Heard/seen while spending the morning at the Capitol...
- All of the Democrats and most of the Republicans in the lege are in the dark about what is going on with the budget this week - all of the talks are going on behind closed doors, and unless you are part of a certain special clique, you aren't invited.
- The Governor held a press conference in the quad in front of the Old Capitol building to declare today "Jeff Gordon" Day (aka - "Jan Brewer is running for election this year and wants to get the state's NASCAR fans on her side" Day). Brewer, Kirk Adams, and Bob Burns were all there, but the biggest crowd (both MSM and average citizen) was around Gordon.
- There will be a Senate Third Read (final passage) session at 1:00 p.m and a House COW (Committee of the Whole) session at 1:30 p.m (agenda here and here). If it wasn't for those (and planned floor sessions later in the week), most legislators would have headed for home already. This is a (hopefully) shorter version of last year's Bob Burns-mandated "no bills until the budget is passed" debacle.
- I'm not naming names, but as I am writing this, I am listening to an unnamed tour guide with what looks to be a junior high or early HS class. He's trying really hard, but he has massacred Latin - "pro tem" does not mean "second in command", and the House normally meets at 1:30 p.m., not 10 a.m. Also, the Governor isn't allowed on the floor of either chamber without being granted floor privileges first (though nobody can remember the last time that a Governor was denied floor privileges).
...More later...
Monday, March 01, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
The coming week - the everything but the lege edition
The lege's schedule this week - almost no committee hearings while the lege "focuses" on the budget - has been covered here, in a post at Blog for Arizona.
...As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies except where noted, and subject to change without notice...
In Congress, most of the week will be spent on committee hearings and behind-the-scenes work on health care reform and jobs bills. The short agenda for the House's floor activity mostly covers a number of non-controversial memorial and congratulatory resolutions. Even the one meaningful bill, HR4247, the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act (CRS summary here; an AP article on the need for the proposed legislation, via AZCentral.com, here) should pass easily...after the Rs oppose even bringing the measure to the floor, of course (they oppose everything these days, no matter the worthiness of the legislation),
The Senate also has a long committee schedule (media highlight: the Commerce Committee's hearing looking into Toyota's recalls). Floor work may include consideration of the jobs bill recently passed by the House and an extension of the Patriot Act.
...Here in Arizona...
...The Arizona Corporation Commission will be holding a "utilities" meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday. The ACC's hearing schedule is here.
...The Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project will be meeting on Thursday in Casa Grande. CAP's Public Policy Committee will also meet on Thursday, as will its Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District & Underground Storage Committee.
...The Tempe City Council is scheduled to meet Thursday evening for a regular meeting (agenda here); earlier on Thursday, they are going to hold a special meeting on balancing the city's budget (agenda here). On Friday, they'll hold an executive session as part of the process of choosing a new City Clerk for Tempe (agenda here). The Council's calendar is here.
...The Scottsdale City Council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday (agenda here). The Council's Community Meeting Notice is here.
Not scheduled to meet this week: Arizona Board of Regents, Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System, Maricopa Board of Supervisors, Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District (though they have some kind of "retreat" scheduled for Tuesday evening), Citizens Clean Elections Commission.
...As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies except where noted, and subject to change without notice...
In Congress, most of the week will be spent on committee hearings and behind-the-scenes work on health care reform and jobs bills. The short agenda for the House's floor activity mostly covers a number of non-controversial memorial and congratulatory resolutions. Even the one meaningful bill, HR4247, the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act (CRS summary here; an AP article on the need for the proposed legislation, via AZCentral.com, here) should pass easily...after the Rs oppose even bringing the measure to the floor, of course (they oppose everything these days, no matter the worthiness of the legislation),
The Senate also has a long committee schedule (media highlight: the Commerce Committee's hearing looking into Toyota's recalls). Floor work may include consideration of the jobs bill recently passed by the House and an extension of the Patriot Act.
...Here in Arizona...
...The Arizona Corporation Commission will be holding a "utilities" meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday. The ACC's hearing schedule is here.
...The Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project will be meeting on Thursday in Casa Grande. CAP's Public Policy Committee will also meet on Thursday, as will its Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District & Underground Storage Committee.
...The Tempe City Council is scheduled to meet Thursday evening for a regular meeting (agenda here); earlier on Thursday, they are going to hold a special meeting on balancing the city's budget (agenda here). On Friday, they'll hold an executive session as part of the process of choosing a new City Clerk for Tempe (agenda here). The Council's calendar is here.
...The Scottsdale City Council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday (agenda here). The Council's Community Meeting Notice is here.
Not scheduled to meet this week: Arizona Board of Regents, Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System, Maricopa Board of Supervisors, Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District (though they have some kind of "retreat" scheduled for Tuesday evening), Citizens Clean Elections Commission.
Russell Pearce - the feds should do as we say, not as we do
Amazingly enough, this *isn't* about the state's budget mess, where their blind obeisance to Grover Norquist (and not-so-coincidentally, corporations and AZ's wealthiest residents) and their blindness to fiscal reality has led them to gut the state's future...
Nope, not now anyway. However, that will be covered in a future post.
From a Washington Examiner article about Joe Arpaio (emphasis mine) -
Ummm...weren't the Stapley indictments/arrest all about "crossing T's and dotting Is"?
Nope, not now anyway. However, that will be covered in a future post.
From a Washington Examiner article about Joe Arpaio (emphasis mine) -
With a sheriff's helicopter beating overhead, the man known as "Sheriff Joe" stood behind a line of officers as 10,000 people marched past — but this was not the usual show of affection and support for Joe Arpaio.
"Joe must go! Joe must go," whole families chanted, as they rounded the corner in front of the county jail complex run by the five-term Maricopa County sheriff famed for his confrontational tactics, his harsh jail policies and a gift for publicity. The parade of mostly brown-skinned people wanted to show they hated his trademark immigration patrols.
{snip}
Even supporters of his immigration efforts like state Sen. Russell Pearce, a former top deputy under Arpaio, acknowledge concern. "You always have to be worried," Pearce said. "If they are going to investigate whether you have crossed your T's and dotted your I's on every issue, I doubt there is anybody without fault."
Ummm...weren't the Stapley indictments/arrest all about "crossing T's and dotting Is"?
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Trent Franks (R-AZ2) - Arizona's shame
Perhaps this country's history of slavery is America's shame (though a strong argument can be made for the genocide perpetrated on American Indians here), but Congressman Trent Franks' waxing nostalgic about the good ol' days is Arizona's shame -
We are the ones who have sent him to the national stage, giving his utterings a far wider audience than they merit.
I first heard about this on Friday's Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC, and it is already all over the blogosphere. Here is the Phoenix New Times' take on Franks' latest bout of verbal diarrhea -
The scary part is, no matter how much Franks is a right-wing Neanderthal whackjob, it still isn't enough for the AZGOP - they're running a Tea Party type (I refuse to link to this crap; just Google "Charles Black" and "Kingman) at him, attacking him from the right.
