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

That access to counsel is one of the hallmarks of a free country. John Adams, before he was president, became a target for ridicule after he defended British soldiers charged in connection with the Boston Massacre. He knew that the rule of law would be a farce if people facing serious government action couldn’t have counsel. He lost half his clients and endured popular scorn to do the right thing. John Adams was a patriot.

n May 10, Gov. Doug Ducey and I, along with several state and local leaders, formally dedicated the first of several new buildings in a major expansion of Ray-theon facilities in Tucson. Our ribbon-cutting ceremony took place in front of new structures that will house many of the 2,000 new employees the company is hiring to support business growth. These high-tech, high-wage jobs will have a positive impact on the state’s economy. The project will modernize and grow Raytheon’s missile-making operations. Our expansion supports the nation’s military, the security of America’s allies and the U.S., state and local economies. We are a global company that partners worldwide to deliver the best possible solutions. The 559,000-square-foot expansion will include an advanced testing facility, a multi-purpose building, a customer access center and several additional build-ings, as well as infrastructure upgrades such as new laboratories and testing facilities, engineering and manufacturing enhancements, and high-powered compu-ting capability. It is planned for completion in 2020. Raytheon Missile Systems designs, engineers, tests and manufactures some of the most advanced aerospace and defense technologies of today and the fu-ture, including missile defense systems, hypersonic missiles and space vehicles. Our employees are working every day to solve some of the biggest challenges facing the U.S. Department of Defense and our nation’s allies. We used our advanced immersive design center to design and create models of the new buildings before any concrete was poured. The 3-D modeling pro-vided a more accurate blueprint for construction than conventional techniques. Raytheon Missile Systems is southern Arizona’s largest private employer, with an annual statewide economic impact of more than $2.1 billion. We have more than 500 suppliers around the state and a workforce of nearly 12,000 people. Chances are you know someone in Arizona that has a direct or indirect connection to Raytheon. Besides our strong economic and business impact, I’m extremely proud of our corporate citizenship. Raytheon employees volunteer thousands of hours annu-ally, tutoring school children in Arizona classrooms. Subjects such as algebra and calculus can be difficult for many young people. Our engineers use them every day on the job, and can often explain the concepts in an easy-to-understand way. Each year, we partner with the University of Arizona to host a MathMovesU Day. The event draws hundreds of high school students, who spend the day build-ing telescopes and learning about cool careers using math and science. In the last decade, Raytheon has invested millions of dollars promoting STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education in Arizona and around the nation. We support our nation’s military on and off the battlefield. By teaming with Student Veterans of America, Raytheon helps veterans in our state with career counseling, showing them how their military service can translate to a career in corporate America. We also serve as a major sponsor of the NFL’s Arizona Cardi-nals’ “Salute to Service” home football game on or around Veterans Day. And we partner with the nonprofit No Barriers organization to sponsor a wilderness ex-pedition that helps wounded vets in Arizona and other parts of the country rebuild their lives. Raytheon Missile Systems is proud to call Arizona home. We’ve helped to make the world a safer place for more than 60 years. Cutting the ribbon to expand our Arizona footprint is a win not only for southern Arizona, but also for the entire state and this great nation.

Former Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett says lawyers representing Gov. Doug Ducey's re-election campaign threatened to sue a firm collecting signatures to qualify Bennett for the Republican primary ballot.

For Arizona, investing in computer science education is more than an economic imperative. It is an opportunity imperative. And our legislators can now seize that opportunity to build critical capacity among our educators and new career pathways for our students. Together, we can ensure that our students are prepared for success today and the jobs of tomorrow.

Let’s be clear. Canvassing is not soliciting. Still, many remain confused over the difference between the two, including the Phoenix Police Department.

With pro-business, pro-job creation, and pro-worker policies already being implemented over the course of the last year and with many more on the horizon, the future for small business in America is looking bright. Hopefully, plans to derail the progress burn out before coming to fruition.

I’m happy to see the conversation finally turning to revenue. I hope that you will join me to keep the pressure on your representatives to do what needs to be done.

Discussions at the Capitol surrounding public education have largely been about funding — and with good reason. But too often these conversations turn into partisan talking points, and students are the ones who pay the ultimate price. Yet there is a piece of legislation that serves as an example of what can happen when lawmakers and community members come together.

When I purchased my home in Phoenix 35 years ago, I picked a neighborhood where my kids could play, where my wife and I could sit outside in our front yard on spring evenings and enjoy the chatter of children and wave hello to passing families out for a stroll.

Today, Arizonans are excited to fuel higher pay for teachers and all the other educators who support our students. Instead of pretending we can move forward without new funding, our leaders should establish a dedicated and sustainable way to pay for what we value so highly.