The State Senate membership may be tied*

* = There's a rather big caveat: If current results hold up.  A couple of the districts that currently favor the Democratic candidate are very close.  One of them is verrrryyyyy close.

As results currently stand, the Senate would be tied 15-15.

However, two of the districts may change -

As things stand right now, the House will have 32 Republican members and 28 Democratic ones, though a couple of those races are close enough to change.

However, the biggest upset may have been in the Senate - former legislator Vince Leach lost his race in LD17 to Democrat John McLean.

Tempe/South Scottsdale Democrats nominate three to fill vacant seat

The (soon-to-be former) LD17 Democrats (because of redistricting, the district that emcompassed south Scottsdale and most of Tempe has been split up into three different districts for the next ten years) met once more to nominate three people to serve out the term of the recently-resigned Ben Arredondo. 

The meeting was a brief one, as the group was required to nominate three people for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to choose from, and only three people were running.

Hence, the meeting closed with the threesome being nominated by acclamation and no speeches were necessary.  Which was a good thing for the attendees who wanted to get to the ASU-Oregon game. 

Well, "good" until they were told how thoroughly Oregon was beating ASU.  :)

Any, the three nominees are:

Kristin Gwinn, a political consultant, double master's candidate at ASU in ASU's Public Policy and Public Administration programs, and activist
Randy Keating, chair of the (current) LD26 Democrats and small business owner
Juan Mendez, current candidate for the legislature in LD26 and a long-time community activist

(L-R) Mendez, Keating, Gwinn
 

Steve Muratore of the Arizona Eagletarian has full coverage here, including an overview of the legal and procedural particulars surrounding this meeting.

Time to get social with your favorite Democrats

The Democrats in LD18 (West Mesa), LD17 (Tempe and South Scottsdale) and LD8 (North Scottsdale and Fountain Hills) have event coming up, including two this week.  Each event will offer good food, better refreshments, and great conversation...as well as the chance to help local Democrats get ready for next year's elections.

- In west Mesa, the LD18 Democrats are holding Dinner at Dusk on Thursday from 6 - 9 p.m.

Info and guests:

Beer & Wine, Silent Auction, Dinner catered by Oregano's and Live Music by Jay Taylor.  Scheduled speakers include State Sen. David Schapira and former State Sen. David Lujan.  Other invited guests include Arizona House Democratic Leader Chad Campbell, former Congressman Harry Mitchell, and Police Chief Dan Saban.

Location:

The Wright House
636 W. University Drive
Mesa, Arizona
 
Tickets:
 
Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. To purchase ticket contact


Andrew Sherwood
sherwood.andrew@gmail.com

or Sarah Moorhead
sarahemoorhead@yahoo.com

- In Tempe and south Scottsdale, the LD17 Democrats are holding their 2nd Annual Beer Summit on Saturday from 4 - 7 p.m.

Info:  Beer Tastings, Bratwurst, & Good Times! Beer-Tasting competition with prizes.  Celebrating our local brews:  Beer from Papago Brewing, Dave's Electric Brewpub and Four Peaks. Prizes from Tops Liquors and Casey Moore's Oyster House.

Location:

Barnes House
1104 S Ash (11th and Ash)
Tempe

Tickets:

Tickets are $20; $10 for Young Democrats. 
RSVP: RandyKeating@gmail.com

- In north Scottsdale and Fountain Hills, the LD8 Democrats will be holding a 2010 Candidate Reunion on October 15 at 5:30 p.m.

From the event's flyer:

Candidate Reunion


Join the District 8 Democrats on Saturday, October 15, 2011 at 5:30pm

Enjoy a relaxing evening with our 2010 candidates, friends, food and fun at the Scottsdale home of Andy & Bryn

Suggested Contribution: $25.00

RSVP at http://tinyurl.com/D8Reunion

Address and Directions will be emailed to you
 

 
...Hmmm...looking at these three events, can you guess which of the three districts is home to ASU?  LOL

Ben Arredondo, party animal - Who knew?

