Arizona Capitol Times Your Inside Source for Arizona Government, Politics and Business

When I agreed to chair the Maricopa Integrated Health System’s Bond Advisory Committee, I thought I knew all about Maricopa County’s public hospital and health care system.

From outside the Arizona political process, it can be tempting to bemoan the strident partisanship that creates so much dysfunction around our state’s key issues, from creating jobs to bettering our schools to keeping our communities safe from crime.

Arizona reached some unsettling milestones recently. The state just passed into 16 years of drought. Last year we witnessed the deadliest wildfire in Arizona history, and also produced the hottest summer on record for the city of Phoenix.

The for-hire vehicle industry, which has operated here in Arizona for decades under simple but highly effective standards designed to keep riders safe, proposes that UberX, Lyft and other “ride sharers” meet the same modest set of safety standards.

There’s an old saying that most citizens find scary, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help!” Even worse is what is happening now when the federal bureaucracy says, “I’m from the government and I’m here to make sure ...

In the aftermath of the Glendale City Council’s March 18th workshop, touted by the Tohono O’Odham Nation as a victory for their proposed neighborhood casino, media headlines spoke of the beginning of “negotiations” between the Nation and the city. As a veteran of this five-year-long political and legal battle and the governor of the Gila River Indian Community, I write to offer a strong note of caution about such “negotiations.”

A sponsored analysis of Arizona’s sentencing policies by American Friends Service Committee (appearing in the March 14 edition Arizona Capitol Times in the “Courts and Corrections” Focus section) lacks relevant data about the state’s prison population and ignores smart, effective policies that are already in effect.

As our state and nation confront a rapidly changing U.S. health care system, the University of Arizona is responding to critical challenges in new and impactful ways, including addressing health disparities, improving the health of populations and achieving favorable health outcomes.

We, the school district leaders in Arizona, are troubled that some of our current elected and appointed state leadership seem unwilling to provide a quality education for all of Arizona’s children.

Arizona has an opportunity to keep building on the Arizona Comeback. We can continue to diversify our economy through strategic choices that help our state retain, expand and attract investment from industries with high wage jobs for Arizonans.