Harry Mitchell offers a better plan for immigration enforcement

In an editorial in the Arizona Republic yesterday, Harry Mitchell called for more stringent enforcement of Immigration laws against employers who knowingly employ illegal immigrants. Mitchell also slammed the current Republican Congress for cutting funds to support such enforcement.

Washington has failed Arizona on immigration enforcement

Enforcing our nation's immigration laws is an absolutely necessary ingredient to securing the U.S.-Mexico border.

Failure to do so will undoubtedly lead to further chaos at the border, encourage even more illegal crossings, and make it difficult for us to monitor who is within our borders and for what purpose.

That's why the news last week that work-site enforcement of our nation's immigration laws has been cut 95 percent, to virtually none at all, is cause for serious concern.

Even more troubling is the revelation that law enforcement officials were pressured by members of Congress not to crack down on companies that hire illegal workers.

As one former Immigration and Naturalization Services official explained, "We were pushed away from doing enforcement."

According to the Washington Post, the number of employers fined for hiring illegal immigrants plunged from 417 in 1999 to only three in 2004. [emphasis added]

The numbers tell an increasingly common story: Washington has failed Arizona when it comes to ending illegal immigration.

Mitchell went on to outline three specific ways to address the issue constructively in a more comprehensive manner. This is very much in contrast with JD Hayworth's one-note approach to the immigration issue focus only on interdicting the illegal immigrants. Mitchell urges:

• Increasing work-site enforcement of immigration laws, fully funding the Immigration and Customs Enforcement budget, and providing the investigators and prosecutors that ICE needs to hold employers accountable.

• Fast-tracking a system that will enable employers to electronically and instantly verify who is and is not eligible for work. No brand of immigration reform, including a much-needed temporary worker program, can be effective unless employers and the federal government have the capability of determining a potential hire's legal status.

• Targeting crimes that facilitate illegal immigration and illegal employment, such as document fraud and identity theft.

Perhaps most importantly, though, we need members of Congress who are willing to enforce the law, produce real immigration reform, and stop playing politics with the issue.

I'll go along with that. It's yet another reason I'm endorsing Harry Mitchell for Congress.

On Mitchell's website, Harry carries forward with this theme, echoing a very mature, bipartisan approach that seems so foreign to Hayworth's extremist rhetoric.

Dear Friends,

Last Friday, I was proud to earn the support of many Republicans who believe we need a new direction in Washington.

Former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods, former Senate President Leo Corbet, former Scottsdale Mayor Sam Campana, former Tempe Mayors Neil Giuliano, Bill LoPiano, and John Moeur and so many other Republicans believe, as I do, that it is time to put partisanship aside and do what's right for Arizona.

We can begin by working together to secure our border, and deliver tough and realistic immigration reform. I support the plan put forward by Arizona Republicans John McCain, Jeff Flake and Jim Kolbe, and in Congress, I'll work with them and the President to get Arizona the resources we need to secure the border.

That's a stark contrast from the current situation in which my opponent has chosen to play politics with immigration instead of delivering real solutions.

It is time to end partisan bickering in Washington and elect leaders who put Arizona before politics. Whether you're a Democrat, Republican, Independent or Libertarian, I hope you'll join me and the thousands of others in this campaign by volunteering your time and making an online contribution today.

Harry

Go Harry Mitchell!

Hayworth wants to punish the press for telling the truth

From Plugged-In:

Rep. J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz., is circulating a letter on Capitol Hill that asks House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., to punish the New York Times by yanking its reporters' press credentials.

As one commented noted, Hayworth's posturing "isn't about national security this is about keeping Republicans in Congress."

If the Standing Committee of Correspondents has anything to say about it, the Times will keep its press credentials.

CQ Today's Daphne Retter reports:

As with everything else on the Hill, there are rules about getting and keeping newspaper credentials, which are administered by the Standing Committee of Correspondents, which has no intention of stripping Times reporters of their purple Capitol Hill press passes.

"Under no circumstance would we revoke the credentials of the reporter
because the reporter's newspaper has upset a government office," said Boston Globe reporter Susan Milligan, who heads the standing committee.

However, decisions made by the SCC can be appealed to the House speaker and the Senate Rules Committee to be overturned.

Don't expect this to go anywhere, though. Just more political posturing from our "Representative". We really need to replace Hayworth on the House.

Please donate to or volunteer for Harry Mitchell in AZ-5!

Nose to the grindstone for a couple more days

Thanks for your patience as I've been working through a key transition week related to work. Yes, I have a job - a very demanding one, at that. :)

I'm moving all of my things out of my current office this week before the end of the month, in preparation for setting up a new, nicer office. On the 4th of July, I'll be heading for three weeks of conference and workshops in Spain, and then returning home in Chandler at the end of July. So I've been quite occupied in packing, moving furniture and so forth. Not to mention significant preparation for the conference/workshops at which I'll be presenting a number of sessions.

I have a number of links to post, but it will take me another day or two to have some time to draft them. In the meanwhile, consider downloading the latest edition of the San Tan Sun, here (24 MB download). It has a few good Chandler articles, including one on the rehire of City Manager Mark Pentz. And, as always, the Letters to the Editor are a mixed back of entertaining, enlightening, and frustrating commentary.

I'll try to be back posting before the end of the week!

JD Hayworth "twice as extravagant" as other Reps

AZ Congress Watch draws attention to an article in the Chicago Tribune by columnist Steve Chapman that analyzes the pork-barrel patterns of various representatives in Congress. The analysis shows that some Republicans are far bigger spenders than Democrats. And one of the worst pork-barrel wastrels? J.D. Hayworth.

From the article:

House Speaker Dennis Hastert voted to increase net spending by $245 billion, far more than the average Democrat. The recently departed House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist voted for $329 billion–nearly as much as the famously liberal House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Some well-known conservatives, including Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), Mike Pence (R-Ind.), Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.), were nearly twice as extravagant as the typical House member. What part of “conservative” do they not understand?

Once again, the fiscal irresponsibility and hypocrisy of Hayworth is demonstrated.

Of course, Hayworth does bring home some bacon to his constituents in all that pork spending. Unfortunately, it tends to be to constituents who have invested heavily in the Hayworth campaign.

Prominent Republicans endorse Harry Mitchell!

In a press conference and a press release today, Democrat Harry Mitchell's campaign scored huge points with the endorsements of several prominent valley Republican politicians and business people.

Lofty Donkey has the full press release on the Republicans for Mitchell announcement, here.

The press release specifically mentions, among others, former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods, who appeared Friday at a press conference to announce his support for Mitchell. Accounts of the press conference from AZ Congress Watch, here and here, and by Random Musings, here.

Other Republican businessmen and businesswomen at the press conference also had very positive opinions and endorsements of Harry Mitchell. As the Random Musing account reports, Republican businesswoman Pat Thielen of Tempe spoke at the event and endorsed Mitchell as a man who always tries "to do the right thing" and who has "common sense." She concluded her comments saying that Harry is "the best man for the job."

Grant Woods is quoted as saying, about Hayworth: “I saw him on Meet the Press and frankly was embarrassed for Arizona,” and "He creates more problems than he solves."

From the press release, which focuses on elected and formerly elected officials, its clear that there is a major rejection of Hayworth and an embracing of Mitchell among Republican pols:

“I’m supporting Harry Mitchell because he’s the best choice for this District and we can count on him to put Arizona first in Washington,” said former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods. “Harry understands the people of this district and the needs of Arizona, and I know that he’ll go to Washington and work in the best interest of this state.”

Mitchell said he is proud to have support from so many Republicans.

“I’m running for Congress to represent Arizona. Throughout my career, I’ve worked across party lines to get the job done, and Arizonans can count on me to do the same thing in Washington,” said Mitchell. “I’m proud of my Republican friends who are joining me in this campaign because they believe we need a new direction in Washington.”

Current and Former Republican Elected Officials for Harry Mitchell:

Former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods
Former State Senate President and GOP Gubernatorial Nominee Leo Corbet
Former Scottsdale Mayor Sam Campana
Former Tempe Mayor Neil Giuliano
Former Tempe Mayor John Moeur
Former Tempe Mayor Bill LoPiano
Tempe City Councilman Ben Arredondo
Tempe City Councilwoman Pam Goronkin
Tempe City Councilman Hut Hutson
Former Tempe City Councilman Richard Neuheisel
Former Tempe City Councilman Don Cassano
Tempe Union High School Board Vice President Zita Johnson
Former State Legislator Michael Goodwin

With endorsements like this from Republicans, it clearly demonstrates Harry Mitchell's broad appeal to folks across the political spectrum.

