Hello world, it's been quite some time.
This post serves to be essentially an update on everything that has happened since my long-ago last update. Of course this is a difficult task, and I will not attempt to keep them in any order. This will be more of a flow-of-consciousness situation.
Most relevant to know, my campaign is now over! It was honestly a great experience (albeit with its stress at times). Getting to talk to people about the issues that concern them most was an immense privilege. Also being the only opposition for these seats, being the only reason the voters in my district had a choice, was nice; I felt there was a bigger importance to my candidacy through that. Regardless of the results, I am happy with those who were elected as they still mostly represent my views. I am particularly glad about Ian Teller, who is about the same age as me (Gen Z!) and works in higher education. He's now providing that essential representation of young people in the legislature! Find the (unofficial, still being counted) results below:
For those not familiar with the Arizona State House, there are 2 open seats per district. It's fascinating diving into some of the data broken down by county and precinct; there are an unexpected number of precincts where I was fully competitive or even got the most votes!
I also graduated with my M.Ed. Counseling - Student Affairs degree in May 2026! No more school for me for quite some time. I was very lucky to get a job lined up before I graduated, one of the few available, and it's been great! I've been learning a lot, growing as a professional, and have amazing coworkers. I will admit it's been very difficult with changes and cuts due enrollment drops. Even though there are challenges, it's the field I want to work in.
Around February-March of 2025 I attended my first Quaker meeting. I was seeking a spiritual/faith community for some time, and I just came across something online that was titled "What are Quakers?", and I thought "What ARE Quakers?", watched, and immediately knew it was for me. I went that next Sunday and go every Sunday I am available (minus a ~1.5 month gap a few months in). I've gone to a Regional and Yearly Meeting gathering in 2026, and I am certainly home! It's honestly crazy that there is a Meetinghouse here, considering there are so few of us around.
If you would like to learn more about Quakers, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (you could call it the epicenter of American Quakerism) has a good website with short explanations of the big items. If you scroll down, there are multiple colored boxes for each overarching topic - the links within them provide more info. If you're more of a Wikipedia person, here you go. If you really wanna dive in deep, here is a link to IMYM's Faith and Practice! One thing I love about Quakerism is the immense diversity of belief; even just my local Meeting has Christians, Buddhists, Non-theists, Universalists, and definitely more. They are the best people I know.
In 2025 I was passed and raised a Master Mason! I was the candidate at our outdoor degree, which made it so much more special having people travel to be there. The weather really set the mood! August marked one year a MM, with me being a part of the degree this time. It happened at the Grand Canyon at the Shrine of the Ages, and was attended by brothers of at least 5 states. We made the weekend extra special for the 250th anniversary of the US.
On the advocacy side of my life, in March 2025 I was the first person to speak out against Flock Cameras in my city. That triggered a 9-month advocacy campaign with many coalition members that ended in the city cancelling the contract! I first learned about them through a 404 Media article, and thought "Thank God we don't have those here". Let alone, 3 days later, I was driving and saw one and my heart sank. I was behind and needed to do something. The next City Council meeting I spoke at Public Comment. Over those nine months I started an effective online campaign in partnership with NAU students through the Community Engagement Minor (they were instrumental!), spoke with the Mayor and multiple Councilmembers individually, provided educational presentations, participated in public forums, spoke at protests, and gave five public comments. It was incredibly awarding, although certainly exhausting! The most powerful aspect was just how important the issue was to people across the political spectrum - that is why we will win in the end. In hindsight we were so early - the issue is everywhere now. That being said, NAU and Coconino County still have Flock contracts. I am trying to encourage students and County residents to start advocating. I am not a student anymore and I believe it should be led by students; I am not a county resident and I believe it should be led by County residents. I am still in the loop with a good amount of it, and at least on the NAU side students are organizing - the university contract expires March 2027 which is an opportunity.
That being said, Coconino County still has a Flock contract. NAU just removed their cameras a week ago. I am trying to encourage County residents to start advocating.
Some out-of-state traveling I did included:
Going forward, I am hoping to put a big focus on simplicity and intentionality. I'm reevaluating all aspects of my life, as I should working full-time now! Particularly focusing more on how I use my time, the things that bring me joy, human connection, and switching most of my online presence back to this website. It's not a bad time to update things.
Brendan Trachsel © Copyright 2026