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History of a Big Queso

Wherever he went, change – and Latinos – followed. That’s the history of service that Art Othon leaves after his retirement from Arizona Public Service. Art had been an agent of change before APS recruited him. As president of the fledgling Chicanos Por La Causa, and a member of the Chicano activist Chavalo Pack that included Alfredo Gutierrez and Tommy Espinoza, he led a small social service agency to become one of the biggest players in the state.

He was also chief of staff to then Phoenix Mayor Terry Goddard, and executive assistant to Gov. Rose Mofford. He served 17 years with APS and retired as senior vice president for public affairs. He is most proud of instituting APS’s minority procurement system. Money is power, and he wanted to make sure ethnic businesses got some. When he started, minority businesses got $6,000 worth of work out of the billions that ran through APS. Now the figure is about $60 million, he says.

Art acknowledges his trailblazer role. “In every position I’ve had, anybody that has filled that position after me was a Latino,” he says. “I was kind of like the icebreaker.” Let’s toast to Othon’s legacy – on the rocks.