Americans for Prosperity, the Big Business-funded and -controlled "grassroots" group (that's the definition of "astroturf" group) has released its 2009 scorecard, a rating of all of Arizona's legislators based on some arcane standard.
The group purports itself to be non-partisan, but the only two Republicans they gave a negative rating to were Sen. Carolyn Allen (LD8), one of the few real public servants in the GOP caucus, and Governor Jan Brewer, someone who has gleefully crippled the ability of Arizona state government to provide public services.
I can understand them not liking Sen. Allen; she really is the closest thing to a moderate voice in the entire AZGOP. But to go after Brewer, who has done more to cut public education and the social safety net in Arizona than any governor ever...?
Can you say "credibility problem"?
Anyway, back to the point of the post. Scorecards like this one, produced by anti-society advocacy groups, are best read from the bottom up.
The folks they give the lowest ratings to are the people that do the most to look out for their constituents and their state.
Read that way, the biggest Hero of Society is LD17's own state senator, Meg Burton Cahill.
And coming in at 6th and 7th place, as Champions of Society, are LD17's state representatives, Ed Ableser and David Schapira.
Oh, and for the record, the folks that AFP gave their highest ratings to (and the lowest by my standards, "Enemies of Society") are, you guessed it, ol' blog favorites state Sens. Russell Pearce (LD18), Chuck Gray (LD19), Sylvia Allen (LD5), and Jack Harper (LD4).
Of course.
Other legislative report cards include:
The Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club (2008 report card here)
East Valley Chambers of Commerce Alliance (note: only EV legislators covered)
Showing posts with label Ableser. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ableser. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Legislative invocations are non-political and non-denominational, right?
Gawd, I hate being scooped by Tedski on matters that my own D17 legislators are involved in, but he got to this one before I did. :(
On the other hand, the Republican hypocrisy involved is too juicy to *not* cover it here. :))
One of the traditions at the AZLege is to open each floor session with a brief prayer offered by a member or an invited guest. Such prayers are usually (but not always*) non-political and relatively non-denominational.
*OK, so it isn't exactly unheard of for an R member or invitee to thank God for small government, low taxes or to pray for fewer immigrants...but I digress... :)
While most of those folks offering prayers before the lege are Republicans or present at the behest of a Republican member, on many days, Democrats offer their fair share of invocations.
Tuesday was one such day.
From Tedski's post at Rum, Romanism, Rebellion -
Apparently, prayers offered for the benefit of R and their benefactors like corporations are OK, but prayers offered for the benefit of society are inflammatory rhetoric or something similar.
IOKIYAR is still the rule of the day in Arizona politics. Look for another long year at the lege. The only factor that might make the session shorter will be the desire of members to start campaigning for reelection as soon as possible (it's an election year, in case anyone has forgotten :) ).
Note: the video of Tuesday's House session isn't posted yet, but once it is, it will be available here.
Later...
On the other hand, the Republican hypocrisy involved is too juicy to *not* cover it here. :))
One of the traditions at the AZLege is to open each floor session with a brief prayer offered by a member or an invited guest. Such prayers are usually (but not always*) non-political and relatively non-denominational.
*OK, so it isn't exactly unheard of for an R member or invitee to thank God for small government, low taxes or to pray for fewer immigrants...but I digress... :)
While most of those folks offering prayers before the lege are Republicans or present at the behest of a Republican member, on many days, Democrats offer their fair share of invocations.
Tuesday was one such day.
From Tedski's post at Rum, Romanism, Rebellion -
Ed Ableser invited a guest onto the floor to give a the opening prayer at the House today: Rabbi Andrew Straus who presides at Temple Emanuel, a five hundred member Reform Jewish congregation in Tempe. Straus’s prayer dealt with social justice, and at the end of it it so angered Andrew Tobin that he confronted the Rabbi, questioning its appropriateness. It caused quite a stir among some of the other Republican members as well, who felt it was overly political.Rep. Ableser is a representative from Tempe in D17, and Temple Emanuel is a congregation in Tempe (as noted by Tedski).
Apparently, prayers offered for the benefit of R and their benefactors like corporations are OK, but prayers offered for the benefit of society are inflammatory rhetoric or something similar.
IOKIYAR is still the rule of the day in Arizona politics. Look for another long year at the lege. The only factor that might make the session shorter will be the desire of members to start campaigning for reelection as soon as possible (it's an election year, in case anyone has forgotten :) ).
Note: the video of Tuesday's House session isn't posted yet, but once it is, it will be available here.
Later...
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
The LD17 team stays strong
In news that broke elsewhere (including R-Cubed and AZCentral.com), Meg Burton Cahill has announced that she will not seek another term in the Senate next year. For health reasons she is taking her public service career in another direction (her doctor advised her that a hostile work environment like the AZ lege is not conducive to good health. For this he needed to spend tens of thousands of dollars for years of medical school? LOL).
Her wisdom, insight, humor, and dedication to the people of D17 and the state will be sorely missed, but someone who has been found to step into the void that she is leaving, someone who is likely one of the few people capable of stepping in who may be as dedicated to the people of D17.
Long-time Tempe City Councilman Ben Arredondo has become a Democrat, moving away from the Republican Party that has moved away from him and all other elected officials who place a premium on community service over partisan ideology.
Councilman Arredondo will run for a House seat; Rep. Schapira will open an exploratory committee for the Senate seat.
More on this later, but I just wanted to write something while waiting for the "special" session to start (Today'stentative schedule - pledge, prayer, first read, adjourn, caucus, go home).
Left to right: Senator Meg Burton Cahill, Councilman Ben Arredondo, Representative Ed Ableser, Representative David Schapira
Monday, November 16, 2009
Big announcement regarding LD17 tomorrow at the lege
From a press release -
Sen. Burton Cahill has a long and storied career in public service, and it isn't over yet (else I would be far more effusive in my praise for her. Her story isn't over yet, not by a long shot). Only her legislative career is coming to a close, not her public service career.
As for the rest, I'll be at the Capitol on Tuesday. Coverage and pics of the seriously big announcement tomorrow...
Sen. Burton Cahill to announce retirement; Reps. Schapira, Ableser to reveal who will vie for state Senate, House seats
PHOENIX - State Sen. Meg Burton Cahill and state Reps. David Schapira and Ed Ableser will hold a press conference 1 p.m. Tuesday at the State Capitol to announce their plans for the Democratic slate in District 17. The Tempe lawmakers will also introduce a new House candidate who is a well-established leader in the Valley.
