2014 speculation already starting...

Hot on the heels of Jan Brewer's floating of the "term limits don't apply to me" trial balloon, announcing her interest in a third term as governor, Mike Sunnucks of the Phoenix Business Journal put out a 2014 speculation piece.

As should probably should have been expected, it was mostly filler of the  "I'm a political reporter and the legislature is out of session, so I have to come up with *something* to keep my editor happy" variety.

Well, if a trained, experienced, professional journalist gets to do that, so can a lowly amateur blogger (that's my way of saying that it's time for a little filler here :) ).

In his article, Sunnucks mentioned a few names.  Here's my take on those names, plus a few more added for good measure -

Jan Brewer - she may want it, but she is unlikely to get it.  Those pesky term limits will get in the way.

Ken Bennett - as Secretary of State, he's the heir apparent on the R side.  Formed an "exploratory" committee this past week, so should have a large campaign warchest by the time 2014 rolls around.  The presumptive frontrunner in the general election, with the caveat:  it's three years out.

Tom Horne - current AG and has had his eye on the 9th floor for years.  Best shot may be if a D wins in 2014 and he can challenge as the R frontrunner in 2018.  May be too old after that.

Paul Babeu - current Pinal County Sheriff.  I think this one is just pure filler on Sunnucks' part, but given the state of R politics anything could happen.  Still, seems more likely to pursue a Congressional run rather than a statewide run to take advantage of fame/notoriety in a single area of the state.

John Shadegg - former Congressman and current lobbyist "fellow" at the Goldwater Institute.  Could happen, but why would he want the instant and permanent migraine known as the Arizona Legislature?

Scott Smith - current mayor of Mesa.  I don't know enough about him to comment.

Hugh Hallman and Jim Lane - the mayors of Tempe and Scottsdale, respectively.  Both are up for reelection next year and neither is a lock (though Lane is in better shape).  Either one would have to win reelection and then raise his statewide profile.  Hallman has ambitions but probably needs to solidify his wavering base of support in Tempe before even *thinking* of a statewide run.  If Lane runs, the marionette strings will run right back to the Goldwater Institute and Lamar Whitmer.

My adds -

Russell Pearce - current president of the state senate (at least until the recall petitions are certified) and would love to be publicly considered the "top dog," but a move to the ninth floor would be a step up in paycheck size but a step down in practical political power.  And Pearce is all about power.  If he does go for it, however, he could get through an R primary, but may be too polarizing for the general election.

Fife Symington - former governor and pardoned convicted felon.  Makes noises about running again every four years.  Fellow Republicans want nothing to do with him, but Democrats pray that he runs and wins the nomination.  May be why he never follows through on his threats to run again.

Brenda Burns - current member of the Arizona Corporation Commission.  Big Fan of Big Business, and Big Business is a Big Fan of hers.  ACC isn't exactly the highest profile perch from which to launch a high profile campaign, but if the chips fall the right way, could trade in her ACC reelection campaign for a campaign for governor.

Joe Arpaio - currently the rather infamous sheriff in Maricopa County.  Like Symington, makes noises every four years.  Unlike Symington, has more than a snowball's chance in Phoenix of pulling it off on the R side.  Still, even if he avoids federal indictment, come 2014 he'll be, like, 900 years old (actually, 82).  For a lot of reasons, not gonna happen.

Coming Attractions: A "special" session of the legislature to turn every state job into a political patronage job

On Friday's edition of Horizon on PBS, three Capitol beat journalists - Howie Fischer (Capitol Media Services), Ginger Rough (Arizona Republic), and Dennis Welch (Arizona Guardian) - discussed the final hours of the legislative session and made one prediction:

Later this year, perhaps in the fall, there will be a special session of the legislature to pass Jan Brewer's scheme to remove the few civil service protections accorded to Arizona state employees.

Brewer was hot to get her proposal passed during the waning moments of the legislative session, to take some of the GOTP thunder from Wisconsin's Scott Walker, who has been on his own anti-worker jihad.

The video archive for the show isn't available as yet, but when it is, it should be here.  The Arizona Capitol Times has a full story here.  That story is behind a subscription paywall, and is chock full o'blather from the likes of Jan Brewer, Russell Pearce and Kirk Adams about how the proposal is really isn't about attacking workers and making them political slaves to Brewer et, al., but is all about helping the economy and weeding out bad employees, but not about undermining the effectiveness of government agencies or simple base patronage.  Here is the money quote:

Pearce said the plan would allow the state to hire good employees and get rid of bad ones more quickly.


“It’s a great thing to hire at-will,” he said. “All it is, is efficiency in government."

That from the same Russell Pearce who was fired, by a REPUBLICAN governor, as head of the Motor Vehicles Divsion (MVD), after, among other things, hiring one of his sons to work there.  A son who was later caught issuing false IDs for his friends.

Well, I probably shouldn't do this, but for them, and you, here's a sneak preview of the main rhetorical thrust of the posts that will go up when they pass this scheme (and it surely will pass):

The have removed the due process protection of right to a trial by jury for those accused of misdemeanor DUI, and now they wish to remove the due process protections for those accused of nothing more than doing their jobs while not being cozy enough with elected officials, lobbyists, or other political hacks.

They should be careful what they wish for.

This is the same group of legislators who take bribes from the Fiesta Bowl, proclaim themselves above the laws that the rest of us live by when they carry guns while parading around public buildings and are simply beyond the law even after assaulting their girlfriends by the side of the freeway.

Weakening due process might not be the brightest idea for this bunch.

Russell Pearce: A flexible man...with the truth anyway.

After the Fiesta Bowl released the report of its internal investigation into illegal campaign contributions and gifts of trips to football games to elected officials, one of the biggest names in the report, State Sen. Russell "The Law Is The Law" Pearce loudly and repeatedly proclaimed his innocence and purity in the matter, sticking to the story that he actually paid for his own tickets and that he had receipts to prove it.

Of course, he never actually produced those receipts.

As such, today's news in the Arizona Capitol Times didn't come as a surprise to most observers.

From the story by Jeremy Duda (subscription required) -

Senate President Russell Pearce amended several years’ worth of financial disclosure reports to include Fiesta Bowl-sponsored trips, and repaid the bowl for several tickets. In a written statement, Pearce said today he repaid the Fiesta Bowl $272 for football game tickets.

A complete AP story, written by Paul Davenport, is here.

