Brewer turns the revolving door between lobbying firms and her staff into an open door

The Washington Post published a story this past week detailing a study that documents the revolving door between Capitol Hill staff rosters and lobbying firm staff rosters.  According to the study, nearly 5400 Congressional staffers have moved to lobbying firms in the last decade.

I thought about commenting about the study, and perhaps I'm getting a little too jaded after doing this for more than five years, but I figured this was basically just adding numbers to something most observers already knew.

D.C.'s political subculture can be somewhat insular, even incestuous, with the denizens of that subculture often not leaving the city when political winds change (as they did in 2006 and 2010).  They just change job titles.

Turns out that the same thing is true in Arizona, as a couple of press releases from Jan Brewer this week illustrate.

First, she appointed one Jay Heiler to the Arizona Board of Regents.

From the press release (emphasis mine) -

Mr. Heiler has been a high-profile leader in Arizona public policy for more than two decades. He served in a series of leadership roles, including Chief of Staff, under former Governor Fife Symington. Earlier, Mr.Heiler was Assistant Attorney General under Arizona Attorney General Bob Corbin. Since leaving public service in 1997, Mr. Heiler has worked as a political consultant in public affairs and strategic communications. His clients have included corporate, government and non-profit interests.

Heiler is known for his radical homophobia and bigoted spoutings, but this post isn't about that (I'll leave that to folks who can write more eloquently on those topics than me).

Nope.  It's about Heiler being an active lobbyist.

From the AZ Secretary of State's website -

Brewer followed up the appointment of one lobbyist with an announcement of changes in her senior staff.

From that press release -

Scott Smith, Director of the Arizona Department of Administration, has been named Deputy Chief of Staff. The announcement marks a return to the Governor‟s Office for Mr. Smith, who previously served Governor Brewer as Director of Legislative Affairs and Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative Affairs. In his new role, Mr. Smith – along with Chief of Staff Eileen Klein – will oversee day-to-day operations of the Governor‟s Office and executive agencies. He will maintain his current duties managing ADOA.


Page Gonzales has been named Director of Policy for the Governor‟s Office. Ms. Gonzales, who currently serves as Deputy Policy Director, will take the place of Richard Bark. Mr. Bark, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, has announced his resignation after nearly three years of loyal service to Governor Brewer. Mr. Bark will be joining Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold as Director of Government Relations and Environmental Counsel. His resignation is effective October 3, 2011.

Also departing the Governor‟s Office is Brian McNeil, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. Mr. McNeil has been a trusted advisor to Governor Brewer since she took office, and played a critical role in building the administration. He will be joining Public Policy Partners. Mr. McNeil‟s resignation is effective September 27, 2011.

For those who aren't political geeks, a job title like "Director of Government Relations" is actually a euphemism for "Chief Lobbyist."
 
Public Policy Partners is one of the most active lobbying firms in Arizona.
 
BTW, I may be getting more cynical than ever, but...
 
...Last month, Jan Brewer took a closed-door meeting with a mining company that is looking to mine copper in the Florence area by pumping acid into the groundwater there.  The company, Curis Resources, is relatively small by industry standards, and is ripe for a takeover, according to some industry analysts.
 
...This month, one of her senior staffers moves to a copper mining conglomerate. 
 
Hmmm...
 
And none of this even begins to cover the influence of uber-lobbyist Chuck Coughlin on the Brewer Administration.

Upcoming meetings...

For what is normally a relatively quiet time of the year in AZ politics, there sure are some interesting meetings coming up...OK, two or three interesting meetings, and interesting mostly if you're a political geek.  :)

...The Ethics Committee of the Arizona Senate will meet Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. in SHR1 to discuss Sen. Scott Bundgaard's situation.

...The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) hasn't officially announced any meetings this week as yet, but they have tentatively scheduled meetings in Casa Grande for Thursday and Friday.

Edit to add:  According to a message from Steve at Arizona Eagletarian, it looks as if the meetings will actually be held at the Wild Horse Pass Resort just south of Chandler.  If you plan on attending one or both meetings, check with the AIRC to confirm the location (though Steve is pretty dialed in on redistricting - if he says "Wild Horse Pass", it's almost certainly going to be Wild Horse Pass).


