Howard Levine for LD7 Republicans

County GOP Executive Guidance Committee (EGC) Members at Large

2012-01-13T16:33:00.000-07:00

There are at least two slates running for this position tomorrow in addition to many people running as individuals.

This is the slate I recommend: Schultz - Hobbs - Grimm - Constanzo - Sweeney

I personally know the first three people on the slate. They are all dedicated Republicans who put in considerable personal effort and time into helping to advance Republican positions and candidates. They are all committed to working with the rest of the EGC as a team. They will think independently, but from a conservative perspective, which will help make the County Party leadership more effective.

Other candidates are undoubtedly good Republicans, but some of them may not have a conservative perspective and others may lack the experience to be as effective as we need for this upcoming election year.

LD7 Republicans Hear Sheriff Arpaio and State Rep. Kavanaugh

2011-09-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, September 20 at its regular meeting, LD7 Republicans heard from Sheriff Joe Arpaio and State Representative John Kavanaugh (R-LD8), the Appropriations Committee Chairman.

Sheriff Arpaio told us how he has talked to many of the Presidential candidates: Michele Bachman, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, and Herman Cain. He has not endorsed anyone for the 2012 Presidential race; in 2008 Arpaio endorsed Romney.

Arpaio also mentioned that he has been visiting Republican groups across the country including Iowa, Chicago, and New Hampshire. He joked about people speculating about his travel as a precursor to a Presidential campaign. Politicians talking to and listening the people of this country, he said, is essential for them understanding the concerns and interests of citizens. Arpaio said he finds it refreshing and educational to find out the differing priorities of people in different parts of the country. He said that the Republican Presidential candidates are doing this and, whoever wins the nomination, will benefit from this experience by being able to better connect to the voters based on getting to know them better.

The Sheriff said that he loves his job and has done well at it. Applauding LD7 Republicans showed their agreement with their applause. In spite of criticism by some people that he is simply focusing on illegal immigration and is not doing his job, he said that his department caught the “Rock Burglar,” actively participated in breaking up a drug syndicate, and goes after deadbeat parents who don’t pay child support. In addition, he said that he strongly enforces laws against animal abuse. Arpaio also said that his crime suppression sweeps find many people committing identity theft, and that identity theft is a serious problem in Arizona. In addition, the Sheriff said he does his job cost effectively and usually returns money to the county at the end of the fiscal year. He said that some people were spreading slanderous allegations about him, but, since he has been investigated by the Federal Justice Department and they have never found a problem, Arpaio said that allegations of improper or criminal behavior against him are totally unsubstantiated and untrue. Sheriff Arpaio did not name his critics, but it is likely that one he was referring to is Mike Stauffer who is running against him in the Republican primary for Sheriff next year. Stauffer is a former Republican PC and LD7 Rep. Secretary who is a Scottsdale Police Lieutenant that thinks enforcing laws against illegal aliens being in our county should not be a high priority for the Sheriff’s office.

Sheriff Arpaio made a special point of telling LD7 Republican PCs that we need to take care of Senator Russell Pearce, the Senate President, who is being targeted by Democrats and open border Republicans for his leadership in creating legislation to facilitate enforcement of laws against illegal aliens. Arpaio urged everyone to do what they can to help Russell Pearce keep his state senate seat and demonstrate the resolve of conservative Republicans to support these policies and the politicians who create and enforce them.

When asked about Fast and Furious, the Federal gun running program that supplied Mexican gangs with weapons under the pretense of trying to track gangs with them, he said that it was a disastrous program. Arpaio believes that the bad decisions made go all the way to the top of the Federal government; he does not think this is just a local problem. He also commented on the lack of attention given this scandal in local media even though Arizona is at the center of the scandal.

Queried about whether he would endorse any candidates in the County Supervisor races, Arpaio joked that someone was asking about those races and not asking him who he will endorse for President. He skillfully side stepped the question. Given the conflicts between the County Supervisors and Arpaio over the last several years, Arpaio probably is trying to avoid opening old wounds. If any viable candidates are running against the incumbents, though, I suspect our Sheriff will endorse them if he thinks his endorsement can win them the Republican nomination.