One silver lining in this dark cloud of embarassment - as long as Franks is around, wiseass AZ bloggers will never want for subject material.
We are the ones who have sent him to the national stage, giving his utterings a far wider audience than they merit.
I first heard about this on Friday's Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC, and it is already all over the blogosphere. Here is the Phoenix New Times' take on Franks' latest bout of verbal diarrhea -
Republican Congressman Trent "Foot-in-Mouth" Franks is truly the gift that keeps on giving. The goofy, amiable wingnut from Arizona's Second Congressional District is known for his hard-right stance on just about everything from abortion to President Obama's birth certificate, which he desperately wanted to see at one point.
To say he's outdone himself with his latest racially-charged statements...starting around 6:12 in, would be ignorant of Franks' history of saying stupid stuff...I'm sure the 2.2 percent of African-Americans in his district will not be too happy to find out that Franks figured they had it better off in the antebellum South.
The scary part is, no matter how much Franks is a right-wing Neanderthal whackjob, it still isn't enough for the AZGOP - they're running a Tea Party type (I refuse to link to this crap; just Google "Charles Black" and "Kingman) at him, attacking him from the right.
One silver lining in this dark cloud of embarassment - as long as Franks is around, wiseass AZ bloggers will never want for subject material.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Events: Dean v. Rove Debate At ASU
First, there was the Rumble in the Jungle...
There there was the Thrilla in Manilla...
After that, the Duel in the Desert (many times over)...
Now, we have the ultimate showdown -
The Damage at the Gammage...
Tickets go on sale tomorrow...expect them to sell out quickly...
BTW - I don't know what they will be debating (it could be something apolitical along the lines of the relaxing spring training experience at Hohokam vs. the thrill of a drive for a national title at Packard), but it's going to be a lot of fun. However, given the two principals and the sponsor (ASU student government), something political will probably be on the agenda.
BTW2 - "Damage at the Gammage" is more than a little lame, but in my defense, *you* try to find something appropriate that rhymes with "Tempe." :)
There there was the Thrilla in Manilla...
After that, the Duel in the Desert (many times over)...
Now, we have the ultimate showdown -
The Damage at the Gammage...
Tickets go on sale tomorrow...expect them to sell out quickly...
BTW - I don't know what they will be debating (it could be something apolitical along the lines of the relaxing spring training experience at Hohokam vs. the thrill of a drive for a national title at Packard), but it's going to be a lot of fun. However, given the two principals and the sponsor (ASU student government), something political will probably be on the agenda.
BTW2 - "Damage at the Gammage" is more than a little lame, but in my defense, *you* try to find something appropriate that rhymes with "Tempe." :)
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Coming events: 'Chili for Change' Cook-Off
3rd Annual CHILI FOR CHANGE COOK-OFF
: With Congressman Harry Mitchell and other special guests
Who will make the best chili?
State Senator Meg Burton Cahill?
State Representative Ed Ableser?
State Representative David Schapira?
Tempe City Councilman Ben Arredondo?
Or a mysterious vegetarian with a killer carnivore recipe?
Enter your own chili in the contest!
Saturday, March 27, 2-5 p.m.
At the home of David and Kathy Schwarz
5901 E. Vernon, Scottsdale (map)
Winner announced at 4:30!
Ticket Prices:
$25
$15 for YDs
$10 for Kids
For Tickets:
Donate below or contact Lauren Kuby by email at laurenkuby@gmail.com
or call 602.790.2156.
| District 17 Democrats | $ |
Proceeds to benefit the LD 17 Democrats.
Paid for by District 17 Democrats. Lauren Kuby, Chair; Craig McDermott, Treasurer.
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Thomas Watch: which will come first - resignation or indictment?
It's kind of like the great question of drunken bar debate fame - "what came first, the chicken or the egg?"
Only without the booze and pretzels. :)
From AZCentral.com -
Andrew Thomas disqualified from Wilcox case; charges against 2 others dropped
Some may argue that the last part of the judge's ruling makes this setback a win for Thomas (the part about allowing the appointment of an independent prosecutor), but given the amount of effort put into and the PR reaped from the persecution of the Board of Supervisors (and the County's judiciary) by Thomas and Arpaio, this is not only a total smackdown of the County Attorney professionally, it also puts a serious crimp in his plans politically.
Even (most) Republicans won't support a candidate for Attorney General who has been found to be misusing his office's power for satiating personal and political grudges.
Well, at least they won't support one who has been caught at it. :)
The text of the judge's decision is here, courtesy AZCentral.com.
Phoenix New Times coverage here, here, and here.
Some of the folks lining up to replace Thomas, whether he leaves to run for a higher office or to fight charges of his own:
Boyd Dunn, mayor of Chandler (other names are mentioned in the article)
Jay Beckstead, a Scottsdale Attorney
Bill Montgomery, one of Thomas' Deputy CAs
Look for more names to emerge in the next few days and weeks as the Thomas Watch continues...
Only without the booze and pretzels. :)
From AZCentral.com -
Andrew Thomas disqualified from Wilcox case; charges against 2 others dropped
Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas filed court motions Wednesday afternoon to dismiss an indictment against County Supervisor Don Stapley and a criminal complaint against Superior Court Judge Gary Donahoe.
{snip}
...in the wake of a judge's ruling Wednesday morning to dismiss disqualify Thomas from prosecuting Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox and dismissing a 42-count indictment against her, Thomas felt he had no choice but to dismiss charges against Stapley since the indictments were obtained from a grand jury under similar circumstances.
Some may argue that the last part of the judge's ruling makes this setback a win for Thomas (the part about allowing the appointment of an independent prosecutor), but given the amount of effort put into and the PR reaped from the persecution of the Board of Supervisors (and the County's judiciary) by Thomas and Arpaio, this is not only a total smackdown of the County Attorney professionally, it also puts a serious crimp in his plans politically.
Even (most) Republicans won't support a candidate for Attorney General who has been found to be misusing his office's power for satiating personal and political grudges.
Well, at least they won't support one who has been caught at it. :)
The text of the judge's decision is here, courtesy AZCentral.com.
Phoenix New Times coverage here, here, and here.
Some of the folks lining up to replace Thomas, whether he leaves to run for a higher office or to fight charges of his own:
Boyd Dunn, mayor of Chandler (other names are mentioned in the article)
Jay Beckstead, a Scottsdale Attorney
Bill Montgomery, one of Thomas' Deputy CAs
Look for more names to emerge in the next few days and weeks as the Thomas Watch continues...
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Republicans running amok: It isn't just Arizona...
This isn't exactly heartening, per se, but it's nice to know that Arizona isn't the only state where the loons are running wild in the legislature. On the other hand, it really sucks for the rest of the country that they have to deal with some of the same garbage that we have here...