End edit.

...The Joint Legislative Study Committee on Outcome-Based Education Funding will meet on Friday at 10 a.m. in HHR3.  The co-chairs of the committee are Sen. Sylvia Allen and Rep. Chester Crandell.  Neither is known as a staunch advocate for (or even *of*) education.  This seems like an exercise in legislative Republicans looking for ever more creative ways to justify defunding public education, but perhaps I'm just being cynical. 

...The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) has two special open meeting scheduled for this week.  On Monday, they'll be meeting at 2 p.m. to solicit and accept public comment on proposed amendments to some pipeline safety rules; on Friday, Commissioner Paul Newman will be holding a workshop/information session on trends and developments in solar power.

Both meetings will be held at the ACC's offices in Phoenix.

...The Scottsdale City Council will meet Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the City Hall Kiva.  Scottsdale's Community Meeting notice is here.

...The Tempe City Council will meet Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers.  Tempe's Council Calendar is here.

Committees update - local edition

As there haven't been any significant entries into legislative, Congressional, Maricopa County, or statewide races, this post will be limited to developments in Scottsdale and Tempe.  OK, mostly in Tempe. :)

...In Scottsdale, so far only Mayor Jim Lane has formed a 2012 committee, something he did at the beginning of the year.  However, that should change soon - as reported in the Arizona Republic, interested Scottsdale residents can pick up candidate packets for a run at a spot on the city council (three seats up for election) or for the mayor's job.

Details are available from the Scottsdale City Clerk's office and/or on the City's elections homepage.


...Some movement on the candidate front has taken place in Tempe.

Restaurateur Michael Monti has jumped into the race for mayor, joining City Councilman Mark Mitchell in pursuit of the job.  More may yet enter, but those two are expected to be the headliners in the race.

Unless a bigger name gets into the race :) .

In city council candidate news, Dick Foreman, a lobbyist for Southwest Gas, has entered the race for a council spot.

A relatively new, but apparently well-connected, blog named Tempe Thoughts is reporting that Anglia Thornton, Steve May, Linda Spears, and AJ Lafaro have pulled candidate packets for potential runs next year.  They haven't officially formed election committees yet, but the report is accurate, they've taken the first step.

A very brief run down -

I'm not familiar with all the personalities on the Tempe political scene, but "Anglia Thornton" may actually be "Angela Thornton", currently president of East Valley Women's League.  If I'm wrong about that, I'll update this post.

Steve May is a former state legislator and was briefly a candidate for state rep in LD17 last year, until details of his involvement in the scheme to recruit homeless people to run as fake Green Party candidates emerged.

Linda Spears in a former member of the city council and long-time community activist in Tempe.  It remains to be seen if she is looking for another term on the council or is running for mayor this time around.  There is enough respect for her in Tempe that she will be a factor in whichever race she goes for.

AJ Lafaro is the current chair of the LD17 Republican Party and has been active in Tempe politics for a while.  In 2001, he headed the effort to recall then-Tempe Mayor Neil Giuliano (expect that name to pop up in a "committees update" post sometime this cycle), apparently mostly because Giuliano is openly gay.

As both Lafaro and May are active Republicans, they'll probably work together for a while.

As May, like Giuliano, is openly gay, I don't expect that "a while" will encompass the entire election cycle.

Note: Tempe is on a March/May* election schedule;  Scottsdale is on an August/November* schedule.

* = if necessary

More updates as they become available...

Schapira honored by education advocacy group

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

From their announcement -

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

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

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

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

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

Find out more about Sen. Schapira here.

Since when is bloodlust a legitimate political platform in a civil society?

I didn't think that Tea-publicans could top themselves/sink lower after the moment when they when they cheered the idea of executing people last week, but they found a way.

Video from Monday night's Tea Party debate, courtesy CNN -

 
Cheering the idea of letting the uninsured die?
 
Apparently, tea party types check their souls at the door when they get together.
 

The AZ Senate Ethics Committee To Consider Bundgaard Matter Tuesday*

* = if they achieve a quorum, and enough "yes" votes show up.  More on that in a moment.