Update I: In contrast, JD Hayworth's endorsement's page on his web site remains painfully devoid of names, of either political party.

Update II: As random Musing's link above notes "In other Mitchell news, there will be a big campaign kickoff this Sunday at the campaign headquarters at 115 E. Baseline in Tempe (SE corner of Baseline and Mill.) It's from 4 - 6 and refreshments will be provided. Call Elizabeth at 480-755-3343 for details."

Chandler news and views roundup - Jun 23

Several political links for you today related to Chandler, Arizona:

1. City wants hotel done

Construction on the high-rise hotel just south of Chandler Fashion Center has been silent for two months.

City staff is voicing concerns about the construction schedule and the security of the abandoned shell that sits southwest of Frye Road and Loop 101.

2. Council likely to delay decision on lucrative police towing bid

A decision on which towing company gets the lucrative Chandler police contract is headed for a logistical breakdown.

The City Council was to have voted tonight to give the contract to low bidder Auto Citi Towing, ending a seven-year relationship with Cactus Towing. But police officials say that vote will likely be delayed.

Cactus, which was recently sold and now operates under the name All-City Towing, is asking the council to reject Auto Citi's bid and give them the business.

3. City task force takes aim on blight
Chandler group to present ideas to City Council

Chandler's Code Review and Rental Housing Task Force has some new ideas for addressing blight.

The group, which has been muddled in governmental process since its inception nearly a year ago, is one step closer to helping community activists combat slums in their neighborhoods.

4. Pentz returning to lingering council tensions

Mark Pentz will be back in the Chandler city manager's office July 17, and Mayor Boyd Dunn said it's time to heal and move on. But judging from heated discussions about the manager's new contract, tension remains on the City Council.

The 5-2 vote to give Pentz his job back came after 11 p.m. Thursday and followed a failed effort by the manager's council detractors - Matt Orlando and Martin Sepulveda - to cut some of the financial benefits. Although all seven members appeared ready to re-hire him, the two balked at paying the manager's legal fees and lost retirement credits and at extending a severance provision from six to nine months.

5. Chandler reaches out to Park Manor

At the kickoff of Chandler's newest neighborhoods outreach program, Wanda Bales asked the city to ensure prosperity in her Park Manor neighborhood within the next five years.

Bales, a longtime resident of one of the city's oldest neighborhoods, said she had seen her community lag while newer southeast Chandler areas enjoyed progress.

6. Superintendent decision expected

The Kyrene School Board once again plans to pick a new superintendent at its next meeting - this time on Tuesday - but it's unsure exactly how many finalists will be vying for the job. The board, which will meet at 7 p.m. at the district office, 8700 S. Kyrene Road in Tempe, is under somewhat of a time crunch.

Kyrene Elementary School District Superintendent Maria Menconi plans to retire next Friday. And once the board makes its choice from two or three finalists, it must still make the finalist a formal offer and approve a contract before that person could start the job.

7. Ousted city manager gets job back

Ousted former Chandler City Manager Mark Pentz got his job back Thursday.

The new City Council voted 5-2 to rehire him two months after Pentz accepted a former council's buyout.

His new contract requires him to give up more than $240,000 promised in the separation agreement, but he gets to keep a 4 percent raise and will be paid $169,811 annually.

Chandler news and views roundup - June 21

1. Former city manager agrees to return

Former Chandler City Manager Mark Pentz has agreed to give up most of his lucrative buyout and come back to work July 17, three months after he was forced off the job by a lame-duck council.

His employment contract, set for a vote Thursday by the new council, would save taxpayers an estimated $230,000 in severance costs plus the expense of recruiting a replacement.

With two of his detractors still in office - Matt Orlando and Martin Sepulveda - discussion promises to be lively. But Pentz's return doesn't appear to be in question. The other fiveof the seven council members voted June 8 to renegotiate his contract and four have been saying for weeks that they want to bring him back.
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Under the terms of the agreement, Pentz, 56, will give up a severance package that included more than a year's pay and benefits brokered by his attorney. He gets to keep a 4 percent raise and the pay he collects through July 15. The city will have to pay $35,600 for the manager's legal fees and retirement credits.

2. Chandler's growth is 9th fastest in U.S.
City works to update services with eye on history

...Mid-decade Census estimates just released rank Chandler as the ninth fastest-growing city in the country. Since July 2004, a little more than 11,000 new residents have settled in the area.

The city's population figures for June 2006 estimates 240,000 residents now live in Chandler.

Despite this growth, Chandler dropped from seventh to ninth in the Census, as major growth in Florida, California and Nevada competed with Arizona's. Gilbert was the only large Arizona municipality that outpaced Chandler, coming in fourth.

3. Polls no help to Covance nor opponents, expert says

It's a case of dueling polls, neither of which may be very reliable.

Everyone wants to know whether Chandler residents support a plan for Covance, a drug-testing company, to build on Price Road. A survey conducted by Covance says yes. A survey conducted by opponent group Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine says no.

Mitchell: Hayworth and Republicans obstructing Immigration reform, hurting Arizona

In a press release today, Harry Mitchell slams the Republicans in Congress for obstructing a comprehensive Immigration reform bill desperately needed by border states:

U.S. Congressional candidate Harry Mitchell today criticized House GOP leadership for using delay tactics to push back negotiations on an immigration bill "until completing a series of provocative field hearings on immigration legislation through the month of August." [Source: "House GOP Leaders Delay Immigration Bill," The Washington Post, June 20, 2006]

The move "could all but bury President Bush's high-profile immigration legislation" that has already been passed by the Senate, The Washington Post reported today. U.S. Rep. J.D. Hayworth hailed the delay tactic as "excellent news." [Source: The Arizona Republic, June 20, 2006]

Mitchell said that it is time to act on immigration reform.

"Every day that Washington politicians delay immigration reform is another day they fail Arizona," said Mitchell. "Washington has a real opportunity to get something done on this important issue for our state. Arizonans deserve better than delay tactics; the time for action is now. If the current leadership in Congress fails to deliver immigration reform this year, voters will elect new leaders who will get the job done."

This obstruction and delay is hurting Arizona. Hayworth is a fanatic and we're all paying the price for his extremist ideology, and that of others in the Congress of his ilk. We desperately need a Representative like Harry Mitchell who takes a mature, bipartisan approach to comprehensive problem-solving for the good of all.

Hayworth or Mitchell, where do you stand?

Lofty Donkey posts a flyer he received from the Mitchell campaign that draws a stark contrast to help illuminate the choice between JD Hayworth and Harry Mitchell.

Harry Mitchell defends McCain as "a modern-day American hero"

From a Mitchell press release today:

A group that U.S. Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) described as "extraordinary Americans" has launched a national negative ad campaign accusing U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) of leading an effort to "sell out our country." [Source: The Arizona Republic, June 19, 2006; Minuteman Project Web site]

Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist announced a campaign to post negative billboard ads across the country targeting McCain. Gilchrist said the ads will target Arizona's senior senator because McCain is "by far the most vocal and rude elected official voting and sponsoring legislation to give up America's sovereignty." [Source: Minuteman Project Web site]

"Senator McCain is a modern-day American hero, and he deserves better than this," said U.S. Congressional candidate Harry Mitchell. "I hope Congressman Hayworth will denounce these comments and negative ad campaign and call on the Minutemen to apologize to Senator McCain. Last year Hayworth called for the President to apologize to the Minutemen. If the Congressman believes the Minutemen deserve an apology from the President, I hope he'd agree that Senator McCain deserves an apology from the Minutemen."

One more example of how Harry Mitchell is a mature representative of mainstream Arizonans and also a class act.

The McCain-Kennedy Immigration Bill was not perfect legislation, but it would have gone a long way toward improving the situation. It would have been positive progress. And it was an excellent sign of bipartisan problem-solving, with Republicans Bush, Rep Flake (AZ-21), and McCain in general agreement with Democrats Napolitano, Kennedy, Senatorial candidate Pederson and Congressional candidate Mitchell. But many extremist Republicans like Rep. JD Hayworth and Senator Kyl have done their best to kill it.

And it appears that these obstructionists have won, because the House bill has been postponed, probably for good. There will be no immigration bill this year. No solution, not even an "imperfect" one, to the real problems we're facing. Once more, the most radical Republicans like JD Hayworth have obstructed progress for our country and we will all pay the price.

