When the Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce booked Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett to speak at its luncheon May 22, it was expecting to get a prominent speaker with an engaging presentation on the state budget.

It got that and more.

Since his booking, Bennett gained a national profile for his effort to confirm the validity of President Barack Obama’s birth certificate from the state of Hawaii.

“We were looking for a prominent speaker that would be of value to our members,” Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Lana Tolleson said. “[Bennett] does a very common-sense approach to budget issues, and we thought that would be beneficial for our members to see.”

“He has many ties to Yavapai County,” Tolleson said of Bennett, who grew up in Prescott and attended Yavapai College. “Many people in the room knew him on a first-name basis.”

Before giving the originally planned budget presentation, Bennett gave locals his explanation of the events which led up to the recent media whirlwind, and his reasons for getting involved in the “birther” controversy.

For the full story, see the Wednesday, May 30, edition of The Camp Verde Journal or the Cottonwood Journal Extra.