A few pictures from the 2012 election cycle

Most of these pics have been shared here or on FB already, but are worth another look...

State Sen. David Schapira addressing a crowd of voters in Tempe in January while he was exploring a run for Congress.  He finished the primary in 2nd place.

From March:  The CD5 delegates to the Democratic National Convention, (L-R) Janie Hydrick, Chase Williams, Laura Copple, Jerry Gettinger, Lauren Kuby, and Randy Keating

Paul Penzone, candidate for Maricopa County Sheriff, speaking at an event in Tempe

At the same April event, the future LD26 legislative team - (L-R, standing) Reps-elect Juan Mendez and Andrew Sherwood and Sen.-elect Ed Ableser

Mark Mitchell in April, the future Mayor of Tempe.  He emerged victorious in Tempe's election in May.

Andrei Cherny, candidate for Congress, addressing a meeting of the LD24 Democrats; he finished third in the primary.

In July, putting up signs

In July, an overflow crowd at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe for a Congressional primary forum

Congressional candidate Kyrsten Sinema at the July forum.  She emerged from the primary as the nominee.

Not political or anything to do with the election cycle; I just like the sign.

In August, Harry Mitchell addressing a crowd at an event in Tempe

September: Future state rep. Juan Mendez speaking at the LD26 campaign office in Tempe

US Senate candidate Rich Carmona speaking to a supporter at the same Tempe event in September

The "crowd" at the Clean Elections debate for LD24 legislative candidates in September

In September, future State Rep. Andrew Sherwood (standing) greeting friends in Tempe in September

Kyrsten Sinema addressing the crowd at the same Tempe event in September
 

Election Day: watching early national returns at the Arizona Democratic Party headquarters in Phoenix

Election Day: The crowd gathering at the Renaissance watching election night coverage on CNN

Election night: Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton speaking to the hundreds gathered at the Renaissance

The jublilant crowd as the election is called for President Obama

All of the above pics were taken by me and represent just the tiniest portion of the effort and energy and dedication of the 2012 election cycle.  Similar scenes and more took place across the state all year, and while a guy with a camera may not have been at each place, they were all a part of the successes of the cycle.

The 2012 primaries: one major disappointment, a minor one, but otherwise, no real surprises

Tuesday's primaries are over, and the post-game analysis is in full swing.  As I wasn't able to live blog the results last night due to being otherwise occupied (at David Schapira's election night gathering in Tempe.  Hard to type when it is too dark to see the keyboard... :) ).

There were a couple of disappointments, but the only surprises Tuesday were in margins of victory (or loss, depending on your perspective), not in end results.

First, the disappointments -

- The biggest disappointment of the evening was, of course, David Schapira's second place finish, behind Kyrsten Sinema, in the Democratic primary in CD9.  He ran a positive and energetic campaign, earned the respect of many people who had never heard of him before this campaign (and reinforced the respect of the many people who *had* heard of him), and has a bright future despite this one loss, the first in his electoral career.

- A minor disappointment, but not a surprise, was the ability of LD23 R state reps John Kavanagh and Michelle Ugenti to fend off the challenge of Jennifer Petersen, a member of the Scottsdale school district governing board.  Petersen has a reputation as a pragmatic public servant, ergo, she had almost no chance of getting through a Republican primary.  Her north Scottsdale district used to send a highly-respected moderate R to the lege in the person of Carolyn Allen.  Now, the most "moderate" is State Sen. Michelle Reagan, and she has gone hard to the right, probably in preparation for an expected Congressional or statewide run.  The winner of the CD9 race in November, regardless of partisan affiliation, should probably start oppo research on her, at just about the time that the polls close.


Now, the (mostly pleasant) surprises -

- In the LD25 Senate R primary, disgraced former state senator Russell Pearce lost big to Mesa businessman Bob Worsley in his bid to return to the senate.  He has now lost a recall election by double digit percentage points, where he argued that if only Republicans could've voted in it (like, say, as in a primary), he would have won.  Well, he got the primary that he wanted, and...he lost by double digit percentage points.

- The other Pearce, Lester, lost his primary race for the 2nd District seat on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to businessman Steve Chucri.  It was by an equally resounding margin (double digits, baby!).

- Pearce ally John Fillmore lost his bid for the LD16 state senate R nomination to Pearce foe Rich Crandall.

- In the one victory for the Pearce machine, Sylvia Allen, currently in the state senate, won her primary race for the Republican nomination for the 3rd District seat on the Navajo County Board of Supervisors.  She won with 80% of the vote, but her opponent ran as a $500 Exemption candidate, while she had the thousands of dollars that she transferred from the legislative campaign committee.

- In the R primary for US Senate, it wasn't surprising to see Jeff Flake defeat Wil Cardon, nor even to do so soundly.  However, Flake didn't just win soundly - he absolutely thumped Cardon, gaining more than three times as many votes as Cardon. 

Damn!

- In Pinal County, embattled Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu held off multiple challengers for the R nomination, which in itself isn't much of a surprise - he was expected to win a plurality of the votes because the other candidates would split the anti-Babeu vote.  What is surprising is that Babeu got 61% of the vote.  The other three candidates combined didn't equal his total.