Democrats show they have the spirit of fiscal responsibility with PAYGO pledge

One of the exciting things about the prospect of having a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, is their pledge to swiftly restore the fiscally responsible PAYGO budget rules. Regardless of the opposition's rhetoric, there are few mechanisms that worked so well to promote fiscal responsibility in our legislation.

For those of you unfamiliar with PAYGO, a little background is in order. PAYGO, in the US Congress, refers to the budget rules that USED to be in place, stating that newly proposed expenditures had to be accompanied by commensurate increases in revenue OR a reduction elsewhere in the budget. If the legislators couldn't do this, then they needed a 60 percent majority vote to override the requirement.

The goal of these rules was to require those in control of the budget to engage in the diligence of prioritizing expenses and exercising fiscal restraint. They appear in the 1990 Budget Enforcement Act that required that, if the Congress wanted to provide a tax cut to their constituents, they actually had to cut spending by a similar amount.

Makes sense, right?  If you're going to give the people a nice fat tax cut, then you have to not spend so much of their money.  You simply have to spend less from the Treasury because you have less revenue coming in.  This basic wisdom was one factor contributing to why the US budget surplus began to increase year after year in the 1990s.

Problem is, it's hard work trying to figure out where you're going to cut spending.  And it's also hard work to go back to your contituents and explain why you're cutting some program they value.  Which is why some legislators don't like PAYGO rules.  Indeed, Republicans, who like to offer tax cuts as a major party plank, expecially didn't like PAYGO, because they'd rather be able to simply cut taxes without incurring the hard work consequences for doing so.

So, when the Republicans took control of the House in 1994, PAYGO was already in their sights.  They put forth a number of tortured and outrageous explanations about how it tied their hands and made tax relief difficult or how it encouraged more spending.  And under the Republican majority, the PAYGO rules were soon ditched.

Once they were gone, the Republican representatives could have their cake and eat it, too!  They could offer nice tax cuts to appease to the wealthy and big business, but not have to exercise basic fiscal discipline of reducing pork barrel spending or cutting spending on other programs to compensate for the drop in revenue resulting from their tax cuts.

Hence, "borrow and spend", which has been the Republican mantra for years now.  It's a key part of why we have had record deficit budgets for three years in a row recently and why our national debt is now over $8 trillion dollars and predicted to hit $10 trillion in the red before the end of Bush's second term.

Now, to anyone with a lick of sense, this is simply grossly irresponsible governance. The Republicans try to justify all of this by wringing their hands and declaiming the sad state of politics that leads to all this fiscal irresponsibility all the while pounding their chest and pretending to be fiscal conservatives.  But they're the ones that dismantled the very rules that helped to combat this profligacy!

Frequently, of course, we hear the old lie trotted out that cutting taxes results in more tax revenue.  Republicans are desperate to believe this, or at lease have everyone else believe it.  But it's just not true.  It is a fallacy that has long-since been disproved [1, 2, 3].     Republicans have made it a cottage industry to try to tease out data that supports this misleading assertion, and have gotten quite good at misinterpreting, misextrapolating and otherwise mishandling financial numbers to be able to bolster their flawed case.

Their rhetoric on this point is so prevalent and so skilled at obfuscating the truth that even Fed Chairman Bernanke recently was forced to explicitly expose this lie.  Tax cuts, he said, if done right, can result in SOME offsetting of the cut by other revenues:

"However, under normal conditions, tax cuts do not wholly pay for themselves."

There you go. Clear as a bell.

Don't count on this to dissuade Republicans, though. They have a lot invested in trying to sell tax cuts as being populist, small government and revenue enhancing. But they are none of these.  They are not populist because they tend to overwhelmingly benefit the rich and large corporations.  They do not promote small government, as evidenced by our having the largest federal government in decades and huge increases in growth of the federal government in the past few years under Bush Jr.  And they are not revenue enhancing because, as the data and Fed Chairman Bernanke state so unequivocally, tax cuts normally result in less revenue to the Treasury, overall.

To be even more brutally honest, no matter what it's called, a Republican-driven "tax cut" isn't a tax cut at all if it's not accompanied by a reduction in spending or increase in revenue from some other source.  It's simply a "tax deferment".  The spending still goes on, but with borrowed money instead of immediate tax revenue.  That borrowed money has to be paid back in the future.  Plus interest.  And how do you pay off that debt?  You got it: you have to collect taxes in the future to bring in the revenue to do it, raising taxes if necessary.

Hopefully, so the thinking goes among Republicans who play this game, those future tax raises happen on somebody else's watch so they're not blamed for it.  Preferably a Democrat is in office when it comes time to pay the piper for the Republicans' fiscal irresponsibility, because then Repubs can blame the Dems once again for being "tax and spend".

Bush Senior found out the hard way that it's not always possible to postpone the reckoning, though. To his chagrin, after telling the country to read his lips, the piper came calling on his watch. And after 8 years of Reagan's playing the borrow-and-spend game, and Bush thinking he could skate off on the thin ice of a new incumbency, he had to eat his famous pledge of "No new taxes" and suport a new tax to pony up the dough to pay for the "voodoo economics" the Republicans had been practicing through the previous decade.   And he - and the Republicans - lost the Presidency in large part because they had to "own" the consequences of their fiscal mismanagement.

This whole "borrow and spend" approach to tax cuts is one of the biggest examples of why Republicans are no longer the party of fiscal conservatism and haven't been for some time.

And it's why, as I say, one of the things that really excites me about the Democrats taking control of the House again is their pledge to reinstitute the basic fiscal discipline of PAYGO as one of their first things in office.

You want to cut taxes?  Fine!  We'd all like to pay fewer taxes, I'm sure.  But don't pretend that tax cuts shouldn't have consequences on the spending side.  Legislators through the ages have shown they don't have the discipline to rein in pork barrel spending or irresponsible tax cuts without PAYGO rules.  So we clearly need the rules.

Republican leadership has certainly shown over the past decade that they are unable to champion basic fiscal responsibility without these rules.  They are unwilling to make the tough choices of what spending to cut in order to pay for their tax cuts to the rich.

But they are also unwilling to reinstate the rules, either.  A recent effort in the Senate to reinstate the rules was voted down, pretty much on a party-line vote by Republicans.   Even when our debt is skyrocketing!  And an effort in 2002 to have a PAYGO bill recommitted for consideration was voted down by, yep, Republicans.  Among whom was Arizona's own JD Hayworth, demonstrating again his obstruction to fiscally responsible legislation.

So that's one reason I'm looking forward to a Dem-controlled House in the coming year:

Bring back the Democrats, bring back PAYGO and bring back some semblance of fiscal discipline to our Legislature.

Chandler Recall effort floundering, so organizers hire professionals

The effort to Recall Chandler City Councilmen Orlando and Sepulveda had stagnated with the grassroots, with the latest news being that the organizers had collected fewer than a third of the signatures required to get the initiative on the ballot in November.

Some would see that as evidence that there's not a broad groundswell of support for such a divisive political initiative. Not the recall organizers! They're so sold into the idea that they're collecting $10,000 to hire professional petition signature gatherers to do what the grassroots wouldn't.

According to a post on the Recall website on Thursday June 15, 2006:

To accelerate the progress and ensure the goal is achieved the committee will enlist the services of professional circulator's. A trail effort has been made using the professional circulator's to determine quantity of circulators required and cost of this service.

The use of these professionals requires a great deal of funding. These circulator's get paid per signature. Budget required will be $10,000.00 to ensure the required signatures are obtained by the August 25th deadline.

The recall committee is therefore asking for donations. The maximum that an "individual" can donate is $375.00; the amount a business can donate is unlimited. If you, the citizens of Chandler, want this Recall effort be successful, please help us.

Well, I would have thought that if we, the citizens of Chandler, Arizona, wanted this Recall effort to be successful, the organizers would have had no trouble collecting the number of signatures needed without having to beg for money to hire professionals to drum up signatures from people who aren't otherwise already on board with the idea.

And $10,000 seems like a lot of money to waste, just so a small group of angry people can get a little revenge on Council members who made a decision they didn't agree with.

I'd say folks should keep their money and use it to help enjoy their 4th of July weekends.

But then again, I'm a fiscal conservative, so what do I know.

Chandler news and views roundup - June 16

Two key articles for you today related to politics in Chandler, Arizona and the surrounding area:

1. Animal incinerator feared
Covance mum after physicians group warns of public health risk

If the drug-testing company Covance builds in Chandler, it's possible the Price Road site would include an incinerator to dispose of animal carcasses, according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine - an outspoken Covance foe.