The Fiesta Bowl Scandal and Russell Pearce

The news that a number of Arizona politicos may have improperly accepted gifts and illegal campaign contributions broke this week with the release of a report from the Fiesta Bowl investigating its own practices.

The investigators examined a number of campaign finance reports looking for contributions from Fiesta Bowl employees that were later reimbursed by the organization.  They also looked at Fiesta Bowl records to determine where, when, and how much was spent to influence public officials.

A few (7?) Democrats (Harry Mitchell, Linda Lopez, Ben Arredondo, etc.) were implicated in one or another aspect of the burgeoning scandal, as were a large number of Republicans (25+), both electeds (Russell Pearce, Carolyn Allen, Thayer Verschoor, etc.) and behind-the-scenes "fixers" - aka "lobbyists" or "consultants" (Chuck Coughlin, Doug Cole, Gary Husk, etc.).

As I'm not a lawyer, I'm not qualified to comment on the legal implications for the politicos implicated.  However, I can speak a little bit about the political implications for the electeds.

Many, such as Ds Mitchell and Mary Manross (former mayor of Scottsdale) and Rs Verschoor and Allen, aren't in office right now and may not seek office again, so the political impact will be minimal.

Note: I've been told that, at least, neither Manross nor Allen are interested in future runs for office, but that info is many months old, and may have changed.

A few of the others have quietly reimbursed the Fiesta Bowl for any "gifts" that they received but most are otherwise maintaining a low profile, waiting to see how this develops.

However, Senate President Russell Pearce (R-Blacklist) has never been known for being quiet.

Or even for learning lessons from the missteps of others.

His colleague and ally, Senate majority leader Scott Bundgaard was involved in a domestic violence incident in February, which was bad enough.

However, Bundgaard aggravated the scandal when he just wouldn't shut up, issuing press releases left and right, blaming his now ex-girlfriend and pleading for everyone to respect his privacy, to concocting a story that his ex pulled a gun on him (one that turned out to be his own) in spite of a police report that doesn't mention a gun anywhere in it.

Now, he's no longer Senate majority leader, and his political future is murky at best (OK, he's probably toast in the next primary, but journalists, even quasi-journalists like bloggers, have "weasel word" standards to meet :) ).

Pearce obviously hasn't been paying attention to Bungaard's mishandling of his own misconduct.

Pearce has claimed that he paid for his own tickets to some of the football games for which the Fiesta Bowl groups organized legislative junkets.

From the Arizona Republic article, written by Ginger Rough and Alia Beard Rau, linked to "news" above -

Pearce had been mostly silent on his involvement until Friday, when he told The Republic that he had paid for his tickets and that he was "very disappointed" in the bowl and its activities.

Asked when he paid for his tickets, Pearce said: "Immediately, at the time."

But Pearce's comments conflict with a portion of the report that states Fiesta Bowl employees paid for, and then were reimbursed by the bowl for, non-Fiesta Bowl tickets given to Pearce in 2007 and 2008.

Hmmm....

Now, not having access to Pearce's personal financial records (or anyone else's, for that matter), I cannot state unequivocally that Pearce did not pay for the tickets himself.  However, based on public records, I can say that he definitely didn't report a junket and a game in 2005 (page 178 of the Fiesta Bowl report) in his 2006 Financial Disclosure Statement, covering the 2005 calendar year.

Submitted in early January 2006 and amended at the end of January 2006, he reported gifts valued in excess of $500 from the American Legislative Exchange Council, Republican Club of (illegible), Western Growers Association, Brookings Institute, and NCSL (National Conference of State Legislatures).

Nothing related to the Fiesta Bowl or college football was reported.

Hmmm2...

Here are some relevent financial disclosure reports for the electeds named in the report as being part of the 2005 trip, courtesy the Center for Public Integrity (the reports cover the prior calendar year) -


Pearce 2005 2004 2003 2002

Bob Blendu 2006 2005 2004

Linda Lopez 2006 2005 2004

Linda Aguirre 2006 2005 2004


Of the four named specifically, only two are still legislators.

 Linda Lopez reported the trip in her 2006 disclosure. 

Pearce?  Not a mention.

Hmmm3...


There's also a sign that perhaps investigators should not have looked at only reports of campaign contributions, but also at reported expenses.

On page 179 of the Fiesta Bowl report, a junket to Boston was documented, one that Pearce attended.  Part of the junket: a college football game between Boston College and Virginia Tech on October 18.

In Russell Pearce's post-general election campaign finance report from 2008, covering October 16 thru November 24 of that year, he reported a "miscellaneous" expenditure of $675.00, dated November 4, 2008.

If that one turns out to be junket-related, it could be problematical for Pearce - he accepted Clean Elections funding that year, and they take a rather dim view of candidates who use the money in ways that are other than directly related to the campaign.

To be fair, the Fiesta Bowl investigators were mostly interested in the activities of their own organization, not those of the elected officials.

Future investigators, both journalistic and law enforcement, will certainly pay more attention to how the electeds reported their associations with the Fiesta Bowl.

The upshot of it all is that everyone involved is hoping this blows over, that current events distract the public from the past misconduct - the business administrators of college football don't want investigations of the other bowls, who almost certainly operate in a manner similar to the Fiesta Bowl, and the electeds don't want to be on the receiving end of any political repercussions.

Does anyone think it's a coincidence that the report was released during the final week of the NCAA basketball tournament, when college sports fans, even casual ones, are thoroughly focused on that?

Or that the House this week rushed through a horrific budget allowing them to end the legislative session and get out of town and out of the reach of reporters, as quickly as possible?

Tedski at Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion offers his perspective on this mess here; AZBlueMeanie of Blog for Arizona has his here.


Note:  The Center for Public Integrity only has the financial disclosure reports for the first half of the decade.  I could not find the reports from later in the decade online, and the Republic story reports that they are having difficulty obtaining those reports from the Secretary of State's office. 

Anybody really surprised by that?

A glimmer of sanity: Five nativist bills go down to defeat in the Arizona Senate

I really enjoy the idea of having a new job (and I really enjoy the job itself, but that's irrelevant to this post), but it does have one downside - I miss all the good stuff that happens during the day.

And today, there was some actual good stuff going down at the Senate.