- In the LD24 D primaries, Katie Hobbs (Senate) and Lela Alston and Chad Campbell (House) easily turned aside the challenges from Ken Cheuvront (Senate) and his mom Jean and Tom Nerini (House), respectively.  While Hobbs was clearly the better candidate in her race, Cheuvront had money and name recognition on his side, so Hobbs' margin of victory was a bit of a surprise (>20 percentage points).

- In the CD6 R primary, freshman Congressman David Schweikert defeated fellow freshman Ben Quayle.  As a Democrat, I viewed that race much like I viewed the 2000 World Series between the Yankees and the Mets as a Red Sox fan - I hoped both would lose.  It didn't work out that way, but at least one lost. :)

- In the City of Scottsdale's mayoral race, incumbent Jim Lane received the most votes, which was no surprise.  What was surprising was his margin of victory - he gained a majority of votes cast, easily avoiding a November runoff against one of his challengers - businessman/community activist John Washington or businessman Drew Bernhardt.


Democratic primary results from Maricopa County are here (state and federal) and here (county)..
Republican primary results from Maricopa County are here (state and federal) and here (county).
Other party and non-partisan results from Maricopa County are here.
Results from the AZ Secretary of State are here.

David Schapira, the clear choice in CD9

In case you haven't heard (LOL), tomorrow is primary election day in Arizona.

There are contests on both sides of the ballot, but few are higher profile than the race for the Democratic nomination in the Ninth Congressional District.  The Ninth District takes in parts of Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Chandler and all of Tempe. 

There are three Democrats on the ballot -

Kyrsten Sinema, a former state legislator

Andrei Cherny, formerly chair of the Arizona Democratic Party

David Schapira, currently a state senator and Democratic leader in the Arizona Senate

All three are young, intelligent, and hard working, and regardless of the outcome Tuesday, the two runners-up will be at the head of the list of potential statewide candidates in 2014.

All three have won the support of some dedicated activists and volunteers, many of whom I like and respect, and even call "friend".

However, only one candidate can win this race, and I believe that the candidate who best merits our votes is David Schapira.

On the "big issues" David and the other candidates have very similar positions, but Schapira's honesty, directness and passion for his constituents, his employers, earns him the nod.

He has run a positive campaign, running *for* the privilege of representing the district, not *against* the other candidates.

He has a documented history of working for his constituents, but he also has a history of standing up for principle, even when it may not be politically advantageous.

Such as when he supported and worked for the effort to recall Russell Pearce.  Before he was recalled, Pearce was president of the Arizona State Senate, and if he had survived the recall, would have made Schapira's life at the Capitol a living hell.

Like most people who run for office, Schapira is relaxed and comfortable in front of, or in, a crowd. 

Schapira in front of a crowd



Schapira in a crowd

But he also genuinely likes talking with individual people, even after the crowds have thinned out -

David has been a life-long Arizonan, student, teacher, and small businessman.

David has been a strong advocate for the people of his district in the Arizona legislature, husband, and father (not in order of importance).



From Schapira's website

With your help, David will be Arizona's next great Congressman.

Vote for David Schapira tomorrow.

David Schapira - the positive candidate in CD9

Two negatives don't make a positive...but two overwhelmingly negative candidates may help propel the positive candidate in a race to a win.

The CD9 Democratic primary has become very negative.  Not as negative as the Rs in CD6 (Schweikert v. Quayle) where they are gay-baiting, or as the negative as the Rs in CD4 (Gosar v. Gould v. Murphy) where during their debate on KAET's Horizon one was left with the impression that if Gosar and Gould had knives, there would have been blood on the floor.

Still, in CD9, the half-truths and outright lies have been flying about with increasing frequency.

Kyrsten Sinema put out a mailer that attacks both of her opponents, Andrei Cherny and David Schapira, claiming that both Schapira and Cherny support public education-destroying school vouchers.  I can't speak for Cherny (don't know him that well), but in the six years that David Schapira has been representing me in the Arizona Legislature, he has always been a staunch defender of public education.

There is also a PAC/independent expenditure group named "Restoring Arizona's Integrity" that has spent more than $50K attacking Cherny.  That group has ties to the Sinema camp - the organizers of the committee are long-time lobbyists in AZ and the head of the lobbying firm has contributed to Sinema's campaign.

Another group, "Progressive Independent Committee" has begun weighing in with "hit pieces" (aka - negative mailers) against Sinema, against Sinema and Schapira, and robocalls (against Sinema, I think; not sure because I didn't get one of those).  The combo hit piece compared Schapira and Sinema to Republicans Russell Pearce, Jan Brewer and Joe Arpaio. 

Like many Democrats in the district, I have formed opinions of all three Ds in the CD9 race.  While most of us now support one candidate over the other two, that doesn't mean we believe that the other two are stupid and/or evil.  This particular mailer isn't just nasty, it may border on libel (and that's tough to pull off when talking about politicians).

