Let’s talk about the elections few people really pay attention to, or even understand what the offices do. We’re talking about the elections for Pima County constables. You know, the races at the bottom of the ballot that by the time you get to them you’re so sick of filling in bubbles you just blow right through. But it’s worth taking a moment to think about them. They’re the court officers who otherwise law-abiding Pima County residents are most likely to encounter. They serve eviction notices, restraining orders, court summons, and subpoenas, as well as seizing property when the court orders it. The political history of local constables has been tumultuous, to say the least, in recent years. The pandemic pushed them into the spotlight as they navigated the changing rules for evictions. Colorful personalities shaped the job, leading some to see themselves as social workers trying to avoid kicking people out of their homes and others to stick closely to the letter of the law. (Tucson Agenda) (February 15)

Constable in trouble: The Pima County supervisors are going to consider suspending Constable Oscar Vasquez without pay at their meeting next week, or declare his office vacant and replace him. Supervisor Adelita Grijalva added it to the agenda after the state Constable Ethics, Standards and Training Board recommended the county suspend Vasquez. He went on medical leave last April and didn’t work until at least September, without providing documentation from his medical provider, according the state ethics board. Vasquez is one of the constable candidates with a checkered past on the ballot this year, as we wrote on Thursday. (February 16)

Constable suspended, again: The county supervisors suspended Constable Oscar Vasquez on Tuesday for the rest of his term, the Tucson Sentinel’s Jim Nintzel reports. A state ethics board recommended the suspensions after he didn’t show up to work from April to September following an injury. Vasquez said the suspension wasn’t fair. This is the third time he’s been suspended. He was suspended in 2020 after driving at excessive speeds, damaging county vehicles, and failing to take anger management classes. He ran unopposed for re-election that year, then he was suspended again in 2021 for delaying an eviction. He filed to run again this year, but he isn’t sure whether he’ll stay in the race against Tracy Ethridge-Nielsen, who had a long career with the Pascua Yaqui Police Department. (February 21)

Calling it quits: Constable Oscar Vasquez resigned this week, after the Pima County Board of Supervisors suspended him in January for the rest of his term, the Tucson Sentinel’s Jim Nintzel reports. A state ethics board stripped Vasquez of his responsibilities after a complaint that he didn’t work from April to September. The county supervisors will appoint a replacement. The only other person running for the office is Tracy Ethridge-Nielsen, a Democrat like Vasquez.  (May 9)

Eviction officials: Arizona Public Media’s Paola Rodriguez talks to Pima County Constable Eric Krznarich about constables’ role in the housing crisis, with 12,993 evictions filed last year in Pima County. Rents have risen roughly 35% since 2020, and despite a recent decrease in eviction filings and a slower rate of rent increases, local experts stress the need for large-scale solutions to prevent eviction and homelessness. (May 20)

In advance of July’s primary elections, the group distributed written questionnaires to candidates running for all criminal justice-related offices and is hosting forums in contested races, the first of which took place last week. The forum included candidates for constable and justice of the peace positions, of which there are three contested races headed into the primary (You can find our previous reporting about those races here.) Of the six candidates invited to attend, only two showed up, meaning Democratic Justice of the Peace candidates Kendrick Wilson and Michael Buglewicz (who are not running against each other) had almost an hour to discuss their relationship with the African American community, their thoughts on high-dollar bonds for non-violent offenders, steps they’d take to address racial inequity in the system and more. (Tucson Agenda) (May 31)