This is in response to the editorial (April 21 issue) regarding clean elections financing wherein my 2006 and 2008 campaigns for the Arizona State Senate from Legislative District 26 were included.

The state’s Citizens’ Clean Elections Commission campaign funding program was set up by Democrats to get liberal Democrats elected to office, but just the opposite has happened. Many conservative, mainstream Republicans have used this campaign funding option to get elected. As long as this option is available, I will reserve the right to use it.

My opponents in 2006 and 2008 obtained their money from Phoenix-based special interest groups, who have bought and paid for their campaigns. I have no such ties to Phoenix. I am committed to serving Legislative District 26 and Southern Arizona. In the 2006 general election, 35,000 people voted for me and I lost that contest by only 455 votes of the 70,000 that were cast.

I am a pro-business Republican candidate who stands by the Republican platform. Please visit my website at www.votealmelvin.com to see details of my campaign.

Arizona is fortunate to have world-class weather and geography. I firmly believe that we can make Arizona the number one state in the union by doing the following:

1. Border security: Enforce our state laws to control our border to stop illegal immigration and, in turn, start to save the $2 billion a year that illegal aliens cost the state in education, incarceration and hospitilization costs. Border security will also help stop illegal drugs and criminals from entering our state.

2. Improve K-12 education: Parental school choice and competition will greatly improve Arizona K-12 education. Every family in the state, regardless of income, should be allowed to send children to the school of their choice, public or private. This can be done with increased tax credits, more charter schools and expanded voucher programs, building on the two we already have. Competition is a good thing. We have it at the college level and we need it at the K-12 level.

3. Tax relief for individuals and business: We need to have the best tax environment of any state in the union in order to attract outstanding businesses. We need property tax relief by means of either, or both, the proposed Arizona Tax Revolt and Arizona Prop 13 propositions.

4. Water management: We need to continue conservation efforts. We also need to look at desalination projects involving water from the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean by entering into water agreements with the states of Sonora and California.

5. Environment and energy: While we need to continue our conservation efforts and solar research, we also need to make a serious effort to be the first state in the union to build a nuclear power plant in over 30 years. Nothing burns cleaner than nuclear power and the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station west of Phoenix is the biggest taxpayer in the state.

I have had a 30-year career in commercial international trade and transportation and I have an MBA degree from Thunderbird. As an adjunct lecturer, I teach business courses at the University of Arizona, University of Phoenix and Western International University. I have a trade and transportation consulting firm, Ameriqic (American Quality International Consulting). My two commercial websites are www.ameri-qic.com and www.telcollc.com.

Unlike my opponents in 2006 and 2008, I am a true pro-business candidate who is committed to lower taxes and smaller, more responsible government, funded by budgets that are not bloated by excessive spending.

Contact Al Melvin at almelvin@wbhsi.net or almelvin@ameri-qic.com . Melvin is a retired U.S. Navy captain and master mariner who has held management positions in international logistics, trade and transportation and marketing and sales administraton. He is a Republican candidate for the state Senate from Legislative District 26. He faces current state Rep. Peter Hershberger in the primary. Legislative District 26 includes the northwest side and parts of the Catalina Foothills.