It’s understood that Chip Davis’ roots in Yavapai County run deep – his ranching family has been here for nearly 140 years.
And the strength of his connection to the community is evidenced in part by the dozens of plaques that fill the walls of his office, from the reception area to his inner sanctum – tokens of appreciation from the many groups he has worked with over his two decades as Yavapai County supervisor. His favorites, he said, are two simple, handmade gifts from clients of YES the Arc, a Cottonwood agency that serves those with developmental disabilities.
As Davis contemplated a run for the state legislature early this year, he turned to his strength — his family — for advice. But it was more than just a political decision.
When his children, parents and wife Karen discussed the matter, it was with the knowledge that Karen had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
However, they agreed as a family to push forward.
“The question was, do I still have something to offer?” he said. “They think I do. I think I do.
“Yavapai County has been good to my family. If my way to give back is to be a voice for rural Arizona, then that’s what I want to do.
“Everyone has their duty to do. I asked myself, at 56, am I really ready to hang up my spurs or do I have something more to give? I do.”
Doctors subsequently told the Davis family that the cancer hadn’t spread to Karen’s lymph nodes and just recently they declared her to be cancer free, he said.
With that burden lifted, Davis is set to intensify his campaign to become the state representative for District 1.
The decision to run wasn’t exactly a bolt from the blue. Davis announced in May 2012 that if he were reelected to his fifth term on the Board of Supervisors it would be his last, but he said he still had the desire for public service, including the possibility of the state legislature.
To read the full story, see the Wednesday, Oct. 7, edition of The Camp Verde Journal.
