Fontes taps his former chief deputy as assistant secretary of state

Secretary of State-elect Adrian Fontes has named his former top staffer at the Maricopa County Elections Department as the assistant secretary of state.

Keely Varvel is Fontes' first staff pick since he was elected last month. Varvel was the chief deputy when Fontes served as county recorder.

Fontes on Thursday also named a multi-partisan transition team and a business advisory board to guide him as he takes over the state's top elections post. He officially will take office on Jan. 2, along with other statewide elected officials.

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In a statement, Fontes talked about reuniting with the staffer who worked with him at Maricopa County, starting in 2017.

"Keely was an amazing Chief Deputy at the Recorder’s Office.," the statement read. "I am lucky to have her at my side again."

Former U.S. Attorney for Arizona Paul Charlton will direct a 22-member transition team. The team's job is to help create a policy agenda, evaluate new program initiatives and partnerships with other state agencies and vet potential appointees.

Bettina Nava, an owner of OH Strategic Communications, will direct the business advisory board. Its directive is to create a plan for the office's business functions, which include issuing trademarks and partnerships, overseeing notaries and maintaining lobbyist registrations.

As secretary of state, Fontes will be Arizona's top elections officer. The office is also next in line to the governor if she should leave the office for any reason.

Voters approved a ballot measure to create the position of lieutenant governor in Arizona starting in 2026.

Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com and follow her on Twitter @maryjpitzl.

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