The Senate Ethics Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. in Senate Hearing Room 1 (SHR1).  They'll be considering action against Sen. Scott Bundgaard.  In February, Bundgaard was involved in a "domestic violence incident" (he assaulted his then-girlfriend by the side of a Phoenix freeway, used his status as a sitting legislator to avoid arrest at the time, and was sentenced to little more than a slap on the wrist last month.  He hit his girlfriend harder than the court hit him (metaphorically).

After the disposition of the criminal case, Sen. Steve Gallardo filed an ethics complaint against Bundgaard, and that is what the committee will consider tomorrow...if the meeting happens at all...and if enough committee members who support an ethics investigation show up...

...however, the Arizona Capitol Times is reporting (subscription required) that Senate Democratic leader David Schapira (LD17) will be out of town and cannot attend the meeting.

The committee has five members, three Republicans and two Democrats.  The committee chair, Republican Ron Gould, has been openly critical of Bundgaard and was expected to vote with the two Democrats to continue an ethics investigation.  Now it looks like that it will be a 2 - 2 split, at best.

Stay tuned...

...In other legislative news, Daniel Scarpinato, the press secretary/spokesman for the House Republican caucus, is taking a leave of absence from that position in order to take a similar position with the campaign of Phoenix mayor hopeful Wes Gullett. (h/t to Mary Jo Pitzl of the Arizona Republic)

This isn't Scarpinato's first foray into electoral politics - before taking the communications job with the House Republicans, he was the communications person for the Congressional campaign of former state senator Jonathan Paton.  Before that, he wrote love letters to the Republicans masquerading as news stories for the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson.

Speculation on my part:  Look for Scarpinato to move on, whether to Phoenix City Hall (if Gullett wins his race) or to another campaign after this one.  He was hired at the House by former speaker Kirk Adams, and new House speaker Andy Tobin may want his own guy in the job.

Plus, Adams is running for Congress. 

Caveat:  I'm not exactly on the speed dials of either Tobin or Scarpinato (I know, their loss :) ), so I could have a completely incorrect reading on the dynamic involved.

Later...

This certainly explains why Sen. Lori Klein isn't facing charges...

From the Arizona Republic's Political Insider on Sunday -

Gunning for the GOP . . . Sen. Lori Klein can add a new line to her resume. No, it's not gun-safety instructor, but party-fundraiser extraordinaire.

"Extraordinaire" as in it's not often you see a lawmaker getting paid to help raise money for herself and her political brethren.

But Klein, who runs a fundraising-consulting firm, said she is offering her services to the Arizona GOP at a discounted rate, which she wouldn't disclose.

For those with short memories, or who just don't follow such things, two months ago, Klein aimed a gun at a reporter in the members lounge of the state senate building.  Even though possession of a weapon in a public building is a misdemeanor and aiming it at someone is a whole lot more than a misdemeanor, she has yet to stand up in court to defend her actions.  It doesn't look like she will have to, either.

Tenth Anniversary: Tempe Healing Field

Just a few pics...


Dawn over the Healing Field in Tempe, AZ

The Healing Field

Corey Woods, Tempe City Councilman, speaking

Mark Mitchell, Tempe City Councilman, speaking

A volunteer reading the names of some of the fallen

Random cloud shot.  I just liked it.

A couple walking among the flags

As heartbreaking as this all is, some are a little more heartbreaking - flags marked by yellow ribbons are memorials for fallen first responders; flags marked by military boots are memorials for fallen active duty servicemen and women - these are the toughest.  Flags marked by teddy bears memorialize children who died in the event of September 11, 2001.

Republican strategy for controlling the redistricting process: misinformation, lies, and outright intimidation

Once it became clear that the current edition of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) was actually *independent*, unlike the first version set up after the 2000 census, Arizona Republicans have pulled out all the stops in a desperate attempt to gain control the independent redistricting process.

A good summary of recent events from the NY Times' Marc Lacey is here.

Over the summer, they tried to flood AIRC meetings with "grassroots" tea party types who blustered and shouted and whined and threatened and more in an effort to bully the AIRC into submission.  Just about all that the effort accomplished was to inspire an increased law enforcement presence at the AIRC's meetings and hearings.

