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

After a childhood full of intense treatments and surgeries for serious medical conditions, Matt Jette made a promise to himself that he would work toward advancing and improving health care in America.

Dennis Burke’s career in Arizona has come somewhat full circle. He began as an assistant U.S. attorney in 1997, working drug cases, and now he is the U.S. attorney for Arizona.

Armed with fact sheets and graphs, Bruce Liggett laid out his case: He understands that child care can’t be spared from budget cuts, but he argues that investing in child care pays off.

If the pen is mightier than the sword, then Kris Kobach has been cutting a wide swath around the nation.

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.

After nearly a half-century polling Arizonans, Earl de Berge knows that you have to read between the lines.

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.

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.

Whether the issue is immigration, education or gay marriage, Sen. Linda Lopez is easily among the most passionate Democrats in the Arizona Legislature.

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 2004. Earlier this year, Romley was appointed to serve as interim Maricopa County attorney.