State Representative John Kavanaugh, the House Appropriations Chairman, talked about a variety of issues including the state budget, redistricting, and taxes. He said the state now has a balanced budget. The state government has a steep decline in tax collections due to the recession, and collections are slowly recovering. Kavanaugh said the tax collections should be up $300M next year, then $700M the following year, and $1.5B the year after that. This does not include the extra 1% temporary sales tax that will expire. These revenues will more than cover the $600M reduction in state tax collections when the temporary sales tax expires. He and other Republicans want to use extra tax collections to reduce the state debt which is about $6B dollars. Democrats, he said, already are coming up with more government programs to spend the “extra” money that is available. Republican legislators, he said, will not let that happen. He lamented that Democrats never seem to learn lessons of fiscal responsibility. Kavanaugh did day that his projections were based on a slow recovery not interrupted by an economic shock such as the collapse of Greece’s economy.

The Fast and Furious program, Kavanaugh said, show that Democrats are willing to cover up incompetence and illegal activities. Part of the fallout from this is that Dennis Burke, the US Attorney for Arizona, resigned in disgrace. He was considered a likely Democrat candidate for Governor in 2014, but this scandal had eliminated him as a serious candidate.

He mentioned that there is a proposal to have a hospital bed tax of $280 per day per person to support hospitals providing care to ACCESS (Arizona’s Medicaid) patients. This legislation, according to Kavanaugh, will not pass the legislature. It would financially drain hospitals providing care to privately insured patients and threaten their financial viability. Some people in the audience were whispering about how a resort is cheaper than just the proposed tax; the PCs were very happy that there are solid Republican majorities in the legislature to keep taxes like that from being imposed.

Kavanaugh said redistricting would probably proceed with the same members of the commission, but they were on notice to avoid any more improper activities. He said the redistricting is complicated because Justice Department approvals are needed; Tom Horne seeking to eliminate that requirement is a good thing. This means that some districts need to be over packed with Democrats to assure minority representation in legislative bodies. This generally works to the advantage of Republicans because it makes more districts with Republican majorities. The concerns he has are that the Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) will try to pack Republicans into districts to reduce the number of districts they have an advantage in and will actively work to put Republican incumbents in the same new districts which would force them to run against one another and leave open seats in other districts.

After our scheduled speakers, our legislators spoke. Nancy Barto was unable to be at the meeting, so it was our two representatives David Smith and Heather Carter.

David Smith mentioned that he was recognized as a top legislator by the Liberty Project, that legislators should investigate Fast and Furious, and that he will be sponsoring legislation to change the size of petitions to letter size paper instead of legal size paper (which will be more convenient for most people to print and handle).

Heather Carter said she is working on a project to identify burdensome regulations on businesses and homeowners – including municipal regulations. She said this was to prevent harassment such as allowing Maricopa County building inspectors to review all building activities on a property for the past 30 years when a new permit is applied for instead of just reviewing items specific to approving that permit.

When asked about the Cave Creek School District override, David Smith said he was against it and Heather Carter said she supports it. Smith thinks the school district should control its costs during the recession instead of further burdening already financially strapped taxpayers. Carter thinks they need more money to pay for failing air conditioning units in schools like Desert Willow. It’s interesting to me that administration buildings don’t seem to have the same air conditioning problems as the schools; I guess that reflects the priorities of the school board and school administrators.

This brought up the subject of school funding. David Smith said that he would be introducing legislation to create something like school vouchers that would be used not just for K-12 education but for college as well. Instead of funding schools and colleges through direct appropriations, even government schools and colleges would have to finance their operations only through tuition (which parents and students could pay with refundable tax credits). Heather Carter said that was unconstitutional while ignoring that refundable tax credits rather than vouchers could be used to bypass the state constitutional issues. Carter is more interested in trying to change how schools are managed through state regulations and collective choices rather than allowing market forces to create schools people want at a price they are willing to pay based on individual decisions by parents and students.

At the next LD7 Republican meeting, the speaker will be Bill Gates, the Phoenix City Councilman from District 3.

AZ GOP Hosting David Horowitz Mon, Sept 26

2011-09-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

This should be a fun and interesting event! Click on the image to see the full size version.

Sheriff Joe Speaking at David Smith Fundraiser Wed, Sept 21

2011-09-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

Sheriff Joe Arpaio will be speaking at a fund raiser for LD7 State Representative David Smith.

You may recall that David Smith was rated by the Pachyderm Coalition as a Reagan Republican in the last legislative session and was rated as one of the top 4 state representatives (out of 40 Republicans). He clearly deserves our support.

The suggested contribution is $75 for the event. LD7 Republican PCs are welcome because of all the hard work they do supporting David Smith, and any financial contribution in addition to the time they have already contributed will be greatly appreciated.