Five, count 'em - FIVE - of Russell Pearce's pet nativist measures went down to defeat in the Senate today, Thursday, March 17, 2011 -

SB1308, an interstate compact/new Confederacy bill "birther" bill went down 12 - 18, with all nine Democrats joined by nine Republicans in opposition.  One of the Republican "no" votes is Sen. Frank Antenori, and given his heretofore absolute adherence to the Pearce line, I'm guessing that he is the R designated to "move to reconsider" the measure on Monday.  In addition to Antenori, Rs Barto, McComish, Driggs, Crandall, Yarbrough, Reagan,, (Steve) Pierce, and Nelson voted against the measure.

SB1309, a birther bill, went down 11 - 19.  Same list of Rs against the bill, with the addition of Bundgaard.  Another designated reconsiderer?

SB1405, turning Arizona's hospitals into immigration checkpoints, went down 12 - 18, with pretty much the same list of Rs voting no, except Antenori voted for it, while Linda Gray voted no.

SB1407, similar to SB1405 above, except it would have turned school teachers and administrators into immigration enforcement agents, went down 14 - 16, Gray remaining a "no" vote, but Barto, Yarbrough, and Antenori voting "yes."

SB1611, Pearce's attempt to out-SB1070 last year's SB1070, went down 11 - 19, with Sylvia Allen joining the same list of "no" votes as for SB1405, above.  She could be the designated "reconsiderer," but I think her "no" might be legit - she voted against the measure in committee, too.

Many of the "no" votes may have been influenced not by morality or public opinion, but instead by the fact that one of the biggest GOP benefactors, the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, has *finally* weighed in on the goings-on at the Capitol, sending Pearce a letter advising him to cool it with the bigoted stuff - it's seriously cutting into their bottom lines.


There was other good news at the Senate today - Glenn Spencer, the leader of the hate group American Border Patrol, was "uninvited" from an appearance before the Senate Border Security, Federalism, and States Sovereignty Committee.  I wrote about this scheduled appearance last week, and this week, a number of MSM outlets also shed some light on Mr. Spencer and his nativist and anti-semitic acts and rants. 

Enough pressure finally mounted to force Pearce and his close friend, committee chair Sylvia Allen, to alter course.


Of course, these failed bills could come back as soon as Monday (move to reconsider) or could come back via a strike-everything amendment at any time before sine die (the end of the legislative session).

And Mr. Spencer could be invited back at any point in time when Pearce, Allen, and the others think that no one is paying attention.

However, for now, we all get to enjoy one weekend this spring - ASU baseball has a three game set against Oral Roberts University on tap, and the Cactus League is in full swing (and this late in the spring, some of the regulars are playing almost 2/3 of a game! :) ).  If baseball isn't your thing (for shame!  :)) ), the Arizona Renaissance Festival is still going strong this weekend.

And if you just can't stay away from politics, at least do something that will let you enjoy the weather - volunteer to join the effort to Recall Russell Pearce in Mesa.

Monday will be here soon enough.

AZ budget action Wednesday?

From AP, via the Arizona Capitol Times -

Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce says the Senate will act Wednesday on a proposed state budget even though it doesn’t have an agreement with Republican Gov. Jan Brewer.


Pearce says Republican senators are anxious to approve a budget and that Senate action could take place all on one day.

According to the article, the R leadership in the House isn't on board with this move - as far as they're concerned, negotiations with the governor and the Rs in the Senate are still ongoing.

As yet, nothing budget-related is posted on the lege's website, and given Pearce's stated intent to push through his proposal (whatever that may be) on Wednesday, nothing may be posted until Wednesday morning.

Stay tuned...

In case you missed it: member of Pearce-associated group arrested for atttempted bombing of MLK Day parade

In January, someone planted a shrapnel-filled pipe bomb along the planned route of a parade commemorating Martin Luther King Day.  The device was discovered by parade workers (you know, some of the public employees that are under such a virulent attack by Koch-fueled Republicans) and defused before it could harm any parade-goers.

This week, an arrest was made in the case.  One Kevin Harpham was arrested for  illegal possession of an explosive device and attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.

As the Southern Poverty Law Center reports, as recently as late 2004, Harpham was a member of the neo-Nazi/white supremacist group National Alliance.  Because of the secretive nature of such organizations, so far it is unclear how long Harpham was a member before that time, or if he still is a member.

As recently at fall 2006, Russell Pearce, then a state representative, now president of the Arizona State Senate, campaigned for reelection by forwarding emails from...wait for it...

National Alliance.

Of course.

Pictorial evidence of what Russell Pearce thinks of the United States

So, I wonder -

How long will it be before Russell Pearce orders the Senate to rise and pledge allegiance to the flag of Arizona?

The Arizona Senate during a vote.  Note the one lower level light, just to the right of the screen in the middle of the pic.

In the middle of this pic, and to the left of the screen in the wider angle pic - the American flag, deep in shadow.

In the center of this pic, and to the right of the screen in the wider angle pic - the Arizona state flag, bathed in light.

Arizona should add a sixth "C" to it's civics curriculum...and maybe a seventh...

It's been sort of a tradition for Arizona's schools to teach about the "5 C's" of Arizona's history - Copper, Cotton, Citrus, Cattle, and Climate.

Recent developments in the state have led some to observe that it may be time to add a sixth "C" - 

Crazy.

A list of pieces of evidence bills, courtesy the Arizona House Democrats (I've been thinking of a post in this vein, but since they did a list before I did, they get the credit :) ) -

HB 2675, Shaming struggling Arizonans: Makes food stamp cards safety orange and include in large black print the phase “Government Food Stamp Card,” which profiles food stamp holders. (Dial)


HB 2070, State guard: Authorizes the governor to establish the Arizona State Guard for any reason the governor considers to be necessary. (Harper)

SB 1519, Health care annihilation: Terminates the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), which would make Arizona ineligible for $4.8 billion in federal funding and leave thousands of Arizonans without health care. (Biggs)

SB 1610, Declaring an official state firearm: Would make the Colt Single Action Army revolver Arizona’s official firearm, instead of focusing on the real issues – economy, jobs and education. (Gould)

HB 2490, Happy Meal toys: Would bar cities and counties from enacting regulations that limit the ability of restaurant incentives like toys, which restricts local governments’ rights. (Gowan)

HB 2384, HB 2416, HB 2443, Absurd anti-choice bills:

· Prohibits abortions sought based on race or sex of the child, when the sex of a fetus is not known when abortions are performed. (Montenegro)

· Dictates what colleges can teach by prohibiting them from using public funds, tax monies or tuition for medical training that includes abortions. (Lesko)

