“I was shocked and saddened to hear the news of Senator Crandell’s sudden death,” O’Halleran said Monday. “My prayers go out to his family and many friends. Senator Crandell had a long term commitment to his community and Arizona.”

CONSERVATIVE CAUSES

Crandell was known largely for espousing conservative causes, getting attention for a 2013 measure seeking to declare that privately minted gold and silver coins are legal tender in Arizona. He said it set the stage for a time when people will want to use these coins rather than the paper currency being issued by the Federal Reserve, money that some people believe could become worthless due to hyperinflation.

Gov. Jan Brewer said at the time she shares the concerns of proponents that the dollar isn’t worth what it used to be. And she said it’s likely to get worse “as a result of an unsustainable federal deficit.”

But the governor vetoed the measure, saying Arizona was not ready to take the plunge — one that so far only Utah has taken.

Crandell, however, may have a more lasting legacy: One of his proposals will be on the November ballot.