The Cronkite News Service, a part of the ASU School of Journalism and Mass Communication, recently interviewed State Representative Ben Arredondo of Tempe.  Rep. Arredondo is a longtime fixture in education and political circles in Tempe and Maricopa County, and is now in his first term in the state legislature.

The video compilation of the interview is below.




The most interesting question and answer came at approximately the 1:22 mark of the video.


Q:  "What would your high school classmates voted you most likely to do?"

Arredondo: "Party."


At first, that answer surprised me, but given his love for his alma mater, the hometown ASU, one of the most famous party schools in the country, perhaps it shouldn't have. :))

Other Cronkite News Service videos can be found here.

Hat tip to the Arizona Capitol Times for the heads up on the video...

LD17 Legislators to hold office hours

Rep. Ed Ableser, Rep. Ben Arredondo, and Sen. David Schapira will meet, greet, and speak to constituents next Saturday at the Tempe Library.

From the website of the Arizona State Senate Democratic Caucus -

Senate Minority Leader David Schapira, Rep. Ed Ableser and Rep. Ben Arredondo (District 17)


When: Feb. 19, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Where: Tempe Public Library, 3500 S. Rural Road, Tempe

Top to bottom: Sen. David Schapira, Rep. Ben Arredondo, Rep. Ed Ableser

Rep. Ed Ableser introduces a version of the Utah Compact into the Arizona Legislature

LD17's Representative Ed Ableser has introduced HCR2038, a resolution patterned after the famous Utah Compact.  It lists a set of principles for a civil discussion of immigration issues.

I'm enough of a cynic that I'm sure it won't go anywhere in the Arizona legislature but it's definitely worthy of posting here -

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring:

That in discussing immigration issues the citizens of this state should be guided by the following principles:

1. Immigration is a federal policy issue between the United States government and other countries, not Arizona and other countries. Arizona's congressional delegation, and others, should lead efforts to strengthen federal laws and protect our national borders and state leaders should adopt reasonable policies addressing immigrants in Arizona.

2. We respect the rule of law and support the professional judgment and discretion of law enforcement authorities. Local law enforcement resources should focus on criminal activities, not civil violations of the federal code.

3. Strong families are the foundation of successful communities. We oppose policies that unnecessarily separate families. We champion policies that support families and improve the health, education and well-being of all Arizona children.

4. Arizona is best served by a free-market philosophy that maximizes individual freedom and opportunity. We acknowledge the economic role immigrants play as workers and taxpayers. Arizona's immigration policies must reaffirm our global reputation as a welcoming and business-friendly state.

5. Immigrants are integrated into communities across Arizona. We must adopt a humane approach to this reality, reflecting our unique culture, history and spirit of inclusion. The way we treat immigrants says more about us as a free society and less about our immigrant neighbors. Arizona should always be a place that welcomes people of goodwill.

The measure was introduced on February 9 ("today" as I'm writing this) and assigned to the House Government Committee.

LD17's David Schapira on Horizon

State Sens. David Schapira (D-LD17) and Ron Gould (R-LD3) appeared on KAET's Horizon Tuesday to discuss Gould's anti-14th Amendment bill, SB1309.

The discussion has been posted to YouTube by KAET.

Ben Arredondo honored for his public service

From the East Valley Tribune -

The Tempe Sports Complex will be rededicated Monday in the name of former Councilman Ben Arredondo. A ceremony will include Arredondo, U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell, D-Ariz., and former Mayor Neil Giuliano.


Arredondo was on Tempe’s Council for 16 years and is a former high school teacher, coach and member of the Tempe Elementary School District governing board. He helped create the annual Tempe Tardeada event and worked on a Tempe History Museum exhibit that features memories of Hispanic community members.

Congratulations to Ben!

Learn more about Ben, his career, and his campaign for the Arizona House of Representatives here.

May out of LD17 race

One of the masterminds of the rash of faux-Green candidacies in close races, Steve May, has withdrawn from the race for a House seat from LD17 (Tempe and south Scottsdale).

From the Arizona Capitol Times -

Former lawmaker Steve May announced Sept. 13 he is terminating his campaign for the House in Legislative District 17.

