Perched in a corner office on the 12th floor of Phoenix’s downtown headquarters, David Cavazos has a bird’s eye view of the city’s growing amenities, including Arizona State University’s downtown campus, Chase Field, the US Airways Center and the Sheraton Hotel - all of which have emerged since he moved to Phoenix in 1987.

On the wall of Alessandra Soler Meetze’s office hangs an illustrated guide to the Bill of Rights in colorful cartoon drawings. One of the drawings shows a police officer morphing through a television in a living room as a family reacts in horror. Beneath it are the words, “No unreasonable search or seizure.”

The Arizona Department of Transportation is facing what it calls a “perfect storm.”

Tax revenue is declining as people license fewer vehicles and travel less. Meanwhile, the state is dipping into transportation money to help cope with the budget deficit.

The department, as a result, is taking drastic measures to address a $100 million shortfall in its budget, including closing rest areas and possibly some offices of the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD).

Ken Chapa, 33, is to the go-to guy for productions that want to film in Arizona. His title is film office manager in the Arizona Department of Commerce. It’s a role that requires wearing many hats.

He markets the tax-credit incentives available to production companies that film in Arizona. (Another Commerce employee crunches the numbers.) He breaks down scripts for location possibilities and helps film companies scout locations - or refers them to local scouts who can, in addition to working with them to secure filming permits across the state.

Sen. Thayer Verschoor, a Republican from Gilbert, returned to the Senate after a tough primary last year. One of the most conservative members of the Legislature, he fought hard for the repeal of the state equalization property tax. That battle was lost this year after Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a bill carrying the repeal language.

While others prefer to be diplomatic, Sen. Ken Cheuvront speaks his mind without sugarcoating it. When Janet Napolitano resigned her post as governor early this year to become President Obama’s secretary of Homeland Security, the Phoenix lawmaker was quite blunt in his criticism of her decision. “Janet always does what’s good for Janet,” he said.

Though it’s been nearly 25 years since John Munger directed the Arizona Republican Party, he has always remained a part of the political arena. The Tucson attorney has served as president of the Arizona Board of Regents and chairman of the Pima County GOP, and was known to political junkies in the Old Pueblo for his frequent appearances on the TV show “Arizona Illustrated.”

Tom Jenney, the state director for the Arizona Chapter of Americans for Prosperity, has organized efforts to oppose the Obama health care plan, fights daily for smaller government and is not a fan of Gov. Jan Brewer, despite her party affiliation.

Nothing in Vernon Parker’s life has ever come easy.

From the slums of Long Beach, Calif., where he grew up surrounded by drugs and crime, to the halls of Congress, where the former U.S. Department of Agriculture official faced what he calls a politically motivated investigation into federal contracts awarded to his consulting firm, Parker has faced his share of obstacles.

As the leader of a mini-insurrection in the House of Representatives in a tussle early this year over funding for a high-tech economic development program, Sam Crump gained notoriety beyond the boundaries of his north-Phoenix legislative district.