· Requires a woman performing an abortion to listen to the heartbeat of the fetus before termination. (Yee)

HB 2165, Kicking Arizonans when they’re down: Changes the Unemployment benefits paid to individuals temporarily from 26 weeks to 16 weeks through Oct. 31, 2012, which leave Arizonans stranded. (Olson)

HB 2471, Waste of taxpayer dollars: Prohibits the legislature from enacting any statute that involves a monetary federal mandate, which would be overturned due to federal law. (Gowan)

HB 2191, Benefits only one person: Prohibits any person who is illegally in this state in violation of federal immigration law from being awarded punitive damages by any Arizona court, which is a bill introduced to benefit one rancher. (Weiers)

HB 2313, Waste of taxpayer dollars: Broadens the classification of property to the state’s eminent domain laws by including property possessed by the federal government, which would be overturned due to federal law. (Jones)

HB 2077, Waste of taxpayer dollars: Requires any federal agency that comes into a county to conduct authorized business to register its presence with the county sheriff, which would be overturned due to federal law. (Lesko)

SB 1433, Waste of taxpayer dollars: Asserts that the state is not required to recognize or live under any federal legislation that has been nullified by simple majority vote of the legislature, which will bring the state costly lawsuits, which would be overturned due to federal law. (Klein)

HB 2140, Stops local control: Prohibits property rental agreements from requiring a tenant to waive any fundamental gun right. (Harper)

SB 1115, Eliminates ABOR: Would eliminate the Arizona Board of Regents and scrap the existing funding formula structure for community colleges and universities. (Biggs)

HB 2581, STO alcohol contributions: Would allow a credit for contributions to an STO, which would allow the makers and distributors of alcoholic beverages to contribute to the corporate private school tuition tax credit. (Mesnard)

I might quibble with that list, but only because it barely scratches the surface of the craziness that has taken hold of the Arizona State Capitol.

However, if "crazy" is the sixth "C," then there is now a strong case for a seventh.


Exhibit A - Senate President Russell Pearce has ordered that the first row of the Senate gallery be closed off to the public, and for Senate security personnel to stand in that area while the Senate is in session.

Exhibit B - Pearce no longer walks across the courtyard between the Senate and House for fear of contact with the general public.  If for some reason he needs to visit the House, he utilizes the not-so-secret tunnel between the Senate and House buildings.

Exhibit C - Early in the session, when faced with the possibility that members of the legislature could be brought to heel over their penchant for carrying firearms within the buildings of the Capitol, in violation of state law, Pearce handed down an  edict stating the sitting legislators don't have to adhere to that law.

Exhibit D - Pearce has created a "blacklist," while simultaneously denying its existence, barring certain of his critics from the Senate building, even those who have done nothing more "dangerous" than clapping during Senate hearing in a room, away from the hearing itself, that had no senators in it.

Exhibit E - Responding to criticism of that move against his critics, Pearce has now barred the public from attending open press conferences in the Senate building.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I hereby present to you Arizona's seventh "C" =

Control Freak.


The Recall Pearce has a website here.  Consider helping them any way you can.

Redistricting update: not much to update

Today, the four partisan members of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) met to interview the five Independent candidates for the final, and chair's, spot on the AIRC, but after the interviews, they chose to delay the selection until Tuesday.

The meeting start a few minutes late, at approximately 2:35 p.m. (the time listed on the agenda was 2:30 p.m.)

After a brief explanation of the history of the room - it used to be the meeting room of the Arizona Supreme Court and was the home of many decisions, including the famous Miranda decision.  Not relevant, but OK...until he went on with a somewhat odd recounting of that decision and the future activities of the principals), Bennett proceeded to swear in the four AIRC members who have been appointed by the legislative leadership.

Richard Stertz, Scott Freeman, Secretary of State Ken Bennett, Jose Herrera, and Linda McNulty











Things proceeded a little faster than expected - because the published agenda indicated that the first interview would start at 3 p.m., they had to recess the meeting for a few minutes.  After that, however, the interview part of the meeting proceeded efficiently.

As should have been expected for a group of applicants who have already been thoroughly researched, interviewed, and screened, they all did a good job at their interviews.  While each exhibited a couple of "weak" answers to the questions posed by the panel, each them was thoughtful and polished and appeared to be eminently qualified.  Even without the political pressures on the current AIRC foursome, they'll have a tough time making their choice.

And have no doubt, they're already feeling some *heavy* pressure. 

A member of the public, Norris Nordvold, speaking on behalf of candidate Ray Bladine, issued a not-too-thinly veiled threat to the AIRC. 

Some concerns over the AIRC's budget cropped up during the afternoon.  The original AIRC had approximately $6 million to use; the new AIRC currently has $500K. 

Nordvold mentioned the possibility of the Legislature appropriating significantly less money for the next fiscal year if they don't like the choice for chair.

Call it a "don't you dare pick Paul Bender" moment.

Nordvold addressing the panel









The next speaker, Jim Huntwork, a Republican member of the original AIRC, spent his entire time railing about native tribes, in an attempt to influence the members of the new AIRC to nullify the recent decision of the Arizona Supreme Court to allow Professor Bender's candidacy to continue in spite of the same objections from Russell Pearce and Kirk Adams, the Senate President and Speaker of the House, respectively.

Other than that, however, things seemed pretty straightforward today.

We'll see what the next meeting, as well as the next few months, look like.

I hope this isn't jinxing things, but I predict the next lawsuit will be rooted in today's discussions - if the current members of the AIRC surrender to Pearce and Adams on the selection of the chair, they'll be opening themselves up to litigation from the other candidates as well as others.  If they don't surrender and the lege tries to use its budgetary powers to retaliate, interfering with the redistricting process, court actions from the feds and from other groups who are affected by redistricting.

And that doesn't even begin to address what the U.S. Department of Justice could do to Arizona if they believe that Pearce and Adams are trying to corrupt the process.

I'll let attorneys speak more on this; they know far more than I do.

Anyway, candidates under consideration are:

Kimber Lanning

Colleen Mathis

Ray Bladine

Paul Bender

Margarita Silva

The next meeting, at which the selection will presumably be made, will be Tuesday at 1 p.m. in the conference room of the Arizona State Library (the same location as today's meeting.)

Steve Muratore of the blog The Arizona Eagletarian has coverage here.