Burton Cahill will announce her retirement from the Legislature after 10 years of service. Elected to the House of Representatives in 2000, she served three terms there and will finish her legislative service at the end of her second Senate term.
"I'm proud to have served the communities of Tempe and south Scottsdale in the Legislature," Burton Cahill said. "I went to the Capitol to represent the interests of my neighbors, and I am honored to have had their support for a decade."
At the press conference, Schapira and Ableser will announce which representative is filing an exploratory committee for Burton Cahill's Senate seat. They will be joined by another prominent Tempe leader who will announce a bid for the open House seat.
Sen. Burton Cahill has a long and storied career in public service, and it isn't over yet (else I would be far more effusive in my praise for her. Her story isn't over yet, not by a long shot). Only her legislative career is coming to a close, not her public service career.
As for the rest, I'll be at the Capitol on Tuesday. Coverage and pics of the seriously big announcement tomorrow...
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Press release time - Legislative Town Hall in LD17
From a press release and related flier from the House Democrats -
Later...
Come Share Your Thoughts at the Legislative District 17 Town-Hall Meeting with
State Sen. Meg Burton-Cahill, Rep. David Schapira & Rep. Ed Ableser
“Your input is very important to us and it will help us serve you and our community better.”
State Legislators will discuss issues that are important to constituents, answer questions and learn about their priorities. Constituents are encouraged to attend and share their thoughts.
Legislative District 17 Town Hall Meeting
Pyle Adult Recreation Center
Thursday, Nov 12, 2009
6:30pm to 8:00pm p.m.
655 E. Southern Ave.
Tempe, AZ 85282
Questions? Please contact Community and Constituent Liaison, Cynthia Aragon at 602-926-5848 or at caragon@azleg.gov.
Later...
Sunday, September 06, 2009
The coming week...
As usual, except where noted, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies, and subject to change without notice.
Well, for the first time in weeks, the U.S. Congress will be in session, and for the first time in months, the Arizona Legislature will *not* be. That sounds significant, but somehow, I'm not sure that it is.
Congress probably won't be doing much this week (in terms of "official business" anyway) and the lege has plenty of unfinished business that they should be dealing with, but won't be.
In short, not much has changed since last week. :)
...In the U.S. House, the action gets underway Tuesday afternoon. It looks to be a relatively quiet week as far as floor action goes. The agenda includes:
H.R. 324 - Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area Act, sponsored by Raul Grijalva (D-AZ7) and cosponsored by Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ8).
The posted agenda is light on issues of national interest, and that looks to be the only one of direct interest to Arizonans.
However, both behind the scenes and in front of cameras, there will be a lot of talk about health care reform.
The President is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday evening on the subject. I'd say I'm "waiting with bated breath" for the speech, but he seems more likely to give up on a public option when he should be throwing an elbow (more on that later.)
Congressman Harry Mitchell's (D-AZ5) responses to questions (about health care reform) posed by readers of the Arizona Republic can be found here; Congressman Jeff Flake's (R-AZ6) responses can be found here.
...The U.S. Senate looks to have an equally low-key "official business" week, with a lot of back office focus on health care reform.
...The Arizona Legislature is out of session, with no special sessions officially scheduled at this point, though given that the budget is still out-of-balance, expect one soon. Just probably not this week, as I previously expected would happen.
...The Arizona Corporation Commission has a securities and utilities meeting scheduled for Wednesday. The agenda is here. There are a couple of APS-related items and a couple of securities "cease and desist" related items, including one against JP Morgan Chase & Co. More details here.
The ACC's hearing schedule for the week is available here.
...The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has a light week - no regular meetings, just a Special/Executive meeting on tap for Wednesday morning. Why don't they drop the "special" moniker, since they seem to have one almost every week?
...The Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project will be holding a meeting of its Project ADD Water group on Wednesday and Thursday.
...The Tempe City Council has a meeting scheduled for Thursday. The agenda is here. It looks to be mostly mundane, but even that can be interesting on occasion. On *this* occasion, item A-3 includes a name that is familiar to most D17'ers.
It just goes to show that even high-flying legislative stars are subject to the drudgery of normal life in the not-so-big city. :)
...The Scottsdale City Council has a regular meeting scheduled for Tuesday. Items of interest on the agenda include consideration of the process of appointing an interim City Attorney, a new City Treasurer, possibly creating a Scottsdale City Lobbyist ordinance, and enacting some recommendations regarding the operations and oversight of City Cable 11,
They've also scheduled an executive session to "[d]iscuss and consider international or interstate negotiations with representatives of the public body regarding ongoing negotiations with the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (a domestic sovereign nation) for intergovernmental agreements related to Pima Road and drainage improvements; and discuss and/or consult with the City attorney(s) for legal advice regarding the same."
That meeting is also scheduled for Tuesday. The executive session is scheduled for 4 p.m., the regular meeting is scheduled for 5.
...Not scheduled to meet this week: Arizona Board of Regents, the Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District, the Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System and the Citizens Clean Elections Commission (though CCEC has scheduled candidate workshops for September 16, October 21, November 18, and December 2. Sign up here.)
Later...
Well, for the first time in weeks, the U.S. Congress will be in session, and for the first time in months, the Arizona Legislature will *not* be. That sounds significant, but somehow, I'm not sure that it is.
Congress probably won't be doing much this week (in terms of "official business" anyway) and the lege has plenty of unfinished business that they should be dealing with, but won't be.
In short, not much has changed since last week. :)
...In the U.S. House, the action gets underway Tuesday afternoon. It looks to be a relatively quiet week as far as floor action goes. The agenda includes:
H.R. 324 - Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area Act, sponsored by Raul Grijalva (D-AZ7) and cosponsored by Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ8).
The posted agenda is light on issues of national interest, and that looks to be the only one of direct interest to Arizonans.
However, both behind the scenes and in front of cameras, there will be a lot of talk about health care reform.
The President is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday evening on the subject. I'd say I'm "waiting with bated breath" for the speech, but he seems more likely to give up on a public option when he should be throwing an elbow (more on that later.)
Congressman Harry Mitchell's (D-AZ5) responses to questions (about health care reform) posed by readers of the Arizona Republic can be found here; Congressman Jeff Flake's (R-AZ6) responses can be found here.
...The U.S. Senate looks to have an equally low-key "official business" week, with a lot of back office focus on health care reform.
...The Arizona Legislature is out of session, with no special sessions officially scheduled at this point, though given that the budget is still out-of-balance, expect one soon. Just probably not this week, as I previously expected would happen.
...The Arizona Corporation Commission has a securities and utilities meeting scheduled for Wednesday. The agenda is here. There are a couple of APS-related items and a couple of securities "cease and desist" related items, including one against JP Morgan Chase & Co. More details here.
