The Pima County Board of Supervisors is slated to appoint a new treasurer during their regular meeting Tuesday evening following Brian Johnson’s resignation last month.
County treasurers are tasked with collecting and managing the county’s property and district tax revenue.
The person serving the remainder of Johnson’s term must be at least 18 years old, literate in English, a registered Pima County voter and a resident of Arizona.
The chosen candidate must also be a registered Democrat. When an elected officer resigns before the end of their term, state law requires the Board of Supervisors to appoint a replacement from the same political party.
In total, nine people are in the running to replace Johnson. They are:
- Jake Martin, Pima County’s current chief deputy treasurer
- Brian Bickel, former CEO of the Southeast Arizona Medical Center in Douglas
- Derika Louk, a financial analyst supervisor for Pima County
- Sami Hamed, an instructor with the social services nonprofit Amistades
- James Hannley, an independent registered investment advisor
- Derrick Espadas, a managing partner at the accounting firm Spade Business Services
- Daniel Dempsey, co-founder and director of Underground Arizona, a nonprofit that distributes information about electric utilities
- Jorge Soto, an independent financial consultant
- Hugh Donald Womack, a substitute teacher for Tucson Unified School District.
Bickel and Hamed ran for county treasurer in 2020 and 2024, respectively.
The candidates [discussed their backgrounds](
last week in a forum organized by the League of Women Voters:
WATCH NOW: League of Women Voters' Pima County Treasurer Applicant's Forum - July 7, 2026
Under normal circumstances, treasurers are elected to a four-year term. But Johnson, who won election in 2024, resigned from the post in June. According to Arizona statute, the supervisors must now appoint a replacement to serve through 2028, when Johnson’s term would have ended.
Shortly after Johnson’s resignation last month, the Tucson Sentinel and Arizona Daily Star obtained county records stating several employees had accused Johnson of sexual misconduct.
Martin, the county’s chief deputy treasurer, has been overseeing daily operations at the Treasurer’s Office in the weeks following Johnson’s resignation.
