The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to appoint Andrés Cano as the new District 5 supervisor, filling the seat vacated by Adelita Grijalva.
“District 5 raised me, and I’m ready to return that gift by doing what I’ve always done: show up, listen, and get to work. So let’s get to work,” Cano said following his appointment.
Cano, a Democrat, told Arizona Luminaria he plans to run for the seat in the following term but doesn’t want the spotlight right now.
“I want to say I fully support future Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva’s run for Congress,” he said. “That should be the current focus.”
The majority of District 5 is within the city of Tucson bounds.
A Tucson native, Cano earned his bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Arizona State University in 2014.
Supervisor Jennifer Allen, of District 3, nominated Cano during the meeting, and District 2 Supervisor Matt Heinz seconded the motion.
District 1 Supervisor Rex Scott also voted in favor, noting that numerous community members had voiced their support for Cano.
“Not only did they attest to his intellect and political skills, but they also spoke to his essential goodness and the way he is fully present in every conversation,” Scott said.
Dozens of residents submitted written statements supporting Cano’s appointment, according to meeting documents.
District 4 Supervisor Steve Christy, the only Republican on the board, was absent for the vote.
Grijalva, a Democrat, had represented District 5 since 2020, including two years as board chair. She is now running for Congress to try to succeed her late father, Raúl Grijalva, who represented Arizona’s Congressional District 7 from 2003 until his death.
As of January 2025, Pima County supervisors earn an annual salary of $96,660, according to state statute.
The Pima County Clerk’s Office received 10 applications for the District 5 seat. After verifying residency and documentation, six candidates were approved for consideration.
Cano previously served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2019 to 2023, including time as House minority leader.
He resigned during his third term after being accepted into the Harvard Kennedy School, where he earned a master’s in public administration in May 2024. The following month, he began working as director of federal and state relations for the city of Tucson.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the number of terms Cano served as a House representative.
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