District 8 Profile
District 8 covers Scottsdale north of Thomas Road and includes Fountain Hills. The voter registration in the district is heavily Republican at 50.5 percent. Democrats have 22.9 percent registered and those without party affliation stand at 26.6 percent.
It’s accepted that open legislative seats foster competition and encourage more people to seek office.
So when Rep. Colette Rosati opted to run for the Senate instead of re-election, the district 8 Republican primary became the poster child for competitive elections, with the other incumbent and four challengers seeking the available two seats.
The five candidates run the gamut of the political spectrum in the Republican Party, ranging from conservative social politics and a focus on illegal immigration to candidates who dismiss social issues and say economic development, education and water issues are more pressing.
And, though all of the candidates agree that no candidate in any race should ever take re-election for granted, most of the challengers in the race all say they would be shocked if incumbent Rep. Michele Reagan isn’t sent back to the Legislature. That only increases the competition in what was already one of the most hotly contested primary election in the state. Instead of five people going after two seats, the four challengers are effectively trying to beat each other for one seat.
The two candidates who receive the most votes in the Sept. 12 primary election will go on to face Democrats Stephanie Rimmer and William Sandberg in the November general election, but the Republican nominees are all but assured of being elected to the House, as Democrat voters are outnumbered by Republicans by more than two-to-one.
Jim Burke
While there are no doubt other pressing issues facing the state, Jim Burke says he is especially eager to work on health care issues. If elected, he will fill the shoes of retiring Sen. Bob Cannell, D-24, who is currently the Legislature’s only medical doctor. Mr. Burke worked in private practice for 10 years and has been the chief medical officer for Scottsdale Healthcare since 1991.
“I think that having a physician [in the Legislature] can definitely be beneficial,” he said.
The biggest hurdle for improving health care in Arizona is increasing the number of doctors. Mr. Burke says the state is among the lowest in the nation in terms of doctors per capita. He believes in tort reform “where it makes sense.”
With health insurance costs continuing to rise, Mr. Burke says the state needs to work on both short- and long-term solutions. For the former, he suggests incentives for businesses to offer insurance to employees and decreasing the waiting period before unemployed people can get on AHCCCS, while for the long term he would like to see a comprehensive plan to reform insurance and make sure it is provided to all citizens.
An issue voters have repeatedly raised, Mr. Burke says, is illegal immigration. The state, he says, needs to not license businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Government also needs to instill a change of philosophy.
“Ultimately, I think the problem is we’ve allowed this to creep into our attitude to just accept illegal immigrants, and if we don’t take a hard stand…we’re not going to be able to do anything about that culture [of acceptance],” he said.
The state’s education system also needs some attention, especially in increasing accountability, Mr. Burke says. He would like to expand the scope of the AIMS test and use it to determine which students move from elementary school to junior high or junior high to high school.
He also supports private school vouchers and charter schools, but cautions that parents need to know the landscape of education in their part of the state.
“I think that parents having a choice of where to send their kids will ultimately make the system better,” he said, “but they need to be informed…to make that choice.”
Mr. Burke has received several endorsements, including those of the Arizona Medical Association, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona.
Travis Junion
He’s the youngest candidate in the state seeking a legislative seat and he’s enthusiastic about serving the voters, and Travis Junion thinks those are the reasons he’ll get elected to the House.
“If people are going to beat me, they’re going to have to work harder than me, and I haven’t seen anyone doing that,” the 24-year-old said.
Mr. Junion, a public relations consultant, will turn 25 in October, making him eligible to be elected to the Legislature in the November general election.
He says he’s visited more than 3,500 homes and has personally called and thanked each voter who returned the early ballot request forms he mailed out. After talking with them, he says immigration is the top issue in the state and people are frustrated by the inaction Arizona’s government has taken.
“People are sick and tired of the politics,” he said. “They’re sick of the governor wanting to declare victory through press conferences and they’re sick of politicians playing games.”
Mr. Junion wants to use a combination of technology, enforcing laws currently on the books and allowing local law enforcement agencies to enforce immigration law to move the state “light years ahead of where we are now.”
To improve the education students receive in public schools, Mr. Junion says the state needs to use its buying power to leverage the best deal for some school purchases — including technology. He also wants to increase accountability not just among students, but with parents, too.
“The teachers in the schools can’t do everything,” he said. “You need to have engaged parents as well.”
An area the state has improved on in recent years is economic development, though Mr. Junion says more can be done to attract the high-tech jobs that are crucial to Arizona’s future.
“Tourism and real estate are great, but these are not the kind of stable economic engines we want to propel our economy,” he said.
Mr. Junion believes too much attention has been paid to social issues at the Legislature in recent years, as the “professional politicians” have used them as political posturing tools.
“I think state government and the Legislature have been too involved [in people’s lives]…and games are being played on issues that, as a state legislator, I can’t have much effect on,” he said. “Most voters want the Legislature working on issues that affect the state, not social issues.”
Mr. Junion has received endorsements from the Arizona Technology Council and the Arizona Correctional Peace Officers Association.
John Kavanagh
To say that any issue other than illegal immigration concerns John Kavanagh, a professor, most would be not be accurate. He runs a Web site devoted to it, hosts a weekly radio show to discuss it and says it needs to be the state’s top priority.
Voters, he says, agree.