There are a lot of things that are unique to Arizona - the Grand Canyon, saguaro cactus, days where we have both the highest and lowest temperatures recorded in the continental U.S. and more. However, that species of creature known as the "Legislative Republican Loon" is not one of those "unique to Arizona" things.
To whit...
....In Virginia, Republican Bob Marshall, a member of VA's House of Delegates (akin to the House of Representatives here), stated that he thinks handicapped children are "God's vengeance" upon women who have had abortions. Lest you think he is a one-dimensional ideologue, focused solely on making misogyny a guiding principal of public policy in Virgina, he has sponsored or co-sponsored bills like: HB32, arming college instructors; HB340, listing qualifications of presidential candidates that must be proven before the candidate can be listed on a ballot; HB345, withdrawal from the Medicaid program upon passage of federal health care reform legislation; HB69, stating that firearms manufactured in and remaining in Virginia are exempt from federal regulation; and HJ125, a Tenth Amendment/state supremacy resolution.
...In Oklahoma, they've proposed things like HB2279, limiting divorce except under certain extreme circumstances; HB2532, drug testing welfare applicants and recipients; and HB2884, stating that firearms manufactured in and remaining in Oklahoma are exempt from federal regulation.
...In South Carolina the loons have introduced measures like H4501, mandating that tax bills are paid in gold and silver bullion or coins;
...in Michigan, bills like SB1127, eliminating no fault divorce;
...in Utah, HB255, changing the requirements of the already-existing "divorce orientation course" by mandating that a divorce cannot be granted until the filer for the divorce takes the course, no matter the grounds for the divorce action (and this doesn't even include the lunatic scheme in Utah to abolish 12th grade in order to save the state some money);
...in Alabama, SB319, extending the waiting period for divorces to 180 days (no minor children involved) and 365 days (minor children involved);
In case some readers have noted the similarities between some of the proposals before the various state legislatures, there *is* some organization behind these efforts. Perhaps the most influential of the ideologically-based organizations is the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). It's an industry-supported organization dedicated to advancing the causes of its corporate clients/donors. ALEC allows industry lobbyists to get together with legislators from all over the country to craft "model" legislation that if enacted, would benefit their clients. There are other national organizations dedicated to influencing state-level legislation, but few do it quite so effectively.
"Organized loons"?
Can't that phrase be used to describe other conglomerations of whack jobs, dedicated to undermining and even destroying the fabric of our nation? Al Quaeda? KKK? I digress...
Anyway, it really was nice to see that we aren't alone in the fight against legislative lunacy, even if it does seem that we have a higher concentration of loons per capita than almost any other state.
Later...
There are a lot of things that are unique to Arizona - the Grand Canyon, saguaro cactus, days where we have both the highest and lowest temperatures recorded in the continental U.S. and more. However, that species of creature known as the "Legislative Republican Loon" is not one of those "unique to Arizona" things.
To whit...
....In Virginia, Republican Bob Marshall, a member of VA's House of Delegates (akin to the House of Representatives here), stated that he thinks handicapped children are "God's vengeance" upon women who have had abortions. Lest you think he is a one-dimensional ideologue, focused solely on making misogyny a guiding principal of public policy in Virgina, he has sponsored or co-sponsored bills like: HB32, arming college instructors; HB340, listing qualifications of presidential candidates that must be proven before the candidate can be listed on a ballot; HB345, withdrawal from the Medicaid program upon passage of federal health care reform legislation; HB69, stating that firearms manufactured in and remaining in Virginia are exempt from federal regulation; and HJ125, a Tenth Amendment/state supremacy resolution.
...In Oklahoma, they've proposed things like HB2279, limiting divorce except under certain extreme circumstances; HB2532, drug testing welfare applicants and recipients; and HB2884, stating that firearms manufactured in and remaining in Oklahoma are exempt from federal regulation.
...In South Carolina the loons have introduced measures like H4501, mandating that tax bills are paid in gold and silver bullion or coins;
...in Michigan, bills like SB1127, eliminating no fault divorce;
...in Utah, HB255, changing the requirements of the already-existing "divorce orientation course" by mandating that a divorce cannot be granted until the filer for the divorce takes the course, no matter the grounds for the divorce action (and this doesn't even include the lunatic scheme in Utah to abolish 12th grade in order to save the state some money);
...in Alabama, SB319, extending the waiting period for divorces to 180 days (no minor children involved) and 365 days (minor children involved);
In case some readers have noted the similarities between some of the proposals before the various state legislatures, there *is* some organization behind these efforts. Perhaps the most influential of the ideologically-based organizations is the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). It's an industry-supported organization dedicated to advancing the causes of its corporate clients/donors. ALEC allows industry lobbyists to get together with legislators from all over the country to craft "model" legislation that if enacted, would benefit their clients. There are other national organizations dedicated to influencing state-level legislation, but few do it quite so effectively.
"Organized loons"?
Can't that phrase be used to describe other conglomerations of whack jobs, dedicated to undermining and even destroying the fabric of our nation? Al Quaeda? KKK? I digress...
Anyway, it really was nice to see that we aren't alone in the fight against legislative lunacy, even if it does seem that we have a higher concentration of loons per capita than almost any other state.
Later...
Did Fox News break some actual news?*
*- It has to be "actual" news, since FNC could *never* be wrong...right? LOL
Who knew that good ol' JD was part of the "T" part of the LGBT community?
Who knew that good ol' JD was part of the "T" part of the LGBT community?
Monday, February 22, 2010
The coming week: Legislative Edition, Chapter 4 - Tuesday
Because of some unexpected developments, I wasn't able to do a complete examination of this week's committee schedule, nor was I able to visit the lege on Monday (missing some interesting happenings like Sen. Jonathan Paton's resignation from the Senate in order to run for Congress, and Tom Horne's demonstration of why he doesn't have the temperment or professionalism to be the state's Attorney General.) Fortunately, those events were covered in other blogs.
Here are Tuesday's committee schedule and highlights:
On the House side of the quad -
- House Public Employees, Retirement, and Entitlement Reform will meet at 2 p.m. in HHR3. The agenda is a short one (two items). The more interesting of the two seems to be HB2344, barring "public employees" from engaging in lobbying or political activities during work hours. This one seems to be directed at teachers and others such as day care or health care workers who have objected to some of the lege's attacks on their areas of the budget.
- House Government will meet at 2 p.m. in HHR4.
Highlights:
HB2382, a bill that mandates that schools report all sorts of data regarding students who are unable to "prove lawful presence in the United States." Nativist election year posturing.
HB2395, barring school boards from authorizing payroll deductions for union dues. More payback for last year's criticisms and protests from the educators in the state.
HB2441, a "birther" bill regarding qualification of presidential candidates that must be proven before a candidate's name can be placed on the ballot.