{snip}

May issued a written statement Sept. 13 about the termination of his campaign. It doesn’t give specific reasons for withdrawing, but says his pursuit of public office as a write-in helped him come to the conclusion that he is personally not ready to hold office again.


“This unique experiment in democracy has also raised my own awareness, and helped me see clearly that personal and political timing must align for a campaign to truly be successful,” May wrote. “I spoke about the need for honest leadership, and I have determined the necessary personal alignment does not exist to continue the campaign.”

Let me translate that quote into simple English.


He's saying he needs to get his s**t together before running for office again.


May's withdrawal from the race comes as a surprise, but perhaps it shouldn't - he was blasted in an Arizona Republic editorial on the faux-Green controversy that was published this weekend and looked *really* bad in an Arizona Capitol Times piece where he admitted to a reporter that he operated his Segway while under the influence, boasted about writing the section of Arizona law that exempted Segways from DUI statutes, and flipped off Tempe police officers who stopped him for operating his Segway while intoxicated.

He's got a lot of s**t to get together.

May is listed as "withdrawn late" so his name may still be on the November ballot.  A call to the Secretary of State's office to clarify that matter went unanswered (actually, I reached an operator, asked for someone who could answer a media inquiry, was transferred to hold, and was eventually disconnected without talking to another person or even having a chance to leave a message.

More later...

Many of the faux-Green candidates dropping

From the Arizona Capitol Times -

Less than a day after a federal judge said they had the right to stay on the ballot, three alleged “sham” Green Party candidates withdrew from their races.

 

Christopher Campbell, a Senate candidate in Legislative District 10, Clint Clement, a House candidate in Legislative District 17, and Ryan Blackman, a candidate in the 5th Congressional District, officially withdrew from their races the morning of Sept. 10, according to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office.

Three other faux-Greens had previously withdrawn (name and office [allegedly] sought):

• Matthew Shusta, LD23 State Senate
• Drew Blischak, LD20 State Representative
• Michelle Lochmann, Arizona Secretary of State

As near as I can tell, that leaves four suspect Green candidates still running - one each for Arizona State Treasurer and LD17 State Senator, and two for Arizona Corporation Commission.  Each has strong ties to one of the primary people behind the scheme, Steve May, a Republican candidate and operative.  In addition, they all share one PO box as a campaign committee address.

Even though the three mentioned in the Cap Times article have withdrawn from the race, the damage could be already done.  From later in the above-linked article -

Ironically, all three could still end up on the ballot. Maricopa County began printing ballots at 7 a.m., before the candidates withdrew. Depending on which district’s ballots were printed first, one or all of them could still be on the ballot, though votes for them in the November general election would not count, said Assistant Secretary of State Jim Drake.

 

“I can’t guarantee that they won’t be on the ballot,” Drake said.

Pardon my cynicism, but given the track record of Ken Bennett, I won't be surprised if the ballots of the affected districts were earmarked to be printed first, just in case one or some of the faux-Greens got cold feet.

Since I live in an area affected by the deception (LD17/CD5), I'll find out definitively in a few weeks when early ballots go out.

Either way it goes, I'll update at that time...

AZGOP/Green candidate scandal coverage goes national

...It's made it all the way to the east coast now, and not in just a weekly or suburban daily that no one outside of its base market reads.

From the New York Times -

Benjamin Pearcy, a candidate for statewide office in Arizona, lists his campaign office as a Starbucks. The small business he refers to in his campaign statement is him strumming his guitar on the street. The internal debate he is having in advance of his coming televised debate is whether he ought to gel his hair into his trademark faux Mohawk.

{snip}

Mr. Pearcy and other drifters and homeless people were recruited onto the Green Party ballot by a Republican political operative who freely admits that their candidacies may siphon some support from the Democrats.

{snip}

...Steve May, the Republican operative who signed up some of the candidates along Mill Avenue, a bohemian commercial strip next to Arizona State University, insists that a real political movement has been stirred up that has nothing to do with subterfuge.


“Did I recruit candidates? Yes,” said Mr. May, who is himself a candidate for the State Legislature, on the Republican ticket. “Are they fake candidates? No way.”