The ACC's hearing schedule for the week is available here.
...The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has a light week - no regular meetings, just a Special/Executive meeting on tap for Wednesday morning. Why don't they drop the "special" moniker, since they seem to have one almost every week?
...The Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project will be holding a meeting of its Project ADD Water group on Wednesday and Thursday.
...The Tempe City Council has a meeting scheduled for Thursday. The agenda is here. It looks to be mostly mundane, but even that can be interesting on occasion. On *this* occasion, item A-3 includes a name that is familiar to most D17'ers.
It just goes to show that even high-flying legislative stars are subject to the drudgery of normal life in the not-so-big city. :)
...The Scottsdale City Council has a regular meeting scheduled for Tuesday. Items of interest on the agenda include consideration of the process of appointing an interim City Attorney, a new City Treasurer, possibly creating a Scottsdale City Lobbyist ordinance, and enacting some recommendations regarding the operations and oversight of City Cable 11,
They've also scheduled an executive session to "[d]iscuss and consider international or interstate negotiations with representatives of the public body regarding ongoing negotiations with the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (a domestic sovereign nation) for intergovernmental agreements related to Pima Road and drainage improvements; and discuss and/or consult with the City attorney(s) for legal advice regarding the same."
That meeting is also scheduled for Tuesday. The executive session is scheduled for 4 p.m., the regular meeting is scheduled for 5.
...Not scheduled to meet this week: Arizona Board of Regents, the Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District, the Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System and the Citizens Clean Elections Commission (though CCEC has scheduled candidate workshops for September 16, October 21, November 18, and December 2. Sign up here.)
Later...
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Ableser gives up a bill to get it passed
A more complete explanation of what happened at the end of the House floor session, courtesy a press release from the House Dems -
Now the House is in recess, and taking dinner at 6. Don't know when this session is going to get done.
Rep. Ed Ableser, D-Tempe (District 17), has signed on his support today for a bill sponsored by Sen. Jim Waring, R-Phoenix, to allow deployed military members to cancel or suspend their gym memberships, a bill identical to Ableser’s original bill.
Both Ableser and Waring's bills allow active duty members of the military to cancel or suspend a health club contract within 90 days after receiving notice they were being deployed outside of Arizona . Ableser introduced similar legislation the previous two years.
“It’s not about who sponsored what and when at a time when our troops are protecting our freedom,” Ableser said. “We have a sacred duty to support our best and bravest in these times of sacrifice.”
Nearly 600,000 veterans live in Arizona and Ableser originally drafted the bill after one of them, a former House page and constituent, was deployed to Iraq and realized her health club was going to continue to charge her monthly until her contract with the club expired. (See story)
In order to get one of the bills passed before the June 30 deadline, the decision was made to substitute Waring’s Senate Bill 1407 for Ableser’s House Bill 2290 because there was not enough time for both the bills to travel through the House and Senate.
“Our Arizona military servicemen and women risk their lives and pay the ultimate price,” Ableser said. “The least we could do is make sure they aren’t paying even more at home while they are out fighting for us.”
Now the House is in recess, and taking dinner at 6. Don't know when this session is going to get done.
Monday, June 08, 2009
LD17 Legislators In The News...
With the legislative session heating up, LD17's legislators have been getting more notice in the MSM...
- State Senator Meg Burton Cahill has been getting notices for her solitary stand against the devastating Republican budget last week. It was a solitary stand because the Reps has indicated to the Dems that no vote would be taken that night, so they all went home.
From Tom Spratt, editor of the Tempe Republic -
More AZCentral.com coverage here.
- State Representative Ed Ableser will be participating in a roundtable discussion on The American Clean Energy And Security Act (H.R. 2454) making its way through Congress. Some of the expected benefits of the bill if it is enacted into law would be to stimulate the creation of clean energy jobs and the reduction of pollution. The discussion is scheduled to take place at the Burton Barr Library on Central at noon.
It's not the "best" media coverage ("Ed Ableser, state representative from Tempe (who?)"), but hey, it's still media coverage, right? :)
- State Representative David Schapira had an op-ed piece published by the AZ Republic on May 17 defending the need for a strong higher education system in Arizona.
From the piece -
Later...
- State Senator Meg Burton Cahill has been getting notices for her solitary stand against the devastating Republican budget last week. It was a solitary stand because the Reps has indicated to the Dems that no vote would be taken that night, so they all went home.
From Tom Spratt, editor of the Tempe Republic -
Sometime after midnight Thursday morning, Sen. Meg Burton Cahill, D-Tempe, found herself alone among Republicans as a vote neared on the 2009-2010 state budget.
Soon, she became engaged in a one-woman battle to restore money for food banks, senior food programs, domestic violence services, the developmentally disabled, poor children and the mentally ill, among others.
She offered 10 budget amendments that she believed captured the essence of what other Democrats would have wanted had they been on the Senate floor. All the changes were defeated. Before sunrise, Burton Cahill cast the Senate's only "no'' vote on the budget.
More AZCentral.com coverage here.
- State Representative Ed Ableser will be participating in a roundtable discussion on The American Clean Energy And Security Act (H.R. 2454) making its way through Congress. Some of the expected benefits of the bill if it is enacted into law would be to stimulate the creation of clean energy jobs and the reduction of pollution. The discussion is scheduled to take place at the Burton Barr Library on Central at noon.
It's not the "best" media coverage ("Ed Ableser, state representative from Tempe (who?)"), but hey, it's still media coverage, right? :)
- State Representative David Schapira had an op-ed piece published by the AZ Republic on May 17 defending the need for a strong higher education system in Arizona.
From the piece -
Our state has a deficit, but we can't balance it on the backs of students, especially when other options are available (See common-sense options at www.StrongerArizona.com). Providing access to quality and affordable higher education must be a priority.
Later...
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
3rd reminder - You are invited to the political, social, and culinary event of the year...
CHILI FOR CHANGE COOK-OFF
With Special Guests:
Congressman Harry Mitchell and Attorney General Terry Goddard
*Who will make the best chili?*
State Senator Meg Burton Cahill?
State Representative Ed Ableser?
State Representative David Schapira?
Or a mysterious vegetarian with a killer carnivore recipe?
*Enter your own chili in the contest!*
Saturday, May 2nd, 4-7pm
At the home of David and Kathy Schwarz in Scottsdale (need directions? Contact LD17 chair Lauren Kuby - email below)
Winner announced at 5:30!
