Key points:

• The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors unanimously appointed Cody Reim to replace former state Rep. Joe Chaplik in the state House

• County Supervisor Thomas Galvin motioned to appoint Reim and the other supervisors deferred to him

• Reim’s priorities at the Legislature will focus on water issues in the state

A Republican candidate running for the state House this year may get some early experience after being appointed to fill a vacancy to replace former state representative and congressional candidate Joe Chaplik.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors appointed Rio Verde Foothills resident Cody Reim unanimously in a 5-0 vote Tuesday morning to replace Chaplik. He was sworn into office shortly after his appointment to fill the Legislative District 3 vacancy in the state House after Chaplik resigned earlier in March to focus on his congressional campaign.

“I look forward to serving and representing my community and working to make Arizona a great place to live,” Reim said in a statement following his appointment. “I am committed to listening to the people of our district, working hard on their behalf, and ensuring that our voices are heard at the State Capitol. Together, we can work to help build a stronger future for our community and for all of Arizona.”

Last week, Republican precinct committee members in the district picked Reim, George Khalaf, and former state legislator Michelle Ugenti-Rita as nominees for the board’s consideration. Reim received the fewest number of votes among the three. Khalaf, who is also running for the state House in LD3 this year, got the most. 

Maricopa County Supervisor Thomas Galvin nominated Reim to fill the vacancy. He spoke highly of both Reim and Khalaf and said he hopes and expects both to be in the state House in 2027. 

Galvin has a history with Reim, who advocated on behalf of Rio Verde Foothills residents in 2023 after the city of Scottsdale shut off their access to the city’s water, leaving the residents in a water crisis that required legislative intervention to resolve. 

“Cody was the kind of person who brought his neighbors together when they were fighting each other,” Galvin said. “Cody Reim took the initiative and was proactive, and went down to the Capitol and advocated not only for his family, but for his neighbors and his community — essentially for his district, his county and state.”

Galvin didn’t mention Ugenti-Rita, who is running for Scottsdale City Council this year, before nominating Reim. The former legislator also ran against Galvin for a seat on the county board and questioned Galvin’s conservative values publicly several times during her race.

Prior to the board’s meeting, Ugenti-Rita called Galvin a “small and petty man” in a post on X with an attached statement from Dennis Wilenchik, an attorney who deposed an anonymous lobbyist who accused Ugenti-Rita of sexual harassment in 2020 while she was a senator. Wilenchik wrote in his statement that he now believes the accusations are unsubstantiated and were brought forward in an effort to harm Ugenti-Rita. 

Reim thanked both Khalaf and Ugenti-Rita in his statement and said both are incredible candidates who have served Arizona well. 

Board Chairwoman Kate Brophy McGee noted that Reim didn’t get the most votes among LD3 precinct committee members, but Galvin said he picked Reim for the nomination after carefully reviewing each candidate’s application. 

Galvin said he was also impressed by his interview with Reim and agreed with him that the most important issue Arizonans are facing is water. He highlighted a portion of Reim’s application for the appointment where Reim mentioned the Legislature must address wildcat subdivisions — informal developments that split new residential parcels of six or more lots with the intent of circumventing the state’s 100-year assured water supply law. 

Reim wrote in his application that irresponsible building practices like wildcat subdivisions contributed to Rio Verde’s water issues in 2023. 

“To me, (Reim) was a bridgebuilder and a consensusmaker,” Galvin said. 

Galvin’s county district covers the most precincts of LD3, which includes Scottsdale, Fountain Hills and Rio Verde. Board Vice Chairwoman Debbie Lesko said she might’ve picked someone else for the nomination, but the board usually defers to the supervisor who represents the most precincts of a legislative district in county appointments. 

“It’s a challenging job and (Reim) is going to be under a lot of pressure,” Lesko said. “A lot of pressure from his colleagues and peers and so I hope he holds true to his values and does a good job.”