Mr. May can insist from now until November that the "candidates" that he recruited are real, but they didn't even vote for themselves.

The article contains a number of pictures of May and the faux-Green candidates together along Mill Ave. in Tempe.  Here's a pic of May and one of the candidates, Anthony "Grandpa" Goshorn, from last week's LD17 Clean Elections debate.  Goshorn was scheduled to appear during the Senate half of the debate, but he declined to do so, because according to the NYT article, he felt a "bad vibe."

Pic below of Goshorn (left) and May, from the night of the debate.

Later...

Pics from the LD17 Clean Elections debates

Will do a more complete recap tomorrow (I need to get some sleep now), but here are a few pics...

Ed Ableser and Ben Arredondo, Democratic candidates for LD17 House, prior to the debate

David Schapira, Democratic candidate for LD17 State Senate, prior to his "debate" (more on that in a minute)...

Schapira and his opponents Wendy Rogers (R) and Anthony Goshorn (G*), with Rogers and Goshorn disguised as empty chairs.  Seriously, neither one showed up.  Apparently Rogers notified organizers prior to the event, even though originally she was expected to appear, but Goshorn was a pure no show (check out the name tent next to Schapira's). 

Well, not a *pure* no show - he was in the audience.  Just not on the stage.

All of the House candidates who appeared at the debate.  From left to right: Ed Ableser, Ben Arredondo, Don Hawker (R), Gregor Knauer (G), Steve May (R), and Damian Trabel (Libertarian)

Arredondo making a point.

Later...

Early ballot time - 2010 primary

Early voting has started, and those voters who have signed up for the Pernanent Early Voting List or have specifically requested a mail ballot for this election should have received their ballot already (or will receive it within the next few days.)

If you are not on the PEVL list or haven't requested a ballot for this specific election, you can download the sign up form for the PEVL here or request a ballot for a single election here.  The latest date to request an early ballot for the August primary is August 13.

My ballot is a Democratic one, specific to CD5/LD17/Maricopa County/University Lakes Justice Precinct, and can be found here. (Just for giggles, the Republican ballot for the same area is here; the Libertarian ballot is here; and the Green ballot is here.)

While I have determined who to vote for in the races where there are contests, I won't list those choices here.  All of the Democratic candidates are excellent choices (one of the advantages to being a Democrat in a state that is so dominated by Republicans is that anyone running as a D is someone who takes public service seriously) and I'll proudly support the eventual winners in the general election.

The candidates on my ballot, and their campaign websites, are (in the order listed on the ballot, not my personal preference.):

US Senate (vote for one)

Randy Parraz
John Dougherty
Cathy Eden
Rodney Glassman


U.S. Representative (CD5)

Harry Mitchell


Governor of Arizona

Terry Goddard


State Senator (LD17)

David Schapira


State Representative (LD17) (vote for two)

Ed Ableser
Ben Arredondo


Arizona Secretary of State (vote for one)

Sam Wercinski
Chris Deschene


Arizona Attorney General (vote for one)

Felecia Rotellini
David Lujan
Vince Rabago


Arizona State Treasurer

Andrei Cherny


Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction (vote for one)

Jason Williams
Penny Kotterman


Arizona Mine Inspector

Manuel Cruz


Arizona Corporation Commission (vote for two)

Renz Jennings
David Bradley
Jorge Luis Garcia


Clerk of the Maricopa County Superior Court

Sherry Williams


Justice of the Peace, University Lakes Justice Precinct (vote for one)

Meg Burton Cahill (no campaign webpage that I could find, but her state senate page is here)
Kathy Hayden


One of the more interesting races is one that isn't on my ballot - the race between Republicans Rick Romley and Bill Montgomery to serve out the remaining 2+ years of Andrew Thomas' term as Maricopa County Attorney.  No D is running for the spot, preferring to save up their campaigning energies for 2012.

The race there has boiled down to Romley's professionalism versus Montgomery's Arpaio-ism.  In a general election contest, Romley would win in a walkover, but since the race will be decided by the R primary voters, anything could happen.

