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

Our top women lobbyists list really identifies five tenacious professionals whose communication skills, character and depth of knowledge about the issues important to their clients makes them stand out. They just happen to be women.

The Goldwater Institute is among the most powerful public policy organizations in the Southwest, and behind all of its decisions is Darcy Olsen.

A state agency that in the minds of some elected and private sector officials was a comfortable place for political appointees to perform is on the way out.

Family is the only thing that really pulls J. Doug Pruitt away from running a 120-year-old construction company. He freely admits his “vacations” are often off-time jaunts during business trips. His tireless demeanor has earned him much respect and even greater influence in and outside of the construction industry.

Jerry Colangelo, vice chairman of the newly formed Arizona Commerce Authority, sees his role as “rallying the troops and putting together a board that will provide leadership” in a concerted effort to improve the state’s economic and business status.

Despite a fairly positive report on the stability of the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) earlier this year, a major business group with no direct involvement in the fund is expressing serious concern.

The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, none of whose member firms has employees enrolled in a public pension plan, is calling for a major overhaul of ASRS to radically change how benefits are calculated for future retirees.

Most K-12 schools in Arizona offer students some sort of arts instruction, but the vast majority of those schools spend less than $1 per student per year in supporting those classes, according to a report released in July.

The long list of projects underway for the Arizona Centennial includes a varied mix of artistic and educational endeavors.

Alberto Rios has always shared a connection with the history — both cultural and geographic — of Arizona. Born and raised here, the writer often presents images of the alternatively lush and barren landscape of the Grand Canyon State.

Stimulating Arizona’s economy through the creation of construction jobs in the housing industry is one of the chief priorities of the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona, but an industry insider says fixed costs and layoffs are making recovery quite difficult.