Newsroom Staff

EDITORS:

Matt Bunk
Managing Editor
matt.bunk@azcapitoltimes.com
602-889-7132
Matt leads a news staff that is dedicated to providing the most updated, informed and accurate news on state government, the Capitol community, upcoming events and elections. Matt is an accomplished journalist, having won state awards in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, California and Arizona. His background in multimedia journalism began while covering the Bay Area economy, public companies and the energy industry for the Oakland Tribune and ANG Newspapers. Before joining the Arizona Capitol Times in December 2007, Matt was an assistant metro editor in charge of government coverage at the East Valley Tribune. Matt also serves on the board of directors for the Arizona First Amendment Coalition and the Arizona Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Barry Gartell
Arizona Legislative Report Editor
barry.gartell@azcapitoltimes.com
602-889-7130
Barry is editor of the Arizona Legislative Report, a daily publication that chronicles action at the Arizona Legislature. He also analyzes and summarizes legislative bills while the Legislature is in session. Barry is a veteran of the Capitol community, having worked for the Government Information Technology Agency (GITA) and the Arizona Association of Counties.

Don Harris
Copy Editor
don.harris@azcapitoltimes.com
602-889-7136
Don joined Arizona Capitol Times as copy editor/reporter in 2001, capping a journalism career that began in Chicago. Immediately prior to his service with the Capitol Times, for nearly nine years Don was a public information officer for state of Arizona agencies, first with the Department of Commerce and then the Department of Insurance. Don also covered politics, organized labor and general assignments at The Arizona Republic for 19 years, periodically serving as an assistant city editor. At The Republic, Don covered the Arizona House of Representatives for 10 years, as well as five national political conventions and most major political races. Political figures he covered extensively include Barry Goldwater, Bruce Babbitt, Burton Barr, Evan Mecham, and Rose Mofford. He received several journalism awards in Arizona and Chicago. Don, his wife and their three children moved to Arizona from Chicago in 1973, after having been a reporter for the Chicago Today/Chicago American for a number of years.

Josh Coddington
Special Sections Coordinator
josh.coddington@azcapitoltimes.com
(602) 889-7141
Josh Coddington has worked for the Arizona Capitol Times since early 2006. He produces the award-winning “Focus” special sections that appear regularly in the Capitol Times, as well as magazine-style political resources such as the Citizen Government Guide, Government Resource Directory and the Book of Lobbyists. Josh also writes stories and shoots photos for the paper, and he assists with administration of www.azcapitoltimes.com and www.azlobbyists.com.

Before joining the staff, Josh graduated magna cum laude from California State University in Fresno, where he studied mass communication, journalism, public relations and meteorology.
Assignments:
*Special Sections
*Times Past
*Capitol Calendar
*Special Publications
*Web site administration

CAPITOL TIMES REPORTERS:

Luige del Puerto
Senate Reporter
luige.delpuerto@azcapitoltimes.com
602-889-7131
Luige covers the Arizona Senate for the Arizona Capitol Times. He is a native of the Philippines and most recently worked in Manila for the nation’s largest daily newspaper, The Philippine Daily Inquirer. At the Inquirer, he covered crime, labor, elections and national security. He was also part of the paper’s special projects team and covered several coup d’état attempts in his home country before moving to the Unites States in 2005. Luige graduated with honors from the school of journalism at the University of Philippines.
Beat Assignments:
*State Senate
*Auditor General
*Congressional Elections
*Transportation Issues

Jim Small
House Reporter
jim.small@azcapitoltimes.com
602-889-7133
Jim has covered the Arizona Legislature for the Arizona Capitol Times since 2004. An award-winning reporter, Jim also covers the complex state budget process and reports on education, immigration and corrections issues. Before coming to the Capitol Times, he covered city government, public safety and business issues for a pair of community weeklies in the West Valley. He is a graduate of Grand Canyon University.
Beat Assignments:
*State House
*Budget Issues
*Immigration Issues
*Corporation Commission
*Public Safety
*K-12 Education

Christian Palmer
Governor’s Office/State Agencies/Courts Reporter
christian.palmer@azcapitoltimes.com
602-889-7138
Christian is an award-winning journalist who covers the most expansive beat at the Arizona Capitol Times. He writes stories on everything from the Citizens Clean Elections Commission to the Attorney General’s Office and beyond. He is a graduate of Arizona State University, where he studied history and mass communications before earning a degree from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. Prior to joining the reporting team in 2005, Christian was a legislative intern for Legislation On Line Arizona (LOLA), a comprehensive online bill-tracking system.
Beat Assignments:
*Agriculture
*Ballot Initiatives
*Clean Elections Commission
*Courts and the Legal Community
*Health Care
*Labor Issues
*Attorney General
*Secretary of State

Jeremy Duda
Governor’s Office Reporter
jeremy.duda@azcapitoltimes.com
602-889-7111
Jeremy covers the governor’s office for the Arizona Capitol Times. A Phoenix native, he graduated from the University of Arizona in 2002 with a degree in journalism. After starting as a sports writer at the Hobbs (New Mexico) News-Sun, he moved to the news desk, where he covered city government and cops. From New Mexico, he moved to Provo, Utah, where he covered courts and cops for the Daily Herald. He has won numerous awards in New Mexico and Utah, including the Society of Professional Journalists 2007 award for best reporter at a mid-sized Utah daily newspaper.
Beat Assignments:
* Governor’s Office
* Lobbyists

Bill Coates
Reporter/Photographer
bill.coates@azcapitoltimes.com
602-889-7143
Bill writes feature stories and takes photos for the Arizona Capitol Times. He has written extensively about environmental and wildlife issues in Arizona, as well as stories about the people who work in government - from the workers at the state health laboratory to the state history librarian. Bill has photographed every imaginable event at the state Capitol, most notably the immigration marches and the late hours at the Legislature as lawmakers worked to adjourn session. This is Bill’s second stint at the Capitol Times; he took time off to do some writing on his own before rejoining the newspaper in June 2006.
Beat Assignments:
*Environment
*Natural Resources
*Land Issues
*Features
*State Library