Bitter Smith was first elected in 2012. She announced her resignation on December 17, 2015, and resigned on January 4, 2016, saying that the controversy over her multiple jobs was becoming a distraction. The Attorney General's Office had filed a petition with the Arizona Supreme Court on November 30 seeking to remove her, arguing that her simultaneous position as the head of the Southwest Cable Communications Association violated Arizona's conflict-of-interest law.[3][1]
Bitter Smith said,
| “ | The public deserves the full attention of the commission and its staff to the upcoming body of work facing the commission. Despite my great love for this job and pride in our successes, my overriding goal is to insure that the work of the people gets done with the appropriate attention it deserves.[4] | ” |
| —Susan Bitter Smith, [1] | ||
In announcing her resignation, Bitter Smith disputed Attorney General Mark Brnovich's petition and said she still wanted the case to be heard by the Supreme Court.[1]
The Supreme Court was scheduled to review the case on January 5, 2016. On January 5, the Supreme Court declined to take up the case, saying it did not need to determine whether Bitter Smith had a conflict of interest. A criminal investigation of Bitter Smith's activities remained open, according to Brnovich's office.[5]
Elections
2024
See also: Municipal elections in Maricopa County, Arizona (2024)
General election
The general election was canceled. Susan Bitter Smith (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Smith in this election.
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Maricopa County, Arizona (2020)
General election
The general election was canceled. Susan Bitter Smith (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.
2012
Smith ran for Arizona Corporation Commission in 2012.[6] A total of three seats were up for election on the Arizona Corporation Commission in 2012. Incumbent Bob Stump and candidate Robert Burns ran in the August 28 Republican primary. Smith won in the general election on November 6, 2012.[3]
| Arizona Corporation Commission General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Paul Newman Incumbent | 15.5% | 868,726 | |
| Democratic | Sandra Kennedy Incumbent | 15.4% | 862,876 | |
| Democratic | Marcia Busching | 13.8% | 776,472 | |
| Republican |  Bob Stump Incumbent |
17.5% | 979,034 | |
| Republican | Robert Burns |
16.8% | 943,157 | |
| Republican | Susan Bitter Smith |
16.7% | 935,575 | |
| Libertarian | Christopher Gohl | 2% | 112,490 | |
| Green | Daniel Pout | 1% | 58,607 | |
| Green | Thomas Meadows | 1.2% | 67,950 | |
| Write-in | Various | 0.1% | 3,784 | |
| Total Votes | 5,608,671 | |||
| Election results via Arizona Secretary of State | ||||
| Arizona Corporation Commission-Republican Primary, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Bob Stump Incumbent |
34.9% | 280,838 | ||
| Robert "Bob" Burns |
31.7% | 255,367 | ||
| Susan Bitter Smith |
32.9% | 264,545 | ||
| Write-in | 0.5% | 3,887 | ||
| Total Votes | 804,637 | |||
| Election results via The Arizona Secretary of State. | ||||
Incumbents Paul Newman and Sandra Kennedy, as well as Marcia Busching, ran in the Democratic primary.[7] Smith won election in the general election on November 6, 2012.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Susan Bitter Smith did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Susan Bitter Smith did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Ballotpedia currently provides campaign finance data for all federal- and state-level candidates from 2020 and later. We are continuously working to expand our data to include prior elections. That information will be published here as we acquire it. If you would like to help us provide this data, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Bitter Smith is married and has two children.[2]
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Officeholder Maricopa County Community College District District 2 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Ryan Randazzo, Arizona Republic, "Susan Bitter Smith resigns from Arizona Corporation Commission," December 17, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Susan Bitter Smith for Corporation Commission, "Biography," accessed July 5, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Arizona Secretary of State, "Election Results 2012," accessed November 7, 2012
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ryan Randazzo, The Arizona Republic, "State supreme court declines to take up Bitter Smith issue," January 5, 2016
- ↑ Phoenix Business Journal, "Campaign season starts early for Arizona Corporation Commission," January 10, 2012
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "2012 primary election candidates," accessed May 30, 2012
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