A striker to HB2641, to override local regulation of "consumer fireworks." I don't know which lobbyist is paying for this one, but they must be paying well - this one has died before but it keeps coming back. This time it has been resurrected by Rep. Judy Burges.
HCR2039, a proposed amendment to the AZ constitution that would allow the lege to "suspend" voter protected funding via a majority vote of the lege. Given that this lege has proven beyond any doubt that it is utterly incapable of governing responsibly, or of even wanting to do so, this one is badbadbadbadBADBADBADBAD.
HCR2041, a proposed amendment to the AZ constitution to require a periodic reauthorization of voter mandated spending. Another legislative attempt to completely wrest control of the state away from the voters, particularly when those voters approve something that the Kool-Aid drinkers don't like.
- House Environment will meet at 2 p.m. in HHR5. Looks quiet thus far.
On the Senate side of the quad -
- Senate Commerce and Economic Development will meet at 1:30 p.m. in SHR1.
Highlight:
SB1126, Sen. Al Melvin's assertion that the federal government cannot regulate nuclear fuel that is produced and used in Arizona. Even if this one passes into law, the feds may have a slight difference of opinion with Melvin on the matter.
- Senate Appropriations will meet at 1:30 p.m. in SHR109; that agenda was covered in an earlier post.
Later...
Here are Tuesday's committee schedule and highlights:
On the House side of the quad -
- House Public Employees, Retirement, and Entitlement Reform will meet at 2 p.m. in HHR3. The agenda is a short one (two items). The more interesting of the two seems to be HB2344, barring "public employees" from engaging in lobbying or political activities during work hours. This one seems to be directed at teachers and others such as day care or health care workers who have objected to some of the lege's attacks on their areas of the budget.
- House Government will meet at 2 p.m. in HHR4.
Highlights:
HB2382, a bill that mandates that schools report all sorts of data regarding students who are unable to "prove lawful presence in the United States." Nativist election year posturing.
HB2395, barring school boards from authorizing payroll deductions for union dues. More payback for last year's criticisms and protests from the educators in the state.
HB2441, a "birther" bill regarding qualification of presidential candidates that must be proven before a candidate's name can be placed on the ballot.
A striker to HB2641, to override local regulation of "consumer fireworks." I don't know which lobbyist is paying for this one, but they must be paying well - this one has died before but it keeps coming back. This time it has been resurrected by Rep. Judy Burges.
HCR2039, a proposed amendment to the AZ constitution that would allow the lege to "suspend" voter protected funding via a majority vote of the lege. Given that this lege has proven beyond any doubt that it is utterly incapable of governing responsibly, or of even wanting to do so, this one is badbadbadbadBADBADBADBAD.
HCR2041, a proposed amendment to the AZ constitution to require a periodic reauthorization of voter mandated spending. Another legislative attempt to completely wrest control of the state away from the voters, particularly when those voters approve something that the Kool-Aid drinkers don't like.
- House Environment will meet at 2 p.m. in HHR5. Looks quiet thus far.
On the Senate side of the quad -
- Senate Commerce and Economic Development will meet at 1:30 p.m. in SHR1.
Highlight:
SB1126, Sen. Al Melvin's assertion that the federal government cannot regulate nuclear fuel that is produced and used in Arizona. Even if this one passes into law, the feds may have a slight difference of opinion with Melvin on the matter.
- Senate Appropriations will meet at 1:30 p.m. in SHR109; that agenda was covered in an earlier post.
Later...
2010 Campaign Committee Update
Some of this material has been covered elsewhere but it merits inclusion here...
...In CD3, attorney Paulina Morris has filed for a run at the R nomination to replace the soon-to-be retired John Shadegg. A name familiar to most AZ political geeks, Lisa Graham Keegan, has signed on as Morris' campaign treasurer. Keegan is a McCain confidant/ally and former State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
...In CD8, R candidate Thomas Carlson has ended his run for the chance to take on Democratic incumbent Gabrielle Giffords. I don't know much about him or his reasons for running, but his reason for dropping out may be related to the fact that he raised a little over $2K for his campaign.
...In CD8, R state senator Jonathan Paton has finally resigned from the Senate to pursue his quest to unseat Giffords. He filed for his run weeks ago, so this wasn't unexpected.
...In CD1, R candidate Thomas Zaleski of Sedona has filed for a run at Democratic incumbent Ann Kirkpatrick.
...In CD5, perennial R candidate Susan Bitter Smith has filed for another run at Democratic incumbent Harry Mitchell. She is a former member of the Scottsdale City Council and a current member of the Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project. She is also a long-time lobbyist, mostly for the telecom/cable TV industry. Her entry into the race has long been rumored, so this isn't exactly a surprise.
...Also in CD5, R candidate Eric Wnuck has withdrawn from the race for his party's nomination. He cited family/business concerns, but a growing field in the R primary and a shrinking pool of available money may have had an impact on his decision, too. In his latest campaign filing, he listed donations at $52K; his first filing listed contributions of over $160K. That's a significant drop during a period when most campaigns are ramping *up* their fundraising efforts.
In Arizona offices...
...State Rep. David Bradley has filed for a run at Arizona Corporation Commission (filer ID 201000475). AZBlueMeanie at Blog for Arizona has coverage here.
...Doug Ducey, a Scottsdale businessman, has filed to enter the race for the Republican nomination for State Treasurer. Ducey is the former CEO of Cold Stone Creamery, so he has deep pockets, but he isn't exactly as popular as Cold Stone.
...In a sign that the Rs consider Democratic Attorney General Terry Goddard to be a very strong candidate, the Republican Governor's Association has set up a PAC in Arizona so that they can expend monies attempting to influence the governor's race this year (filer ID 201000467).
...In Scottsdale, Republican Linda Milhaven, the former Chair of the Scottsdale Cultural Council, has entered the race for Scottsdale City Council. Her entry into the race has long been rumored and isn't a surprise. There are now eight active committees for runs for the three available seats on the Scottsdale City Council.
Later...
...In CD3, attorney Paulina Morris has filed for a run at the R nomination to replace the soon-to-be retired John Shadegg. A name familiar to most AZ political geeks, Lisa Graham Keegan, has signed on as Morris' campaign treasurer. Keegan is a McCain confidant/ally and former State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
...In CD8, R candidate Thomas Carlson has ended his run for the chance to take on Democratic incumbent Gabrielle Giffords. I don't know much about him or his reasons for running, but his reason for dropping out may be related to the fact that he raised a little over $2K for his campaign.
...In CD8, R state senator Jonathan Paton has finally resigned from the Senate to pursue his quest to unseat Giffords. He filed for his run weeks ago, so this wasn't unexpected.
...In CD1, R candidate Thomas Zaleski of Sedona has filed for a run at Democratic incumbent Ann Kirkpatrick.
