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

The primaries are in the rearview mirror, general election campaigns are well underway, and candidates are reshaping their messaging for general election voters. Sometimes the pivot is believable. Other times, not so much.  

What does Hispanic Heritage Month mean to me? As the son of immigrants, it means I get to live in a country that not only acknowledges but celebrates diversity.

Farming in the desert ensures the health, safety, and well-being of each and every person who relies on an affordable, abundant food supply.

Arizona is at a crossroads. Nearly 40% of Arizona’s annual water uses are supplied by the Colorado River. However, the outlook for Colorado River water availability – and Arizona’s junior allocation, in particular – is deeply concerning. 

Without some real changes in the law to better limit ground and surface water pumping and diversions and to sustain ecological flows in our waters, we cannot establish a sustainable water framework. None of this was addressed in the bill or elsewhere during the legislative session. This water bill is not a new page, but a page in a book we have read many times and written by those who have given us unsustainable policies, a page that will keep Arizona on track to confront another water crisis sooner rather than later. 

Instant run-off elections also have a positive affect on the way campaigns are run. Going forward, Congresswoman Pertola is accountable to all Alaskans, not just a small number of partisans (as is too often the case in Arizona). This means she must address the concerns of a broad spectrum of Alaskans as she governs.  

We need leaders with the courage to advocate for over-arching sustainable water policies and laws (at the state and Colorado River Basin levels) and with the vision and clarity to look at our natural resources more holistically now and for the future.  

Arizona scored an impressive silver medal this past week, landing the No. 2 spot out of all 50 states on the Heritage Foundation’s inaugural Education Freedom Report Card.

With more self-driving cars on our roads, we are in new territory when it comes to determining fault during accidents and properly protecting ourselves. 

What is the best way to put “the pivot” behind us and elect leaders more closely aligned with the hopes and aspirations of the majority of Arizonans and who will provide pragmatic solutions to our most pressing priorities?