*Ticket Prices:*
$25
$15 for YDs
$10 for Kids
For Tickets: email laurenkuby[at]gmail.com; or buy online at http://www.d17dems.org/donate.asp
Proceeds to benefit the Maricopa County Democratic Party and LD17 Democrats
...OK, so it's the "event of the year" if you are a Democrat and like chili... :)
With Special Guests:
Congressman Harry Mitchell and Attorney General Terry Goddard
*Who will make the best chili?*
State Senator Meg Burton Cahill?
State Representative Ed Ableser?
State Representative David Schapira?
Or a mysterious vegetarian with a killer carnivore recipe?
*Enter your own chili in the contest!*
Saturday, May 2nd, 4-7pm
At the home of David and Kathy Schwarz in Scottsdale (need directions? Contact LD17 chair Lauren Kuby - email below)
Winner announced at 5:30!
*Ticket Prices:*
$25
$15 for YDs
$10 for Kids
For Tickets: email laurenkuby[at]gmail.com; or buy online at http://www.d17dems.org/donate.asp
Proceeds to benefit the Maricopa County Democratic Party and LD17 Democrats
...OK, so it's the "event of the year" if you are a Democrat and like chili... :)
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
2nd reminder - You are invited to the political, social, and culinary event of the year...
CHILI FOR CHANGE COOK-OFF
With Special Guests:
Congressman Harry Mitchell and Attorney General Terry Goddard
*Who will make the best chili?*
State Senator Meg Burton Cahill?
State Representative Ed Ableser?
State Representative David Schapira?
Or a mysterious vegetarian with a killer carnivore recipe?
*Enter your own chili in the contest!*
Saturday, May 2nd, 4-7pm
At the home of David and Kathy Schwarz in Scottsdale (need directions? Contact LD17 chair Lauren Kuby - email below)
Winner announced at 5:30!
*Ticket Prices:*
$25
$15 for YDs
$10 for Kids
For Tickets: email laurenkuby[at]gmail.com; or buy online at http://www.d17dems.org/donate.asp
Proceeds to benefit the Maricopa County Democratic Party and LD17 Democrats...
OK, so it's the "event of the year" if you are a Democrat and like chili... :)
With Special Guests:
Congressman Harry Mitchell and Attorney General Terry Goddard
*Who will make the best chili?*
State Senator Meg Burton Cahill?
State Representative Ed Ableser?
State Representative David Schapira?
Or a mysterious vegetarian with a killer carnivore recipe?
*Enter your own chili in the contest!*
Saturday, May 2nd, 4-7pm
At the home of David and Kathy Schwarz in Scottsdale (need directions? Contact LD17 chair Lauren Kuby - email below)
Winner announced at 5:30!
*Ticket Prices:*
$25
$15 for YDs
$10 for Kids
For Tickets: email laurenkuby[at]gmail.com; or buy online at http://www.d17dems.org/donate.asp
Proceeds to benefit the Maricopa County Democratic Party and LD17 Democrats...
OK, so it's the "event of the year" if you are a Democrat and like chili... :)
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
AZ Legislature Waging Open Warfare On Poor Children...
...and the opening salvo in the latest skirmish will be fired at tomorrow's meeting of the House Health and Human Services Committee...
This is a little late in the day, but an email from the Children's Action Alliance was forwarded to me, and it's worthy of some attention.
From the email -
The email then urged recipients to contact their legislators on the committee to urge them to vote against HB2203, a measure that would cut off TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) benefits to children whose guardians fall out of compliance with CPS requirements (paperwork, immunizations, etc.) and to vote for HB2622 (subject to a strike-everything amendment on the same subject), a measure that would "would require the parent of a child taken into CPS custody to inform CPS and the court within 30 days of relatives who might have an interest in caring for the child. "
Both are sponsored by the likes of wingers like Nancy Barto and Ray Barnes. The difference is that the harsh HB2203 is sponsored *only* by wingers where the sensible HB2622 has Democrat Tom Chabin as the original sponsor.
Anyway, the committee members include Reps. Ed Ableser (D-LD17), Frank Antenori (R-LD30), Nancy Barto (R-LD7), Tom Boone (R-LD4), David Bradley (D-LD28), Steve Court (R-LD18), Doris Goodale (R-LD3), Phil Lopes (D-LD27), and Rick Murphy (R-LD9).
If you live in one of those districts, contact your legislator and urge them to vote against HB2203 as it punishes children for the actions/inactions of adults and to vote for HB2622 because it increases the likelihood that children in home situations that call for CPS's removal of the children from the situation will end up in a stable home.
It might be too late to talk to them at the office tonight, but emails and voicemails will be read or listened to in the a.m. before the meeting.
Later...
This is a little late in the day, but an email from the Children's Action Alliance was forwarded to me, and it's worthy of some attention.
From the email -
On Wednesday, March 4, 2009, the House Health and Human Services Committee is meeting at 8am and their agenda includes significant bills that need your action. (You are getting this message because you live in the district of a committee member.)
PLEASE TAKE ACTION TODAY!
The email then urged recipients to contact their legislators on the committee to urge them to vote against HB2203, a measure that would cut off TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) benefits to children whose guardians fall out of compliance with CPS requirements (paperwork, immunizations, etc.) and to vote for HB2622 (subject to a strike-everything amendment on the same subject), a measure that would "would require the parent of a child taken into CPS custody to inform CPS and the court within 30 days of relatives who might have an interest in caring for the child. "
Both are sponsored by the likes of wingers like Nancy Barto and Ray Barnes. The difference is that the harsh HB2203 is sponsored *only* by wingers where the sensible HB2622 has Democrat Tom Chabin as the original sponsor.
Anyway, the committee members include Reps. Ed Ableser (D-LD17), Frank Antenori (R-LD30), Nancy Barto (R-LD7), Tom Boone (R-LD4), David Bradley (D-LD28), Steve Court (R-LD18), Doris Goodale (R-LD3), Phil Lopes (D-LD27), and Rick Murphy (R-LD9).
If you live in one of those districts, contact your legislator and urge them to vote against HB2203 as it punishes children for the actions/inactions of adults and to vote for HB2622 because it increases the likelihood that children in home situations that call for CPS's removal of the children from the situation will end up in a stable home.
It might be too late to talk to them at the office tonight, but emails and voicemails will be read or listened to in the a.m. before the meeting.
Later...
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Last night's budget forum at ASU
For nearly three emotionally-wracked hours on Monday evening, 14 members of the Democratic caucus of the state legislature listened to Arizonans tell of the devastation to their lives caused by the draconian budget cuts imposed on the state's education and human services structure.