"The concerns we have from the public health standpoint are multiple," said Dr. Aysha Akhpar, a neurologist and spokeswoman for the committee.

Note that the proposed Covance plant would be built just to the south of Precinct 134 at Price and Frye.

2. Filings end for 5th District races

The final major piece went into place Tuesday for a political showdown for the U.S. House of Representatives seat that represents a large swath of the East Valley.

Democratic challenger Harry Mitchell filed the necessary paperwork with the Secretary of State’s Office to place his name on the ballot for the Democratic nomination for Congress in Arizona’s 5th Congressional District.

Pleae note that the figure given in the article for Mitchell's petition filing is from an early count. Based on last-minute filings from both candidates, the final tallies for petitions filed, from the AZ Secretary of State website, are:

Hayworth: 3479
Mitchell: 2998

3. Sworn in: New council members will tackle tough issues (no permalink)

A plethora of heavy-duty issues await two newly elected officials who were recently welcomed aboard the Chandler City Council. Trinity Donovan and Jeff Weninger were sworn into office June 8 by City Magistrate Michael Traynor, and became official members of the council. The two replaced Vice Mayor Phill Westbrooks and Councilwoman Donna Wallace, who termed out of office. Donovan and Weninger will have to hit the ground running as the two will vote on returning an ousted city manager, whether or not an animal-testing facility belongs in Chandler and if a retail giant’s version of a small grocery store is palatable to a neighborhood.

4. City Hall site selected

To narrow down the possibilities for potential sites for Chandler's new City Hall, Richard Shiffer came to Chandler with a list of questions, and he threw them at nearly everyone he met: the City Council, the city staff, residents, members of the Downtown Chandler Community Partnership, the Downtown Merchants, the Chandler Museum Advisory Board and the Chandler Historical Society.

"What we found was a very focused, very common vision," Mr. Shiffer said. "Across the board, it was almost unanimous that everybody wanted to see downtown improved. They wanted more life and activity downtown, and they wanted something to be done about the traffic. That was the big picture of what we were dealing with."

I haven't followed up on this yet, but I'm curious to know how the newly seated Councilman Weninger feels about this, given that he opposed that site when he was running for election earlier this spring.

AZ Legislature Republicans criticize their own leadership for pettiness and "gotcha" politics

We've known for some time that the Republican leadership in the Arizona State Legislature is dysfunctional. They have made it a point of sending junk legislation to the Governor time and again - some of which has been simply political posturing for the elections and some of which has been downright unconstitutional.

The result has been Governor Napolitano's breaking the state record in vetoes of bad bills. Some Republicans have tried to make hay out of that, in complete denial about what a damning thing it says about their own inability to legislate well for our state.

Indeed, the dysfunction is so bad among the Republicans in our State Legislature that they have just finished 158 days in session, when they should have finished two months ago. And they STILL have not finalized a state budget to send to the Governor! It's outrageous!

The gross incompetence among the Republicans is now so bad that members of their own party are coming out publicly and castigating them for their ineptitude.

As this article notes:

Some influential Republican lawmakers blasted their party’s leadership this week, saying their failure to rise above petty politics has forced the legislative session to last twice as long as predicted.

Sen. Carolyn Allen, a moderate Republican from Scottsdale, said she and many of her colleagues feel they are being held “hostage” by the party’s political posturing during an election year.

“They are dedicated to playing gotcha politics and trying to make (Gov. Janet Napolitano) look bad,” she said. “The feeling is that we’re stuck here because leadership has been unable to deal with a divided government.”

...Sen. Jake Flake, R-Snowflake, said GOP leaders are trying to “get one up on the governor,” but added that the tension between the House and the Senate also has caused major problems.

“This is the strongest friction between the House and the Senate that I’ve ever seen,” he said. Flake has been at the Legislature since 1997 and was the House speaker before moving to the Senate two years ago.

If the Republicans can't even resolve their OWN internal bickering and pettiness and do their jobs, then probably they should step aside and let someone else do it. Holding Arizona hostage to their ineptitude, immaturity and political posturing is not what they were elected to do.

Harry Mitchell files in CD-5 race!

From a press release from Harry Mitchell's campaign today:

MITCHELL FILES FOR CONGRESSIONAL BALLOT

TEMPE – U.S. Congressional candidate Harry Mitchell this morning filed the necessary paperwork with the Secretary of State to place his name on ballot for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives in Arizona’s Fifth Congressional District.

Mitchell filed 2,965 petition signatures, more than six times the requirement for placement on the ballot. Last week, 12-year incumbent U.S. Rep. J.D. Hayworth filed 2,730 petitions with the Secretary of State.

“I’m very thankful to the thousands of Arizonans who are sending a clear message that we need a new direction for our country,” said Mitchell.

Go Harry! I like how, even at this early stage, Harry has already outperformed Hayworth. :)

(Hat tip to Lofty Donkey for the press release.)

[Update, June 15: Based on last-minute filings from both candidates, the numbers have shifted. Hayworth probably realized Mitchell was going to outperform him because in the last few days JD's campaign put on a burst of speed to gather more petitions. The final tallies, from the AZ Secretary of State website are:

Hayworth: 3479
Mitchell: 2998]


On Mitchell's campaign website, he also presents clear leadership on the Immigration issue:

Dear Friends,

For too long, the people of Arizona have been waiting for Washington to meet its federal responsibility and secure the U.S.-Mexico border.

Congress has an opportunity to do just that, but it must act soon.

The Senate has already passed bi-partisan border security and immigration reform legislation that would be a critical first step to securing our border. Arizonans support this legislation, which provides for more Border Patrol agents, and establishes a temporary worker program that will match jobs with willing workers.

The House has two options: it can meet its responsibility to Border States by achieving a bi-partisan compromise, or it can use obstructionist tactics to derail this important legislation.

I call on the House to do what's right for Arizona, and pass this legislation. We can not afford to go another day with a broken border because some in Congress would prefer to further divide our nation and taint the issue of border security with political partisanship.

That attitude is already hurting our nation. We can do better. We deserve better. And, if Congress fails to meet its responsibility, voters will demand better

So, from Harry Mitchell, we get this excellent leadership, sound thinking, and a bipartisan approach to practical, comprehensive solutions. This is what good politics - in the service of the people - looks like.

It's vastly better than the extremist, polarizing and impractical "enforcement only" rhetoric from JD Hayworth, purely meant to pander to his base and obstruct bipartisan solutions.

Hayworth in good company with typoe; perhaps distracted by irrelevant legislation

Random Musing caught this article today, from WashPo:

Gotta love typos, especially by the Hayworth campaign
From the Washington Post column 'The Reliable Source':

Let's Move Along, Folks. It's Just a Little Typoe.

A campaign breakfast or presidential launch? A recent e-mail from Rep. J.D. Hayworth 's reelection campaign invited supporters to join the Arizona Republican, his wife and "The Honorable Dan Quayle, 44th President of the United States."

Whoa! How did we miss this? Mr. Potatoe Head running in 2008?

But perhaps Hayworth was distracted by the doomed-to-die, pandering legislation he's just sponsored in the House with other AZ Reps Trent Franks and John: H. J. RES. 88, “Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to marriage.”

As AZ Congress Watch notes, "Yeah, it’ll never pass. But there are fundraising letters to write!"

Hey, whatever it takes.

District 20, 21 incumbents file, challengers in short supply

Today, June 14th, is the closing date for filing nomination petitions for candidates for state offices. All of the incumbents, Republicans, have met their finling deadlines.

In some cases, there are no challengers evident. In others, the challengers have declared, but not filed yet, which is concerning. Fortunately, LD-20 challenger Donna Gratehouse made the filing deadline!

More from this AZ Republic article today:

Based on the number of candidates with active campaign committees, representatives from District 21 could face a flurry of challenges.

And some will likely be unopposed, barring last-minute petitioning. District 21's Sen. Jay Tibshraeny of Chandler and District 20 representatives John McComish of Ahwatukee Foothills and Bob Robson of Chandler have no apparent opposition.

Petitions weren't in yet from some District 21 challengers, but former Chandler Councilwoman Donna Wallace has announced she will oppose incumbent representatives Warde Nichols of Gilbert and Steve Yarbrough of Chandler in the GOP primary.

City Parks and Recreation Board member Philip Hettmansperger, and newcomer Sharon Spane, both Chandler Democrats, formed committees to run in the District 21 House race.