As summer turns into fall (though fall in AZ is hotter than the hottest part of summer pretty much anywhere else in the US), the Republicans are turning to less subtle schemes (not that mobs of tea party types are exactly "subtle" ).

This past week, AZ Attorney General, Republican Tom Horne filed a motion in Maricopa County Superior Court to compel the Independent chair and the two Democratic members of the AIRC to cooperate with his "investigation" of the commission.

Horne has touted the testimony of the two Republican members of the commission as the basis of his investigation.

This past week, he made an appearance on PBS' Horizon program and began to make the rounds of Republican clubs and organizations to publicize his part in the attacks on the AIRC.  His move to publicly assail the AIRC seem calculated to both intimidate the AIRC and to bolster his 2014 bid for governor.

Thursday night, Horne "briefed" the LD8 Republicans at their monthly meeting in the auditorium of the Civic Center branch of the Scottsdale Public Library.

Not having met my BS quota for the week even after watching the R presidential debate Wednesday, I decided to attend the meeting.

State Sen. Michele Reagan at the LD8 Republican meeting, September 8, 2011

 Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne at the meeting of the LD8 Republicans, September 8, 2011

Quota met, and not just from Horne.

When Horne wasn't dog whistling for his base (trashing the Tucson school district's ethnic studies program or repeatedly justifying non-enforcement of civil rights laws with "it's not a crime to not speak Spanish!"), he was puffing up himself on the basis of his use of his office to distract and undermine the AIRC.

His talk was basically a rehash of the talking points he spouted on Horizon ("Terry Goddard is trying to intimidate me!"), but state Sen. Michelle Reagan (R-LD8) was a revelation.

She looked her constituents straight in the eye and lied to them about the redistricting process.

She stated that the recently released grid maps were crafted to create competitive districts, when in fact, they were designed solely based on population.

She stated that the AIRC "was out to destroy" LD8 because it is so overwhelmingly Republican, when in fact, I've never heard the AIRC say anything about any current individual district.

She stated that the Democrats were "giddy" and "in cahoots" with the AIRC, when in fact...oh wait - she used the word "cahoots"?  Is Reagan a 21st century elected official, or an extra from a 1940s B Western?

She then used the lies as the foundation of her appeal to the audience.  She wanted them to submit comments to the AIRC in support of protecting "communities of interest."

For some reason, I don't think she is interested in protecting south Phoenix or Guadalupe. :)

Then on Friday, Republican blogger/custom press release writer Greg Patterson put up a post at his blog, Espresso Pundit.  While the post is one that, on the surface, appears to criticize

There aren't many lies of commission in it, but it's loaded with misinformation and lies of omission.

Among the things that he states is that the current districts were drawn by the first incarnation of the AIRC, which is true.

As far as it goes.

What he doesn't say (the "lie of omission" part) is that the first AIRC wasn't truly independent.  The "independent" chair was widely known to be a Republican in everything but registration and one of the Democratic members was there solely to protect then-state senator Jack Brown in the northeastern part of the state.  Once that goal was met, that particular member went along with pretty much anything the Republicans wanted.

There it is - the grand Republican scheme for gaining control of the redistricting process.

The most dangerous part of the scheme is Horne's use of his office for partisan gain.

The thing is, it doesn't just endanger the AIRC or the state.

Tom Horne is basing his "investigation" on the testimony of one of the Republican members of the AIRC who has some serious problems when it comes to telling "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."

Between things like that and his blatant misuse of the office, he could be setting himself up to be the first AG in Arizona history to be disbarred while in office.

One other observation from Thursday's meeting:

Horne boasted about how he promised to "strictly enforce all laws" during his campaign for Attorney General last year and that he has done so. 

However, he made no mention of an investigation into the AIRC application of Rick Stertz, the truth-averse appointee of Senate President Russell Pearce.

In Horne's defense, perhaps what he really meant to promise was to strictly enforce all laws against non-whites, non-rich, and/or non-politically connected Arizonans.

First declared candidate for mayor in Tempe: Mark Mitchell

In a development that really wasn't very surprising, Tempe City Councilman Mark Mitchell has entered the race for mayor of Tempe.

From the Arizona Republic, written by Dianna Nanez -

Longtime councilman Mark Mitchell told The Arizona Republic today that he will run for mayor next year.

