J. D. Mesnard
| J. D. Mesnard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Arizona House of Representatives from the 17th district | |
|
Assumed office January 14, 2013 Serving with Thomas Forese | |
| Member of the Arizona House of Representatives from the 21st district | |
|
In office January 10, 2011 – January 14, 2013 Serving with Thomas Forese | |
| Preceded by | Rich Crandall |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 3, 1981 Tampa, Florida MacDill AFB |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Holly Mesnard |
| Residence | Gilbert, Arizona |
| Alma mater |
Arizona State University University of Phoenix Keller Graduate School of Management |
| Profession | Politician/Teacher (Mesa Community College) |
| Website |
jdmesnard |
Javan "J.D." Mesnard[1] (born March 3, 1981 in Tampa, Florida)[2] is an American politician and a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives representing District 17 since January 14, 2013. Mesnard previously served consecutively from January 10, 2011 until January 14, 2013 in the District 21 seat.
Education
Born at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida (his father is a retired fighter pilot), J.D. has lived in Arizona for over 20 years. He is a small business owner, investor, and consultant. J.D. spent many years as a music team leader, and as a youth counselor and mentor at his local church.
Mesnard earned his bachelor's degree in music composition from Arizona State University, his master's degree in business from University of Phoenix, and his master's in public administration from Keller Graduate School of Management (now DeVry University). While in graduate school, J.D. caught the attention of a professor who was an Adjunct Scholar with the National Center for Policy Analysis (a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy think tank based in Texas and Washington D.C.), and was subsequently recruited to join with the professor and with Chief Economist and speaker Dr. Barry Asmus to be a spokesman for the NCPA.
Career
Mesnard is State Representative from Legislative District 17 (Chandler, Gilbert and Sun Lakes), having been elected to the Arizona House of Representatives on November 2, 2010. He is currently the Speaker Pro Tempore of the Arizona House of Representatives.
Prior to running for office, J.D. spent eight years working at the Arizona Senate where he served as a policy advisor on issues ranging from education, transportation and retirement, to family services and government administration. During his employment at the Senate, he was Senate Coordinator for the "Legislators Back to School Program." Sponsored by the National Conference of State Legislatures, the intent of this program is to bring civics to life by connecting legislators with classrooms to give kids of all ages a chance to talk about their ideas with the state legislators who represent them.
J.D. is currently faculty at Mesa Community College, where he teaches courses in political science.
Elections
- 2012 Redistricted to District 17 with fellow incumbent Representative Forese, and with incumbent Democratic Representatives Ed Ableser running for Arizona Senate and Ben Arredondo leaving the Legislature, Forese and Mesnard were unopposed for the August 28, 2012 Republican Primary; Forese placed first, and Mesnard placed second with 13,439 votes;[3] Forese and Mesnard won the four-way November 6, 2012 General election, with Forese taking the first seat and Mesnard taking the second seat with 42,955 votes against Democratic nominee Karyn Lathan and a write-in candidate.[4]
- 2010 When District 21 incumbent Republican Representative Steve Yarbrough ran for Arizona Senate and Warde Nichols left the Legislature, Mesnard ran in the three-way August 24, 2010 Republican Primary, placing second with 13,086 votes;[5] in the three-way November 2, 2010 General election, Thomas Forese took the first seat, and Mesnard took the second seat with 39,891 votes against Green candidate Linda Macias.[6]
2016 Arizona Election Scandal
In March 2016, Mesnard represented District 17 at an Arizona House Elections Committee Hearing on the difficulties voters experienced at polls during the March 22 presidential primaries. For the primaries, polling stations had been reduced from 200 to 60 in Maricopa County and many voters were forced to wait hours, nearly 5 hours in some cases, to vote.[7] During the House Elections Committee Hearing on March 28th, Mesnard responded to those who came to testify about their experiences: "There are a lot of different ways people think we should handle it... some people think you should have been here for a little while."[8]
References
- ↑ "Javan "J.D." Mesnard". Phoenix, Arizona: Arizona State Legislature. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
- ↑ "J.D. Mesnard's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
- ↑ "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2012 Primary Election August 28, 2012" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 12. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
- ↑ "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2012 General Election November 6, 2012" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 11 & 12. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
- ↑ "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2010 Primary Election - August 24, 2010" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 13. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
- ↑ "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2010 General Election - November 2, 2010" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 10. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
- ↑ http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/03/arizona-primary-long-lines-voting-restrictions
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2togSItA77E