Donna Gratehouse, a Democrat from Ahwatukee Foothills, filed nomination petitions to oppose District 20 Republican Sen. John Huppenthal of Chandler.

It's good that Gratehouse filed! Let's hope that the other challengers can get their petitions completed and submitted in time. Otherwise, their races are going to be over before they start.

LD-20 Rep. Robson interested in ACC role?

In a post on the future of the Arizona Corporation Commission and its relevance to renewable energy efforts, blogger Grannuaile opines that Bush's surprise appointment of Marc Spitzer, an Arizona Corporation Commissioner, to a seat on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), could lead to some unpleasant contingencies.

The post notes that "Spitzer's been a reliable supporter of renewable energy and energy efficiency in his time on the ACC" and that his replacement could well be much less sympathetic to green energy.

Now, if Spitzer is confirmed by the Senate before he can be re-elected to the ACC (he says he hasn't yet decided whether to quit his race), the Republican party will get to choose someone else to take over his re-election campaign.

In considering the possibilities, Grannuaile drops this provocative snippet, with specific relevance to LD-20:

According to sources the frontrunner for that nod is Rep. Gary Pierce of Mesa, though Rep. Bob Robson of Chandler is apparently also interested. Both men are currently filed to run for re-election to their own House seats.

Either of these guys would be bad news for renewable energy and energy efficiency. Both scored 58% on last year's AZLCV scorecard, and both received F grades on the Sierra Club report card.

No one knows how rumors like this get started, but this is evidently how they're spread. Just keeping my ear to the ground, you know.

I am wondering whether the demographics of the heavily Republican LD-20 would allow a Dem replacement for Robson if he were to step out of the Legislature. The political climate lately has not been favorable to Republicans. And with the shift to a more pragmatic center of a lot of moderate Republicans and Independents, it's theoretically possible.

But Dem candidates in LD-20, such as Donna Gratehouse (running to unseat the incumbent Huppenthal), still have an uphill climb in our neck of the woods, unfortunately.

June 8 Chandler City Council Meeting(s) Results

Some key steps taken by the newly constituted Chandler City Council in their June 8th meetings last week:

1. The establishment of the FY 2006/07 property tax rate of $1.25.

2. A resolution authorizing the sale of nearly $31 million in General Obligation bonds.

3. The two new Council members - Donovan and Weninger - were sworn in (and a second meeting initiated with the new council seated).

3. The new Council voted 5-2 to approve two items:

a. The election of Councilmember Lowell Huggins as Vice Mayor. (Congratulations Lowell!)

b. Authorization to the Mayor to enter into contract negotiations with former Manager Mark Pentz to return to his position with the City.

Comments:

Chandler Connection has an article with more details on the Pentz re-hire possibility. (No permalink, so read it now, before the article evaporates and another takes its place.)

Blogger S. Chandler Commentary has some thoughts about the Pentz thing, too, and I tend to agree. Generally, I think it's unwise to bring back someone who has already been separated. Of course I wish Pentz the best, in whatever he does.

As for other things, I'm still waiting to hear about how the Price Park wall issue went. I'm surmising that the Council accepted the Parks and Rec recommendation and are going to have a neighborhood/city Task Force consider the issue. But I haven't seen reporting on this yet and the full agenda/minutes of the meeting don't seem to be posted yet. I'll update this thread when I find out more about this.

[tag: Chandler, Arizona]

WashPo on Hayworth-Mitchell race

The Washington Post has a new article out discussing the race for House Representative in AZ-5, between JD Hayworth (R) and Harry Mitchell (D):

The Republican is an immigration hawk who favors cracking down on illegal immigrants and wrote a book called "Whatever It Takes." The Democrat calls himself an immigration realist who would combine tighter border controls with a path toward legal status.

...Republican-dominated 5th District is considered competitive for the first time in a decade. Analysts point to troubles in the White House and Congress, as well as Hayworth's outsize [N.B., that is, out of the mainstream] profile on immigration. It all makes for an intriguing contest in an unpredictable state where pollsters see a shift to the center.

The article's overall structure appears to take a bit of a bias in favor of Hayworth. Early in, for example, it says that Hayworth has 12 years of experience in Congress while Mitchell has none, except for a statue in his honor. It isn't until midway through the second page that we start to learn part of the reason why Mitchell has a statue in his honor, and even then some key points are clearly left out.

Such as the fact that Mitchell earned his bachelor's degree in political science from ASU in 1962 and a master's degree in public administration from ASU in 1980. Or the fact that he served on the Tempe City Council for 8 years. Or that he was the highly successful and much beloved Mayor of Tempe for 14 years. Mitchell's Wikipedia entry refers to this service thusly:

Mitchell's work as Mayor is often credited with revitalizing downtown Tempe, and building partnerships between small businesses, communities, corporations, investors, and Arizona State University to manage sustainable economic development and urban growth.

Nor does the article note that Mitchell served in the AZ State Senate for 7 years, either. It does reference Mitchell's teaching American Government and Free Enterprise at Tempe High School for 28 years, at least. But other than that, and the passing reference to Mitchell's having "helped approve 31 balanced budgets in Tempe and the state Senate", one would get the impression from the article that JD Hayworth has more experience in government, which is palpably not the case.

Of course, Hayworth WAS a linebacker and a sportscaster prior to election to office in the Republican sweep of 1994. So he has plenty of experience throwing his weight around and talking a lot.

The article does note two of the key factors in the race: immigration and corruption.

On the issue of corruption, the article notes that Hayworth is tainted by his association with Abramoff:

Hayworth used sports skyboxes that Abramoff billed to clients, but he failed to report their use to the Federal Election Commission until the criminal investigation of Abramoff, since convicted, became public.

We can expect JD and his campaign to run as fast as they can from that issue and try to bloviate and divert attention elsewhere. The Abramoff-Hayworth connection is not something JD wants people to be discussing.

On the immigration issue, Hayworth is one of the more extremist rightwingers, advocating pretty much an enforcement-only approach. Mitchell, on the other hand,

backs the middle ground favored by Bush, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D). He describes their approach with words such as "sensible" and "realistic."

I appreciate the way some key politicians at various levels have set aside their partisan differences to develop a collaborative, constructive solution. It's really a sign of the best kind of politics. But Hayworth hasn't been part of the solution, here, he's been part of the problem. I've been very disappointed at how Hayworth has been polarizing this issue, far out of the mainstream of Arizonan thinking and pandering to the most angry, impractical and radical fringe of the Republican party. So I think it'd be great to have a little bit more of Mitchell's "sensible" and "realistic" approach in our representation, on this issue and others.

As for that, the article sums up Mitchell's approach to governance quite nicely:

Mitchell...is admired as an approachable and effective leader in the city, which is home to Arizona State University. The impressionistic statue shows him as a man tall enough to see the city's future -- a visionary.

So, Mitchell: "an approachable, effective leader", "sensible and realistic" and "a visionary".

Sounds pretty good to me.

[Update:: Western Democrat has this good overview of hot issues in the upcoming election and attitudes among Arizonans. Following on what I was referring to above, regarding Hayworth's being out of the mainstream on this issue, WD has this to say:

Seven out of ten Arizonans favor immigration law reform that permits foreign workers to enter the U.S. without breaking U.S. law. Three quarters believe that it is a federal rather than a state responsibility to secure the borders. Only 4% of voters believe than illegal Mexican immigrants include terrorists. Two thirds disagree with the assertion that illegal immigrants who come to the U.S. seeking work on no better than common criminals. Arizonans are equally split on whether it is immoral to deport illegal workers when doing so would split up a family.

In short, while Arizonans are concerned about immigration, most are not panicked and aren’t buying into extreme rhetoric. Most are clearly open to a humane middle-ground on immigration reform.

[Update II: Good news for us Mitchell supporters! AZ Congress Watch reports that Mitchell is still collecting signatures but "The word is that Harry has enough signatures but wants as many extras as possible just in case. His people left around noon, though, so it sounds like he’s ready to file." Go Harry!!]

Response received from Office of Mayor and Council on the Price Park Wall

For Hearthstone residents, especially:

I received an email today in response to the one I sent earlier this week expressing my strong disapproval of opening a pedestrian access through the Price Park wall. I'll paste my letter below, unaltered, for your consideration, followed by the letter I received in response:

First, my letter, sent out on Thursday:

To: The Honorable Mayor Boyd Dunn
and Members of the Chandler City Council

RE: The Price Park Wall and the Hearthstone Community

June 8, 2006


Dear Mayor Dunn and City Council Members,

I am writing to respectfully express my extreme disapproval of the recent motion introduced by Dave McDowell, assistant community services director, to add a pedestrian access through the wall now separating the Chandler Mall and Price Park.