Here is a copy of the Facebook notice:

Time	Wednesday, September 21 · 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Location	8636 N. Via La Serena Lane Paradise Valley, AZ 85253 Paradise Valley, Arizona

Created By	David Burnell Smith

More Info	Please Join Sheriff Joe Arpaio for a fundraising reception in honor of DAVID BURNELL SMITH, Arizona State House of Representatives on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the home of Colette Rosati. To RSVP or for more information please contact Bea Rocklin at Bea@kcgpartners.com or call (602) 499-8600. PAID FOR BY ELECT DAVID SMITH

Corporation Commission Candidates to Speak at NE Valley Pachyderm Coalition

2011-08-24T22:58:00.006-07:00

Do you pay utility bills? Do you ever deal with Arizona corporations or own shares in any? Do you use water?

If you answered YES to any of those questions, you owe it to yourself to see what the Republican candidates for Corporation Commission plan to do after they are elected. The Corporation Commission usually does not get the attention that other state executive offices or the legislature get. It is a relatively low profile government body that has a TREMENDOUS impact on our lives.

Location: Appaloosa Public Library
7377 E. Silverstone Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85255
(Near intersection of N Scottsdale and E Pinnacle Peak)

Date: Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011. (2nd Wed of Month)

Time: 6:45-7:00 pm meet & greet. Meeting from 7-8:15pm

Contact Information:
Howard Levine,
NE Valley Chapter Chairman

Howard_Levine@rocketmail.com , http://www.pachydermcoalition.com/

480-577-4168

Speakers for future meetings:

October 12 - Congressman Ben Quayle
November 9 - Senate Majority Leader Andy Biggs
December 14 - Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal

Put them on your calendar!

Get on the email list to get updates and meeting notices sent directly to you.

Attorney General Tom Horne to Speak at NE Valley PACyderm Coalition

2011-08-02T20:46:00.001-07:00

Tom Horne will be the featured speaker at the NE Valley PACyderm Coalition meeting to be held on Wednesday, August 10, 2011 from 7-8:15 pm at the Appaloosa Public Library located at

7377 E. Silverstone Drive
Scottsdale, AZ 85255
(Near intersection of N Scottsdale and E Pinnacle Peak)

There will be plenty of time for questions and answers.

AZ GOP Freedom Festival Features Joe the Plumber and Steven Seagal

2011-07-22T16:05:00.000-07:00

This coming Tuesday evening, July 26, The Arizona Republican Party is putting on a Freedom festival. It is a modestly priced fund raising event, and Precinct Committeemen (PCs) get a discount.

Here is a link to get more information and to make a reservation:

https://secure.piryx.com/donate/51EABoko/Arizona-Republican-Party/arizona-freedom-festival

This is a great way to support the party, meet Republican elected officials, meet fellow Republicans, and have a great time!

I hope to see many LD7 PCs there.

Tom Jenney to Speak at NE Valley Pachyderm Coalition Meeting

2011-06-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

The Northeast (NE) Valley Chapter of the Pachyderm Coalition June 2011 Meeting

Guest Speaker
Americans for Prosperity Arizona Chapter Director

Tom Jenney

who will be telling us about
The State Budget, Taxes. and Regulations from the last legislative session

Tom Jenney has been tracking Arizona legislation that has an economic impact for many years and will share his insights. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers.

Location: Coco’s Restaurant at Paradise Valley Mall
4514 E Cactus Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85032
(Near intersection of N Tatum and E Cactus)

Date: Wednesday, June 8, 2011. (2nd Wed of Month)

Time: Dinner (order from menu) available at 6pm. Meeting from 7-8:30pm

Contact Information:
Howard Levine,
NE Valley Chapter Chairman

Howard_Levine@rocketmail.com , www.pachydermcoalition.com

480-577-4168

LD7 PCs Hear Congressman Ben Quayle

2011-05-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday, LD7 PCs and visitors to the meeting heard from Ben Quayle. He said that the debt limit vote would be extremely important and would show whether Republicans can get meaningful cuts in the federal budget.