Updates on this and the other races as they become available.

Shaw campaign (D17) in more trouble

As if the challenge to his candidacy based on residency wasn't bad enough (hearing scheduled for downtown Phoenix on Thursday), the Augustus Shaw is facing the possiblity of thousands of dollars in fines arising from campaign finance law violations stemming from his failure to file campaign finance reports for his 2004 run for the Tempe City Council.

From the Phoenix New Times -

Augustus Shaw, a Republican running for State Legislature, failed to close out a political action committee he started when he ran for Tempe City Council in 2004, officials say.

Because of state campaign-finance laws, Shaw should have either terminated the PAC or filed finance reports each a year.

Because he's done neither since 2005, Tempe officials tell New Times, Shaw is on the hook for thousands of dollars in penalties.

Oops.

Stay tuned for results from tomorrow's hearing...

Residency issues threaten candidacy of Republican in LD17

From the Arizona Capitol Times -

Sixteen challenges were filed in Maricopa County Superior Court against candidates’ nominating petitions, including allegations that Sen. John Huppenthal collected thousands of invalid signatures and that House candidate Augustus Shaw lives in wrong legislative district.

{snip}

The challenge against Shaw, a Republican seeking a District 17 House seat, claims he is ineligble for office in that district because he actually lives in District 20. A private investigator hired by the law firm Perkins, Coie, Brown & Bain, which is closely associated with the Arizona Democratic Party, reported that during three days of surveillance he witnessed Shaw at his home in District 20, but never at the District 17 home where he lists as his address.

District 20 takes in Ahwatukee, west Chandler and southwest Tempe, while District 17 is comprised of north Tempe and south Scottsdale.

In the Cap Times article, Shaw went on to rationalize the "move" as done to help his autistic son. He claimed that the "move" has been in the works for nearly a year and that he has already moved in with his in-laws (the LD17 address listed on his paperwork).

In spite of Shaw's protestations, it appears that his "move" was a paperwork-only one, done to establish his residency in LD17.

According to the Arizona Guardian article on this topic, Shaw was observed walking his dog and going to stores in the neighborhood of his LD20 home, but was never at the LD17 address listed on his campaign paperwork.

Oops.

This isn't exactly the first time that Shaw has been accused of being a little lax in his ability to follow the basic rules of professionalism or even simple honesty.

In 2006, he was reprimanded by a judge for overstepping the bounds of decorum (and fact!) in his communications with a homeowner/member in an HOA that he represented. More on Shaw's activities here, courtesy the Phoenix New Times.

In 2004, he ran for Tempe City Council. He gained access to the ballot then by persuading local Democratic activists to circulate his nominating petitions. After his petitions were completed, he changed his partisan registration to Republican.

Not exactly the sort of thing that endears a candidate to voters of any political persuasion - Shaw eventually lost to long-time Republican Hut Hutson in the (officially, anyway) non-partisan race.

By 2008 however, he had convinced the AZGOP of his R bonafides, winning election to the AZGOP's 1st Vice Chairman position.

Which brings us to something else that further strains the credibility of Mr. Shaw.

The bylaws of the AZGOP are a closely-held document (at least, they aren't available on the AZGOP's website or anywhere else that I could find online, while the Arizona Democratic Party's bylaws are available on the ADP's website), and could vary significantly from the ADP's, but it seems likely that there will be similarities between the bylaws of the organizations, at least in basic structure.

In the ADP, one must be a precinct committeeman (PC) before becoming a member of the State Committee, and be a member of the State Committee before becoming an officer of the State Committee.

If a PC moves from his/her precinct, they lose their PC slot, and if a state committee member moves from the district he/she was elected from, they lose their position on the state committee.

Augustus Shaw has claimed to do both, move from his original precinct (Tempe 60) and his legislative district (LD20).

Yet apparently, the AZGOP is convinced that he remains in good standing as a Republican PC from LD20, because he is still listed as the AZGOP's 1st Vice Chairman.

BTW - It's the practice in the ADP for a party officer to resign their position if they choose to run for public office, partly out of concern that the necessarily focused self-interest of a candidate could conflict with the broad duties of a party officer.

