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

In the high-stakes job to redraw Arizona’s political districts, much has been debated about the idea of “transparency.”

The Independent Redistricting Commission, apparently concerned about the public perception of its decision to hire a mapping firm with historic ties to Democratic causes, recently established a rule intended to allay fears of partisanship driving the mapping process.

But what about the commission itself? Shouldn’t its members be held to the same standard? 

People may wonder why a politically conservative, LDS member of the Sons of the American Revolution would support a challenger to Sen. Russell Pearce in the recall election on Nov. 8, 2011.

It is a fair question.

Americans are right to be skeptical of constitutional amendments. When politicians ask us to amend the U.S. Constitution, they are asking us to trust their judgment over the Founding Fathers. That should not be done lightly.

By the very nature of a desert climate, much of the West is challenged to get adequate access to life-giving water. Certainly with the ballooning population growth we’ve experienced in the Southwest, our largest source of water — the Colorado River — has become severely over extended. Add climate change and an 11-year drought, and the entire Colorado River basin is under siege like never before, with demand far exceeding supply and water storage reserves almost half empty.

The summer of 2011 will be recorded as one of the most tragic and devastating in Cochise County history.

As we celebrate our centennial next February, there are many days that stand out in our history, but few have had the impact on Arizona as much as Dec. 7, 1941. Now, some of that history is at risk of being destroyed.

Last week, East Valley investor Wil Cardon announced he’d challenge Congressman Jeff Flake for the Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate in what could be described as the Political Consultant Employment Act of 2011. In these times, a complete lack of experience is somehow touted as a benefit when it comes to running for political office. With that in mind, Cardon seems to be the man for the job. His political experience appears largely limited to making political contributions … to Flake.

Well, that didn’t take long. The state hadn’t even closed its books on the outgoing fiscal year, and already there were some in the Legislature clamoring for us to spend money we don’t have.

If we are to take her staff’s word for it, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will retain — at least — her Democratic seat in Congress in 2012.

In the best-case scenario, she would be the heavy front-runner in a U.S. Senate race with Republican Congressman Jeff Flake, whose early entry into the contest has thus far scared off all other GOP contenders.

More than 800 square miles were torched, 32 home were destroyed and taxpayers are on the hook for $100 million.

That’s the cost of the Wallow fire, the largest wildfire in our state’s history. Sadly, this could have been prevented.