title: Arizona State Mine Inspector
text: # Arizona State Mine Inspector
  
  The Arizona State Mine Inspector is responsible for overseeing the safety and regulation of active and inactive mines in the state of Arizona in the United States. It is an independent, constitutionally-mandated office, elected to a four-year term. Arizona is the only state which fills this position through direct election.
  
  Arizona has 600 working mines and an estimated 120,000 abandoned mines. As of 2013, the state had 4 mine inspectors.
  
  Arizona House Representative Randall Friese introduced a bill in 2016 to change the position from elected to appointed. The bill failed to move out of committee.
  
  In 2007, former inspector Douglas K. Martin was convicted of a felony conflict of interest from the illegal use of state vehicles and theft.
  
  ## Former inspectors
  
  * G. H. Bolin, Democrat, 1912–1921
  * John F. White, Republican, 1921–1923
  * Tom C. Foster, Democrat, 1923–1945
  * Clifford J. Murdock, Democrat, 1945–1953
  * Edward Massey, Democrat, 1953–1959
  * R. V. Hersey, Democrat, 1959–1965
  * Verne C. McCutchan, Republican, 1965–1975
  * Bert C. Romero, Democrat, 1975–1976
  * Verne C. McCutchan, Republican, 1976–1978
  * James H. McCutchan, Republican, 1979–1990
  * Douglas K. Martin, Republican, 1991–2007
  * Joe Hart, Republican, 2007–2021
  