Hosts Sen. Meg Burton-Cahill and Reps. David Schapira and Ed Ableser (all representing LD17, the home of ASU) were joined by colleagues from all over the state - Sen. Jorge Luis Garcia and Representatives Rae Waters, Kyrsten Sinema, David Lujan, Pat Fleming, Lynne Pancrazi, Daniel Patterson, Matt Heinz, Chad Campbell, Tom Chabin, and Christopher Deschene, who all graciously took the time out of their lives to visit Tempe.
While there were folks from all parts of society there, the developmentally disabled community was particularly well-, and heart-breakingly, represented.
ASU Web Devil coverage here; AZ Republic coverage here. In addition, Rep. Patterson's blog entry covering the event is here.
I'll have more later after I get the pics of the event uploaded, but Patterson's blog post touches on something I want to mention now.
On Thursday, there will be a rally at the State Capitol from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. to support saving services for Arizona's Children with Disabilities.
Everyone is urged to attend to make your voice heard.
More later...
Edit to add (info courtesy Rep. Steve Farley's latest Farley Report):
Next Thursday, March 5, there will be a similar forum at U of A in Tucson.
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Location: U of A Student Union, South Ballroom, 1330 E. University Blvd., Tucson
Hosts Sen. Meg Burton-Cahill and Reps. David Schapira and Ed Ableser (all representing LD17, the home of ASU) were joined by colleagues from all over the state - Sen. Jorge Luis Garcia and Representatives Rae Waters, Kyrsten Sinema, David Lujan, Pat Fleming, Lynne Pancrazi, Daniel Patterson, Matt Heinz, Chad Campbell, Tom Chabin, and Christopher Deschene, who all graciously took the time out of their lives to visit Tempe.
While there were folks from all parts of society there, the developmentally disabled community was particularly well-, and heart-breakingly, represented.
ASU Web Devil coverage here; AZ Republic coverage here. In addition, Rep. Patterson's blog entry covering the event is here.
I'll have more later after I get the pics of the event uploaded, but Patterson's blog post touches on something I want to mention now.
On Thursday, there will be a rally at the State Capitol from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. to support saving services for Arizona's Children with Disabilities.
Everyone is urged to attend to make your voice heard.
More later...
Edit to add (info courtesy Rep. Steve Farley's latest Farley Report):
Next Thursday, March 5, there will be a similar forum at U of A in Tucson.
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Location: U of A Student Union, South Ballroom, 1330 E. University Blvd., Tucson
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Public Forum On The State Budget At ASU On Monday
From a press release -
...In other LD17/Tempe news, on Tuesday, State Senator Meg Burton Cahill and State Representatives David Schapira and Ed Ableser will appear on Tempe cable channel 11 in this month's edition of Let's Talk Tempe. The program is hosted by Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman. The program is taped before a live audience at the Pyle Center (SW corner of Southern and Rural in Tempe) from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. The public is invited to watch and participate in the discussion.THE ARIZONA STATE LEGISLATURE HOUSE AND SENATE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUSES
Invite you to Public Hearings on the State Budget
Members of both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees will be in attendance to hear citizens’ questions and concerns about the state budget shortfall and proposed solutions:
Arizona State University - Main Campus, Tempe
Monday, February 23rd, 2009, 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the Memorial Union (MU) building, Ventana Room, Second Floor, Room 241
Paid ($2/hr) Visitor
Parking available in Parking Structure 1
Located at Apache Blvd. and College Ave.
For additional information contact:
Cynthia Aragon, Community and Constituent Liaison, House of Representatives, 602-926-3591 or caragon[at]azleg.gov
Monday, January 12, 2009
Ooops, I spoke too soon...
A couple of days ago, I posted on some political developments in Scottsdale. In that post, I opined that we probably wouldn't see a move in the lege to adjust nomination signature requirements in municipal elections. The problem with the current sig threshold (5% of voters voting in the prior election) is that a number of cities, Scottsdale among them, are now required to hold their elections in the fall on the same schedule as county and state governments.
That has resulted in a greatly increased turnout (> 3 times in Scottsdale) with a corresponding increase in sig requirements for the 2010 elections ( to approximately 5800 in Scottsdale).
To put that number into a little perspective, seven of the eight winning candidates in AZ's Congressional races last fall found their ways to the ballot with far fewer sigs than would be required in Scottsdale (the exception was Gabrielle Giffords in CD8, who turned in almost 12,000 sigs).
Well, it turns out that I spoke too soon.
HB2048 has been introduced in the AZ lege to deal with exactly this situation.
If passed into law, it would amend current law (ARS 16-322, A.8) thusly -
The bill is sponsored by state reps Michelle Reagan (R-LD8), Ed Ableser (D-LD17), and Ray Barnes (R-LD7) and State Senators Carolyn Allen (R-LD8), Meg Burton Cahill (D-LD17) and Jay Tibshraeny (R-LD21) (co-sponsor). It's probably not a coincidence that all of those legislators with the exception of Tibrshraeny represent part of Scottsdale.
And he spent 16 years as a councilmember or mayor in Chandler, so it's a safe bet that he understands the impact of the new sig requirements.
Of course, even if the bill is enacted into law, there's no guarantee that a Jim Lane-led majority on the Scottsdale City Council will pass an ordinance allowed by the revised state statute.
I can't make any predictions about the likelihood of passage through the lege yet, but it may make it through committee - Tibshraeny is the chair of the Senate's Government Institutions Committee, the committee that is likely to hear the bill.
The LD17 Democrats are meeting tomorrow night; I'll try to find a moment to ask Sen. Burton Cahill about the bill's chances.
Later!
That has resulted in a greatly increased turnout (> 3 times in Scottsdale) with a corresponding increase in sig requirements for the 2010 elections ( to approximately 5800 in Scottsdale).
To put that number into a little perspective, seven of the eight winning candidates in AZ's Congressional races last fall found their ways to the ballot with far fewer sigs than would be required in Scottsdale (the exception was Gabrielle Giffords in CD8, who turned in almost 12,000 sigs).
Well, it turns out that I spoke too soon.
HB2048 has been introduced in the AZ lege to deal with exactly this situation.
If passed into law, it would amend current law (ARS 16-322, A.8) thusly -
, EXCEPT THAT A CITY THAT CHOOSES TO HOLD NONPARTISAN ELECTIONS MAY BY ORDINANCE PROVIDE THAT THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF SIGNATURES REQUIRED FOR THE CANDIDATE BE ONE THOUSAND SIGNATURES OR FIVE PER CENT OF THE VOTE IN THE CITY, WHICHEVER IS LESS, BUT NOT MORE THAN TEN PER CENT OF THE VOTE IN THE CITY.
