Republican Les Thompson says illegal immigration is devastating Arizona’s southern border communities and Prop. 200, promoted by its supporters as an improvement in immigration security, is a top issue in the area. Democratic Sen. Marsha Arzberger, whose District 25 seat Mr. Thompson is trying to take, says that greatly overstates the local interest in Prop. 200.

“I haven’t been hearing a lot about it,” said Ms. Arzberger, who seeks election to a second term in the Senate. “Everybody’s tired of it.”

She said she personally opposes Prop. 200, calling support for it “a wasted vote.” But she adds that as a senator she has no official position. “I’m not going to support or oppose it,” she said. “I will leave it up to the voters.”

Mr. Thompson, a Cochise County supervisor, says Ms. Arzberger has been on both sides of the fence on immigration issues in two campaign debates.

“It’s a concern,” said Mr. Thompson, who is completing his third term as supervisor. “Where is she on this?”

Prop. 200, an initiative petition filed by an organization called Protect Arizona Now, requires proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote or to receive public benefits that are not required by the federal government. It also makes it a misdemeanor for a state or local government employee to fail to report a discovered violation of immigration law.

Ms. Arzberger was the principal sponsor in 2003 of a Senate memorial, SCM 1001, asking Congress to establish a “legal-worker program” to require immigrant workers to pay payroll taxes and require employers to pay them minimum wage and protect them from exploitation. The measure, which passed the Senate 30-0 and the House 44-13, stated in part that “many residents in southern Arizona live in constant fear for their personal safety, and business owners and individuals live with continuous property destruction that costs significant money to continually repair…”

As for Prop. 200, she told Arizona Capitol Times that her personal feeling is that “it’s going to cost a lot of money and it’s not going to do anything, but there’s no time left to inform them [meaning the voters] on the details.”

She said voters’ best recourse is to write Congress, because on immigration reform, “The state can do absolutely nothing.”

Mr. Thompson said he helped circulate the Prop. 200 petition and that Prop. 200 is one of the top issues in the district, which generally covers Arizona’s southern and border communities, including Bisbee, Douglas, Ft. Huachuca, Gila Bend, Marana, Nogales and Willcox. The district encompasses most of Cochise County and parts of Pima, Santa Cruz, Maricopa and Pinal.

“Immigration is devastating our lands and cities,” Mr. Thompson said. “The majority of people are certainly in favor of 200.”

He said border crossers from Mexico are leaving trails of trash that are damaging the San Pedro riparian area and municipal waste water systems.

He said that even if Prop. 200 is overturned in court, as happened in California in 1997, the court ruling would help stem the flow of illegal immigrants into Arizona.

For proof he points to California. He said the federal government took notice when California passed Prop. 187 in 1994 and “closed down” the California-Mexico border to immigration. He said the move drove illegal immigrants to Arizona, where there were fewer border patrol agents, and passage of Prop. 200 here could drive illegal immigration away from Arizona.

“I don’t care where it goes, as long as it’s not us,” he said.

A federal judge in 1997 declared the California proposition an illegal state attempt to regulate immigration, an exclusively federal domain.

Mr. Thompson and Ms. Arzberger do agree on one immigration-related issue: that rural hospitals are in need of federal assistance to make up for the loss of revenue caused by federal requirements that hospitals provide emergency care to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay. Border-area hospitals treat many illegal immigrants.

Property Taxes

On other topics, Mr. Thompson said four of the five counties in District 25 have the highest property taxes in the state “because of the control the state has over our taxes.” He said taxes that fund long-term care and other state programs for the poor account for 30 per cent of property taxes in the district, adding that if elected to the Legislature he will push for tax equality among counties.

“He focuses completely on county taxes and state mandates,” Ms. Arzberger said. “There’s a significant difference between county and state government.”

Small schools in the district, Mr. Thompson said, are struggling financially and need to be consolidated. Until they are, the state is dumping education dollars “down a rat hole,” he said.

Mr. Thompson said, “I like all-day kindergarten, but should taxpayers pay for it,” referring to the full-day K program passed by the Legislature this year and supported by Ms. Arzberger.

“I can’t tell you I would have voted for it,” Mr. Thompson said.

The two agree, at least in theory, on another issue — both say some form of tort reform is needed at the state level to deal with the ongoing loss of OB/GYN physicians, who have quit practicing in rural areas because of high malpractice insurance premiums. Ms. Arzberger said the only birthing center that remains in the district is in Sierra Vista.

She has headed a legislative study committee on the problems of rural physicians and said she will push for forgiveness of student loans to doctors who choose to practice in rural Arizona.

About District 25

District 25 is a Democratic stronghold — 47 per cent registered Democrats to 30 per cent Republicans and 23 per cent unaffiliated or minor-party registrants. Mr. Thompson said that despite the Democratic registration advantage, the district includes enough “conservative” strongholds for him to win.

“I have a good shot because of all the agricultural areas in the district,” he said.

Ms. Arzberger replaced her husband, Gus, in the Senate in 2001, when he was termed out. They own a farm and a ranch.

“I think I’m going to be successful,” Ms. Arzberger said. “I have lots of experience and historical knowledge that should be retained.”

Campaign finance reports through Aug. 18 showed individual contributions to Ms. Arzberger’s campaign of $14,007 and spending of $4,963. Another report was due on Oct. 7, after Arizona Capitol Times went to press.

Mr. Thompson had received $28,300 in Clean Elections Commission funds as of Sept. 7 and his most recent expense report showed $2,573 in spending.—