Our three legislators were there and reported on the legislative session. David Smith proudly announced that he was rated 4th out of 40 Rpublican representatives by the Pachyderm Coalition. David Smith and Nancy Barto talked about bills they sponsored and the governor's vetoes of bills they supported. Heather Carter said she voted against increasing the tax credit for Private School scholarships from $500 to $750 per taxpayer because she felt it would unbalance the budget; David Smith took issue with that by saying that getting students moved from public schools to private schools would actually save the state taxpayers money even counting the tax credits. Carter was the only Republican legislator to vote against this. Her NO vote allowed Governor Jan Brewer to safely veto the bill. Reportedly, Heather Carter got into a shouting match with David Smith outside the meeting regarding this. Heather Carter received substantial contributions to her campaign from those supporting higher taxpayer spending on government education. She also works at ASU teaching students who are training to become K-12 public school teachers, so she is, herself, part of the government education establishment.

David Smith spoke briefly and to the point and took some questions. Heather Carter made a speech about her accomplishments and took some questions about not supporting tuition tax credit increases. Nancy Barto made an 11 minute address followed by 3 minutes of questions by PCs angry with her votes on some bills.

Final Pachyderm Coalition Scores for Legislators Published!

2011-05-04T22:43:00.000-07:00

The Pachyderm Coalition published its final scores for the legislators.

You can look at them here:
http://www.pachydermcoalition.com/2011GeneralSessionLegislativeReports/tabid/259/Default.aspx

For LD7, here are the highlights:
Senator Nancy Barto scored 79.6 (Pro-Freedom Republican) and was 13th of 21 Republican state senators.
Representative David Smith scored 91.0 (Reagan Republican) and was 4th of 40 Republican state representatives.
Representative Heather Carter scored 72.5 (Republican) and was 33rd of 40 Republican state representatives.

NE Valley Pachyderm Coalition Meeting Wednesday, May 11

2011-05-02T13:13:00.001-07:00

Updated Pachyderm Coalition Legislator Evaluation

2011-04-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

Check here for the details.

Here's how our legislators are doing in LD7:

Senator Nancy Barto: 13th of 21 Republican Senators with a score of 77.5
Representative David Smith: 2nd of 40 Republican Representatives with a score of 92.0
Representatiave Heather Carter: 31st of 40 Republican Representatives with a score of 69.9

LD7 Republican Meeting Tues., April 19.

2011-04-10T11:34:00.000-07:00

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 19, 2011.

Official Call to Meeting of the Republican Committee of Arizona Legislature District 7

Location: Scottsdale Bible Church "The Chapel"

7901 East Shea Blvd. Scottsdale, AZ. 85257

Meeting Agenda

6:15 PM Sign In

6:15 Meet and Greet

6:45 Call to Order and Welcome

Pledge of Allegiance

Invocation

Introduction of Precinct Committeeman

7:00 Treasurers Report

Chairman's Update and Announcements-

Lincoln Day Luncheon Certificates

7:15 Speaker Introduction

Keynote Speaker: Representative John Kavanagh

8:00 Legislators' Update & Questions and Answers

Senator Nancy Barto

Representative Heather Carter

Representative David Burnell Smith

8:30 Adjourn

NE Valley Pachyderm Coalition Meeting - John Kavanaugh - Wed., April 13

2011-04-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

The Northeast (NE) Valley Chapter of the Pachyderm Coalition April 2011 Meeting

Guest Speaker
Chairman of the Arizona House Appropriations Committee
John Kavanaugh

who will be telling us about

The State Budget and other recent legislation

As House Appropriations Chairman, Representative Kavanaugh knows the details about the budget and the budget process. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers.

Location: Coco’s Restaurant at Paradise Valley Mall 4514 E Cactus Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85032 (Near intersection of N Tatum and E Cactus)

Date: Wednesday, April 13 2011. (2nd Wed of Month)

Time: Dinner (order from menu) available at 6pm. Meeting from 7-8:30pm

Contact Information:
Howard Levine,
NE Valley Chapter Chairman
Howard_Levine@rocketmail.com ,
www.pachydermcoalition.com
480-577-4168

LD7 Meeting

2011-03-15T22:37:00.000-07:00

At the meeting tonight, we heard from the new Senate Majority Leader Andy Biggs. Some key points he made are that government overspending is built into much of our economy, so cutting back will be painful. However, not cutting back now will lead to financial disaster. We will be much better off taking some short term pain now to avoid having our economy collapse later.

He also said that his budget would be presented to the Senate tomorrow and that House Speaker Kirk Adams agreed to support it. The budget is balanced, avoids accounting gimmicks, and prepares the state for when the extra 1% sales tax ends. The major opposition (other than the Democrats) if Gov. ~~Napolitano~~ Brewer who does not want such steep spending cuts and has threatened to veto any budget with too many cuts.