As a resident of the Hearthstone subdivision, we negotiated in good faith with the city and with Westcor, the mall developers, to have a continuous wall separating the park and the Mall. This was done for many key reasons, chief among them was to minimize the disruption to our neighborhood that would come with the introduction of a major new shopping mall in our back yards.

The city and the developers agreed to this, as well as the diversion of the road between the Mall and our subdivision, too. The result has allowed us both to coexist in harmony, with minimal negative impact from auto and foot traffic through our neighborhood.

Now, I am extremely displeased to learn of suggestions to open the wall to facilitate foot traffic to and from the mall from our neighborhood. I know there have been a few vandals who have not appreciated having the wall there and have caused damage to it. But this is most certainly not a valid argument for relenting to their vandalism and opening the wall!

We agreed in good faith with the city and the developers, and now that they have established themselves, they're trying to change the agreement. That's not honorable, and it threatens the safety and calm of our neighborhood by inviting pedestrian traffic into our neighborhood.

If the city is concerned with the vandalism that has occurred to the wall from a few vandals, I shudder to imagine the increase in disruption and crime that will be occurring in our neighborhood if there is ever a door put in the wall and many, many more people begin traveling through our subdivision to and from the Mall, as well as having idle folks from the Mall roaming through our neighborhood.

We are counting on you to safeguard our community interests, and I respectfully urge you to reject the motion to open the wall.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

George Gregg
Resident and Homeowner in the Hearthstone Subdivision
Chandler

Now, the response I received from the Office of the Mayor and Council today:

Dear George,

Thank you for your email to the Mayor and Council. I will ensure that they each receive a copy of your correspondence. I have also forwarded your comments to staff in our Community Services Department and Office of Neighborhood Programs.

On Tuesday, June 6, the Parks and Recreation Board heard the concerns from residents of the Hearthstone subdivision. The Parks Board recommended that we create a task force comprised of Hearthstone residents and City staff in order to discuss alternatives for addressing vandalism in the park.

Please feel free to contact Stefanie Garcia, Neighborhood Program Administrator at (480) 782-2234 if you have any additional questions regarding this issue and the upcoming task force.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your concerns.

Sincerely,

Melanie Sala-Friedrichs
City of Chandler - Office of the Mayor & Council

See previous posts on the Price Park wall issue here:

1. A Call to Action!
2. Parks and Rec agree with residents.

Chandler / Ahwatukee news and views roundup - June 10

News proceeds apace in Chandler and Ahwatukee!

Your linky goodness for today includes an article on Harry Mitchell's fundraising, an op-ed on the opposition to Covance, "rude" driving in Ahwatukee, another op-ed on tuition tax credits, yet another Wal-Mart (those things are like mushrooms after a rain), an impending record-large school bond and the heating up of some real estate in downtown Chandler.

1. Mitchell seeks to show strong campaign fundraising

U.S. Congressional candidate Harry Mitchell faces a June 30 deadline to prove himself to national Democratic power-brokers.

One of the chief tests he faces is whether he can raise serious campaign contributions on his own, said state Democratic Party Chairman David Waid.

So far, Mitchell has raised about $475,000 for his bid to unseat Republican incumbent Rep. J.D. Hayworth, Waid told a group of Democratic supporters at a fundraiser Thursday.

2. Wal-Mart gets preliminary OK
Application for grocery now goes to Chandler council

Plans by Wal-Mart to open a grocery store at Cooper Road and Chandler Boulevard are headed for City Council after the Planning and Zoning Commission approved the idea.

The board decided Wednesday night, and Wal-Mart's application will go to council June 22. If approved, the store expects to break ground at the site later this year.

3. Downtown Chandler townhouses hot sellers

Developer Niels Kreipke landed 12 signed contracts in 13 days from buyers of his downtown townhouses known as the Villas at San Marcos Commons, which aren't yet built.

"We have eight strong candidates for additional contracts," he said. "They're primary home buyers and just a few secondary home buyers."

Kreipke has raised prices four times based on early success, he said. Prices now range from $300,000 to $417,000, he said.

4. Largest-ever school bond likely
Board may ask for more than $90 million on November ballot

A $91.6 million bond election - the largest in the history of the Chandler Unified School District - appears likely to receive the approval of the district's governing board next week and be placed on the Nov. 7 ballot.

Board members heard a revised proposal from district administration at a second study session two days ago and will vote Wednesday on the bond, which would be Chandler's third since 2002.

The district's largest bond issue to date was the $70 million package in 1995 that built Hamilton High and three elementary schools.

5. Survey drives us to think about safety

There's bad news and good news on Ahwatukee drivers.

The bad: We're rude.

The good: We're safe.

6. Leave tuition tax credits alone - op-ed

Whether you are Catholic or not, there are several good reasons to take notice of the recently announced $28 million expansion of Seton Catholic High School in Chandler.

7. 'Warm, fuzzy' PETA really inhumane - op-ed

As the Covance battle heats up after a long election-season hiatus, it must be remembered that those who yell the loudest are not always right, and should not always carry the day.

Chandler news and views roundup - July 9

A few links for you today on some interesting developments affecting Chandler, Arizona:

1. Trash pickup may go 'green'
City is studying curbside collection of tons of biodegradable yard waste

Chandler could become the second Valley city to offer curbside green waste garbage collection, a move that stands to keep thousands of tons of biodegradable lawn clippings and tree trimmings out of landfills and reduce trash pickup costs.

...Outgoing Chandler Councilwoman Donna Wallace, who leaves office Thursday, has been pushing for a city green waste program for more than a year and lobbied to put $100,000 in the 2006-07 budget for the consultant's study.

"I was just thrilled when it was approved. More than 50 percent of the waste coming into our transfer station is green waste that we can divert and recycle and save money. There is no down side to this," she said.

2. 5 Albertsons-Osco stores in SE Valley to shut down

Five Albertsons-Osco stores will close in about two months in Chandler, Mesa and Gilbert as the company plans to concentrate on its remaining stores.

The closures will leave some strip centers without their anchors and includes a store opened two years ago, the Albertsons at Elliot and Higley roads in Gilbert.

Albertsons came under new ownership Friday and announced Tuesday that it will close nine underperforming stores in the Phoenix area, including five in the Southeast Valley, in early August

3. 15,000 party at Santan Freeway's sunset shindig

An early-evening storm that whipped through the East Valley couldn't dampen the community spirit Wednesday. An estimated 12,000 to 15,000 people came to pound the fresh pavement of the Santan Freeway before it opens to traffic early next week.

The storm let up before the 6 p.m. start, and people came out in droves to create a carnival atmosphere.

4. New book details how CEO rebuilt company
Microchip Technology head turned 'mistake' into success

Overall, the high-tech industry is healthy in Chandler, says Steve Sanghi, CEO of Microchip Technology.

"It's a company-by-company issue," he said. Intel is facing the fact that Dell is scrapping its exclusive contract with Intel and using chips from Intel competitor AMD in Dell computers. Intel stock has been down, and AMD has been gaining market share. But other companies are doing well, he noted.

Big names in Mitchell-Hayworth contest spell big trouble for Hayworth

As this article in the Business Journal of Phoenix notes:

Some big political names -- including First Lady Laura Bush; Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.; Democratic firebrand James Carville; and former vice president Dan Quayle -- are getting involved in two key Arizona contests.

Kerry is helping former Tempe mayor Harry Mitchell challenge Scottsdale Republican Congressman J.D. Hayworth. Kerry also criticized Hayworth in a fundraising e-mail to Mitchell backers.

"A Democratic win in this critical race would be a double victory," said Kerry of the Mitchell-Hayworth battle for a U.S. House of Representatives district that includes Tempe and Scottsdale. "We'd bring a powerful new voice to Congress and we'd send packing one of the more wrong-headed GOP politicians of our time."

... The Hayworth-Mitchell race is also garnering some national attention as Democrats look to knock off the outspoken Republican in November.

Carville, a top Democratic consultant, will keynote a fundraiser for Mitchell in central Phoenix on Thursday. Polls show Mitchell running close to Hayworth in a district that includes Fountain Hills, Tempe, Ahwatukee and Scottsdale.

No matter how much the Republicans may want to spin this, the reality is this: big names like this do NOT get personally involved in House campaigns unless they smell blood in the water. Hayworth would not be getting Dan Quayle's help if he didn't suspect he might be in trouble. And Kerry and Carville wouldn't be stumping for Harry Mitchell unless they strongly felt the seat was in play and a little boost from them could make a difference.