The bill is sponsored by state reps Michelle Reagan (R-LD8), Ed Ableser (D-LD17), and Ray Barnes (R-LD7) and State Senators Carolyn Allen (R-LD8), Meg Burton Cahill (D-LD17) and Jay Tibshraeny (R-LD21) (co-sponsor). It's probably not a coincidence that all of those legislators with the exception of Tibrshraeny represent part of Scottsdale.
And he spent 16 years as a councilmember or mayor in Chandler, so it's a safe bet that he understands the impact of the new sig requirements.
Of course, even if the bill is enacted into law, there's no guarantee that a Jim Lane-led majority on the Scottsdale City Council will pass an ordinance allowed by the revised state statute.
I can't make any predictions about the likelihood of passage through the lege yet, but it may make it through committee - Tibshraeny is the chair of the Senate's Government Institutions Committee, the committee that is likely to hear the bill.
The LD17 Democrats are meeting tomorrow night; I'll try to find a moment to ask Sen. Burton Cahill about the bill's chances.
Later!
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
D17's Rep. Ed Ableser quoted in the Washington Post
Too bad it was about some sad news.
From the WaPo article about possible replacements from New York for Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate (and, obviously, ramifications of Obama's other cabinet appointments in other states) -
Later!
From the WaPo article about possible replacements from New York for Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate (and, obviously, ramifications of Obama's other cabinet appointments in other states) -
In Arizona, Gov. Janet Napolitano, nominee for secretary of homeland security, will be replaced by Secretary of State Jan Brewer (R). Arizona has no lieutenant governor.
Arizona state Rep. Ed Ableser (D) said losing a Democratic governor to a Republican one will change politics considerably, given the overwhelmingly GOP legislature. He compared it to a hockey team losing its goalie.
"It's somewhat frustrating that we're already hearing talk about cutting education, health care and vital programs to the needy," Ableser said. "It's sad knowing Governor Napolitano won't be there to help us with these fights."
Later!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Goldwater Institute Lauds Burton-Cahill, Ableser, and Schapira*
* OK, not really. :))
The anti-government "think tank" has issued its report card for the 2008 session of the Arizona Legislature, and all three of D17's legislators earned grades of "F."
With a final grade of 31 (F), Senator Meg Burton-Cahill tied for the lowest grade in the State Senate with Senators Debbie McCune-Davis and Rebecca Rios.
Over in the House, State Representatives Ed Ableser and David Schapira slacked off the pace set by their colleague in the Senate and earned a grade of only 36. Still an "F" by Goldwater Institute standards, but one that leaves room for improvement.
On that note, two of the highest..errr..."lowest" scoring legislators, Theresa Ullmer and Tom Prezelski, are not returning to the lege next year, so there will be an opportunity for the D17 contingent to moveup down in the Institute's rankings. :)
And before you ask about the title of this post, any time an anti-government group such as the Goldwater Institute doesn't like certain elected representatives, it probably just means that those representatives are doing the jobs that they were hired to do.
Later!
The anti-government "think tank" has issued its report card for the 2008 session of the Arizona Legislature, and all three of D17's legislators earned grades of "F."
With a final grade of 31 (F), Senator Meg Burton-Cahill tied for the lowest grade in the State Senate with Senators Debbie McCune-Davis and Rebecca Rios.
Over in the House, State Representatives Ed Ableser and David Schapira slacked off the pace set by their colleague in the Senate and earned a grade of only 36. Still an "F" by Goldwater Institute standards, but one that leaves room for improvement.
On that note, two of the highest..errr..."lowest" scoring legislators, Theresa Ullmer and Tom Prezelski, are not returning to the lege next year, so there will be an opportunity for the D17 contingent to move
And before you ask about the title of this post, any time an anti-government group such as the Goldwater Institute doesn't like certain elected representatives, it probably just means that those representatives are doing the jobs that they were hired to do.
Later!
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Mail Call - Last Minute Mailer
Somehow I ended up on a mailing list used by Wes Waddle, one of the Republican House candidates in LD17. He sent out a south Scottsdale-specific piece, with one hitting my mailbox on Friday.
(Note: I don't have a scanner in order to upload an image of it, but I'll look for one tomorrow and update this post if I find one.)
The address side of the card has a pic of Waddle dressed in a flight suit while posing next to an airplane of some type.
On the other side are pics of an "Old Town Scottsdale" sign and some other buildings and sights from Scottsdale's downtown area.
As for text on the mailer, the address side has the required "paid for by" statement, a proclamation across the top that he is "the only candidate representing Scottsdale" and one across the bottom proclaiming "Wes Waddle. Your choice for a better Arizona." In between, he has a brief letter that talks about how south Scottsdale has been represented in the lege by people from Tempe and how voting for him would mean that "Southern Scottsdale is treated fairly and not overshadowed by Tempe's slick politicians."
On the other side, he has a list of three generic headings with three bullet points each (gotta love things that come in threes, right?)
Evaluation:
Not bad, except (you just knew that there was going to be an "except" :) )...
Let's see -
1. Most of the pics he included in the mailer that I recognize are from *outside* LD17. A couple I don't recognize offhand, so I'm pretty sure they're not from LD17, but I can't say for certain. Yet. :)
2. I know it's supposed to be Scottsdale-focused, but the mailer reads like that of a candidate for Scottsdale City Council, not the Arizona lege. He talks about his small business experience and working "with the City to create a business-friendly environment" and protecting "private property rights in Scottsdale." Never does he mention his plans for the lege. Which brings us to the next point...
3. He never actually states which office he is a candidate for.
4. He never mentions that he is a Republican. (Not an unusual occurrence this year; it seems that most Republicans not named "McCain" are running away from their party.)
All in all, a solid mix of obvious deception and rookie mistakes.
Assuming Waddle doesn't win his race this year, he will probably learn some from the mistakes (I've met him at a campaign finance workshop put on by Clean Elections - he's intelligent) and has the opportunity to obviate the need for deception by getting more involved in the community (joining a City of Scottsdale board or commission would be a good start) and then maybe run for Scottsdale City Council in 2010 or 12. It seems to be more in keeping with his focus.
NB - At first, I figured that his shot at "Tempe's slick politicians" was directed at Ed Ableser and David Schapira, the Democratic incumbents in LD17. However, driving home through Tempe and south Scottsdale tonight I noticed how Waddle's Republican ballotmates, Jesse Hernandez (for State Senate) and Mark "Religion is OK - for Republican candidates anyway" Thompson (State House) have joined forces (signs all on the same poles, jointly sponsoring a TV spot, etc.) and all but thrown Waddle under the bus.