...In CD5, perennial R candidate Susan Bitter Smith has filed for another run at Democratic incumbent Harry Mitchell. She is a former member of the Scottsdale City Council and a current member of the Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project. She is also a long-time lobbyist, mostly for the telecom/cable TV industry. Her entry into the race has long been rumored, so this isn't exactly a surprise.
...Also in CD5, R candidate Eric Wnuck has withdrawn from the race for his party's nomination. He cited family/business concerns, but a growing field in the R primary and a shrinking pool of available money may have had an impact on his decision, too. In his latest campaign filing, he listed donations at $52K; his first filing listed contributions of over $160K. That's a significant drop during a period when most campaigns are ramping *up* their fundraising efforts.
In Arizona offices...
...State Rep. David Bradley has filed for a run at Arizona Corporation Commission (filer ID 201000475). AZBlueMeanie at Blog for Arizona has coverage here.
...Doug Ducey, a Scottsdale businessman, has filed to enter the race for the Republican nomination for State Treasurer. Ducey is the former CEO of Cold Stone Creamery, so he has deep pockets, but he isn't exactly as popular as Cold Stone.
...In a sign that the Rs consider Democratic Attorney General Terry Goddard to be a very strong candidate, the Republican Governor's Association has set up a PAC in Arizona so that they can expend monies attempting to influence the governor's race this year (filer ID 201000467).
...In Scottsdale, Republican Linda Milhaven, the former Chair of the Scottsdale Cultural Council, has entered the race for Scottsdale City Council. Her entry into the race has long been rumored and isn't a surprise. There are now eight active committees for runs for the three available seats on the Scottsdale City Council.
Later...
Sunday, February 21, 2010
The Coming Week: Legislative Edition, Chapter 3 - Judiciary
As usual, all info gathered from the website of the Arizona lege, except where noted, and subject to change without notice...
...The Senate's Judiciary Committee will meet on Monday at 1:30 p.m. in SHR1.
On the agenda:
- a striker for SB1076 adding "Mixed Martial Arts" to the name of the Arizona State Boxing Commission, and adding rules for MMA to AZ's general laws.
- a striker for SB1081, relating to changes in the process to appoint a non-attorney member to a commission on trial court appointments.
- SB1168 (with a proposed amendment), preempting any local firearms laws.
- SB1292 (with a proposed amendment), eliminating the statute of limitations for civil actions stemming from sexual crimes perpetrated upon minors.
- SB1366 (with proposed amendments here and here), expanding the relocation assistance received by people dislocated by eminent domain activities.
- SB1393 (with proposed amendments here and here), regarding all sort of changes to election laws.
- SB1394, a nativist special from Russell Pearce.
- SB1444 (with a proposed amendment), relating to independent expenditures and campaign finance. AZBlueMeanie at Blog For Arizona has coverage here.
...House Judiciary will meet on Thursday at 9 a.m. in HHR4. Looks quiet thus far...
Later...
...The Senate's Judiciary Committee will meet on Monday at 1:30 p.m. in SHR1.
On the agenda:
- a striker for SB1076 adding "Mixed Martial Arts" to the name of the Arizona State Boxing Commission, and adding rules for MMA to AZ's general laws.
- a striker for SB1081, relating to changes in the process to appoint a non-attorney member to a commission on trial court appointments.
- SB1168 (with a proposed amendment), preempting any local firearms laws.
- SB1292 (with a proposed amendment), eliminating the statute of limitations for civil actions stemming from sexual crimes perpetrated upon minors.
- SB1366 (with proposed amendments here and here), expanding the relocation assistance received by people dislocated by eminent domain activities.
- SB1393 (with proposed amendments here and here), regarding all sort of changes to election laws.
- SB1394, a nativist special from Russell Pearce.
- SB1444 (with a proposed amendment), relating to independent expenditures and campaign finance. AZBlueMeanie at Blog For Arizona has coverage here.
...House Judiciary will meet on Thursday at 9 a.m. in HHR4. Looks quiet thus far...
Later...
The Coming Week: Legislative Edition, chapter 2 - Money
As usual, all info gathered from the website of the legislature, except where noted, and subject to change without notice.
This post will cover the money committees - Senate Appropriations and Finance and House Approps and House Ways and Means.
...House Ways and Means will meet on Monday at 2 p.m. in HHR1.
One potentially bad bill that is up for consideration is HB2505. This proposal from Rep. Rick Murphy (R-LD9) would mandate a change in the standards that are used to review and evaluate income tax credits. He wants to add the language "SHALL INCLUDE, TO THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE, A REVIEW OF THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE CREDIT USING DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OR OTHER TECHNIQUES THAT ESTIMATE THE TAXPAYER BEHAVIORAL CHANGES OR MODIFICATIONS IN PATTERNS OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITY."
"Dynamic analysis"? "...Estimate..."?
Sounds like "smoke and mirrors" and "guesswork" calculated to generate a desired result.
Other bills of interest -
- A striker to HB2515 that would change the way that the sales tax (aka "transaction privilege tax") is assessed on contractors. It seems to lower the tax, but there is no fiscal note for this one (a common characteristic for Republican-sponsored tax bills - they don't want Arizonans to know how much the R gifts to Big Business are costing Arizona).
- A striker to HCR2057 that would allow the lege to appropriate "non-custodial federal monies." In short, if this becomes law, the lege could sweep things like community block grants and spend the money where it wants to.
- HCR2061, redefining property tax limits and cutting property taxes as a result. No fiscal note attached.
- HB2597, mandating that any new TPT or use tax exemption or deduction created by the lege have a specific repeal date as part of the legislation creating it. As this measure was proposed by a Democratic member, Tom Chabin (D-LD2), it comes with a fiscal note.
...House Appropriations will meet on Wednesday at 1 p.m. in HHR1. The agenda is short, but colorful.
"Colorful" being a euphemism for "pretty damn ugly and having very little to do with 'appropriations'."
On the agenda -
- A presentation on "Potential State Parks Operating Concession Agreements". Aka - privatizing the operation of state parks.
- a striker to HB2177, relating to "prison bed utilization; cost savings." The text of the striker isn't available online as yet.
- HB2226, relating to "school districts; personnel decisions." Sounds innocuous, until one reads the details.
No teacher contracts that allow for compensated days off for "professional organization activities" (union work, like rallying at the Capitol in support of public education) or for using tenure or seniority as part of job retention decisions.
- HB2385, changing the way that schools calculate "average daily membership," or the number of students enrolled in a school. This number affects school expenditure limits and the amount of financial support is receives. Not sure exactly what the impact of the proposed changes will be, but as this proposal is from a Republican, the expectation is that it won't be beneficial for students or teachers.
