CONGRESS
8-member delegation tilts to Democrats; Giffords wins
 Tucson was no stranger to post-election celebrities. Kelly Rashka photo |
In Southern Arizona:
• Congressional District 7: Democrat Raúl Grijalva (62.9 percent) won a fourth term by his largest margin of victory.
• Congressional District 8: Democrat Gabrielle Giffords (54.7 percent) won her first re-election bid.
STATE PROPOSITIONS
Real estate transfer taxes are outlawed
Governments are prohibited from imposing real estate transfer taxes by the overwhelming passage (76.9 percent) of Proposition 100.
Door is opened for universal health care
Proposition 101 that would have inhibited efforts to establish universal health care failed by the closest of margins (50.1 percent) — and could still be subject to change. The measure sought to prevent government interference with individual health choices.
Marriage definition to be put in constitution
As a result of the passage (56.5 percent) of Proposition 102, the Arizona constitution will now include language reading: “Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state.”
Simple voter majority continues for tax issues
Ballot measures to impose new taxes or other spending requirements can continue to be approved by a majority of those voting on the matter as a result of the failure (65.7 percent) of Proposition 105 that would have required approval by a majority of all registered voters, effectively counting non-voters as “no” votes.
Clock still ticks to outlaw payday lending
The clock continues to tick and payday lending is destined to be outlawed in Arizona as of July 1, 2010, as a result of the failure (59.5 percent) of Proposition 200 that would have indefinitely extended the law in exchange for some modifications to it.
It was the most expensive ballot proposition campaign in this year’s election with the payday lending industry contributing $14.6 million in a failed effort to try to get it approved. The only time more money was spent on a ballot campaign was in 2002 when Indian tribes spent $21.1 million to win exclusive rights to operate casinos in Arizona.
Warranties won’t be required on new homes
The biggest margin of failure (77.9 percent) for a proposition this year was Proposition 201, which wanted to require to homebuilders to provide 10-year warranties on new homes. The opposition said it would have forced disputes into courts.
Employer sanctions law remains unchanged
Another failed measure (59.1 percent) was Proposition 202, billed as a get-tough employer sanctions law, but was meant to address what some see as ambiguities in the state’s existing employer sanctions law.
Legislators salaries to stay at $24,000
State lawmakers will continue to earn $24,000 a year, just as they have since 1998 as a result of the failure (64.5 percent) of Proposition 300 that sought to raise salaries to $30,000.
ARIZONA CORPORATION COMMISSION
Democrats’ ‘solar team’ form new majority
Proclaiming themselves to be the “solar team,” three Democrats appear to have won seats on the five-member Arizona Corporation Commission. Phoenix restaurant owner Sandra Kennedy (18.1 percent), Cochise County Supervisor Paul Newman (18.1 percent) and Paradise Valley political consultant Sam George (16.2 percent) will join the commission that’s responsible for regulating utility rates, telephone service, securities, railroads, pipelines and rural water.
There were less than 1,300 votes separating George and Republican Bob Stump for the third seat on the commission as vote counting was being finished. All of the remaining votes were either from Pima or Maricopa counties. George was averaging the third-best in votes from Pima County while Stump had the poorest showing. In Maricopa, Stump was pulling only slightly bigger numbers than George.
The three Democrats campaigned on the idea that Arizona needs to do more to harness the power of the sun.
The last time Democrats held a majority on the commission was in 1996 when the commission was made up of three members. It was expanded to a five-member commission in 2000.
Continuing on the commission are Kristin Mayes and Gary Pierce, both Republicans.
Among the six candidates for the commission, former state representative and Tucsonan Marian McClure, a Republican, finished last.
STATE SENATE
Republicans gain seat, shift more conservative
Democrats lost a seat in the state Senate, giving Republicans an 18-12 majority when the Legislature convenes in January. And that majority will be bumped more to the right with conservative Al Melvin’s victory in Legislative District 26.
Among Southern Arizona’s six legislative districts:
• District 25: Manny Alvarez (53 percent) kept the seat Democratic replacing Marsha Arzberger, who is retiring from the Legislature.
• District 26: Melvin (50.7 percent) narrowly edged Cheryl Cage who had hoped to keep the seat Democratic by replacing Charlene Pesquiera, who beat Melvin two years ago but decided not to run for re-election this time.
• District 27: Incumbent Democrat Jorge Luis Garcia (66.8 percent).
• District 28: Incumbent Democrat Paula Aboud faced no opposition.
• District 29: Former state Rep. Linda Lopez ran unopposed, keeping the Democratic seat being vacated by retiring Victor Soltero.
• District 30: Moderate Republican and former state Rep. Jonathan Paton (59.6 percent) kept the seat being vacated by Tim Bee, who ran for Congress.
STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Democrats fail to gain majority, lose seats
Democrats hopes of taking control of the state House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years, sputtered as Republicans wound up gaining two seats to give them a 35-25 majority when the Legislature convenes in January.
Democrats failed in their targeted bids to pick up seats in two Southern Arizona legislative districts, leaving this part’s of the state’s party representation mostly status quo, although more conservative from District 30.
Republican gains in the House took place in other parts of the state.
Among Southern Arizona’s six legislative districts:
• District 25: Democrat Patricia Fleming (28.9 percent) and Republican David Stevens (25.5 percent) keep the district’s representation split. They replace Democrat Manny Alvarez, who ran for state Senate, and Republican Jennifer Burns, who retired. This is a Democratic leaning district and the party had hoped to win both, which would have added one to their total.
• District 26: Democrat Nancy Young Wright (25.9 percent) kept the seat she was appointed to and Republican Vic Williams (25.9 percent) won the other seat to keep the district’s representation split between the two parties. Williams, a moderate, fills the seat formerly held by fellow moderate Pete Hershberger, who failed in his primary election bid to move to the state Senate.
• District 27: Incumbent Democrats Olivia Cajero Bedford (36.8 percent) and Phil Lopes 34.6 percent) held on to their seats.
• District 28: Incumbent Democrats David Bradley and Steve Farley ran unopposed.
• District 29: Environmentalist Daniel Patterson (33.1 percent) and Dr. Matt Heinz (32.1 percent) keep the district in Democratic hands, replacing Linda Lopez, who ran for the state Senate, and Tom Prezelski, who lost in the primary election.
• District 30: David Gowan (34.7 percent) and Frank Antenori (34.1 percent) kept the district’s two seats in Republican hands. Both Gowan and Antenori are more conservative than their predecessors, Jonathan Paton, who ran for state Senate, and Marian McClure, who ran for a seat on the Arizona Corporation Commission. This is a district where the Democrats had hoped to pick up one seat.
PIMA COUNTY
Incumbents to return back to all offices
Incumbents all won re-election:
• Board of Supervisors: Democrat Sharon Bronson (59.3 percent) won a fourth term from District 3 in the only contested general election race on the five-member board in which Democrats continue to hold a 3-2 majority.
• County Attorney: Democrat Barbara LaWall (53.2 percent) won re-election to a fourth term.
• Sheriff: Democrat Clarence Dupnik (64.6 percent) won re-election to an eighth term.
• Superintendent of Schools: Republican Linda Arzoumanian (69.4 percent) won re-election to her third term.
• Unopposed incumbents re-elected are Democratic County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez, Republican County Treasurer Beth Ford and Democratic County Assessor Bill Staples.
Four elected to CAP water board
Pima County’s four representatives on the 15-member Central Arizona Water Conservation District board, which oversees the Central Arizona Project, will include the only incumbent seeking re-election, Carol Zimmerman (22.3 percent) who will be joined by newcomers Sharon Megdal (18.4 percent), a University of Arizona professor; Pat Jacobs (17.2 percent), former Pima County Justice Courts Administrator, and Warren Tenney (15.6 percent), assistant general manager of the Metropolitan Domestic Water Improvement District. They will serve six-year terms.
SCHOOLS
Spending measures OK’d in 3 districts, not TUSD
Tucson Unified School District once again failed to get voter approval to increase spending but proposals from three other districts were approved.
• Tucson Unified failed (51.6 percent) to pass a 10 percent budget override that would have raised $28 million in the next fiscal year. Promoters said the money would go to stipends for highly qualified teachers, smaller class sizes and the introduction of an arts program.
• Flowing Wells Unified School District won approval (69 percent) to spend $19.9 million in bond money to finance school construction projects.
• Catalina Foothills School District won approval to continue two spending measures: a 10 percent budget (54.6 percent) and a 5 percent override (56.1 percent) specifically for kindergarten-through-3rd grade. The district will also get another $2 million a year for the next seven years to spend on technology infrastructure from the approval (51.5 percent) of a new capital override.
• Altar Valley voters renewed (53.3 percent) for a second time a 10 percent budget override to fund smaller class sizes elective programs. In a separate measure, Altar Valley voters approved (54.8 percent) making the district a unified school district despite the fact the school board didn’t like the idea saying the district doesn’t have the money it would take to build a high school.
Comments
sheepdog wrote on Nov 8, 2008 5:02 PM:
It would have allowed the current I-9 system which one federal judge said was "filled with fraudulent documents" and would have literally abolished the E-Verify. It was sponsored by the same folks who sued the state and lost over the Legal Arizona Workers Act. "