Now I wonder if Waddle's "slick" characterization was aimed as much at Thompson and Hernandez as at the Democrats they are trying to unseat.
NB2 - "The only candidate representing Scottsdale"?? That is probably news to State Senator Carolyn Allen (R-Scottsdale) and State Rep. Michele Reagan (R-Scottsdale). And probably to Congressman Harry Mitchell (D-CD5) and the staff of his Scottsdale-based district office, too.
Later!
(Note: I don't have a scanner in order to upload an image of it, but I'll look for one tomorrow and update this post if I find one.)
The address side of the card has a pic of Waddle dressed in a flight suit while posing next to an airplane of some type.
On the other side are pics of an "Old Town Scottsdale" sign and some other buildings and sights from Scottsdale's downtown area.
As for text on the mailer, the address side has the required "paid for by" statement, a proclamation across the top that he is "the only candidate representing Scottsdale" and one across the bottom proclaiming "Wes Waddle. Your choice for a better Arizona." In between, he has a brief letter that talks about how south Scottsdale has been represented in the lege by people from Tempe and how voting for him would mean that "Southern Scottsdale is treated fairly and not overshadowed by Tempe's slick politicians."
On the other side, he has a list of three generic headings with three bullet points each (gotta love things that come in threes, right?)
Evaluation:
Not bad, except (you just knew that there was going to be an "except" :) )...
Let's see -
1. Most of the pics he included in the mailer that I recognize are from *outside* LD17. A couple I don't recognize offhand, so I'm pretty sure they're not from LD17, but I can't say for certain. Yet. :)
2. I know it's supposed to be Scottsdale-focused, but the mailer reads like that of a candidate for Scottsdale City Council, not the Arizona lege. He talks about his small business experience and working "with the City to create a business-friendly environment" and protecting "private property rights in Scottsdale." Never does he mention his plans for the lege. Which brings us to the next point...
3. He never actually states which office he is a candidate for.
4. He never mentions that he is a Republican. (Not an unusual occurrence this year; it seems that most Republicans not named "McCain" are running away from their party.)
All in all, a solid mix of obvious deception and rookie mistakes.
Assuming Waddle doesn't win his race this year, he will probably learn some from the mistakes (I've met him at a campaign finance workshop put on by Clean Elections - he's intelligent) and has the opportunity to obviate the need for deception by getting more involved in the community (joining a City of Scottsdale board or commission would be a good start) and then maybe run for Scottsdale City Council in 2010 or 12. It seems to be more in keeping with his focus.
NB - At first, I figured that his shot at "Tempe's slick politicians" was directed at Ed Ableser and David Schapira, the Democratic incumbents in LD17. However, driving home through Tempe and south Scottsdale tonight I noticed how Waddle's Republican ballotmates, Jesse Hernandez (for State Senate) and Mark "Religion is OK - for Republican candidates anyway" Thompson (State House) have joined forces (signs all on the same poles, jointly sponsoring a TV spot, etc.) and all but thrown Waddle under the bus.
Now I wonder if Waddle's "slick" characterization was aimed as much at Thompson and Hernandez as at the Democrats they are trying to unseat.
NB2 - "The only candidate representing Scottsdale"?? That is probably news to State Senator Carolyn Allen (R-Scottsdale) and State Rep. Michele Reagan (R-Scottsdale). And probably to Congressman Harry Mitchell (D-CD5) and the staff of his Scottsdale-based district office, too.
Later!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Republicans detouring through Bizarro World as the election draws near...
Edit on 11/2 to correct an error pointed out in a comment...
It all started on my way home from work tonight.
- First up was the radio spot for the Republican slate of candidates for the Arizona Corporation Commission. The run of the mill Republicans in AZ don't think that they can kiss big business' butt fast enough or sloppily enough, yet Marian McClure, Barry Wong, and Bob Stump are running a radio ad touting themselves as "consumer-friendly."
At least they stuck to tried-and-true Republican form by calling the Democratic candidates (Sandra Kennedy, Paul Newman, and Sam George) "divisive." They squeezed in the term by prominently quoting the AZ Republic editorial that endorsed the Republican ACC ticket.
Umm...I've met and spoken at length to all three. The only folks who could consider them to be "divisive" are Republicans and editors who object to the idea of Democrats joining the historically Republican-dominated ACC.
- Second up was a news article in today's East Valley Tribune. Normally, Republicans try to portray themselves as the "God-friendly" candidates, but not today.
Carol Thompson, the wife of Republican LD17 candidate Mark Thompson, criticized Democratic incumbent state representative Ed Ableser for being too involved with religion. She objected to Ableser joining the the LDS faith of his fiancee, Hilary.
From the article, quoting an email from Mrs. Thompson -
She seemed to be objecting to the idea of the change, not to Mormonism itself. Still, Mr. Thompson is probably glad that he's not running to represent Mesa. :)
- And then came the coup de grace.
The McCain campaign is running a spot touting lavish, nearly endorsement-level, praise from a prominent Democrat.
That Democrat?
Senator Barack Obama.
Yes, the same Barack Obama who has been called "that one", "socialist," "communist," "Muslim," "pro-terrorist", and worse by John McCain and his surrogates.
From the examples of McClure/Wong/Stump, Thompson, and McCain, it seems that even Republicans are admitting that the Republican brand has lost its luster.
BTW - Congratulations to Ed and his fiancee Hilary. May they have a long and joyous life together.
Later!
It all started on my way home from work tonight.
- First up was the radio spot for the Republican slate of candidates for the Arizona Corporation Commission. The run of the mill Republicans in AZ don't think that they can kiss big business' butt fast enough or sloppily enough, yet Marian McClure, Barry Wong, and Bob Stump are running a radio ad touting themselves as "consumer-friendly."
At least they stuck to tried-and-true Republican form by calling the Democratic candidates (Sandra Kennedy, Paul Newman, and Sam George) "divisive." They squeezed in the term by prominently quoting the AZ Republic editorial that endorsed the Republican ACC ticket.
Umm...I've met and spoken at length to all three. The only folks who could consider them to be "divisive" are Republicans and editors who object to the idea of Democrats joining the historically Republican-dominated ACC.
- Second up was a news article in today's East Valley Tribune. Normally, Republicans try to portray themselves as the "God-friendly" candidates, but not today.