Mitchell's father, Democratic political icon Harry Mitchell, will stand by his side when he makes a formal announcement Wednesday night at a Tempe gathering.

Rather than shy away from the shadow that his father's extensive political career will cast on his run, Mitchell said he is embracing the values, worth ethic and love of Tempe he shares with his dad.

Mark Mitchell is nearing the end of his third term as a member of Tempe's city council.  While many considered him to be a possible candidate for mayor next year, his candidacy was made all-but-inevitable when the incumbment mayor, Hugh Hallman, decided not to run for reelection next year (rumors are that Hallman will run for Congress next year, or for statewide office in 2014).

Mark is a lifelong Tempean, growing up in Tempe, attending Tempe schools and ASU, and is an executive with a Tempe business.

Mitchell's campaign website is here.

Stayed tuned for more updates as they become available.

I'm beginning to believe that Arizona's Republican lawmakers really *don't* understand the rule of law...

For the longest time, I thought that the lies and disinformation spouted by the Rs concerning AIRC were just that, lies and disinformation, and calculated to both rouse their base and to inoculate themselves from blame for not properly preparing for the redistricting process.


I thought that while many members of their base were ignorant of the provisions in the AZ Constitution (and that's not a partisan shot - most people are unfamiliar with most of the specifics in the state's constitution), the electeds spouting off actually knew the truth, they just chose to ignore it for political purposes.


Turns out I may have been in error.

From the Facebook page of Rep. Terri Proud (R-LD26) -

Check out the comment from Rep. Brenda Barton (R-LD5) regarding the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (highlighted in yellow above) -

Commissioner Herrera is not qualified to sit on this Board. This IRC is a violation of the Arizona Constitution in which we are guaranteed a '..republican form of government'

Ummm....yeah.



From the Article Four, Part Two, Section One of the Arizona *Constitution* -

(3) By February 28 of each year that ends in one, an independent redistricting commission shall be established to provide for the redistricting of congressional and state legislative districts. The independent redistricting commission shall consist of five members. No more than two members of the independent redistricting commission shall be members of the same political party. Of the first four members appointed, no more than two shall reside in the same county. Each member shall be a registered Arizona voter who has been continuously registered with the same political party or registered as unaffiliated with a political party for three or more years immediately preceding appointment, who is committed to applying the provisions of this section in an honest, independent and impartial fashion and to upholding public confidence in the integrity of the redistricting process. Within the three years previous to appointment, members shall not have been appointed to, elected to, or a candidate for any other public office, including precinct committeeman or committeewoman but not including school board member or officer, and shall not have served as an officer of a political party, or served as a registered paid lobbyist or as an officer of a candidate's campaign committee.

(4) The commission on appellate court appointments shall nominate candidates for appointment to the independent redistricting commission, except that, if a politically balanced commission exists whose members are nominated by the commission on appellate court appointments and whose regular duties relate to the elective process, the commission on appellate court appointments may delegate to such existing commission (hereinafter called the commission on appellate court appointments' designee) the duty of nominating members for the independent redistricting commission, and all other duties assigned to the commission on appellate court appointments in this section.

(5) By January 8 of years ending in one, the commission on appellate court appointments or its designee shall establish a pool of persons who are willing to serve on and are qualified for appointment to the independent redistricting commission. The pool of candidates shall consist of twenty-five nominees, with ten nominees from each of the two largest political parties in Arizona based on party registration, and five who are not registered with either of the two largest political parties in Arizona.

(6) Appointments to the independent redistricting commission shall be made in the order set forth below. No later than January 31 of years ending in one, the highest ranking officer elected by the Arizona house of representatives shall make one appointment to the independent redistricting commission from the pool of nominees, followed by one appointment from the pool made in turn by each of the following: the minority party leader of the Arizona house of representatives, the highest ranking officer elected by the Arizona senate, and the minority party leader of the Arizona senate. Each such official shall have a seven-day period in which to make an appointment. Any official who fails to make an appointment within the specified time period will forfeit the appointment privilege. In the event that there are two or more minority parties within the house or the senate, the leader of the largest minority party by statewide party registration shall make the appointment.