Some pics from the meeting:

The members of the AIRC and Ken Bennett speaking during the first recess of the committee.  On the far left: Jim Barton of the Arizona Attorney General's Office, present to provide legal advice, when necessary.

Professor Paul Bender thanking the members of the panel after his interview.

candidate Ray Bladine during his interview

candidate Colleen Mathis during her interview

candidate Kimber Lanning during her interview

candidate Margarita Silva during her interview

During Kimber Lanning's interview, from left to right:  Bennett, Herrera, McNulty, and Lanning.  I'm not sure who the man in the corner is; he was photographing the proceeding for an MSM outlet, I think.

Russell Pearce bringing Senate Judiciary to heel

Over the last couple of weeks, Senate President Russell Pearce and his "associates" have been thoroughly embarrassed by the failure of his Sen. Ron Gould's anti-birthright citizenship and other anti-immigrant bills to pass the Senate's Judiciary Committee.

In successive weeks, SB1308, SB1309 (anti-14th Amendment/birthright citizenship) and SB1405 (turning hospitals into immigration checkpoints) had to be pulled from the committee because it was evident that the measures didn't have enough support on the committee to pass.

Specifically, Republican Sens. Adam Driggs and John McComish joined the Democratic members of the committee, Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Steve Gallardo, in questioning the legality of the measures.

As a result, all three bills were removed from Judiciary and given to the Appropriations Committee, which is a larger committee (13 instead of 8 members) and has only one Republican with a conscience (Sen. Rich Crandall of East Mesa).  Those bills, and more, were passed by Appropriations after a marathon system

Given that the committee had eight members, that meant the best possible outcome for the measures was failure on a 4 - 4 tie vote.  A measure needs five out of eight members to support it in order for it to go forward.

Note the use of the past tense "had" in the last sentence.

Pearce could have simply removed Driggs or McComish, or both, from the committee.  That's his privilege as Senate President.

However, internal politics make such a peremptory move problematical - McComish and Driggs are both incredibly conservative and cannot be attacked as "RINOs".  In addition, McComish was Pearce's chief rival for the Senate presidency, and arbitrarily removing him from a committee could smack of unwarranted retribution.  Pearce's position atop the Senate pecking order, while not exactly "tenuous," is based in no small part on a promise to complete the budget before pushing through his pet anti-immigrant bills.

A promise that he has thoroughly broken.

So he has now done the next best thing - he has simply added another, more pliable, member to the committee, bringing its membership count to nine.

Wednesday, he added Sen. Scott Bundgaard to the committee without removing anyone else.

By handling things in this manner, Pearce kept the number of votes necessary to pass a bill at "five" but also was able to add a fifth reliable vote to the committee.  He also was able to bring the committee back under control without appearing to be vindictive (he may, in fact, *be* vindictive, but this doesn't make him *look* that way).

With Judiciary (presumably) back with the program, look for more "bad" bills to be assigned to Judiciary and to actually gain the committee's approval.

Off to the meeting where the fifth member and chair of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) will be selected...

Summary of Tuesday's Senate Appropriations Committee meeting...

In case you missed it, and given that they were going strong well into the wee hours of the morning, you probably did.

Note:  when a bill description is in quotes, it's quoted from the summary of that bill crafted by legislative staff.

Note2 - I didn't see the discussion for most of the bills because of the late hour, so for the most part, I am not including any of those here.

- SB1611, Russell Pearce's latest attack on people with brown skin.  Passed 7 - 6.  The four Democratis on the committee opposing, as did Republicans Rich Crandell and Sylvia Allen.  Crandall suffers from occasional bouts of decency, so his vote wasn't entirely surprising.  Allen, however, is a close friend and ally of Pearce, and usually is completely on board the nativist train.  Senior moment?

- SB1308 and SB1309, the anti-14th Amendment bills, passed by identical 8 - 5 votes (1308 and 1309).  All four Democrats on the committee, as did Republican Crandall.

- SB1405, turning Arizona's hospitals into immigration checkpoints, passed 8 - 5.  Same voting pattern as above.

- SB1407, requiring school districts to collect data on students who cannot prove lawful residency in the U.S. and district, and requires districts to forward the info to the state.  Passed 8 - 5.  Same voting pattern as above.

- SB1519, completely repealing AHCCCS, Arizona's Medicaid program.  Passed 8 - 5.  Same voting pattern as above.

- SB1380, mandating drug testing for welfare recipients, passed 9 - 3, 1 not voting.  Three Democrats opposed, and one (David Schapira) was out of the room when the vote was taken.

- SB1115, ending the Arizona Board of Regents, who oversee the state's universities, and replacing the Board with Boards of Trustees for each individual campus, passed 9 - 4.  Party line vote.

- SCR1014, related to SB1115, removing from the Arizona Constitution language regarding the Board of Regents.  Passed 9 - 4.  Party line vote.

- SCR1045, completely policizing the selection of Arizona judges by removing language in the AZ Constitution requiring professional evaluations and screening by the Arizona Bar Association for the attorney candidates for the various judicial selection commissions in Arizona.  Passed 9 - 4.  Party line vote.

SB1141, "Requires parents, or persons who have custody, of a child who will attend a public, private or charter school to provide verifiable documentation of Arizona residency, and requires school districts and charter schools to maintain the documentation", passed by a 9 - 4 vote.  Party line vote.

- SB1497, gives "Arizona Constitutional and statutory rights of public agencies to the legal entities created through intergovernmental agreements."  Passed 9 - 4.  Party line vote.

- SB1589, further privatizing the operations of MVD.  Passed 9 - 3, one not voting.  Three Democrats opposed, Kyrsten Sinema out of the room when the vote was taken.

- SB1540, "Establishes the removal or defacing of political mailers, handouts and flyers as a class 2 misdemeanor and requires a condominium and planned community to allow door to door political activity."  Passed 11 - 2, Aboud and Cajero Bedford dissenting.

- HB2016, updating language regarding budget reports.  Passed 12 - 1, Aboud dissenting.

- SB1013, tranferring the Arizona Capitol Police, currently a part of the AZ Department of Administration, to the Department of Public Safety.  Passed 11 - 0, 2 not voting.  Schapira and Cajero Bedford were out of the room when the vote was taken.

- SB1113, barring "existing licensed facilities operated by the state or contracted with the Department of Economic Security (DES) to provide intermediate care facilities for mental retardation services for developmental disability members", passed 13 - 0.