That group is more shadowy.  Its organizer, Matthew D. Langley, is a political operative based in Tennessee.  His firm, MD Langley & Associates, has been administratively dissolved by the Tennessee Secretary of State for failure to file annual reports -

The filing problems continue with Langley, as he has been lax in filing Independent Expenditure reports for the committee, filing only one report (for the initial anti-Sinema mailers) but not doing so for his/the committee's other activity (the mailer that railed against both Sinema and Schapira and the robocalls).

Anyway, this committee seems to be the Cherny committee.  If the targets of its vitriol don't make that clear enough, how about this -

Langley used to work for a firm called Patton Technologies as Director of Compliance, and early in his campaign for Arizona Treasurer, Andrei Cherny hired, you guessed it, Patton Technologies.

Note to Mr. Langley if he bothers to read this: A "Director of Compliance" shouldn't have filing issues on his resume.  Just sayin'...


The negative blasts from from the Cherny and Sinema camps seem to be working against them and boosting Schapira, who has been running an unfailingly positive campaign - a recent poll (published in the Yellow Sheet, so I cannot link to it) shows Schapira with a small lead in the race, and a reception with former Congressman Harry Mitchell on Saturday night was just packed.

Next Wednesday,  the Arizona Democratic Party will hold the 2012 Forward Together unity rally in Phoenix. 

I have no doubt that regardless of the outcome of Tuesday's primary, David Schapira will be there to support all Democratic candidates.  I can't say I believe the same about the others.

And that fact, combined with his relentlessly positive campaign and the fact that he is the candidate most concerned with the people of the Ninth Congressional District, is why David Schapira is the best candidate in the race.

Primary Ballot Time - 2012

Well, for those who vote by mail, this week was a big week - ballots for the August primary election have started hitting mailboxes across the state.

Here's mine -

In the contested races that are visible in the pic, I voted for David Schapira for Congress (more on that below), Katie Hobbs for State Senate, and Chad Campbell and Lela Alston for State House.  On the other side of the ballot, it was Paul Penzone for Maricopa County Sheriff, John Washington for Mayor of Scottsdale, and Denny Brown for Scottsdale City Council (so far, I'm single-shotting Brown, but we can vote for up to three candidates in that race.)

As for the race for Congress -

While all three candidates have their good points, and all are basically on the right side of the "big issues", only one will do the best job of representing the Ninth Congressional District. That one is David Schapira. He is a "what you see is what you get" kind of candidate - honest, direct, and straightforward. His primary concern is working to make this a better community, by supporting education, health care opportunity, small business, and all of the things that help make a community a *home*. I'm proud to call him my state senator and prouder still to call him a friend.

He will be Arizona's next great Congressman.

Harry Mitchell endorses David Schapira in the CD9 primary

I haven't written much about endorsements in the CD9 primary.  Generally, endorsement competitions degenerate into a "tit for tat" fight.  Most people and organizations that issue endorsements have their own agendas, agendas that may not synch up with the needs of a particular constituency or district.  That's not necessarily a bad thing; it's just the way it is.

Most politically active people don't pay attention to them - we like it when our favorite candidate receives an endorsement, but most endorsements aren't deal-makers or deal-breakers for activists. 

However, there are a few endorsements that rise above the crowd.

Harry Mitchell's endorsement is one such that stands out.

He's been a part of Arizona as a public servant, friend, and mentor for more than four decades.

He is a former high school teacher, city council member, mayor, state senator, and member of Congress.

And during all of that, he has been a husband, father, and grandfather.

In short, when Harry talks, people listen (sorry EF Hutton)

The respect for him is so widely held, and the affection for him is so deeply felt, people who don't care about endorsements care about *his* endorsement. 

Well, in the CD9 primary, he has endorsed David Schapira, a state senator, school board member, father and husband himself.  From an email -

The primary in Congressional District 9 has pitted three of the brightest members of the Democratic Party in Arizona against each other. All three candidates are leaders in our state and I am honored to call them friends. I believe that each of them would serve admirably – and the creation of this new Tempe-centered district has presented a great opportunity to send a strong community-based representative to Congress.

Tempe has always been different than other cities, especially when it comes to elections. Yes, we’ve disagreed on issues and done so passionately. Yes, we’ve debated and we’ve fought hard. But the nature of our politics has become increasingly polarized and divisive. We witnessed it in the last mayoral race. It was discouraging, to say the least. This is also why I didn’t wade into endorsing a candidate in this race lightly.

I believe it is important that we elect someone who understands and values our community – and will work hard to represent it. This is why I’ve decided to cast my primary vote for Tempe’s State Senator, David Schapira.

I’ve often said that you can’t be successful unless other people want you to be. For the better part of 40 years, I’ve held the titles of teacher, councilman, mayor, senator and Congressman. I’ve been blessed to have so many people in our community be supportive of me. This is why I hope you will join me in supporting David Schapira for Congress.

Harry Mitchell 

          


Later...

Candidate forums tonight and tomorrow

After ranting last night about how too many voters just don't pay attention, it probably would be a good idea to remind folks of upcoming opportunities to get to know some of their candidates.

...Tonight, Wednesday, July 25, from KJZZ.com -

Residents of Arizona’s newly formed 9th Congressional District will have an opportunity to meet the Democratic candidates running for this office during a community forum hosted by KJZZ Managing Editor Al Macias and Politics and Government Reporter Mark Brodie.

