Toni Hellon
Toni Hellon, University of Arizona 1985 Graduate
Former Arizona State Senator and Pima County Clerk of Superior Court
Born Toni Pfeiffer, in 1946, in a small town in Northern Wisconsin, she was a typical small town female Baby Boomer, few career options were available to girls at that time. She started college in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, married young and had 2 daughters and continued to take classes whenever possible as the young family traveled from Green Bay to Southern Arizona, via Arkansas and Texas.
They began Arizona life in San Manuel, a tiny mining town where her husband, Reid Carson, was an accountant for a company building a new smelter there. The closest city was Tucson, and Toni fell in love with Tucson. At the same time, she fell out of love with Reid. They divorced after they moved to Mesa, Arizona.
As a young mother with 2 little girls, she began a new job with the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce where she met Mike Hellen. They shared a strong interest in politics and worked on many local campaigns. After they married, they expanded their political activities running campaigns, producing brochures, writing speeches, fundraising, etc.
Toni had found her niche.
The Hellons,had a son and the family of 5 moved to Tucson in 1983. Toni attended the University of Arizona and completed a BA in Journalism. and continued political involvement. Toni became chairman of the Pima County Republican Party while Mike was Chairman of the Arizona Republican Party and National Committeeman from Arizona.
She also spent several years on the Pima County Trial Court Commission, which interviews and investigates attorneys and makes recommendations to the Governor for appointment to the Superior Court Bench in Pima County,
At the same time, Toni worked for Pima County Recorder and County Supervisor Mike Boyd. In the following 20 years she ran many Republican campaigns including:
County Supervisor Ann Day, Senator Jan Brewer, Secretary of State Betsey Bayless, Governor Jane Hull, three for Congressman Jim Kolbe, So. AZ.campaign for Senator John McCain for President, Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup, City Councilman Fred Ronstadt.
In 2000, she took the leap and ran for the Arizona Senate seat being vacated by Ann Day, and she served there for 3 terms. In 2007, she joined the Pima County Clerk of Superior Court's office and, in 2013, Governor Jan Brewer appointed Toni Hellon Clerk of Superior Court, to replace the retiring Clerk. She was elected to a full 4-year term in that office in 2014 and retired from that office and from political activity at the end of 2018.
She continued to work Early Voting Sites during election times for the Recorder's office in her retirement.