“They want the border secured and they want the Proposition 200 provisions enforced and they want businesses that hire illegals to be fined, or worse,” he said. “I don’t just talk about it — I act.”
The solutions, Mr. Kavanagh says, are simple: letting armed National Guardsmen patrol the border and building fencing along high-traffic areas of the border will stem the tide of people crossing illegally. Then the state can turn its attention to those who live in the state illegally.
“Everybody has dropped the ball and the state needs to do what it can,” he said.
Voters are also concerned with the education Arizona children receive and he says the system has “lots of problems.” Chief among them, Mr. Kavanagh says, is that teachers — especially in math and science — are paid too little. He also wants to see tweaks to school policy and increased responsibility.
“I think we need to get rid of ineffective liberal policies, like social promotion,” he said. “We have to continue AIMS accountability, because nothing keeps students and teachers on their toes like a test down the road.”
Mr. Kavanagh says he is also concerned about the state’s water supply and the impact overdevelopment, especially in the state’s rural areas, may have on the ability of future generations to get enough water.
“We need to impose the 100-year assured supply [of water] for new housing statewide, not just in the major population areas,” he said.
He says voters are also sick of heavy traffic, especially on the Loop 101 freeway. Though there is state money slated to expand the road and add extra lanes, Mr. Kavanagh says the district’s lawmakers need to make sure that actually happens.
“Whoever sits in the legislative District 8 seats needs to make sure we get our fair share of money,” he said.
Among others, Mr. Kavanagh is endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and House Speaker Jim Weiers.
Michele Reagan
Even if others think she’s certain to be re-elected, Rep. Michele Reagan says the chickens haven’t hatched yet, so she hasn’t started counting.
“I keep hearing that it’s a race for the one seat and [I’m] fine — and it warms my heart — but it’s not true,” she says. “I really do have a race.”
She says she’s excited about the possibility of serving with a new seatmate and feels the district will be better served than it has been the past four years when she and Colette Rosati, the district’s other representative, clashed over political views. Ms. Reagan says Ms. Rosati was unwilling to work with her.
“I don’t really think we’ve done the district justice when you don’t have two representatives that can work together on common projects,” she said. “How much more could we have done for the district with teamwork the last four years≠”
Like most candidates, Ms. Reagan says voters are most concerned with illegal immigration and lack of action by the government. Further, she said they don’t care that bills were vetoed: instead, they just want something done.
“The state solution should be to pass bills that are going to get signed,” she said. “When you talk to the public, they’re outraged that we haven’t done anything.”
That entails the Republican-controlled Legislature working with the governor, even if it is Democrat Governor Napolitano, who is seeking re-election.
Ms. Reagan, the chair of the House Commerce Committee, says economic development is one of her top priorities. In order to attract higher wage jobs, she says the state needs to increase the tax credit businesses receive for doing research and development to 30 percent from 20 percent.
A similar bill was given preliminary approval by the Legislature last year, but was left out of the final state budget.
She also wants to revise state laws to allow companies to withhold worker’s compensation benefits from an employee who was injured because he or she was intoxicated on the job.
“It’s not a real sexy topic to go out and campaign on, but these ones really make the difference for small businesses,” she said.
In order to make public schools better, one of the problems Ms. Reagan hopes to address is transportation funding. Though state law requires school to be in session for 180 days, the state only has to pay transportation costs for 175 days.
Among others, Ms. Reagan is endorsed by the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, the Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona and the Arizona Nurses Association.
Carolyn Schoenrock
It’s a bit clichéd to say that someone is “doing it for the children,” but that’s exactly what Carolyn Schoenrock is doing in her House run.
“I’m concerned about our future and our children’s future,” the mother of two said. “I’m frustrated with what’s going on with the government and I want to make a difference and get some things done.”
The first thing Ms. Schoenrock wants done is for the state to secure the Arizona-Mexico border. The issue, she says, is a particular source of frustration for voters in Fountain Hills, who are concerned that the state is forced to pay for the health care and education of illegal immigrants.
She says the state needs to follow the lead of Israel along the Gaza Strip: erect walls and man watchtowers with guards. That will deter immigrants — and possible terrorists — from illegally entering the country through Arizona.
“It needs to be done because it’s for the security of our citizens,” she said. “Money should not be a factor.”
Ms. Schoenrock also wants Arizona to enact tough employer sanctions for companies that don’t verify the citizenship of their employees.
She also says she doesn’t believe the economy will suffer without immigrant workers, as some critics of strict border policy have claimed.
“There’s a lot of people here out of work…that can do some of these jobs,” she said.
The education system also needs an overhaul, Ms. Schoenrock says. Her chief concern is getting good teachers in front of students in the classroom.
“We need to quit the wasteful spending in administration and hire qualified teachers,” she said.
Other options to improve public schools, she says, are private school vouchers and charter schools, both of which increase competition for students, thereby increasing education. Ms. Schoenrock also wants to get parents more involved in their children’s educations.
“Parents need to take the responsibility in their child’s life,” she said. “This isn’t just a student problem, it’s a parent problem.”
Probably the biggest thing that sets her apart from her opponents, Ms. Schoenrock says, is her assurance to protect the taxpayer.
“I’m the only candidate that has signed a pledge not to raise taxes, because I feel the money should go back to the people,” she said.
Ms. Schoenrock is endorsed by Arizona Right to Life.