Wednesday, July 25 at 6 p.m.
Arizona Historical Society Museum
1300 N. College Ave.
Tempe, AZ 85281
(480) 929-9499

Admittance is free but reservations are required. Please reserve your seats by contacting Claire Kerrigan at (480) 774-8444 or ckerrigan@rioradio.org.

What do you want to know about the candidates? Share your questions in advance.

The three candidates are Andrei Cherny, David Schapira and Kyrsten Sinema.

The newly formed district will serve the Ahwatukee Foothills, west Chandler, west Mesa, Tempe, parts of Paradise Valley, south Scottsdale and north-central Phoenix.

KJZZ will broadcast the open question/answer session with the Democratic candidates on Thu., July 26 at 11 a.m. Audio of the entire forum will be posted on KJZZ.org.

KJZZ hosted a forum with the Republican candidates on June 25. You can listen to the entire forum at KJZZ.org.

...It may be a little late to RSVP to tonight's forum, but there will be another tomorrow on KAET's Horizon, live at 5:30 p.m. on channel 8.  No RSVP required.  In fact, no driving required - just tune in to channel 8 on your TV.

...Also tomorrow night (Thursday, July 26), the Coalition of Greater Scottsdale is hosting a forum for mayoral candidates at the Mountain View Community Center, 8526 E. Mountain View (between Pima and Hayden, south of Shea Blvd) from 6:30 p.m until 8 p.m.  All three candidates for mayor of Scottsdale were invited; John Washington and Drew Bernhardt will attend while incumbent Jim Lane won't attend, protesting the political arm of COGS' endorsement of Washington.

Reminder: CD9 Forum for Democratic Candidates Tuesday

Tuesday, July 17 at 7 p.m., the David Schapira, Kyrsten Sinema, and Andrei Cherny, the three candidates for the Democratic nomination in the new Ninth Congressional District, will gather at a forum at Changing Hands Bookstore, 6428 S. McClintock Drive, Tempe, AZ 85283 (SE corner of McClintock and Guadalupe) at 7 p.m. 

Seating is limited, so arrive early (it's a great bookstore, so arriving early won't exactly be a burden).

For a preview, the video of this weekend's Sunday Square Off, with all three candidates, is here.

CD9 Forum at Changing Hands on July 17

The candidates for the Democratic nomination in the new Ninth Congressional District, David Schapira, Kyrsten Sinema, and Andrei Cherny, will meet at a forum held at Changing Hands Bookstore on Tuesday, July 17 at 7 p.m.

The forum will be moderated by John D'Anna, editor of the Mesa Republic.

Changing Hands is located at 6428 S McClintock Dr., Tempe, Arizona 85283 (SWC of McClintock and Guadalupe).

Arrive early, for two reasons -

1. To get a good seat.
2. To have time to browse the coolest bookstore in the Phoenix area.

See you there!

Candidate updates -

In the "not surprised by the move, just that it took so long" department:

- Embattled Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination in the CD4 primary.  Maybe it was being outed as gay (the kiss of death to a political career in Republican circles), maybe it was threatening to use his position to have his ex deported (an allegation that Babeu has denied, but not exactly helpful to any variety of political career), or maybe it was the investigation into whether Babeu had his deputies campaign for him (the loss of a political career pales next to a possible loss of freedom if the investigation into that goes poorly for Babeu), but his exit from the race was a matter of "when", not "if".

In the "we wish he would just get the message already department" or the "don't go away mad, just go away" department:

- Rumors have spread that former state legislator Russell Pearce is dropping out of the Republican primary in LD25.  However, he has denied that and as of this writing, he is still in the race.

In the "who?" department:

David Crowe, a Republican-turned-Democrat, has dropped his primary challenge to Democratic Congressman Raul Grijalva.


In other news, other candidates are dropping, dropping off nominating petitions at the Arizona Secretary of State's office.

State Senator and CD9 Congressional candidate David Schapira delivering his petitions to the AZSOS.  He's the first CD9 candidate to do so (picture courtesy the Schapira campaign)







The full list of candidates who have submitted nominating petitions to the AZSOS is here.  Some of the highlights:

- Former state senator Ken Cheuvront submitted his sigs on May 8.  He's running for a return to the state senate in the new LD24.  Current state representative Katie Hobbs is also running for that seat.

- Current state representative John Fillmore submitted his sigs for the LD16 Senate race on May 11.  Current state senator Rich Crandall is also running in that district.

- Current member of Congress David Schweikert beat current member of Congress Ben Quayle...in the race to submit sigs, doing so on April 30.


The list of Maricopa County candidates who have submitted sigs is here;

Political Tidbits...

Kind of like "Short Attention Span Musing", but without much musing. :)


...The Democratic candidates for the new Ninth Congressional District all attended, spoke, and took questions at Tuesday's meeting of the LD26 Democrats.  Because I support State Sen. David Schapira in that particular race, I won't comment on the event other than to say that he did well.

Note the lack of comparative words (i.e. - "best", "better than", etc.) favoring Schapira.  They aren't appropriate for this forum (not going to denigrate other Ds...unless they start acting like Rs), and they aren't needed.  His words and actions in office and on the campaign trail speak for themselves.

