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

“Serving Arizona.” That’s what Governor-elect Doug Ducey calls his initiative to encourage the importance of giving to others. As executive director of the largest St. Vincent de Paul in the country, we are thrilled that he has launched this initiative.

Today’s society is bombarded with information from many sources; these sources of information often have conflicting data and differing points of view. This could not be truer than in the discussions regarding legalized marijuana.

In 2014, substantial policies were adopted, major litigation was resolved (at least for now), and citizens voted for new political leadership in Arizona and across the nation.

At Stand for Children Arizona, we believe that educating future generations is not a Republican or Democratic issue. Far too many children, through no fault of their own, aren’t getting the education they need to be successful in life. At the end of the day, Stand only aligns itself with one side – the side of the student.

Arizonans went to the polls earlier this month to elect a new governor and decide who would represent them in many state offices and the United States Congress. Of the 35 legislative candidates that the Chamber’s Political Action Committee endorsed in the General Election, 34 won their races and will join or re-join the Arizona Legislature when the session begins in January. These candidates are committed to the same economic initiatives as the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce: economic growth, job creation and business retention.

Fifteen years ago flat-screen televisions were a rare luxury item, and the era of cell phones was just beginning. Video chats happened mostly in Star Trek reruns, and few homes had broadband Internet service. Just as all these technological advances have become commonplace, solar energy, a rather exotic power source at the start of the millennium, is growing faster than you might think.

Two weeks ago, the Arizona Corporation Commission released a proposal that would eliminate the state’s hugely successful energy efficiency standards, a move that would deprive consumers of billions of dollars in energy savings and kill thousands of jobs.

The dynamic friendship between Arizona and Mexico is again at a crossroads, as Mexico’s burgeoning middle class and rising economic status stand to change the dynamics once more. Arizona should take advantage of this moment and continue advancing positive relationships and trade partnerships with Mexico.

As the Burton Barr Phoenix Central Library approaches its 20th anniversary, the potential and promise of an integrated curriculum of art and literature lie ahead with a renewed focus on the body of knowledge art is capable of contributing to the overall curriculum of the library.

Were you fiscally conservative or fiscally irresponsible? That’s the question I pose to any incumbent Arizona legislator now running for re-election (or other elected positions) on Nov. 4 who voted for the corporate and related tax-cut legislation in 2011 that is starting to burn a hole in the state’s budget.