- SB1353, "Repeals state photo enforcement and adds an assessment of $10 on every civil penalty or fine resulting from a citation issued by a peace officer for a traffic offense. Requires a municipality to use monies to supplement funds available for the purchase of protective armor, electronic stun devices and other safety equipment." Passed 13 - 0.

- SB1583, updating the membership of the state nursing board.  Passed 13 - 0.

- SB1039, creating a "home certificate program" relating to trust deeds and housing finance.  Complete legislative summary here.  Passed 13 - 0.

Of course, one should not forget the passage of the most vital bill of the entire legislative session, one that is key to the future success of the entire state.

SB1610, declaring that the Colt Single Action Army Revolver is the state's official firearm.  Passed 9 - 4.  Party line vote.  I saw the debate on this one.  The Democrats didn't actually object to the content of the bill, just the fact that is was being considered while the Republican majority refuses to address the real problems facing the state.


...Whew!!

Seriously, we should all thank the four Democratic members of the committee, Senators Aboud, Cajero Bedford, Schapira, and Sinema, as well as the committee and facility staffers who stayed throughout the entire proceeding.  Contrary to some of the evidence, there are still a few dedicated public servants in Arizona.

Russell Pearce in 2011: trying to outdo his 2010 anti-immigrant screed

AZ Senate President Russell Pearce (R-National Alliance) is attempting to out-SB1070 last year's SB1070, the bill that became the law that both powered and rode the wave of nativist sentiment sweeping across large portions of the country (and not coincidentally, the law that the utterly unqualified Jan Brewer used to gain an elected term as governor of Arizona.

He has introduced this year's SB1611.

Among other things, it...

...removes all consideration of federal law when determining eligibility for federal benefits...

...mandates a mandatory minimum sentence of six months in jail for using a false ID to obtain employment...

...mandates that if an undocumented immigrant is caught driving a vehicle, that vehicle will be forfeited to the state...

...mandates that if an undocumented immigrant is caught driving a vehicle, he/she must serve at least 30 days in jail, no matter what...

...mandates that if an undocumented immigrant is caught driving a vehicle, he/she must pay for all of the costs of his/her incarceration...

...bars school districts from admitting students who can't demonstrate "lawful presence" in the district (this one conflicts with federal law), and severely limits the documents that are acceptable proof...

...bars students from being homeschooled unless they prove "lawful presence" with the same documents as above...

...mandates indefinite suspension of all business licences of employers who don't use the E-Verify systems, even if there aren't any other violations of law involved...

...mandates that issuance of a title to an automobile is contingent on proof of lawful presence in the country...

...mandates that all applicants for any public housing must prove lawful presence before their applications are accepted...

...mandates eviction of any resident of public housing who allows an undocumented immigrant to reside in their unit...(so if your minor child, or elderly and ailing parent can't prove their immigration status, they're on their own)...

...mandates that any police officer lose his/her AZPOST certification (basically, the equivalent of a professional license for police officers.  No AZPOST certification = no job) for any officer "who refuses to uphold the United States and Arizona constitutions and enforce the laws of this state."  No word on what will happen if an officer refuses to enforce an Arizona law that has been found to violate the U.S. Constitution.  Under this clause, he would lose his/her job no matter what he did.

...mandates that consular ID cards cannot be accepted as identification by the state or any political subdivision (this one has been floating around in one bill or another for a few years now.  What if a consular official is stopped by the police?  Under this provision, he/she has no way to prove his/her right to access consular premises...


Of course, the committee will be hearing the [cue up the sarcasm] *the single most vital piece of legislation of the Senate* - at least it must be, since the budget hasn't been balanced, the school system hasn't been firmed up, and an adequate permanent water supply hasn't been guaranteed for the state, but they are considering...

SB1610.

That one answers the most profound question of our time - "What is the official firearm of Arizona?"

After the bill's enactment, the official firearm of Arizona will be the Colt Single Action Army Revolver.

Whew!  Now we can all rest easy tonight.

/sarcasm


The meeting to hear this bill, and the other *really* bad bills, will be held Tuesday, February 22, 2011 at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  Arrive early, as seating is limited and the room is sure to be packed. 

Arizona Republic coverage of this, from Mary Jo Pitzl, is here

Arizona Capitol Times coverage, from Luige del Puerto, is here.

2012 Congressional Speculation

With Senate candidate speculation running wild across Arizona (Flake in, Shadegg out, Arpaio flirting, Democrats waiting until summer to see what happens with Gabrielle Giffords' recovery), now folks are starting with speculation regarding possible Congressional runs.

Some of the names so far, mostly in a run for Jeff Flake's seat (CD6) sort of way, but not really, since redistricting could make the current CD6 a totally different district (with a couple of other committees thrown in for good measure) -

Republican Kirk Adams, speaker of the Arizona House, from East Mesa

Republican Russell Pearce, president of the Arizona Senate, from Central/West Mesa

Republican Scott Smith, Mayor of Mesa

Republican Chuck Gray, former state senator from LD19 (East Mesa), close to Pearce so probably won't jump into the race if Pearce actually runs

Republican Jay Tibshraeny, current Mayor of Chandler,  former state senator, and previously considered an heir-apparent for Flake's seat if Flake moved on/out.  Redistricting could affect his decision to run/not run (that caveat could apply to almost every possible candidate, so consider it applied for each one)

Republican Rich Crandall, current state senator from East Mesa.  Crandall, Adams, and Gray are all from the same district, LD19, but they aren't close friends by any stretch and could easily end up knocking each other off, helping Smith (if he jumps in)

Republican Gabriela Saucedo Mercer has opened a committee to run against Democratic incumbent Raul Grijalva in CD7.  Haven't heard of her before this and don't know much about her.  However, if she's a serious candidate (and not just a fringe tea party type), we'll know more later in the year
Republican David Schweikert has opened a reelection committee for his seat

Democrat Harry Mitchell hasn't ruled out a run for a rematch with Schweikert, looking to reclaim the seat he formerly held

Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick, like Mitchell a former member of Congress, may also run again

Republican Hugh Hallman, Mayor of Tempe, has ambitions for higher office, but any run for Congress will depend on redistricting and which other candidates jump in

Democrat Neil Giuliano, former Mayor of Tempe and former Republican, could also jump in, especially if Mitchell decides against a run.  I don't know how close he and Giuliano are, but Mitchell is the political force of nature in Tempe, so his decision will affect that of the other potential candidates

Democrat Phil Gordon, current Mayor of Phoenix whose term expires this year.  Noted for his ambition and his Phoenix-based campaign machine, if he doesn't go for the Senate seat, is seen as likely to pursue a Congressional run.  Of course, he could go for Governor in 2014, or for McCain's Senate seat in 2016, or...? :)

Republican State Senator Rick Murphy, a former (and future?) Congressional candidate, has opened a $500 Threshold Committee for a run at the Peoria Unified School District Governing Board.  Someone like Murphy standing for a public school committee slot is like someone like me standing for chair of the AZGOP.  Except that I don't want to kill off and bury the AZGOP, just help defeat them at the ballot box


There will be other names out there once the new district maps are drawn, and once the field for the soon-to-be open U.S. Senate seat sorts itself out.