- HCR2038, a proposed amendment to the state constitution to reduce the Governor's power to use a line-item veto on their appropriations bills. Yes, they are still ticked off about last summer's budget debacle where they tried to force the Governor to sign some really bad budget bills by sending them to her at the very last possible moment and adjourning sine die before she could veto them.
In what has turned out to be the Accidental Governor's only bright moment, she did so anyway, forcing a special session to be called. That one and the ones that followed it haven't worked out so well, but let's give her credit in one of the few places that she has earned it.
Across the quad at the Senate...
,,,Senate Appropriations will meet on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in SHR109. As with House Approps, this agenda is a colorful one.
With the same caveat about the meaning of "colorful" in this context.
On the agenda -
- SB1017, Russell Pearce's bill to grant his friend, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, independence from the fiscal oversight of the county board of supervisors.
- SB1019, Pearce's bill to create a "joint legislative committee on evidence based practices in government programs." "Evidence based" practices are those that have a history to fall back on in evaluating their effectiveness; under Pearce's scheme, nothing innovative would be allowed when working to determine the course of state, county, and local government programs.
- a striker to SB1108 relating to "state shared revenues" that isn't posted online as yet. I'm not the only one who has noticed this and is worried about it - Pearce has not bothered to hide his fervent desire to devastate cities and towns by cutting the amount of revenue that the state shares with them.
- SB1391 (with an amendment offered by the author, Russell Pearce) to direct the state Department of Administration to privatize criminal background checks (for child care workers, health care providers, etc.) The bill is so specific in its requirements for a company to do that activity that it seems to limit the possible awarding of a contract to a few, or even one, specific companies.
- SB1403, Pearce's scheme to allow his friend, County Attorney Andrew Thomas, to serve subpoenas related to gathering evidence for enforcement of Pearce's anti-immigrant employer sanctions law by certified mail, and other changes, easing the conduct of Pearce's Inquistion.
...Senate Finance will meet Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in SHR3. As with House Ways and Means, the agenda here is filled with tax-related proposals.
Most of the bills seek to lower taxes for specific groups, but the most egregious example of this sort of favoritism is Thayer Verschoor's SB1332. That one would completely exempt Arizona-based banks from the state's income tax.
*Banks*?!?!?
Yes, this "Thayer Verschoor" is the same "Thayer Verschoor" who is running for State Treasurer, and it looks like he may already be trolling for PAC campaign contributions.
This agenda (actually, all of them) is worthy of attention from people who are more expert in the area covered by it and who could pick up nuances that I've missed.
I'll cover the Judiciary committees as well as the rest later this afternoon...
This post will cover the money committees - Senate Appropriations and Finance and House Approps and House Ways and Means.
...House Ways and Means will meet on Monday at 2 p.m. in HHR1.
One potentially bad bill that is up for consideration is HB2505. This proposal from Rep. Rick Murphy (R-LD9) would mandate a change in the standards that are used to review and evaluate income tax credits. He wants to add the language "SHALL INCLUDE, TO THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE, A REVIEW OF THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE CREDIT USING DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OR OTHER TECHNIQUES THAT ESTIMATE THE TAXPAYER BEHAVIORAL CHANGES OR MODIFICATIONS IN PATTERNS OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITY."
"Dynamic analysis"? "...Estimate..."?
Sounds like "smoke and mirrors" and "guesswork" calculated to generate a desired result.
Other bills of interest -
- A striker to HB2515 that would change the way that the sales tax (aka "transaction privilege tax") is assessed on contractors. It seems to lower the tax, but there is no fiscal note for this one (a common characteristic for Republican-sponsored tax bills - they don't want Arizonans to know how much the R gifts to Big Business are costing Arizona).
- A striker to HCR2057 that would allow the lege to appropriate "non-custodial federal monies." In short, if this becomes law, the lege could sweep things like community block grants and spend the money where it wants to.
- HCR2061, redefining property tax limits and cutting property taxes as a result. No fiscal note attached.
- HB2597, mandating that any new TPT or use tax exemption or deduction created by the lege have a specific repeal date as part of the legislation creating it. As this measure was proposed by a Democratic member, Tom Chabin (D-LD2), it comes with a fiscal note.
...House Appropriations will meet on Wednesday at 1 p.m. in HHR1. The agenda is short, but colorful.
"Colorful" being a euphemism for "pretty damn ugly and having very little to do with 'appropriations'."
On the agenda -
- A presentation on "Potential State Parks Operating Concession Agreements". Aka - privatizing the operation of state parks.
- a striker to HB2177, relating to "prison bed utilization; cost savings." The text of the striker isn't available online as yet.
- HB2226, relating to "school districts; personnel decisions." Sounds innocuous, until one reads the details.
No teacher contracts that allow for compensated days off for "professional organization activities" (union work, like rallying at the Capitol in support of public education) or for using tenure or seniority as part of job retention decisions.
- HB2385, changing the way that schools calculate "average daily membership," or the number of students enrolled in a school. This number affects school expenditure limits and the amount of financial support is receives. Not sure exactly what the impact of the proposed changes will be, but as this proposal is from a Republican, the expectation is that it won't be beneficial for students or teachers.
- HCR2038, a proposed amendment to the state constitution to reduce the Governor's power to use a line-item veto on their appropriations bills. Yes, they are still ticked off about last summer's budget debacle where they tried to force the Governor to sign some really bad budget bills by sending them to her at the very last possible moment and adjourning sine die before she could veto them.
In what has turned out to be the Accidental Governor's only bright moment, she did so anyway, forcing a special session to be called. That one and the ones that followed it haven't worked out so well, but let's give her credit in one of the few places that she has earned it.
Across the quad at the Senate...
,,,Senate Appropriations will meet on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in SHR109. As with House Approps, this agenda is a colorful one.
With the same caveat about the meaning of "colorful" in this context.
On the agenda -
- SB1017, Russell Pearce's bill to grant his friend, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, independence from the fiscal oversight of the county board of supervisors.
- SB1019, Pearce's bill to create a "joint legislative committee on evidence based practices in government programs." "Evidence based" practices are those that have a history to fall back on in evaluating their effectiveness; under Pearce's scheme, nothing innovative would be allowed when working to determine the course of state, county, and local government programs.
- a striker to SB1108 relating to "state shared revenues" that isn't posted online as yet. I'm not the only one who has noticed this and is worried about it - Pearce has not bothered to hide his fervent desire to devastate cities and towns by cutting the amount of revenue that the state shares with them.
- SB1391 (with an amendment offered by the author, Russell Pearce) to direct the state Department of Administration to privatize criminal background checks (for child care workers, health care providers, etc.) The bill is so specific in its requirements for a company to do that activity that it seems to limit the possible awarding of a contract to a few, or even one, specific companies.
- SB1403, Pearce's scheme to allow his friend, County Attorney Andrew Thomas, to serve subpoenas related to gathering evidence for enforcement of Pearce's anti-immigrant employer sanctions law by certified mail, and other changes, easing the conduct of Pearce's Inquistion.
