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Contractors’ chief laments sweep of $1.2B from vehicle license fund
David Martin, president of the Arizona Chapter of the Associated General Contractors, says Arizona’s “Five C’s” — copper, cotton, cattle, citrus and climate — leaves out one other “C” vital to the state’s economy: construction.
Veteran pollster calls education, unemployment ‘bottom-line issues’
After nearly a half-century polling Arizonans, Earl de Berge knows that you have to read between the lines.
UpClose with Lauren Kingry
Lauren Kingry was looking for a way to make some money while attending Friends University in Wichita, Kan., where he took a job working as a mail boy in a family-owned bank. He had no idea it would be the beginning of a four-decade career in banking, leading to a position overseeing the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions, the regulating agency for 3,800 businesses across the state.
UpClose with Michael Ryan
Arizona Supreme Court Justice Michael Ryan hung up his robe Aug. 6, ending a 32-year legal career that began as a prosecutor and proceeded to a management position in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and seats on Maricopa County Superior Court and the Arizona Court of Appeals.
UpClose with Linda Lopez
Whether the issue is immigration, education or gay marriage, Sen. Linda Lopez is easily among the most passionate Democrats in the Arizona Legislature.
UpClose with Bill Montgomery
Bill Montgomery is taking his second stab at elective office, and for the second time he’s going up against an Arizona political fixture. In 2006, he lost the attorney general’s race to Terry Goddard. This time he is running for Maricopa County attorney against Rick Romley, who held the office for 16 years and has continued to work behind the scenes in Arizona politics since he left office in [...]
Up Close with John McComish
Rep. John McComish is on the short list of incumbents who won’t face an election challenge this year. McComish has neither a primary nor a general election opponent, which means he’ll join the Senate next year without having to go through the wringer.
Up Close with Chuck Coughlin
In his quarter century in Arizona, Coughlin has either worked for or butted heads with nearly every big name in the state’s pantheon of political heavyweights. His reputation preceeds him at the Capitol, but even the fierce political infighter was once a novice.
AHCCCS director says health care math doesn’t add up
Tom Betlach calls himself a “numbers geek,” which is a really good thing considering he’s in charge of managing Arizona’s Medicaid system while the state’s finances are in the gutter and while the federal government is requiring an even larger investment in health care.
An outsider’s view from the inside of Arizona politics
Ed Bunch’s Senate career is remarkable not only because he was appointed to the Legislature at perhaps the worst time in state history but also because he vowed not to use the position to gain a foothold at the Capitol.
UpClose with Jason Rose
Public-relations consultant Jason Rose caught the political bug in 1992 as an intern for a Republican U.S. Senate campaign in California. Never one to shy away from singing his own praises, Rose likes to tell the story about how he penned what he believes is still one of the best letters he ever wrote to the campaign manager and consultant of the candidate.
UpClose with Rita Maguire
Rita Maguire has a long history with Arizona public policy. She began as an intern in the state Senate, helped draft some of the state’s major laws as a legislative committee analyst, led the Department of Water Resources and headed up a think tank. Now a water attorney, Maguire recently represented Prescott and Prescott Valley in litigation with Salt River Project over a proposed water ranc[...]