(7) Any vacancy in the above four independent redistricting commission positions remaining as of March 1 of a year ending in one shall be filled from the pool of nominees by the commission on appellate court appointments or its designee. The appointing body shall strive for political balance and fairness.

(8) At a meeting called by the secretary of state, the four independent redistricting commission members shall select by majority vote from the nomination pool a fifth member who shall not be registered with any party already represented on the independent redistricting commission and who shall serve as chair. If the four commissioners fail to appoint a fifth member within fifteen days, the commission on appellate court appointments or its designee, striving for political balance and fairness, shall appoint a fifth member from the nomination pool, who shall serve as chair.

(9) The five commissioners shall then select by majority vote one of their members to serve as vice-chair.

(10) After having been served written notice and provided with an opportunity for a response, a member of the independent redistricting commission may be removed by the governor, with the concurrence of two-thirds of the senate, for substantial neglect of duty, gross misconduct in office, or inability to discharge the duties of office.

(11) If a commissioner or chair does not complete the term of office for any reason, the commission on appellate court appointments or its designee shall nominate a pool of three candidates within the first thirty days after the vacancy occurs. The nominees shall be of the same political party or status as was the member who vacated the office at the time of his or her appointment, and the appointment other than the chair shall be made by the current holder of the office designated to make the original appointment. The appointment of a new chair shall be made by the remaining commissioners. If the appointment of a replacement commissioner or chair is not made within fourteen days following the presentation of the nominees, the commission on appellate court appointments or its designee shall make the appointment, striving for political balance and fairness. The newly appointed commissioner shall serve out the remainder of the original term.

(12) Three commissioners, including the chair or vice-chair, constitute a quorum. Three or more affirmative votes are required for any official action. Where a quorum is present, the independent redistricting commission shall conduct business in meetings open to the public, with 48 or more hours public notice provided.

(13) A commissioner, during the commissioner's term of office and for three years thereafter, shall be ineligible for Arizona public office or for registration as a paid lobbyist.

(14) The independent redistricting commission shall establish congressional and legislative districts. The commencement of the mapping process for both the congressional and legislative districts shall be the creation of districts of equal population in a grid-like pattern across the state. Adjustments to the grid shall then be made as necessary to accommodate the goals as set forth below:

A. Districts shall comply with the United States Constitution and the United States voting rights act;

B. Congressional districts shall have equal population to the extent practicable, and state legislative districts shall have equal population to the extent practicable;

C. Districts shall be geographically compact and contiguous to the extent practicable;

D. District boundaries shall respect communities of interest to the extent practicable;

E. To the extent practicable, district lines shall use visible geographic features, city, town and county boundaries, and undivided census tracts.

F. To the extent practicable, competitive districts should be favored where to do so would create no significant detriment to the other goals.

(15) Party registration and voting history data shall be excluded from the initial phase of the mapping process but may be used to test maps for compliance with the above goals. The places of residence of incumbents or candidates shall not be identified or considered.

(16) The independent redistricting commission shall advertise a draft map of congressional districts and a draft map of legislative districts to the public for comment, which comment shall be taken for at least thirty days. Either or both bodies of the legislature may act within this period to make recommendations to the independent redistricting commission by memorial or by minority report, which recommendations shall be considered by the independent redistricting commission. The independent redistricting commission shall then establish final district boundaries.

(17) The provisions regarding this section are self-executing. The independent redistricting commission shall certify to the secretary of state the establishment of congressional and legislative districts.

(18) Upon approval of this amendment, the department of administration or its successor shall make adequate office space available for the independent redistricting commission. The treasurer of the state shall make $6,000,000 available for the work of the independent redistricting commission pursuant to the year 2000 census. Unused monies shall be returned to the state's general fund. In years ending in eight or nine after the year 2001, the department of administration or its successor shall submit to the legislature a recommendation for an appropriation for adequate redistricting expenses and shall make available adequate office space for the operation of the independent redistricting commission. The legislature shall make the necessary appropriations by a majority vote.

(19) The independent redistricting commission, with fiscal oversight from the department of administration or its successor, shall have procurement and contracting authority and may hire staff and consultants for the purposes of this section, including legal representation.