Later...

Anti-14th Amendment/Birthright Citizenship update: Bills transferred to friendlier committee

On Monday, the Judiciary Committee of the Arizona Senate failed to move two nativist-written and -sponsored anti-birthright citizenship bills.

On Tuesday, Senate President Russell Pearce withdrew the bills from Judiciary to the Appropriations Committee for consideration (SB1309 and SB1308).

They are scheduled for consideration there on Tuesday, February 15 (next Tuesday) at 2 p.m. in SHR109.

The bills are expected to find a far friendlier reception in Appropriations than in Judiciary. 

While there is some overlap between the memberships of the two committees, it's an overlap that favors passage.

On the Judiciary Committee, Ron Gould and Andy Biggs are the chair and vice-chair respectively; on Appropriations, they switch jobs. 

Both favored the bills.

In addition, Judiciary member Rick Murphy is also on Appropriations, and he favored the bills at Monday's hearing.

Opponent Adam Driggs and (likely) opponent John McComish are NOT on Appropriations, so their voices and their votes won't be heard Tuesday.

Instead, the Republicans hearing the bill will be:

Sylvia Allen, Russell Pearce's close friend and ally
Andy Biggs, who has already made it clear that he wholeheartedly supports the bills and a cosponsor of both
Rich Crandall, a very conservative Republican who has occasional bouts of sanity
Ron Gould, who is known for celebrating the 4th of July by flying a Confederate flag in his backyard and is the originating sponsor of both measures
Lori Klein, who started the latest dustup over legislators carrying guns at the Capitol and a cosponsor of both measures
Al Melvin, who is a cosponsor of both measures
Rick Murphy, who is also a cosponsor of both measures
Don Shooter, another cosponsor and Kool-Aid drinker (and purveyor)
Steve Smith, yet another cosponsor of both measures

The Appropriations Committee is larger than Judiciary (13 members vs. 8), so it will need at least seven votes to pass, but by my count, at least seven members are sponsors/cosponsors, and Sylvia Allen is expected to vote whatever way Russell Pearce wants her to (to be fair to Allen, she appears to be a "true believer," not a tool...not exactly a marked improvement, that).

That leaves Rich Crandall, who though known for occasionally not being a total ideologue, doesn't let sanity or decency get in the way of a safe political future.  He voted for SB1070 last year.

The bottom line:  SBs 1308 and 1309 will pass Appropriations by an 8 - 5 or 9 - 4 vote.

The brightest spot in all this?  Kyrsten Sinema, who eloquently and strongly debunked the nativists in the Senate Judiciary hearing, is also a member of Appropriations.  She will be joined by fellow Democrats Olivia Cajero Bedford, Paula Aboud, and Senate Democratic Leader David Schapira.

See you Tuesday, and bring your popcorn...

Redistricting Update: Pearce names Richard Stertz to Redistricting Commission

From the Arizona Daily Star, written by Rhonda Bodfield -

Senate President Russell Pearce picked Pima County Republican Richard Stertz to serve as the third member of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission.


Stertz, who runs a faith-based organization geared toward getting churches more involved in the community, won out over Benny White, another Tucson Republican. The commission is charged with redrawing political boundaries using new census figures.

Stertz, who had some late taxes and some earlier civil litigation that was not disclosed on his application, was placed into the mix after Pearce and House Speaker Kirk Adams challenged some members of the initial selection.

The "late taxes" and other "civil litigation" that weren't disclosed by Stertz on his application are just a wee bit more significant than Bodfield's single subordinate clause would indicate.

From the Arizona Republic, written by Mary Jo Pitzl -

A candidate on Senate President Russell Pearce's short list for a committee to redraw Arizona's political boundaries failed to disclose tax liens and court judgments against him, although such disclosure is required.

Rick Stertz, in his application for the Independent Redistricting Commission, indicated that he had paid all taxes when due and that he had no court judgments filed against him.
Records in Pima County show otherwise; there are at least four court cases in which judgments were filed against Stertz, as well as two federal tax liens.

The tax lien records are here, also courtesy the Arizona Republic.

From Stertz' application for the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission -

10.   Have you paid all state, federal, and local taxes when due?  Yes (X)  No ( )  If your answer is "No," explain by attachment.

At the end of the application form, he swore an oath that "the statements contained in this application are true and correct to the best of my knowledge."

Oh, and that oath was notarized. 

So it seems possible, even likely, that Russell "it's the law!" Pearce has knowingly appointed a perjurer to the AIRC.

Apparently, Pearce expects that only dark-skinned people have to respect the law.

Welcome to Arizona politics.

Senate Judiciary Holds Anti-14th Amendment Bills

...but this isn't over yet.

Before a packed meeting room, the Judiciary Committee of the Arizona Senate listened to well over two hours of testimony regarding SB1308 and SB1309, the anti-14th Amendment/birthright citizenship bills proposed by Sen. Ron Gould, the committee's chair.

Anybody who watched the proceedings, in person or over the internet, was treated to a mindnumbing showcase of constitutional law knowledge and ignorance.

The lead actor in that part of Monday's political theater was one John Eastman, a law schoo dean from California.  Dr. Eastman's biography boasts of his clerkship for US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.  He also regularly weighs in on things like torture, school vouchers, expansive Presidential power, and more, always supporting the "conservative" position.  In short, he was an out-of-town ringer brought in by Gould and Pearce for just this event.

Eastman droned on for well over 90 minutes, basically arguing that everyone of the "interpretations" of the 14th Amendment over the last 140+ years was wrong and that his "interpretation" was the correct one.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema served as the main counterpoint to Eastman's misinformation, drawing on her own intelligence and legal knowledge to successfully refute Eastman's arguments.  Republican Senator Adam Driggs, a lawyer too, also pushed back against Eastman.