It tells us what political intuition, as well as the polls, have been indicating for the past few months. Harry Mitchell is a serious candidate with a real chance of unseating J.D. "Foghorn Leghorn" Hayworth in November.

Hearthstone wall passes Parks and Rec; Council to decide now

Good news on the Price Park wall issue, but it's not over yet.

It appears that the Parks and Recreation Board are siding with us on retaining the wall whole. Now the Chandler City Council will decide tonight (Thursday, the 8th) what to do. We need YOU to send an email to let the Council know how we feel about this!

Hearthstone fights for wall
Council will hear neighbors tonight

Residents of the Hearthstone neighborhood bordering the Chandler Fashion Center in west Chandler are asking the City Council for the third time in nearly five years to keep their community wall the way it is.

On Tuesday night, at a community meeting at the Windmill Suites on Chandler Boulevard, the city's Parks and Recreation board sided with residents calling for the city to keep an 8-foot-tall community wall intact.

About 80 people from the neighborhood attended the meeting. Most said the wall, which separates the neighborhood's Price Park from Chandler Fashion Center, helps prevent outsiders, which could include lawbreakers, from coming into their community.

...Tonight at 7, the City Council is expected to hear the board recommendation and decide on the issue.

If you can't attend the Council meeting tonight, please send an email to the Council at Mayor&Council[at]chandleraz.gov to express your opposition to opening access to foot traffic through the wall.

For more information about this issue, as well as the text of the letter that I sent the Parks and Rec board prior to their meeting on Tuesday, see my previous post here.

Update - 10 June 06: I also sent the same letter to the Mayor and City Council and today received a response, here.

[tag: Chandler, Arizona]

Chandler news and views roundup - June 7

Four interesting links for you today. In the first, we're told Pentz may be rehired. In the fourth, we hear a local State Senator espouse the idea of a Libertarian Democrat. I thought this was very interesting, given the post on dailyKos today setting forth a Libertarian Democrat model.

Your links:

1. New council may try to rehire Pentz
Ex-Chandler city manager open to returning

Minutes after two outgoing Chandler City Council members vacate their seats to replacements Thursday, a new political mix will try to undo one of their lame duck predecessors' most controversial votes, the April ouster of City Manager Mark Pentz.

Pentz said he is open to the idea, and there appears to be enough votes to bring him back.

2. City grants attract private investors to older areas

Drive south on Arizona Avenue just south of downtown, and amid rundown buildings, an attractive one stands out: Plaza Gomez.

It's named for Mercedes Gomez, a businesswoman who bought the ramshackle, 55-year-old structure and rebuilt it with the help of city grants.

About $55,000 toward the project came from the city's Commercial Reinvestment Program, which began in 2002-03 with the goal of attracting private investment in older shopping centers.

3. 'Sunset on Santan' dawn of SEV traffic relief

Chandler residents eager to celebrate the completion of the eastern portion of the Santan Freeway, and its convenient access to reach Gilbert and Mesa, don't have long to wait.

A big crowd is expected tonight as Gilbert, Mesa and the Arizona Department of Transportation host Sunset on the Santan, a large community party to unveil the latest stretch of Loop 202 from 6 to 9 between Val Vista Drive and Power Road on the freeway. The public entrance is at eastbound Val Vista.

4. Lawmakers deal with the people’s business, then their own

Many state lawmakers list “business owner” as their occupation. Most of them, not surprisingly, are Republicans. But Democrats aren’t excluded. A number of them also watch bottom lines, hire and fire people and wonder why the Legislature itself can’t do a better of job of managing a budget.

...Sen. Ken Cheuvront, D-15, returned to Phoenix in the 1980s to help run a family construction business that dates back to the 1940s. He had been a commodities trader in New York City.

But Mr. Cheuvront, 45, soon had another business in mind, something besides construction...So inspired, Mr. Cheuvront opened Cheuvront’s Wine & Cheese Bar in 1993.

...Mr. Cheuvront’s business experience is backed by a degree from the Graduate School of International Management. And...he regards himself as a fiscal conservative.

That’s not out of keeping with being a Democrat, Mr. Cheuvront adds.

“I’m a libertarian and a Democrat,” he says. “Republicans are no longer for limited government.” He adds: “I don’t see the Republican Party at all as the party of fiscal restraint.”

Chandler news and views roundup - June 5th

The new editions of the online San Tan Sun and Chandler Connection have come out this weekend.

As you probably recall, the former is a large .pdf file to download, so individual articles don't have permalinks. And for some inexplicable reason, the latter doesn't use permalinking, instead recycling the URL links every edition. Meaning that once an article is rotated out, it's no longer available online (a scandalously bad practice in the 21st Century of news coverage, frankly).

Nevertheless, several interesting, local articles appear in these two Chandler publications. In this week's edition, the key ones related to the political scene are...

...from the 6/3/06 edition of the San Tan Sun, (24 MB .pdf file here):

1. Recall facing early deadline: Pages 1, 8

2. Pentz leaves door open for return: Pages 1, 12

3. City Hall to build home of its own: Pages 1, 14

4. City Budget ok'd by Council: Page 5

5. HOA lawyer “chastised” for conduct: Page 6

6. Chandler’s ban on backwashing pools into streets takes affect Aug 1: Page 11

7. Fines to increase for parking or stopping between the hours of 4 and 9 a.m. in the downtown area at 501 S. Arizona Ave.: Page 11

8. Prudential AZ relocates HQ to S.Chandler: Page 21

9. Chandler Chamber of Commerce Women’s Council offers self-defense tips: Page 23

10. New veterans program aids military heroes in need (by Councilmember Donna Wallace): Page 24

11. And a slew of "Letters to the Editor" from various people, generally a mixture of occasional insights blended with partisan screed and some good, old-fashioned ignorance: Page 24 and on.


And four interesting articles on politics from the Chandler Connection (no permalinks):

12. 4th Wal-Mart location upsets neighborhood

Some Chandler residents are up in arms about a proposed Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market store but their hands are most likely tied. The retail giant recently announced plans to build a 39,690-square-foot store at the northwest corner of Chandler Boulevard and Cooper Road as part of the Cooper Park Marketplace development.

13. Chicago Street picked for site of new City Hall

Chandler has selected a site for the new City Hall and it will cost $52 million for them to move into their new digs. Elected officials followed the advice of Phoenix-based RNL Design consulting firm and approved a site on Chicago Street. The council settled on the site of its future headquarters with a 6-0 vote May 25. Councilman Martin Sepulveda, a business consultant, declared a conflict of interest and did not vote. The proposed five-story, 120,000-square-foot facility will be located on the east-side of Arizona Avenue between Arizona Avenue and Washington Street to the west of the City Police and Courts Facility, and extending both north and south of Chicago Street.

14. Airport study notes major growth

A master plan devised for the Chandler Municipal Airport projects air traffic to nearly double in the next two decades and will become the city's new economic engine. Some property owners who live near the airport, however, aren't sure they want the city to turn over the ignition. Chandler is in the midst of a $234,000 study to update the master plan that guides airport development and the city has asked the public to take an active role.

15. 2 departing officials will take different paths

As two new councilmembers prepare for the start of their political careers, two elected officials who are terming out next week reflect back on their eight years in office and what they hope their legacies will be. Vice Mayor Phill Westbrooks and councilwoman Donna Wallace will step down from the dais on June 8 to make way for council-elect Trinity Donovan and Jeff Weninger, who were both elected on May 16 in the general election. Westbrooks and Wallace, who were elected in 1998 and 2002, will take different directions once they give up their seats.

Councilman Sepulveda: Chandler Tech Incubator Approved

From an article appearing in the AZ Republic by Councilman Martin Sepulveda:

Technology incubators will place Chandler on new economic path

Just when you thought things couldn't get any more exciting in Chandler, something very exciting and important happened to the well-being of our community at the May 11 City Council meeting. We unanimously approved a plan that will chart a path for Chandler's first pure technology incubator.

Our timing could not be better. While incubators have been around for quite some time, the need for us to explore new fields of technology is immediate.

While it was the semiconductor industry that put Chandler on the map "last century," there are many areas where this base technology, coupled with emerging science and technology in areas such as biodesign and nanotechnology, become our next frontier.

It appears to be an exciting start to the 21st Century for Chandler's growth and development!