(20) The independent redistricting commission shall have standing in legal actions regarding the redistricting plan and the adequacy of resources provided for the operation of the independent redistricting commission. The independent redistricting commission shall have sole authority to determine whether the Arizona attorney general or counsel hired or selected by the independent redistricting commission shall represent the people of Arizona in the legal defense of a redistricting plan. 

To Reps. Barton and Proud, and Sen. Antenori and the rest of the Republican legislators who have been attacking the AIRC:


I realize that Arizona prides itself on having "citizen legislators" and you and your colleagues certainly qualify as that.

However, that doesn't serve as an excuse for being "ignorant legislators."

There is more to being elected officials than pronouncing that anything you aren't pleased with as "illegal" or "unconstitutional."

The voters spoke clearly and spoke loudly in 2000 when they created the independent redistricting process.

They want a political process that is less about elected officials serving themselves and more about elected officials serving the public.

You may not agree with the will of the voters, but you freely chose to work for the voters and their will is the law of the land, and more specifically, that will and that law covers the way you and your colleagues obtain, perform, and retain your jobs.

And if you think that the independent redistricting process takes away too much of your fun, just wait until we take on ethics and corruption provisions.

Brewer's Commerce Authority has barely started, but it is already wasting hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars...

The Arizona Commerce Authority, created by Governor Jan Brewer to replace the state's Commerce Department, was touted as a "public/private partnership" dedicated to bringing economic growth back to Arizona, and with it, jobs for all Arizonans.

The Commerce Department, with its trained and experienced professionals, was deemed to be a failure because of the cratering of Arizona economy.

The Commerce Authority is made up of corporate CEOs and bigwigs.  The line of BS spouted in support of thinking behind the change was that the CEOs "spoke the same language" as their counterparts in other parts of the country and could convince them to bring operations to Arizona.

While some (like me!) were skeptical of the group's likelihood of success, it turns out that Commerce Authority has benefitted Arizonans.

Well, at least a few Arizonans, like those associated with the Commerce Authority.

From the Phoenix Business Journal, written by Mike Sunnucks -

...The Commerce Authority had its first official board meeting Tuesday and was successful in creating one high-wage job. The ACA board approved a $300,000 salary, $50,000 signing bonus and a vehicle allowance for new CEO Don Cardon.

Cardon was Brewer’s guy at the Department of Commerce before it got a private label and board. He made $183,000 as Commerce director, according to the Associated Press.

So Cardon, who was a failure as a political hack ("Brewer's guy") heading a publicly-funded government department, is now worthy of a huge pay raise as head of a publicly-funded "partnership?  Niiiice....

That story was followed by more news of how the new Commerce Authority is spending the public's money for the benefit of the public

Also from the Phoenix Business Journal, also written by Mike Sunnucks -

The Arizona Commerce Authority is moving into new private offices in downtown Phoenix and will pay $40,000 per month in rent and utilities to lease space at the Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold.

That translates into $480,000 per year.

Not that I'm saying that there is a "cause and effect" relationship here (OK, that might be something of a fib :) ), but it's a rather interesting development in light of the fact that one of the directors of the Commerce Authority is Richard Adkerson, president and CEO of, you guessed it, Freeport McMoran.

So the state that doesn't have enough money to adequately fund education...or infrastructure maintenance and improvements...or health care for Arizona's most vulnerable citizens...or anything that even hints of being part of a social safety net has plenty of money available to funnel some to political hacks and cronies?

The "Recall Brewer" effort may have flamed out, but it seems that the problem was more a matter of timing than appropriateness. 

And before somebody starts whining that "policy differences" aren't grounds for recall, this isn't about policy differences. 

It's about abuse of office and misuse of public funds.

Pics from Saturday's meeting of the Redistricting Commission

...The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) met Saturday in Tempe.  It was a relatively low-key meeting, with perhaps two dozen people in attendance (not a surprising number given that this is a holiday weekend).  Tea party types showed up but were only mildly threatening and obnoxious.  Steve at Arizona Eagletarian was there today and will do a full write up soon.

A few pics...

Commissioner Linda McNulty and AIRC Chair Colleen Mathis listen intently during a presentation from Strategic Telemetry, the AIRC's mapping consultant.  Commissioner Scott Freeman almost made it into the left side of the frame.  :)

State Rep. John Kavanagh and Willie Desmond of Strategic Telemetry talk during a break in the meeting.

