When asked at his office what he would like the people of Maricopa to know about him, Representative Frank Pratt replied, “I try to study the issues very hard and make the right decisions for the communities.”
The Pratt family moved to Arizona in the late 1880s; his mother was born at the family bakery in Florence. The building is now the Florence Visitors’ Center in downtown Florence. Representative Pratt was also born in Florence and attended Florence and Maricopa High Schools, Central Arizona College, Northern Arizona University, and Arizona Western College.
Frank Pratt has operated a successful small business in Casa Grande that his son now runs. He is a Red Cross Volunteer, former Pinal County Merit Commission Chairman, Public Safety Retirement Board Member, and graduate of the Department of Public Safety Citizens and U of A Project Central Leadership Academies. He is a member of the Maricopa and Casa Grande Chambers of Commerce, and serves on the Government Affairs Committee. His wife, Dr. Janice Pratt, is a professor at Central Arizona College in the Business and Business Law Divisions.
Representative Pratt’s love of Arizona is evidenced by the artwork displayed in his office. A beautiful picture of Tovrea’s Castle with a feed lot in front of it is on the wall behind him, with Native American weaving hanging on the opposite wall. His sister’s painting of Picacho Peak is on the back wall. There also are pictures of him and his wife on horseback in Payson, and a NFL Regional Champs Cardinals Hat on the bookcase.
With the budget just getting approved, Pratt said it would impact Pinal County to a great degree, both negatively and positively. The vehicle license tax and the moratorium on impact fees will be significant, as that will affect all growth areas. He noted that Federal money for roads is simply not there – what money there is will mainly be for maintenance of highways.
Representative Pratt works on three committees: Commerce, Environment and Natural Resources, and Rural Affairs. Many bills that come through need to be studied and reviewed by more than one of the committees. Continuity is learned as a large number of bills come through that basically only need technical corrections. When asked what he is most proud of, Pratt said, “That’s a hard thing to say. I’ve had a small amount of impact in many areas; finding ways to improve is not always an earth-shattering thing. I do take pride in my work, bringing a positive effect on rural school districts.”
According to Pratt, what Maricopa needs in the short term is for the housing situation to be corrected. A larger number of available jobs will bring long-term success to the Maricopa community. He cited the changing times for some of the small town woes as regional shopping is going in, along with regional hospitals, ignoring the needs of the smaller communities.
Frank Pratt is part of our history; when he was a young man, one of his first jobs was moving the cattle feed lot from that area in the painting on his wall, south of Tovrea’s Castle, and rebuilding the cattle pins in Maricopa.
On his website, Pratt says, “I believe that our heritage districts in our cities and towns should be preserved as newcomers and economic developers consider those areas barometers to our economic future. I value all of our diverse residents: the pioneers and long-time residents, visitors and new neighbors, and our Native American communities.”