In a recent interview with the Arizona Capitol Times, incoming Representative-elect Kevin Volk from Legislative District 17 discussed some of his priorities in the upcoming legislative session as the singular Democrat representing the district. Volk, the cofounder of the affordable and sustainable housing company Vivablox and a real estate agent for his family’s company, also discussed his relationship with his late Senate running mate John McClean. On Nov. 15, Mclean, 68, died after his vehicle was hit by a suspected drunken driver in Tucson. McLean lost his Senate race to Senator-elect Vince Leach and conceded the race a day before his death.

What made you want to serve in the Legislature?

I felt compelled to serve based on the significant challenges that our state faces, especially in the areas of partisanship more broadly, and then policywise – education, water, cost of living, and housing affordability. There’s just really pressing issues that were concentrated at a state level and I felt compelled as someone who grew up and was born and raised in southern Arizona, it felt like our state was not only affecting our region. The issues that were being decided by the state Legislature were starting to really have a significant and sometimes very negative impact on our communities. I wanted to do what I could to change that and work together with people to come up with solutions to some of these major challenges.

What do you want to see with the issues you mentioned?

Yeah, an education priority is making sure that every kid has an opportunity to obtain an excellent education, and that includes the over 90% of kids who are in public schools that have been woefully underfunded. It means paying our teachers and other educators more. It means funding schools on an equitable basis so they’re not forced to do constant bonds and overrides just to stay alive. It means addressing archaic policy like the aggregate expenditure limit that can really threaten the whole school system and Arizona economy on an ongoing basis. 

You have a professional background in housing. What can you bring to the table at the Legislature?

Creativity and real world experience. I’ve done some challenging and innovative things within housing, whether it’s converting an office property into six residences or creating a business to convert used shipping containers to affordable, residential studio units. So, I’ve done some different, innovative things including conversion, including using prefabricated techniques to create housing. I also have the perspective of working on housing and other real estate issues, personally doing projects here in southern Arizona. I’m familiar with some of the pain points of the actual process of creating new housing and I’ve also got creative ideas that are market-based in terms of how we can try to make housing fundamentally more affordable so that more entities, whether private or nonprofit, can create housing to try to fill in all the units we need to accommodate Arizonans who are struggling right now.

What are the biggest challenges the housing market is facing?

I think the higher interest rates are a major hurdle. I think construction costs, labor, and material shortages are major issues. We need to see how we can creatively help mitigate some of those factors. There’s certainly more to be done on streamlining processes for development and streamlining processes in a way that accommodates some innovative ways to approach housing. We can’t just have systems that are solely designed for the same exact type of new subdivision development. It’s got to be able to accommodate mixed use and adaptive reuse and prefabricated housing and other innovative approaches.

What’s your approach to working across the aisle?

I grew up in a household that was part Republican and part Democratic. My approach is to work with anybody to get things done and that’s been my experience in my personal and professional life. That’s exactly the approach that I’m committed to taking. I committed to that on the campaign and that’s just who I am – someone who will reach out and try to find common ground and work toward that no matter what.

What worked for you in a Republican-leaning district this election when a lot of the state and the country shifted red?

Unlike some of the districts, it is a fundamentally new district. Meaning, it’s not just shifting around existing districts’ borders. It is a brand new district. On party registration, there’s a significant Republican registration advantage. What was evident in the result of 2022 was that there was a real willingness from people to cross party lines if they felt like they could vote for candidates who were more focused on delivering results rather than just talking about the same partisan issues. I worked really hard to get out in the community and talk to as many people as possible. I ended up knocking on almost 7,000 doors to get out in the community as much as possible and listen. The public service approach is to listen first and then commit to working to solve problems, regardless of who I’m connecting with and working alongside to make that happen. What we’ve seen in my district is a rejection of the really hyper-partisan approach. I’m very thankful that the voters of District 17 entrusted me and felt I had the right approach. 

What do you look forward to most with your committee assignments?

Public safety is important to the folks I talked to in the district when knocking on doors. We’ve got some of the safest communities where we’ve got public safety systems that people are really happy with overall and yet at the same time, there’s challenges that folks are concerned with. I’ve already been meeting with a number of public safety stakeholders in the district and will continue to do so. For appropriations, I think responsible budgeting and investing taxpayer dollars wisely is one of the paramount duties of being a state legislator. I’m excited to learn a lot about the appropriations process and the different needs to work hard to invest those taxpayer dollars in the most prudent way that will result in the best outcomes for Arizonans.

What can you tell me about the budget situation early on before session begins?

We’re likely to be pretty close to even in terms of not having a significant deficit or surplus that’s projected at this point. But there are a lot of factors that can change and so we just have to be really responsible when we’re making these decisions.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

Spend time with family and friends. Go travel when possible both here in the United States and sometimes abroad. I love Mexico. It’s always fun to go down to Mexico. I helped teach English there for a year in Aguascalientes near central Mexico. That’s one of the incredible elements of living in southern Arizona. You’re only 60 miles away. 

What was your relationship like with your running mate John McLean? 

Everyone who met John kind of fell in love with him. He’s such an incredible, positive and energetic guy who was devoted to everything he has done, which was about improving other peoples’ lives – even animals’ lives. We were the two people who had the experience of running for office in Legislative District 17 on the Democratic side. We were both first-time candidates together. We both came from a business background with deep roots in southern Arizona, so there was a lot of affinity. We shared some campaign staff so we got to know each other over the course of the nine or so months from the time he got into the race to his passing. We just shared a very unique experience and it was devastating to hear the news of his loss. I’m still grieving him as many of us are because he was just such an incredibly dedicated person to serving the community. He came up just a little short electorally, which was tough news for me as someone who was so invested in his campaign and his success. But he would have done something else to serve. It’s just such a loss for Arizona and in our community, but also just for everyone in his family, his friends, and people like me who were on the campaign trail. I’m very glad that because of the campaign, thousands of people got to know a little bit more about what an amazing person he was. He’s just an incredible man and leaves a really impressive legacy of service and warmth, kindness and generosity. It’s hard to believe and it takes time to process.

Anything else you wanted to mention?

I’m excited to meet my fellow members of the state Legislature and get to know people and find opportunities to work together. I want to get things done and have as productive of a session as possible.