...Senate Finance will meet Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in SHR3. As with House Ways and Means, the agenda here is filled with tax-related proposals.
Most of the bills seek to lower taxes for specific groups, but the most egregious example of this sort of favoritism is Thayer Verschoor's SB1332. That one would completely exempt Arizona-based banks from the state's income tax.
*Banks*?!?!?
Yes, this "Thayer Verschoor" is the same "Thayer Verschoor" who is running for State Treasurer, and it looks like he may already be trolling for PAC campaign contributions.
This agenda (actually, all of them) is worthy of attention from people who are more expert in the area covered by it and who could pick up nuances that I've missed.
I'll cover the Judiciary committees as well as the rest later this afternoon...
Saturday, February 20, 2010
The Coming Week: Legislative Edition, chapter 1 - Education
Because of the number of committees meeting this week and the length of their agendas, this week's schedule post will be broken down by pairing like committees with each other.
For instance, tonight's post will cover both chambers' education committees.
As usual, all info gathered from the lege's website, except where noted, and subject to change without notice...
...The House Education committee will meet on Monday at 2 p.m. in HHR3. It's easy to tell that we are getting into the nitty gritty of the session - legislators are seeking to give bills that have died for lack of consideration in the form of "strike everything" amendment that transform unrelated bills into something more to their liking. This phenomenon is in evidence on Monday's agenda.
There is a striker for HB2413. The original proposal has to do with something called "digital curriculum institute." Once the bill is amended, it will have to do with "teacher evaluations." Both the original bill and the proposed amendment are from Rich Crandall (R-LD19).
Not to fear fans of "digital curriculum institute." Crandall has proposed a striker to HB2720 to direct ASU and the state Department of Education to create an "institute" to evaluate online coursework for grades K-12. The original bill had to do with "teacher certification; reciprocity; postsecondary credits."
Another striker being offered is to HB2722. The original bill would have disallowed the practice of charter schools counting certain non-state resident students when determining how much state aid that they are entitled to. The striker expands the restriction to all schoo districts, not just charter schools.
There is also a striker being offered for HB2724 that doesn't change the subject of the bill at all. It looks to create a "state board of directors for community colleges."
Finally, a striker to HB2521 will be offered to require that school superintendents' contracts provide for a compensation package that is at least 20% performance-based.
One striker that *won't* be offered is for HB2556, relating to schools and shrinking the Arizona Department of Education. This is a fairly comprehensive bill with some rather interesting clauses in it that make the bill worthy of further analysis (David Safier, you listening? :) )
One clearly good bill on the House agenda is HB2760, Representative Rae Waters' bill to ensure that school districts pay attention to school roofs during their preventative maintenance procedures. An elementary school in her district experienced a roof collapse last year. The House Dems' press release on the bill is here.
One potentially ugly bill could be HCR2050. It's a proposal from a rogues' gallery of Republicans (Crandall, Huppenthal, Driggs, McClain, Court, Ash, etc.) that seeks to "expand" First Things First, an initiative-mandated early childhood development program.
One with protected funding that legislators have been eyeing for years.
This bill, a proposed referendum, would mandate an expansion to cover programs that aren't "early childhood", add new programs, and require FTF to spend a certain amount of money every year.
In short, it looks like the lege's attempt to have FTF cover programs that the lege wants to cut out of the state's General Fund without seeming like the societal Scrooges that they are.
...The Senate's Education Accountability and Reform Committee will meet on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in SHR1. As with the House agenda, this one is dominated by strike-everything amendments. Unlike the House, however, most of these strikers aren't posted online yet.
There will be a striker offered for SB1121, relating to impact aid, and one offered to SB1160 relating to English Language Learners. Additionally, a striker will be offered for SB1404, relating to "ADE; product evaluation."
While none of those strikers are yet available online, the one that will be offered for SCR1032 *is* available online. It's a Russell Pearce special. This one would mandate that schools spend a certain percentage of their budgets on "classroom instruction."
The bad "straight up" bill (no striker attached) on this agenda is SB1097, an anti-Mexican kid measure that would require school districts to gather and report information on "non-citizen" students. In a surprise development, this bill is from Russell Pearce.
Oh wait - that isn't really exactly a surprise, is it?
...Posts for the rest of the committee schedules will be coming tomorrow...
For instance, tonight's post will cover both chambers' education committees.
As usual, all info gathered from the lege's website, except where noted, and subject to change without notice...
...The House Education committee will meet on Monday at 2 p.m. in HHR3. It's easy to tell that we are getting into the nitty gritty of the session - legislators are seeking to give bills that have died for lack of consideration in the form of "strike everything" amendment that transform unrelated bills into something more to their liking. This phenomenon is in evidence on Monday's agenda.
There is a striker for HB2413. The original proposal has to do with something called "digital curriculum institute." Once the bill is amended, it will have to do with "teacher evaluations." Both the original bill and the proposed amendment are from Rich Crandall (R-LD19).
Not to fear fans of "digital curriculum institute." Crandall has proposed a striker to HB2720 to direct ASU and the state Department of Education to create an "institute" to evaluate online coursework for grades K-12. The original bill had to do with "teacher certification; reciprocity; postsecondary credits."
Another striker being offered is to HB2722. The original bill would have disallowed the practice of charter schools counting certain non-state resident students when determining how much state aid that they are entitled to. The striker expands the restriction to all schoo districts, not just charter schools.
There is also a striker being offered for HB2724 that doesn't change the subject of the bill at all. It looks to create a "state board of directors for community colleges."
Finally, a striker to HB2521 will be offered to require that school superintendents' contracts provide for a compensation package that is at least 20% performance-based.
One striker that *won't* be offered is for HB2556, relating to schools and shrinking the Arizona Department of Education. This is a fairly comprehensive bill with some rather interesting clauses in it that make the bill worthy of further analysis (David Safier, you listening? :) )
One clearly good bill on the House agenda is HB2760, Representative Rae Waters' bill to ensure that school districts pay attention to school roofs during their preventative maintenance procedures. An elementary school in her district experienced a roof collapse last year. The House Dems' press release on the bill is here.
One potentially ugly bill could be HCR2050. It's a proposal from a rogues' gallery of Republicans (Crandall, Huppenthal, Driggs, McClain, Court, Ash, etc.) that seeks to "expand" First Things First, an initiative-mandated early childhood development program.
One with protected funding that legislators have been eyeing for years.
This bill, a proposed referendum, would mandate an expansion to cover programs that aren't "early childhood", add new programs, and require FTF to spend a certain amount of money every year.
In short, it looks like the lege's attempt to have FTF cover programs that the lege wants to cut out of the state's General Fund without seeming like the societal Scrooges that they are.
