Replacing District #4 representative Pat McCarver
The District #4 seat, which is now occupied by Pat McCarver, will be filled in January by Chris Kuknyo. McCarver decided not to run after serving for more than a decade on the Board. Kuknyo is the only person to have completed the paperwork by the filing deadline for the position in that district.
Chris Kuknyo was born in Chicago and moved to Prescott with his family in 1978. He attended Prescott High School and graduated with the class of 84. Out of high school, he went directly into the workforce where he has held a wide variety of jobs from broadcasting to underground mining.
Chris is the co-founder of Patriot Disposal Inc. He has been actively involved in the Prescott community for many years. He served on the board of the Prescott Valley Economic Development Foundation, was Chairman of the Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce in 2010 and was a Councilman for the City of Prescott from 2011 to 2015.
He has also served as the Vice President of the Citizens Tax Committee, President of the Zeitz-Prescott sister city organization and Treasurer for the Williamson Valley Community organization.
The following is the letter he sent to Yavapai County Superintendent Tim Carter when he filed for the Yavapai Community College District #4 position.
Dear Mr. Carter:
Yavapai College is one of the greatest assets in the county. It trains our residents for careers in an ever changing workplace. It is an inexpensive start to continuing education for our young people and gets them up to speed for the next step to a university. Our seniors never stop learning through the OLLI program. I, along with most people, see the value in this local resource that is paid for by our property taxes. This support comes with the expectation that our tax dollars need to be spent on our county. When the majority of merit scholarships are given to students from outside the county, outside the state, and sometimes outside of the country, we have lost our focus. Tax increases were becoming the norm until recently. I have seen innovative improvements from the new president and would like to serve on the board to help her and the college continue to make positive changes. Great things happen when we look at the needs of our local community. The nursing program and first responder courses are great examples. Teaming with local industry to train local people so they can make a better wage is also the right way to go. Being ready to assist economic development in bringing good paying clean jobs to our area is a must. We are starting to put the word “Community” back into Yavapai Community College and I want to be a part of that.
I have lived in Prescott since 1978. My wife and I raised our family and started a business here that I sold three years ago. We started with a single truck and built it into a successful business by listening to the needs of the community and watching expenses like a hawk. I will bring my life experience and values to the Board of Yavapai College. I don’t consider myself a politician but feel it’s my duty to serve and give back to the community that has given me so much. I served one term on the Prescott City Council, was president of the PV Chamber of Commerce, Board member of The Prescott Valley Economic Development Foundation and Chairman of the Central Yavapai Metropolitan Planing Organization. I currently serve on the Yavapai County Industrial Development Commission.
In my spare time I head up a watchdog group called The Citizens Tax Committee that holds government accountable for being fiscally responsible and am on the board of the Prescott- Zeitz Germany sister city group.
Should you choose me, I promise to serve, listen and be accountable to you.
Thank You
Chris Kuknyo