...The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (MCBOS) appointed Kyle Jones, a former member of the Mesa City Council, to serve out the term of Lester Pearce as the North Mesa Justice of the Peace.  Pearce resigned to pursue a run at a seat on the MCBOS.

Jones on his appointment:

“I am honored by this opportunity to serve my constituents in this new role.  I grew up in Mesa, and raised my five children in Mesa. My four grandchildren are now growing up in Mesa. I am thrilled I can continue to serve this great community.”

Jones filed to run for the office in late 2011.  Given that he and Cecil Ash, a state legislator, are the only candidates for the office with significant name recognition in the area, this appointment may give him a leg up in the primary.

...I received an email touting a candidate training school taking place next Thursday.  It is a little late in the cycle, but it's not an unusual occurence during an even-numbered year.

The training session is being sponsored by an organization called the American Federation for Children (awwww...).

It sounded all well and good, other than being a little late in the cycle, until I noticed a few things about the flyer announcing the session -

- It talked about helping "pro-education reform candidates" (as the phrase is currently used "education reform" is a euphemism for "privatize public education and siphon tax money from public purposes to line the pockets of the corporate benefactors of certain legislators")

- The session is scheduled for all day on a week day (not the kind of scheduling if the target audience is Joe and Jane Average Citizen)

- It's being held at the Phoenix Corporate Center ('nuff said right there)

Hmmm...

A quick check found that the American Federation for Children is actually an ALEC-affiliated front group dedicated to undermining the public education system for fun and profit.

HmmmmClarified...

...In lege-related developments, the Arizona Capitol Times is reporting that State Sen. Frank "Don't Make Me Mad" Antenori is strongly considering dropping his run for Congress and instead running for reelection to the state senate (subscription required)

Coming in fourth in a four-way primary in a special election can cause anyone to rethink their plans, even someone as ego-drive as Antenori.

Also reported by the Capitol Times (and also requiring a subscription to access the full article), Republican state senator Lori Klein had been considering a move to a different legislative district due to redistricting because her home in Anthem (just a little north of Phoenix) is now in a district dominated by Prescott (more than just a little north of Phoenix).  Her new district is also home to Steve Pierce, the president of the state senate.  The Cap Times' article talks about how she is now mulling a run for the House, setting up a possible three-way primary with current state reps Andy Tobin and Karen Fann.

Tobin is the speaker of the House, so it would be something of a surprise if Klein defeating him in the primary, but Klein is trying to make the case that Fann is vulnerable.

I don't know that district well enough to even speculate on what would happen in a primary there, but I'd love to find out. :)


...And in case you haven't heard (OK, it's the biggest political story of the day), President Barack Obama expressed his support for the right of same-sex couples to get married.

Most of his detractors (and likely a few of his supporters, too) believe that the move is a political ploy designed to attract more votes, but since the opponents of same-sex marriage were already unlikely to vote for him (and the supporters were already likely to vote for him), this seems to be more the maturation of his thoughts and beliefs on the issue.

Wendy Rogers talking up a run for Congress

According to a little birdie (meaning a source I can't name, but who I trust) Republican Wendy Rogers, late of a losing campaign for state senate (she challenged and lost to David Schapira in 2010), was at a Republican LD meeting this week talking up a run for Congress in the new 9th Congressional District.

Apparently, she is still so ticked at Schapira for defeating her once, she wants to give him a chance to do it again (Schapira is already running in CD9)...

Anyway, the rumor looks spot on - while her paperwork isn't on the FEC's website, her legislative campaign website has been reborn as a Congressional campaign site.

David Schapira makes it official: Next stop, Congress

State Senator David Schapira (D-LD17) ended weeks of speculation Tuesday when he announced that he is running for Congress in Arizona's new 9th Congressional District.

His focus, both personally and politically, has been, is, and will be on education and economic issues.

One of his motivations for running for a Congressional seat is to see that the coming reauthorization of the federal No Child Left Behind act is handled properly.

Schapira has been a legislator since 2007, serving two terms in the Arizona House before winning a seat in the Arizona State Senate in 2010.  He is also now serving as the captain of the Senate Democrats' softball team Democratic caucus (hey - there's nine of them, and I'm not too proud to go for the obvious punch line :) ).

In addition to that, currently he is a member of the Tempe Union High School District Governing Board.

Even before his first election, Schapira was already a public servant, working as a high school teacher.

In addition to his legislative duties over the last few years, he has been a small business owner and an instructor at Arizona State University.

Schapira was born in west Mesa and lives in Tempe with his wife Rosemary and their two daughters.

His campaign website is here.

A few pics from his announcement event Tuesday night -

In case you're more of a visual learner.

Schapira greeting some supporters (OK, family :) )

Rosemary Schapira introducing her husband

The next Congressman from Arizona, and the first from Arizona's 9th District, speaking to the crowd of supporters (crowd's the right word, too - more than 150 people attended)

Schapira and his friend and colleague, Representative Ed Ableser

Schapira talking to Tim Palmer of Tempe










My favorite two pics from the night aren't of the people (though there were many great people there), but it is of the cake from Honeymoon Sweets in Tempe -

Before

After :))

818

818.

