Editor’s note: This story has been revised to include information about Ryan Winkle’s 2017 drunken driving arrest and subsequent dismissal from the Mesa City Council. 

The Arizona Legislative District 9 Democrats chose three candidates Monday night to potentially fill the Senate seat vacated by former Sen. Eva Burch, who resigned on March 14.

Ryan Winkle, Laura Metcalfe and Kiana Sears all received the most votes as the nominees to replace Burch. Now it’s up to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to appoint one to the legislature.

Winkle is currently the executive director at the Arizona Fair Housing Center. He is also a former Mesa City Council member and mayoral candidate who lost in the election primary last year. The Mesa City Council booted Winkle from the council in August 2017, just a few months after a drunken driving arrest. 

During his speech to the committee, Winkle described his policy as “people first” and touted his work to bolster small businesses and affordable housing in the community.

“We all know that things are confusing right now, everyone’s angry, everyone’s doing crazy things, but of all things, what we want to do is fill this seat with somebody that’s going to represent people,” he said.

Metcalfe is an adjunct professor, experienced school administrator and former teacher who lost the election for Maricopa County School Superintendent to Republican Shelli Boggs last fall. She currently serves as a governing board member for the East Valley Institute of Technology.

Metcalfe would use her experience running campaigns and her decades of education experience to improve teacher retention and pay, as well as tackle housing affordability, she said.

“I understand … the affordability crisis faced by Arizonans right now and wholeheartedly support policies that will build a more affordable Arizona for education,” she said.

Kiana Sears served on the Mesa Public Schools governing board for eight years before her term expired in December. Sears ran for justice of the peace for the North Mesa Justice Court last year, losing the race to Republican Kyle Jones.

Sears is currently the assistant director of Faith Based Outreach and Community Partnerships at Arizona State University. 

“When it comes to water rights, when it comes to clean energy, when it comes to the political process, when it comes to standing up, I’m a person who won’t back down,” Sears said.

She advocated working with Democrats to take a “policy-driven” approach at the legislature.

“There’s legislation that we won’t be able to put forward, but we can stop bad policies,” she said.

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