Pulse BEAT
TAKING THE LEAD
Scottsdale dad and legal eagle Ben Graff takes multitasking to new level
By day, Ben Graff is both a busy zoning attorney with Quarles & Brady – the law firm that notably played a prominent role in securing the approval for The RitzCarlton in Paradise Valley – and an elected official. “I serve on the Central Arizona Water Conservation District Board. We oversee 40 percent of Arizona’s water supply,” says Graff, who helped get a historic drought contingency plan passed in January. But by evening, as an advocate for Arizona’s children, Graff is also a board member for Kids at Hope. “We give school districts the tools to cultivate an environment where all children can succeed,” Graff says. “We have programs to help motivate kids and build their self-worth despite behavioral, physical or family-related challenges.” Among the biggest reasons for his passion is that Graff is a father himself. “The most important title in my world is ‘daddy’ to Madison, 5, and Sophia, 3,” Graff says. “They will tell you my most important titles are chief fort builder and foreman of Lego construction. Admittedly, I love those ‘jobs’ since I am a total tinkerer.” Tinkering, in fact, led Graff to an interesting hobby. “Two years ago, I made my wife cement handprints of our daughters’ hands for Christmas,” Graff says. “I, of course, had to tinker with the leftover materials.” Before he knew it, Graff was sculpting the cement. Today, he has a series of both magnetized cement art and cement planters. “The fact that my wife says she has never seen anything like them before continues to be interpreted as a compliment,” Graff laughs. Speaking of laughs, another of Graff’s hobbies is pretty funny. “People assume my role as an attorney is adversarial, but it is really about building bridges,” Graff says. “I’ve often used humor to build those bridges.” Beyond the courtroom, Graff exercises his funny bone at Tempe Improv. “I first got on stage in 2018, and while I’m no Chris Rock, I held my own,” says Graff, who last performed in May. So, what’s next for this master multitasker? Graff, who was recently elected to the Valley Partnership board, an advocacy group for responsible development in Arizona, says his future holds “more advocacy and more building – and not just with Legos.”
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So Scottsdale! June ‘19
BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ / PHOTO BY CLAUDIA JOHNSTONE