Convicted Cunningham casts shadow over Hayworth

With a hat tip to AZ Congress Watch for the link, The Washington Post reports:

The special election to replace imprisoned former US Representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham, Republican of California, is reportedly a virtual dead heat two days before voters head to the polls, prompting alarm among Republicans who have voiced concern that a loss in a historically conservative district could presage a national trend against them in the fall.

...The surprising competitiveness of the 50th District has been reported amid signs that a handful of previously safe incumbents -- such as Representatives Curt Weldon, Republican of Pennsylvania, J.D. Hayworth, Republican of Arizona, and Nancy Johnson, Republican of Connecticut -- will face serious challenges in the fall.

...The fissures within the Republican base have coincided with a sharp decline in Bush's job approval rating.

As has been noted, California's 50th District is heavily Republican. For it to be a toss-up at this point between Busby and Bilbray is a surprising indication of significant abandonment of the Republicans by moderates and Independents.

Any similar shift in AZ-5 will be disastrous for Hayworth, and with a top-quality candidate in Harry Mitchell, it appears that the Dems are very well positioned to have a good fighting chance to pick up our district.

Update: Also from http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.quote.gifAZ Congress Watch, this post noting Hayworth's comments on the activation of Arizona's reservists to fight in Iraq, as reported in the East Valley Tribune:

Despite Friday’s tearful send-off, Rep. J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz., said it’s wrong to look at activated reservists as victims. Instead, he called them citizen soldiers. The congressman said he thought the situation through carefully before voting to activate reserve troops for the Iraq war.

“An introspective moment for me took place when I cast that vote,” he said. “I knew the day I cast my vote that some of the soldiers would not come back.”

Call to Action: City and Mall want to open our neighborhood to Mall traffic!

IMPORTANT: URGENT Precinct 134 Development needs your involvement! See the bottom of this post for a call to send an email and attend a neighborhood meeting on Tuesday night.

From this article appearing in AZ Central this weekend:

Hearthstone fights to keep wall solid
City wants to add mall access route despite 23 repairs

For the third time in five years, residents of the Hearthstone neighborhood immediately west of Chandler Fashion Center will fight to keep a continuous wall between themselves and the mall.

The city is discussing building a pedestrian walkway through the 8-foot-tall wall separating the mall and Price Park. Since 2002, vandals have repeatedly smashed holes in the masonry wall as hand and foot holds to make climbing over easier, said Dave McDowell, assistant community services director.

The Chandler Parks and Recreation Board will hear McDowell's motion on Tuesday. If approved, the measure would call for a temporary opening along Chandler Village Parkway, which runs to the south of Price Park.

This is a serious matter for our neighborhood. The last thing we want is for there to be access through this wall and increase foot traffic in and out of our neighborhood to and from the Mall. This was actually the agreement with the developers when the Mall was built. As the article notes:

The wall was erected in 2002 after negotiations with Westcor, the developer of Chandler Fashion Center. More than 600 residents petitioned the city and the company to build a continuous wall, prohibiting any foot traffic between the mall and the neighborhood.

I appreciate that there may be a handful of vandals that like to climb over the wall and they're damaging the thing in the process, but that's no reason to build a doorway in the thing and encourage even more foot traffic!

I've written this email to the Chandler Parks and Recreation Board fighting against this:

Attn: Parks and Recreation Board

Dear Board Members,

I am writing to express my extreme disapproval of the recent motion introduced by Dave McDowell, assistant community services director, to add a pedestrian access through the wall now separating the Chandler Mall and Price Park.

As a resident of the Hearthstone subdivision, we negotiated in good faith with the city and with Westcor, the mall developers, to have a continuous wall separating the park and the Mall. This was done for many key reasons, chief among them was to minimize the disruption to our neighborhood that would come with the introduction of a major new shopping mall in our back yards.

The city and the developers agreed to this, as well as the diversion of the road between the Mall and our subdivision, too. The result has allowed us both to coexist in harmony, with minimal negative impact from auto and foot traffic through our neighborhood.

Now, I am extremely displeased to learn of suggestions to open the wall to facilitate foot traffic to and from the mall from our neighborhood. I know there have been a few vandals who have not appreciated having the wall there and have caused damage to it. But this is most certainly not a valid argument for relenting to their vandalism and opening the wall!

We agreed in good faith with the city and the developers, and now that they have established themselves, they're trying to change the agreement. That's not honorable, and it threatens the safety and calm of our neighborhood by inviting pedestrian traffic into our neighborhood.

If the city is concerned with the vandalism that has occurred to the wall from a few vandals, I shudder to imagine the increase in disruption and crime that will be occurring in our neighborhood if there is ever a door put in the wall and many, many more people begin traveling through our subdivision to and from the Mall.

The members of the Parks and Recreation Board have a responsibility to not simply consider the cost of repairing one section of wall, but also the significant negative impact on the Hearthstone neighborhood if the wall is opened up.

We are relying on you to do your duty to safeguard our community interests, and I strongly urge you to reject this motion.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

George Gregg
Resident, Hearthstone Subdivision

I strongly urge all members of Precinct 134, particularly those on the West side of the Mall, to also send an email. You can send an email via this page, selecting the "Parks and Recreation" topic.

The Parks & Recreation Board is meeting to discuss this Tuesday, June 06, 2006 at 6:30 P.M. at the Windmill Suites of Chandler, just on Chandler Blvd., nort of our neighborhood. IF YOU CAN GO, PLEASE DO SO AND FIGHT TO KEEP THE WALL WHOLE.

We need to keep fighting this fight, because if we don't we will soon have all kinds of traffic through our neighborhood, and the disruption, vandalism and other crime that comes from it. Thank you for joining in this effort!

Chandler council recall effort failing

From AZ Central today:

Recall drive lacks signatures
November ballot spot not likely to happen

Chandler voters likely won't see the word "recall" on their November election ballots, but councilmen Matt Orlando and Martin Sepulveda's political futures aren't out of the woods yet.

Ray Pilara, spokesman for the Sepulveda Orlando Recall Committee, said since the effort started April 27, his group has collected about 1,000 of the 3,501 required signatures to recall the two councilmen. "Unless there's a miracle over the weekend," he said the group wouldn't have enough to submit them as planned Thursday. But Pilara said they aren't giving up and will continue to circulate petitions until the Aug. 25 deadline.

City Clerk Marla Paddock said given the time required to verify signatures and draft ballot language, next week would probably be the latest petitions could be submitted in time for a November vote. However, if the group gets enough valid signatures by Aug. 25, the recall election could still be in March 2007, she said. Orlando and Sepulveda's four-year terms end in May 2008; both are eligible to run for re-election in March 2008.

Spurred by the two councilmen's role in ousting City Manager Mark Pentz in April,the recall group includes 42 volunteer petition circulators, most of whom are retirees, Pilara said.

Residents' lack of interest in their city's government has been discouraging, he said.

Pilara prefers to imagine it's because people aren't interested in their government, when an equally, if not more, plausible explanation is that the bloodlust to unseat two good public servants really isn't as broadly felt as some agitators wish it was.

After all, it's pretty telling when you can't even gather a third of the signatures required to take something to the ballot. Especially when you have 42 petition circulators! That tells you that the desire to recall simply isn't in the mainstream, and is being driven by a small group of angry folks out to punish a couple of council members for making a decision they don't like.

I've said before, and won't belabor the point, but I'm an electoral conservative and think this kind of use of a recall is actually disruptive and destructive to the community. It also greatly undermines confidence and desire to participate in the electoral process when a small, out-of-the-mainstream group uses a recall to destabilize the incumbency of popularly elected officials.

Councilman Orlando echoes my sense of when you should use the recall:

"Let's stop the divisiveness and move on," he said. "Recalls are very serious; they insinuate something corrupt is going on. They're for malice, treason, high crimes and misdemeanors. If I was lining my pockets with something, then, yeah, recall me. Take me in front of a judge and charge me with crimes."

Orlando said the recall group is "a few individuals who like to keep the pot stirred."

You can read my exclusive interviews with Councilman Orlando and other key players on this subject by following the sidebar link to "Precinct 134 Interviews".

New early voter program via Slade Mead's campaign

Geoff Esposito brings to our attention the following:

A New Program from the Slade Mead Campaign

For those of you who will be voting by mail, the Slade Mead for Superintendent of Public Instruction campaign has introduced a new program so that you can request your early ballot! It also offers the opportunity for you to share this opportunity with five people you think would be interested in voting early as well. Go and check it out, and while your at it, check out Slade's vision for Arizona schools.