Apparently2, the AZGOP doesn't take issue with such potential conflicts of interest.

Anyway, the challenge to Shaw's candidacy is scheduled to be heard on Thursday in Maricopa County Superior Court.

Caveat to the above: The GOP's bylaws could be more flexible than the ADP's in this regard. If anyone has a .pdf copy of the most recent AZGOP bylaws, feel free to forward them to me. Thank you.

Later...

D17 Legislators guide important bills through to the Governor's desk

After one of the most contentious legislative sessions on record, the Democratic contingent to West Washington can look upon their accomplishments this year with a little pride.

State Senator Meg Burton Cahill and State Representatives David Schapira and Ed Ableser each had bills reach the Governor's desk, awaiting her signature.

They include -

SB1232 (Burton Cahill), conforming Arizona's civil rights laws with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act

HB2462 (Ableser), reining in predatory towing companies

HB2080 (Schapira), "Helps students with chronic health problems by expanding parents’ choices of health professionals to certify their children need special accommodations to complete their coursework." (Quoting from a press release)

HB2401 (Schapira), expanding the teacher student loan forgiveness program (originally to encourage/aid future math, science, and special ed teachers) to include students who are elementary ed teachers in areas that have been determined to have a shortage of teachers.

Thanks for their hard work and congratulations on their successes go out to all three members of LD17's delegation.

From the "you can't make this stuff up" department - Burton Cahill's bill, SB1232, was pretty innocuous, almost a "technical corrections" bill, yet when it was passed by the Senate, it was opposed by John Huppenthal, a Republican candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Somewhat surprising for someone who wants to be in charge of educating Arizona's children - most people either have a disabled child in their family or know someone who does. His vote can only serve to tick off a significant part of the education community, a community whose support he is seeking in his attempt to change offices.

According to one source, it turns out that Huppenthal wasn't opposed to the content of the measure. According to that source, Huppenthal told an advocate for the disabled community that he voted against the bill because he personally disliked the Senator who sponsored the bill, Meg Burton Cahill.

That's pretty petty, even by the abysmally low standards of the GOP caucus in the lege.

Of course, this is the same John Huppenthal who stole signs opposing his candidacy and pushed around an elderly Democratic activist in 2008 (he faced charges, but was acquitted...by a Republican judge).

Being merely "petty" may qualify as a good day for Huppenthal...

Later...

Schapira first to file signatures in LD17

Press release time (via email) -

Schapira First to File in District 17

TEMPE - David Schapira has filed enough petition signatures with the Secretary of State’s office to qualify as a candidate for the State Senate race in District 17. He is the first candidate in District 17 of either party in either the House or Senate races to qualify. Schapira, a Clean Elections participating candidate, also filed more than the requisite number of $5 qualifying contributions in order to run under Arizona’s Clean Elections system.

An Arizona native, Schapira has drawn on his experience as a teacher and small business owner to serve Tempe and south Scottsdale for two terms in the State House of Representatives. He has received commendation as one of six “Lawmakers Who Made a Difference” and one of five “Emerging Leaders Worth Watching” by the Arizona Republic. He aims to bring his effective, pragmatic approach as a leader to the State Senate.

“I am honored by the way that petitions and contributions poured in from people all over Tempe and south Scottsdale. The people of our state are hungry for a change in leadership now more than ever, and I intend to be a part of that change,”
said Schapira. “For years, the leadership at the capitol has proven that they care more about practicing destructive, exclusive partisan politics and pursuing extremist ideological goals than they do about working on behalf of the people of Arizona. We have to break the status quo before it breaks our state completely.”

In addition to the recognition David has received from the Arizona Republic, he has been named a top legislator by the Arizona Student Association, American Cancer Society, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Arizona Technology Council. David has worked tirelessly at the capitol to make improving Arizona’s public education system a priority. He considers investment in K-12 and university education essential to reviving the state’s stagnant economy.

“Education must come first, and in this economy and job market, it’s even more critical to our advancement as a state. The best way to bring stable, well-paying jobs to Arizona is by offering employers a highly educated workforce. The best way to develop a robust, homegrown economic foundation is through our public universities’ research initiatives.”