I'm not recounting the discussion in it entirety because it was too long and technical for me to follow closely, but friend of mine who works in the justice system was watching, described Eastman's arguments as erroneous (OK, a different word was used, but in the interests of keeping this post family-friendly... :) ).

The video of the meeting will eventually be posted on the legislature's website here (look for Senate Judiciary on 2/7/2011).

While I can't completely summarize the legal arguments between Sinema and Driggs on one side and Eastman on the other, I can list some of the better quotes of the meeting -

"The bills would have no effect unless the federal government takes steps" - Gould (then why waste the taxpayers' time and resources with this crap)

"I'm the 'Clarence Thomas' of this committee - I don't ask many questions" -Sen. John McComish

The bills "could shame our state" - Jennifer Allen of the Border Action Network

The proposals would "create multiple generations of children without a nation, a community" - Dana Naimark of Childrens Action Alliance

Three children, ages 11 and 12, spoke on behalf of other children and future children in opposition to the bills.  Also opposed were representatives of the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce and the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

In fact, every person who testified Monday *except* for the ringer brought in by Gould and Pearce was opposed to the bills.

Just about the only tactic that Gould et. al. used today that worked was letting Eastman go on and on while keeping dissenters on a strict time limit.  By the time many of the opposing witnesses were called to the podium, they had left the meeting due to the late hour.

However, that didn't change the basic math for Gould - out of eight members of the committee, three were clearly going to vote against his measures (Democrats Sinema and Steve Gallardo, and Republican Driggs) and one was wavering (Republican McComish) leaving both dead on a 4 - 4 ties.  His "hold" of the bills allows him to both save face and allow him, Pearce, et. al. to twist some arms behind the scenes to wrangle the votes into line or even to pull the bills from that committee and assign it to one with a more pliable membership.

The quote of the day, and possibly highlighting the reason that Gould and company are so scared of immigrants, came from 12-year-old Kathleen Figueroa -

"We are the future."

Some pics -

Ron Gould, and *yes* that is a tea party sticker on his state computer...

Kyrsten Sinema during the discussion

Just a few of the many media representatives watching the hearing

One of Gould's fellow nativists, Rep. John Kavanagh, made a personal appearance to check in on the proceedings

The protest outside the Senate building

Steve Gallardo

AZGOP: Going after the children

Just a quick hit as I'm sitting in the Senate gallery waiting for the floor session to start...

Not only are Arizona's Republicans (in the persons of Senate President Russell Pearce and his accomplices in the lege) going after brown-skinned children with their anti-14th Amendment/birthright citizenship bills (to be heard in Senate Judiciary later today, the real reason I'm down here today), they are working on indoctrinating white-skinned children with their ideology.

When I arrived in the Senate gallery, Sen. Don Shooter was addressing a group of children who were here on a class trip. 

One of the children asked "can the Governor tell the President what to do?"

Shooter responded "we'd like that" then went on to explain his view of the relationship between the states and the federal government as one where the state governments are the parents of a wayward child called the federal government and like many parents, sometimes there is a need to bring that child to heel (my paraphrase, not a quote.)

And when asked if he had any friends in the Senate, he answered "only the ones with elephants on their desks.

....On a related-to-the-Senate-Judiciary note:

There was a small protest outside the Senate when I arrived, protesting Russell Pearce and his bigoted agenda.  There were perhaps 50-60 protesters, and more than 20 were small children.

There were at least a dozen uniformed police officers (mostly DPS and Capitol PD) flanking the protesters, which is 11 - 12 more than is normally in evidence here, unless there is a LARGE protest (meaning 1000 or more folks.)

Redistricting Update: Second appointment - Jose Herrera

Earlier today, State Rep. Chad Campbell announced via a Facebook posting, that he has selected Jose Herrera of Maricopa County as his appointment to the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC).

Because House Speaker Kirk Adams also selected someone from Maricopa County, both Senate President Russell Pearce and House Democratic Leader David Schapira must select from candidates who reside outside of Maricopa County.

The list of available candidates is here, with an update here.

Pearce has to select either Benny White or Richard Stertz, both of Pima County.

Schapira has seven potential selections - Eric B. Henderson (Navajo County), Linda C. McNulty (Pima County), Lawrence C. Mohrweis (Coconino County), William G. Roe (Pima County), Mark D. Rubin (Pima County), Jimmie D. Smith (Yuma County), and Marshall A. Worden (Pima County).

Both can select a nominee from the pool of Independent candidates, but neither is expected to do so.  It should be noted that the "geographical diversity" requirement applies to the first four selections, regardless of partisan affiliation (or non-affiliation).  Four of the five Independents are from Maricopa County, while only one is from another county, specifically Pima.

As such, only one Independent nominee could be selected by one of the legislative leaders, even in the unlikely event that one of them was inclined to think "out of the box" with their choice.

The applications of all of the applicants to the AIRC, not just the nominees, can be found here.

Russell Pearce is now on the clock...

First member named to the new Independent Redistricting Commission: Scott Freeman

From an announcment from Kirk Adams, Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives -

House Speaker Kirk Adams announced today his selection of Scott Freeman to serve on the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission.


“Mr. Freeman is exceptionally qualified for this important role. I am confident he will execute his responsibilities honestly, fairly and with the input of the public in mind,” Adams said.

Freeman, a Phoenix resident and a director at Fennemore Craig, holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Arizona and a J.D. from Arizona State University. Freeman focuses his practice on litigation matters, including complex products liability, personal injury, and commercial cases. Among other clients, he has represented manufacturers of light truck and passenger tires as well as manufacturers of after-market alternators and starter motors in several state and federal trial and appellate courts. He has appeared in trial courts in Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, New York, and Illinois.

“I am honored that Speaker Adams has entrusted me with the great honor of serving on the Independent Redistricting Commission,” Mr. Freeman said. “The work of this commission is vital to our democracy, and I promise to serve the people of Arizona with dedication and fairness in all of my work and decisions. I look forward to working with other members of the commission as we get about this important task.”

Freeman's application for the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission is here.

Now on the clock: House Democratic Leader, Rep. Chad Campbell.  After his choice is named, Senate President Russell Pearce and Senate Democratic Leader David Schapira will make their selections.