After one (1!) full week of the legislative session, that is how many bills, resolutions, and memorials have been introduced.

After *one* week.

Guess whoever took the "over" in this year's pool is smiling right now.

Anyway, most of the bills fall into one of four categories.

...Gems of good governance, like Sen. David Schapira's SB1071, banning racial profiling (easily the smallest category, and don't expect any of these to pass)

...Sneaky bad, like Rep. David Stevens' HCR2044, proposing to amend the AZ Constitution so that ballot questions referred there by the legislature would be voted on in primary elections, not general elections (guess they're sick and tired of those pesky independent voters turning aside some of the lege's nuggets of stinkiness, so they're looking to cut the independent voters out of the process

...Ugly bad, like Rep. Carl Seel's HB2582, mandating that anybody receiving any kind of welfare benefits carry a bright orange card with "Government Assistance Card" or "Government Food Stamp Card" printed in big black letters on it (this one was floated last year, and passed committee, but was amended to remove the petty clauses intended to arbitrarily humiliate poor people)

...Crazy bad, like (this is the biggest category, but I've got to pick one, so let's go with...) Sen. Sylvia Allen's SB1081, declaring an "emergency" and giving county boards of supervisors the authority to hire out the logging of federal forest lands under the guise of "thinning" the growth there

While most observers seem to think that this legislative session will be a short one because it's an election year, it's going to feel absolutely interminable.

How to undermine your credibility as a blogger/online commentator

I generally don't counter-post here.  If I've got something to say about another's blog post, I just comment on the post. 

However, some things just beg for a counter-post.

Plus you can't add a pic/screenshot to a comment, and I want to do that for this.  :)


Earlier today, someone over at Sonoran Alliance put up something, complaining that State Sen. David Schapira (D-LD17) is exploring a run for Congress but has failed to file the appropriate paperwork with the FEC.  The post included a link to the FEC page covering exploring or "testing the waters". 

The problem?

The linked page actually refuted, not supported, their argument about Schapira.

To quote (emphasis added) -

Before deciding to campaign for federal office, an individual may want to "test the waters"—in other words, explore the feasibility of becoming a candidate. An individual who merely test the waters, but does not campaign for office, does not have to register or report as a candidate even if the individual raises more than $5,000—the dollar threshold that would normally trigger registration. Nevertheless, funds raised to test the waters are subject to the Federal Election Campaign Act’s (the Act) contribution limitations and prohibitions. See Advisory Opinion 1998-18 [PDF].

It's a really good idea to *read* the sources one cites in support of an argument before, you know, citing it.

Schapira announcement on 2012 plans coming Monday

From a press release -

Schapira to Make Monday Announcement on Website

TEMPE, ARIZ. - Arizona State Senate Democratic Leader David Schapira will make an announcement regarding his ongoing work to build a strong future for Arizona and his plans for the 2012 election.

Sen. Schapira will make his announcement in a video that will be available to view beginning at 9 a.m., Monday, November 21, at http://www.davidforaz.com/.

The Arizona Capitol Times is speculating that Schapira will announce that he is forming an exploratory committee to look at a run for Congress next year (subscription required).

I can't say for certain what his plans are, but if Schapira does go for a seat in Congress, he will have my support...unless Harry Mitchell changes his mind about a run next year.  :)

However, I don't think Harry is going to run again.

Interesting phone call for a Sunday evening...

The district lines haven't even been finalized yet, but I received my first polling call of the election season.

Six potential candidates were mentioned, but only three were the focus of the call.

Mentioned only:

Harry Mitchell, the former teacher, mayor, city council member, state senator and current husband, father, grandfather, icon and mentor (geez, is it too obvious that I really wish Harry would reconsider his decision not to run next year?  :) )

Neil Giuliano, the former Republican mayor of Tempe and current Democrat

David Schapira, the current state senator from LD17 and Senate Democratic leader


Focused on:

Kyrsten Sinema, current LD15 state senator and author (and many other things).  Easily the most liberal member of this field

Andrei Cherny, current chair of the Arizona Democratic Party and former staffer in the Clinton White House

Jon Hulburd, a lawyer, businessman, and 2010 candidate for Congress in the current CD3.  Easily the most conservative member of this field


The call was pretty standard with questions about if I thought the country/state/my area was headed in the right direction, rating the importance of certain issues in next year's election and general impressions some potential candidates (the six named above), voting habits, and so on.

Then the call moved into thoughts on potential matchups between specific candidates.

The potential matchups named were Sinema-Hulburd, Hulburd-Cherny, Harry-Cherny (I think.  My notes went kind of fuzzy here.  Turns out I have trouble taking good notes while keeping one eye on the baseball game, posting my status on Facebook, holding my cell phone to one ear and typing one-handed.  Who knew? LOL), and Sinema-Cherny-Hulburd.

Then it moved into a sorta-push poll/testing possible negative messages section, reciting a list of negative statements about Sinema and Hulburd and asking me if the statements impacted my opinions of the pair.