Mohur Sidwa of Pima County speaking about the issue of prisons being used to increase the political influence of areas with prisoners and to reduce the political influence of areas that the prisoners are from.  She's a wise woman.  OK - she likes the works of Isaac Asimov as much as I do.  :)

Wes Harris, a Phoenix tea party type.  In addition to harangueing the AIRC, he tended to play a little fast and loose with the facts.  Harris: 68% of the people in Arizona live in Maricopa County.  US Census Bureau: 59.7%, and the percentage is shrinking.

Redistricting commission meeting in Tempe on Saturday

Apologies for the short notice, but I didn't notice the agenda posting until Friday.

The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) has scheduled a meeting for Saturday, September 3 (tomorrow as I write this) in Tempe.

Pertinent info:

Date:  September 3, 2011



Time:  1:30 p.m.
 
Place:  Fiesta Resort (Galleria Ballroom), 2100 S. Priest Dr., Tempe, AZ 85282
 
Agenda: here
 
 
The Fiesta Resort is located on the SW corner of Priest and Broadway in Tempe. 
 
- From Tucson or Phoenix or other points of interest in the state, take I-10 to Broadway and follow Broadway east to Priest Drive.
 
- From the East Valley, take US60 west to Priest and follow Priest north to Broadway.
 
- From Scottdale and other parts of the northeast Valley, take Loop 101 south to Loop 202.  Follow Loop 202 west to Priest.  Follow Priest south to Broadway.

The Pima GOP gun raffle: just some good ol' boys dancing on a few graves

Just when you think that Arizona's Republicans can't get any more tone deaf or shameless, they find new ways to embarrass the state.

From the Pima County Republican Party's August newsletter -

HELP PIMA GOP GET OUT THE VOTE AND MAYBE HELP YOURSELF TO A NEW GLOCK .45

Get yourself a new Glock 23 .40 cal handgun for just 10 bucks - if your name is drawn.  That's right, for just 10 dollars this gun could be yours.  TIckets will be for sale at your Pima GOP Headquarters, 5447 E. 5th Street, suite 100, from 9 AM to 5 PM Monday thru Friday.  You can also purchase tickets at Pima GOP events.

Pic of the newsletter's blurb courtesy Blog for Arizona

For those with short memories, Pima County was the location of January's mass shooting by Jared Loughner.  Loughner used another Glock to kill six people and wound 13 others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

The Pima GOP's scheme has raised a furor.

From Rep. Chad Campbell, Democratic leader in the Arizona House of Representatives (full statement here) -

“I am gun owner myself, a supporter of the Second Amendment and I also believe in common sense. Their raffle is not common sense; it is sick, and the Pima County GOP should call off the raffle in respect for the Arizonans who died and were injured in the Tucson shooting.

From Brian Miller, the recently ousted chair of the Pima GOP (full story here) -

"There's a woman who has a bullet in the brain and who everybody is wishing a full recovery," Brian Miller, the immediate past chair of the Pima County GOP told TPM. "I don't think that raffling off a firearm right now is probably the right way to go."

To be sure, the Pima GOP has defended its fundraising scheme.

From Mike Shaw, interim chair of the Pima County Republican Party (full story here) -

[W]e'd like to point out the Glock is not responsible for what happened at the Tucson shooting. Jared Loughner is responsible for what happened at the Tucson shooting."

However, what Mr. Shaw didn't say, but I will, is this -

Just as Loughner was responsible for his actions, Shaw and his associates are responsible for theirs.

Their scheme has brought shame to Arizona, and while Shaw and his associates may be emotionally incapable of feeling that shame (or any other shame, for that matter), the rest of the state does.




A list of those whose graves the Pima GOP is dancing on in order to raise money -

Christina Taylor Green, age 9

Judge John Roll, 63

Dorothy  Morris, 76

Phyllis Schneck, 79

Dorwan Stoddard, 76

Gabe Zimmerman, 30, a staffer for Congresswoman GiffordsAs far as that goes, Mr. Shaw is correct - Loughner is responsible for his actions at the massacre.