The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has appointed Kiana Sears to fill the Arizona State Senate seat for Legislative District 9, following the resignation of Eva Burch. The district covers parts of Mesa, extending from Loop 101 to Val Vista Drive and includes areas within Supervisorial Districts 1 and 2.
Supervisor Mark Stewart, representing District 1 on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, said, “We were honored to consider three tremendous candidates for the Arizona LD-9 Senate appointment—each uniquely qualified and deeply committed to public service. After thoughtful deliberation, the Board selected Kiana Sears because of her exceptional leadership, deep understanding of key issues like water, housing, and education, and a lifelong record of community service. We thank her for stepping up to serve and wish her great success on behalf of our county and state.”
Sears brings nearly three decades of experience in public policy, government relations, and civic engagement. She has served as a board member for Mesa Public Schools for eight years and previously worked as a research staffer at the Arizona State Senate. Her academic background includes a Master’s degree in Public Administration and Public Policy as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Intercultural Communication from Arizona State University. She has lived in Mesa for over twenty years.
According to state law, the board chose Sears from a list provided by precinct committeemen from LD-9. The appointee was required to be both a resident of LD-9 and share the same political party affiliation as the outgoing senator—in this case, Democrat. Sears will complete the remainder of Burch’s term.
Education remains an important issue in Maricopa County. Recent data shows that during the 2022-23 school year, more than sixty percent of students in grades three through eight did not pass the mathematics section of statewide assessments (source). High school students faced similar challenges with about sixty-five percent failing mathematics on standardized tests (source). English proficiency also remains an area needing improvement; fifty-seven percent or more students did not pass English sections at both elementary (source) and high school levels (source). More recent results indicate that roughly thirty-four percent of high schoolers passed math on ACT exams during the 2023-24 school year (source), while thirty-six percent of third through eighth graders passed math assessments in that same period (source).
Sears will take office immediately to represent Legislative District 9.