Obviously, I can't state definitively who put the poll in the field, but given that the surveyor focused on three candidates, and only tested negative messages about two of them...well, I'm an Occam's Razor kind of guy (not necessarily a perfect approach in assessing political developments, but it'll do this far out from the election)...

What I can state definitively to the folks behind this poll, and to anyone else considering entering the race is that my support and vote won't go to the candidate with the strongest progressive bonafides or who runs as the most Republican-lite or has the most polished professional resume.

The candidate who I think will work hardest for the district and the state will get my support and vote.  I certainly had my disagreements with some of Harry Mitchell's votes and positions on individual issues, but his votes and positions were what he thought was right for the best interests of his constituents.

He may have chosen to forego another campaign, but I expect no less from any candidate that wants my support.

 I know, that attitude may be a little naively idealistic, perhaps surprisingly so for someone as cynical as me, but that's the way it is.

Let the infighting begin...

Edit on 10/24 to add:

Last night I received a phone call from someone who is in a position to know about these things (aka - someone who is more of a campaign insider than me), and they informed me that Occam's Razor is a little dull.  They informed me that the campaign that I hinted may have been behind the poll in fact wasn't, and that it was one of the other two candidates.

Since paying for polls is generally listed as a campaign expense (though it is an expense that is frequently is not listed directly but is buried in "consulting fees"), I did a little research on the FEC's website and found that only one of the three, Jon Hulburd, has an active campaign committee.  In fact, that candidate's committee just filed a Statement of Organization on September 9, 2011.

FWIW, while this news doesn't raise or lower my opinion of any of the candidates, it is research I should have done before posting.  I promise to do a better job in future coverage.

End edit...

Schapira honored by education advocacy group

State Sen. David Schapira (D-LD17) and State Rep. Steve Court (R-LD18) have been honored by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) for their work with WICHE's Legislative Advisory Committee.

From their announcement -

As the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) convenes its annual meeting of the Legislative Advisory Committee today in Seattle, we are proud to recognize Arizona Senate Minority Leader David Schapira and House Majority Leader Steve Court for their service to this organization and the thousands of students at institutions of higher learning in Arizona.

The important work of WICHE is leveraged by the participation of legislative leaders from throughout the Western United States. Working together, legislators advance the policy goals of increasing student access to higher education and improving student success.

“The participation of key legislative leaders, like Senator Schapira, Representative Court, and others from 11 of the WICHE states, is integral to our work in serving students of the West,” said David Longanecker, WICHE’s president. “The policy discussions at this meeting inform the critical decisions that policymakers must make as they address challenges facing students, institutions, and states in the coming years."

WICHE works to foster access to higher education and ensure student success through its student exchange programs, regional initiatives, and extensive research and policy work, and the contributions of Senator Schapira and Representative Court have greatly enhanced these efforts. This kind of regional cooperation and policy dialogue serves as a model for the entire country as, together, we move to increase our students’ college and career readiness and our nation’s ability to compete in the global economy.

In addition to his legislative duties and his work with WICHE, Schapira is an adjunct faculty member at ASU, a small business owner, a husband, and a father (and due to be a father again in a couple of months!  Congrats to Rosemary and David!)

Find out more about Sen. Schapira here.

Howard Fischer goes after David Schapira, and blurs the line between professionalism and partisanship

Last night, I put up a post that quoted from a story written by Howard Fischer of Capital Media Services.

Actually, I should just say "written by Howard Fischer" because he *is* Capitol Media Services.  It's a one-man operation where he is reporter, photographer, editor, business manager, chief cook, and bottle washer.

He is called the "Dean of the Capitol press corps" for a good reason.  He's earned it with decades of tireless coverage of the Arizona Capitol.  He's good at the job, and most of the state's media outlets use his stories.

He's a Republican (I think so anyway, based on some of the things that I've heard him say at the Capitol), but he is willing to grill electeds regardless of their party affiliation.

If most of his stories seem to be a little R-centric, well, there are a LOT of Rs in and around the Capitol.

However, on occasion, his partisan preferences burst into view in one of his stories, and yesterday's coverage of the "special" session was one of those occasions.

Professional journalists aren't supposed to editorialize in "news" pieces, and they are supposed to be even-handed.

From his story on the special session, published by YourWestValley.com -

Senate Minority Leader David Schapira, D-Tempe, said those who have been out of work for more than 79 weeks need help now.


"Maybe in another year a legitimate argument could be made that these folks just really need to try harder at getting jobs,'' he said. But he said Arizonans are hurting now.

More to the point, Schapira said they are entitled to the benefits.

"People who qualify for unemployment are people who have worked for years, who have paid into a system for years, who have invested in a system for years,'' he said.

"This is not simply welfare, this is not a give-away, this is not a handout,'' Schapira continued. " This is a return on investment into a system that people have paid into throughout their careers.

But Schapira is wrong on two fronts.

The first 26 weeks of jobless benefits comes from a state trust fund which is financed by a tax paid not by workers but by their employers. Premiums are based on how often companies lay off workers and vary from as little as $2 a year to as much as $378.

And all benefits beyond 26 weeks, both one program which provides another 53 weeks and the extended benefits program at issue here which covers another 20 weeks, are financed totally from federal tax dollars.