Carol Thompson, the wife of Republican LD17 candidate Mark Thompson, criticized Democratic incumbent state representative Ed Ableser for being too involved with religion. She objected to Ableser joining the the LDS faith of his fiancee, Hilary.
From the article, quoting an email from Mrs. Thompson -
"This guy has no idea what he is and shouldn’t be counseling kids.”
She seemed to be objecting to the idea of the change, not to Mormonism itself. Still, Mr. Thompson is probably glad that he's not running to represent Mesa. :)
- And then came the coup de grace.
The McCain campaign is running a spot touting lavish, nearly endorsement-level, praise from a prominent Democrat.
That Democrat?
Senator Barack Obama.
Yes, the same Barack Obama who has been called "that one", "socialist," "communist," "Muslim," "pro-terrorist", and worse by John McCain and his surrogates.
From the examples of McClure/Wong/Stump, Thompson, and McCain, it seems that even Republicans are admitting that the Republican brand has lost its luster.
BTW - Congratulations to Ed and his fiancee Hilary. May they have a long and joyous life together.
Later!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
LD17 Candidate Healthcare Forum Tonight
...Apologies for the late notice, but I just found out about it myself...
From an email -
Due to a conflict with my work schedule, I won't be able to attend the forum, but it should be an informative one, and with less than a week to go before the election, an important one.
Definitely well worth a couple of hours out of your week.
Later!
From an email -
District 17 Legislative Forum - Focus will be healthcare and disability related issues.
Date: Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Time: 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Focus: Health Care and Disability Related Issues
Forum Format: The candidates forum will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Please arrive early to meet the candidates between 5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Location: Pyle Adult Recreation Center (SW Corner of Southern/Rural)
655 East Southern Avenue
Tempe, AZ 85282
(480) 350-5211
Food: Refreshments Served
For information Contact: David Carey at (602) 443-0723.
Senate Candidates:
Meg Burton-Cahill, Democrat
Jesse Hernandez, Republican
Representative Candidates:
Wesley Waddle, Republican
Mark Thompson, Republican
Ed Ableser, Democrat
David Schapira, Democrat
Due to a conflict with my work schedule, I won't be able to attend the forum, but it should be an informative one, and with less than a week to go before the election, an important one.
Definitely well worth a couple of hours out of your week.
Later!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Impressive Democratic registration gains
Another one of those boring 'numbers' posts, but since I like the numbers in question... :))
All numbers taken from the Arizona Secretary of State's October 2006 and October 2008 voter registration reports.
Across the state, the Democratic Party has shown significant gains in voter registration, frequently outpacing any Republican gains by a margin of four or five to one in some districts. (PoliickerAZ coverage here)
In the Scottsdale/Tempe/Mesa area, the gains were both consistent and pronounced -
CD5 - 108,300 Democrats, 146,691 Republicans
In two years, CD5 Democrats gained almost 14,000 registrations, taking the gap from over 52K to just over 38K.
That gain, as well as an increase of nearly 17K Independent voters in CD5 is definitely positive news for centrist incumbent Harry Mitchell.
LD17 - 30,096 Democrats, 26,433 Republicans
In two years, LD17 Democrats turned a registration shortfall of 970 into an advantage of over 3600.
Definitely good news for State Sen. Meg Burton-Cahill and State Reps. David Schapira and Ed Ableser.
LD8 - 29,161 Democrats, 56,474 Republicans
In two years, LD8 Democrats gained over 2300 voters on the Republicans in the district; in addition, there are more than 5400 more independent voters in the district. While Stephanie Rimmer still faces an uphill battle in her quest for an LD8 House seat, that seat is well within the realm of reachable.
LD18 - 17,780 Democrats, 26,558 Republicans
In two years, the Democrats in LD18 have gained almost 2900 registrations on the Reps. Combine that with the fact that the LD18 Republicans were almost total slackers in registering new voters (they gained 813, or 3.1%, the Reps in the other area districts gained more than 5% each), and Tammie Pursley and Judah Nativio are in prime position to make LD18 purple, if not blue.
Of course, the brutal Rep primary between Russell Pearce (R-National Alliance) and Kevin Gibbons (R-Jeff Flake's brother-in-law) and the resultant divisions among the Rep faithful in the district doesn't hurt their chances, either.
All in all, some very encouraging numbers for the Democrats in the area (though LD8 will still be a tough nut to crack).
However, with John McCain at the top of the Rep ticket, Democrats will still need every available vote.
As such, there are precincts to walk in, doors to knock on, and phone calls to place.
Later!
All numbers taken from the Arizona Secretary of State's October 2006 and October 2008 voter registration reports.
Across the state, the Democratic Party has shown significant gains in voter registration, frequently outpacing any Republican gains by a margin of four or five to one in some districts. (PoliickerAZ coverage here)
In the Scottsdale/Tempe/Mesa area, the gains were both consistent and pronounced -
CD5 - 108,300 Democrats, 146,691 Republicans
In two years, CD5 Democrats gained almost 14,000 registrations, taking the gap from over 52K to just over 38K.
That gain, as well as an increase of nearly 17K Independent voters in CD5 is definitely positive news for centrist incumbent Harry Mitchell.
LD17 - 30,096 Democrats, 26,433 Republicans
In two years, LD17 Democrats turned a registration shortfall of 970 into an advantage of over 3600.
Definitely good news for State Sen. Meg Burton-Cahill and State Reps. David Schapira and Ed Ableser.
LD8 - 29,161 Democrats, 56,474 Republicans
In two years, LD8 Democrats gained over 2300 voters on the Republicans in the district; in addition, there are more than 5400 more independent voters in the district. While Stephanie Rimmer still faces an uphill battle in her quest for an LD8 House seat, that seat is well within the realm of reachable.
LD18 - 17,780 Democrats, 26,558 Republicans
In two years, the Democrats in LD18 have gained almost 2900 registrations on the Reps. Combine that with the fact that the LD18 Republicans were almost total slackers in registering new voters (they gained 813, or 3.1%, the Reps in the other area districts gained more than 5% each), and Tammie Pursley and Judah Nativio are in prime position to make LD18 purple, if not blue.
Of course, the brutal Rep primary between Russell Pearce (R-National Alliance) and Kevin Gibbons (R-Jeff Flake's brother-in-law) and the resultant divisions among the Rep faithful in the district doesn't hurt their chances, either.
All in all, some very encouraging numbers for the Democrats in the area (though LD8 will still be a tough nut to crack).
However, with John McCain at the top of the Rep ticket, Democrats will still need every available vote.
As such, there are precincts to walk in, doors to knock on, and phone calls to place.
Later!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)