David and his wife Rosemary reside in Tempe, and are expecting the birth of their first child this summer.

Learn more at DavidforAZ.com.

Congrats David!

D17 should be proud

Americans for Prosperity, the Big Business-funded and -controlled "grassroots" group (that's the definition of "astroturf" group) has released its 2009 scorecard, a rating of all of Arizona's legislators based on some arcane standard.

The group purports itself to be non-partisan, but the only two Republicans they gave a negative rating to were Sen. Carolyn Allen (LD8), one of the few real public servants in the GOP caucus, and Governor Jan Brewer, someone who has gleefully crippled the ability of Arizona state government to provide public services.

I can understand them not liking Sen. Allen; she really is the closest thing to a moderate voice in the entire AZGOP. But to go after Brewer, who has done more to cut public education and the social safety net in Arizona than any governor ever...?

Can you say "credibility problem"?

Anyway, back to the point of the post. Scorecards like this one, produced by anti-society advocacy groups, are best read from the bottom up.

The folks they give the lowest ratings to are the people that do the most to look out for their constituents and their state.

Read that way, the biggest Hero of Society is LD17's own state senator, Meg Burton Cahill.

And coming in at 6th and 7th place, as Champions of Society, are LD17's state representatives, Ed Ableser and David Schapira.


Oh, and for the record, the folks that AFP gave their highest ratings to (and the lowest by my standards, "Enemies of Society") are, you guessed it, ol' blog favorites state Sens. Russell Pearce (LD18), Chuck Gray (LD19), Sylvia Allen (LD5), and Jack Harper (LD4).

Of course.


Other legislative report cards include:

The Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club (2008 report card here)

East Valley Chambers of Commerce Alliance (note: only EV legislators covered)

Big announcement regarding LD17 tomorrow at the lege

From a press release -

Sen. Burton Cahill to announce retirement; Reps. Schapira, Ableser to reveal who will vie for state Senate, House seats

PHOENIX - State Sen. Meg Burton Cahill and state Reps. David Schapira and Ed Ableser will hold a press conference 1 p.m. Tuesday at the State Capitol to announce their plans for the Democratic slate in District 17. The Tempe lawmakers will also introduce a new House candidate who is a well-established leader in the Valley.

Burton Cahill will announce her retirement from the Legislature after 10 years of service. Elected to the House of Representatives in 2000, she served three terms there and will finish her legislative service at the end of her second Senate term.

"I'm proud to have served the communities of Tempe and south Scottsdale in the Legislature," Burton Cahill said. "I went to the Capitol to represent the interests of my neighbors, and I am honored to have had their support for a decade."

At the press conference, Schapira and Ableser will announce which representative is filing an exploratory committee for Burton Cahill's Senate seat. They will be joined by another prominent Tempe leader who will announce a bid for the open House seat.

Sen. Burton Cahill has a long and storied career in public service, and it isn't over yet (else I would be far more effusive in my praise for her. Her story isn't over yet, not by a long shot). Only her legislative career is coming to a close, not her public service career.

As for the rest, I'll be at the Capitol on Tuesday. Coverage and pics of the seriously big announcement tomorrow...

Press release time - Legislative Town Hall in LD17

From a press release and related flier from the House Democrats -

Come Share Your Thoughts at the Legislative District 17 Town-Hall Meeting with

State Sen. Meg Burton-Cahill, Rep. David Schapira & Rep. Ed Ableser

“Your input is very important to us and it will help us serve you and our community better.”

State Legislators will discuss issues that are important to constituents, answer questions and learn about their priorities. Constituents are encouraged to attend and share their thoughts.

Legislative District 17 Town Hall Meeting
Pyle Adult Recreation Center
Thursday, Nov 12, 2009

6:30pm to 8:00pm p.m.

655 E. Southern Ave.
Tempe, AZ 85282

Questions? Please contact Community and Constituent Liaison, Cynthia Aragon at 602-926-5848 or at caragon@azleg.gov.

Later...