...The Senate's Education Accountability and Reform Committee will meet on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in SHR1. As with the House agenda, this one is dominated by strike-everything amendments. Unlike the House, however, most of these strikers aren't posted online yet.
There will be a striker offered for SB1121, relating to impact aid, and one offered to SB1160 relating to English Language Learners. Additionally, a striker will be offered for SB1404, relating to "ADE; product evaluation."
While none of those strikers are yet available online, the one that will be offered for SCR1032 *is* available online. It's a Russell Pearce special. This one would mandate that schools spend a certain percentage of their budgets on "classroom instruction."
The bad "straight up" bill (no striker attached) on this agenda is SB1097, an anti-Mexican kid measure that would require school districts to gather and report information on "non-citizen" students. In a surprise development, this bill is from Russell Pearce.
Oh wait - that isn't really exactly a surprise, is it?
...Posts for the rest of the committee schedules will be coming tomorrow...
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Early ballot time
There are March elections all over the state, and early ballots for those elections are hitting mail boxes now.
Some are regularly scheduled municipal elections (such as Tempe's), school override-related special elections {such as the Kyrene school district's), or a mixed-bag special election (such as Scottsdale's).
Since I live in Scottsdale, that election ballot is the one that showed up in my mail box.
That one has six questions on it - five related that changes to the City's charter and one proposing to raise the City's bed tax (hotel tax) and apportion the funds raised to tourism promotion efforts.
The election pamphlet is here.
The charter amendment questions look to be relatively harmless ones. The ones to watch will be the ones that come up for consideration in August. Those will contain the language changes written by The Orange Coalition/Goldwater Institute/Arizona American Water that seek, under the guise of "protecting private property rights," to make it practically impossible for the City to acquire any private property without the highly-overcompensated consent of the current owners of said private property.
However, that's a post for another time, perhaps once the proposed language is finalized.
Back to the current election...
Proposition 100 would change the method of calculating what constitutes a majority for the purposes of determining the winner of a general election. In municipal elections, there is generally an early general election and a run-off election. The run-off is held if a candidate doesn't get a majority during the first election, which is frequently the case when there are more than two candidates for a single office. The proposed change would change the standard from the number of ballots cast to the number of legal votes cast. It sounds like a small change, but the first standard allows for the inclusion of spoiled ballots in determining the total necessary for a majority. This can create a problem when there is a close election between two candidates and the vote total difference between the two candidates is small and the number of spoiled ballots pushes the number of "ballots cast" high enough that neither candidate gains a "majority."
It actually happened in Scottsdale's mayoral election in 2008 between incumbent Mary Manross and eventual winner Jim Lane. The second election didn't make a difference in the outcome.
Proposition 101 would remove the need for a general (first) election for offices for which only two candidates are on the ballot.
Proposition 102 would change the names of the City's general (first) election and run-off (second) election to "primary" (first) and "general" (second).
Proposition 103 would change the notice requirements for an election to whatever the requirements are under state law, however those may change.
Proposition 104 would specify that any referendum/initiative questions that are approved by the voters but that conflict with the charter would not be enacted until the charter has been changed.
Proposition 200 would raise the City's bed tax and earmark the revenue for tourism-development activities.
My take: the first four propositions look like harmless housekeeping measures and I will have no problem voting "yes" on them. Prop 104 looks like it may be a way to inhibit the electorate's ability to override some of the changes that will be proposed for ballot consideration later in the year. I'm not sure how I will vote on that one.
However, the one that I am really not sure of is the bed tax. In a year when services and schools are being slashed all over the state, including in Scottsdale, and voters everywhere are being asked to approve levies to mitigate some of those cuts, this proposal is for a tax that directly benefits big businesses, not Arizona's residents.
Yes, this tax increase would be paid for by tourists, but I'm not sure that taxing outsiders because we have been shortsighted for decades is fair.
On the other hand, tourism is a big part of Scottsdale's economy.
I'm really not sure how I will vote on this one.
Later...
Some are regularly scheduled municipal elections (such as Tempe's), school override-related special elections {such as the Kyrene school district's), or a mixed-bag special election (such as Scottsdale's).
Since I live in Scottsdale, that election ballot is the one that showed up in my mail box.
That one has six questions on it - five related that changes to the City's charter and one proposing to raise the City's bed tax (hotel tax) and apportion the funds raised to tourism promotion efforts.
The election pamphlet is here.
The charter amendment questions look to be relatively harmless ones. The ones to watch will be the ones that come up for consideration in August. Those will contain the language changes written by The Orange Coalition/Goldwater Institute/Arizona American Water that seek, under the guise of "protecting private property rights," to make it practically impossible for the City to acquire any private property without the highly-overcompensated consent of the current owners of said private property.
However, that's a post for another time, perhaps once the proposed language is finalized.
Back to the current election...
Proposition 100 would change the method of calculating what constitutes a majority for the purposes of determining the winner of a general election. In municipal elections, there is generally an early general election and a run-off election. The run-off is held if a candidate doesn't get a majority during the first election, which is frequently the case when there are more than two candidates for a single office. The proposed change would change the standard from the number of ballots cast to the number of legal votes cast. It sounds like a small change, but the first standard allows for the inclusion of spoiled ballots in determining the total necessary for a majority. This can create a problem when there is a close election between two candidates and the vote total difference between the two candidates is small and the number of spoiled ballots pushes the number of "ballots cast" high enough that neither candidate gains a "majority."
It actually happened in Scottsdale's mayoral election in 2008 between incumbent Mary Manross and eventual winner Jim Lane. The second election didn't make a difference in the outcome.
Proposition 101 would remove the need for a general (first) election for offices for which only two candidates are on the ballot.
Proposition 102 would change the names of the City's general (first) election and run-off (second) election to "primary" (first) and "general" (second).
Proposition 103 would change the notice requirements for an election to whatever the requirements are under state law, however those may change.
Proposition 104 would specify that any referendum/initiative questions that are approved by the voters but that conflict with the charter would not be enacted until the charter has been changed.
Proposition 200 would raise the City's bed tax and earmark the revenue for tourism-development activities.
My take: the first four propositions look like harmless housekeeping measures and I will have no problem voting "yes" on them. Prop 104 looks like it may be a way to inhibit the electorate's ability to override some of the changes that will be proposed for ballot consideration later in the year. I'm not sure how I will vote on that one.
However, the one that I am really not sure of is the bed tax. In a year when services and schools are being slashed all over the state, including in Scottsdale, and voters everywhere are being asked to approve levies to mitigate some of those cuts, this proposal is for a tax that directly benefits big businesses, not Arizona's residents.
Yes, this tax increase would be paid for by tourists, but I'm not sure that taxing outsiders because we have been shortsighted for decades is fair.
On the other hand, tourism is a big part of Scottsdale's economy.
I'm really not sure how I will vote on this one.
Later...
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