This post isn't meant to point out that the last two paragraphs in the quote point out that his point about Schapira being wrong is wrong itself (you can tell I don't work for a "professional" media outlet like Fischer or anybody from the Arizona Capitol Times or the Arizona Republic - this sentence would never make it past an editor :) ).

This is meant to point out that he took the time to refute a statement from one of the subjects of his story, something that professional journalists aren't supposed to do.  It's not an absolute prohibition, but when a journalist does, he has to be right when he calls out someone as wrong.

He also unfairly took pains to specifically criticize a Democrat, while allowing statements from Republicans to go unchallenged.

Also from his story -

 "The real issue is we have destroyed thousands of jobs in Arizona and also in America because of progressive socialist principles that have been used in the last 20 years that has changed our country,'' said Sen. Sylvia Allen, R-Snowflake. "The real root of the problem is this country's in desperate need of jobs.''

{snip}

Senate Majority Leader Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, said there is some evidence that what the governor wants actually would hurt the economy.


"Studies have been done ... controlling all other variables found that when you do extend unemployment benefits you have an effect of increasing the overall unemployment rate,'' he said.

Fischer left those statements from Republicans unchallenged which, as a professional journalist, was the correct thing for him to do. 

The problem is that he ignored the standards of his profession when he went after Schapira's statement, and he compounded the problem when he gave the Republican subjects of his piece a free pass.

Now, an amateur journalist (like me!) would have pointed out to Sylvia Allen that over the last 20 years, the Republicans have controlled one or both chambers of the US Congress for more the 12 out of the 20 years, the White House for approximately 1/2 of that period, and the Arizona Legislature for ALL of that time (no room for "progressive socialist principles" there) or that Andy Biggs didn't produce the unnamed studies that he cited (or the unmitigated arrogance of someone who literally made a fortune by opening his mail one day having nothing but contempt for Arizonan who work, or want to work, for a living).

Amateurs, such as those at Sonoran Alliance, can take an op-ed piece written by Schapira and published in the East Valley Tribune and give failed 2010 state senate candidate Wendy Rogers a platform to refute Schapira's statements (even more incorrectly than Fischer did, but that's my opinion, which I'm free to express here :) ).

Amateurs, such as me, Ted Prezelski at Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion, the team at Blog for Arizona, Greg Patterson at Espresso Pundit, the folks at Sonoran Alliance and the rest aren't professional journalists who aren't held to the same standards.  In addition, we are open about our partisanship.

Note my own partisanship expressed in the above paragraphs - links to the Democratic-leaning blogs, but none for the Republican-leaning ones.  Not trying to be subtle here.  :)

Generally speaking, Fischer doesn't cross the line. 

Yesterday however, he crossed it, and it wasn't by a baby step.  He took a running start before long jumping over it.

On the other hand, at his age (and mine!), "long jumps" aren't so long anymore.  He's not going to need binoculars and a GPS unit to find the line again.  :))

Redistricting Update: Colleen Mathis of Tucson selected as fifth member and chair of AIRC

Regardless of how the next round of redistricting turns out, Tucson should have nothing to gripe about. 

Three out of the five members of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) are from Tucson.

Independent Colleen Mathis joined Democrat Linda McNulty and Republican Richard Stertz on the AIRC today.

Mathis being sworn in by Secretary of State Ken Bennett.  Commissioner Linda McNulty is in the foreground with her back to the camera










The first four members of the new AIRC met Tuesday afternoon to appoint the fifth member of the Commission.  Last week, they interviewed the five candidates for that last spot but they instead of making the selection at that time, they chose to ponder over the candidates and their responses over the weekend.

After the weekend, the four members, with Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett serving as the non-voting temporary chair, met in the old Capitol building.  After a few minutes of public comment, they adjourned into executive session at 1:16 p.m. to discuss "personnel matters."

At 2:39 p.m. they returned to regular session to select, by unanimous acclamation, Colleen Mathis of Tucson as the final member and chair of the AIRC.

While I'm not sure that it was legal for the four to deliberate behind closed doors, and it was obviously inappropriate, it is equally obvious that they did so.

The new Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission is (their applications linked to their names):

Chair Colleen Mathis, Independent of Pima County

Linda McNulty, Democrat of Pima County

Jose Herrera, Democrat of Maricopa County

Scott Freeman, Republican of Maricopa County

Richard Stertz, Republican of Pima County


Steve Muratore of Arizona Eagletarian has a report here.


Because the vast majority of the meeting took place outside of public view, it was pretty anti-climactic, and there isn't much to write about it. 

However, I did get a few pics.  :)

former AIRC candidate Marcia Busching addressing the panel, urging them not to give in to the implied threat issued last week (that the lege could withhold adequate funding for redistricting if the four selected Professor Paul Bender as the fifth member)

State Sen. David Schapira explaining the "bill-to-law" process in Arizona to Christopher Mathis, husband of Colleen (you can see the top of her head in this pic :) )

The post-meeting scrum as members of the media gather around the new chair of the AIRC

The new Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (l-r) - Jose Herrera, Linda McNulty, Chair Colleen Mathis, Scott Freeman, Richard Stertz