Representatives David Smith and Heather Carter both talked about what is happening in the legislature. An email update from Senator Nancy Barto was read since she was unable to make it to the meeting.

Constantine Querard, LD16 Chairman and very successful Conservative Republican political consultant, talked about the Arizona Conservative Club which was formed to help finance conservative Republican political campaigns. For more information, go to http://www.arizonaconservativeclub.org/

Legislative District Officer Training Available

2011-03-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

Officer Training for LD officer positions is available to all PCs even if they are not currently district officers. This gives you an opportunity to learn what is expected of people filling those roles which can help you better assist current officers and prepare to be a district officer yourself in the future.

Dear EGC Members:

At your request, I have arranged training sessions for District Chairmen, Secretaries, and Treasurers. Former LD 4 and County Chairman Lyle Tuttle will be responsible for training the District Chairmen. Current State Treasurer Timothy Lee will do the Treasurer session, and current State Secretary Linda White will instruct the secretaries.

These sessions are not limited to your current officers. Any PC who is interested in learning more about these positions is welcome to attend. Please forward this information to your officers and PCs and ask them to email me their request for our planning purposes.

All sessions will be held at the 24^th Street State GOP HQ. The schedule is as follows:

Chairmen .............Saturday, April 2, 10am-12 am

Treasurer..............Saturday, April 16, 9am-11am

Secretary..............Saturday, April 16, 11am-1pm

Rob Haney

Pachyderm Coalition Legislator Evaluations Updated

2011-03-13T19:35:00.001-07:00

You can see the updated Pachyderm Coalition legislator ratings here. They are updated weekly.

LD7 Legislators' Scores (They can range from -100 to +100):

Senator Barto: 84.5, 12th of 21 Republican Senators

Representative David Smith: 90.7, 3rd of 40 Republican Representatives

Representative Heather Carter: 68.9, 27th of 40 Republican Representatives

Bills that Smith and Carter voted differently on:

Bill	Smith Vote	Carter Vote
HB2078	N	Y
HB2079	N	Y
HB2111	N	Y
HB2276	N	Y
HB2441	Y	N
HB2458	N	Y
HB2581	Y	N
HB2707	Y	N

Bill	Short Title	Description	Category	Explanation
HB2078	office of tourism; continuation	Continuation of Office of Tourism	Govt Admin	Tourism is important to AZ, but it is not obvious how a govt organization to promote tourism makes a significant difference.
HB2079	department of housing; continuation	Extends Arizona Department of Housing	Govt Admin	Would housing disappear in AZ with a govt department? No. Not necessary.
HB2111	chiropractic board; fees	Allows Chiropractic Board to set fees without legislative oversight.	Govt Admin	Legislature abdicating its responsibility to an unelected board.
HB2276	fertilizers; labeling; inspections; fund	Changes fertilizer inspections and forms an inspection fund.	Econ Freedom	These inspections should be fully privatized. Independent inspectors rather than the govt should be doing these inspections if consumers and retailers want them and are willing to pay for them.
HB2441	homeowners' associations; declaration amendments	Changes limitations on HOA rule changes.	Govt Admin	Should help make HOAs more responsive to homeowner interests.
HB2458	county infill, renewable energy districts	Allows County Supervisors to change zoning without currently required notifications to property owners.	Govt Admin	Current notification rules protect property owner rights.
HB2581	STOs; credits; administration	Allows more tax credits for low income student scholarships for K-12	K-12 Ed	Expands school choice for poor children.
HB2707	general fund revenue limit	Sets spending limits based on population and inflation.	Govt Admin	Protects taxpayers by keeping state spending under control when economy is booming and tax revenues are higher than average.

LD7 Meeting Call for Tuesday

2011-03-13T19:28:00.001-07:00

Official Call to Meeting

Of the Republican Committee of Arizona Legislative District 7

At 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Location: Scottsdale Bible Church “The Chapel”

7901 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ. 85255

Meeting Agenda

6:00PM Sign In

6:15 PC Training : Video : “Welcome to the Party !”

6:45 Call to Order & Welcome

6:55 Pledge of Allegiance

6:57 Invocation

7:00 Chairmen’s Update & Announcements

7:15 Treasurer’s Report

7:17 Speaker Introduction-

7:20 Keynote Presentation – Speaker: Senator Andy Biggs

8:00 Legislature’s Update & Questions and Answer

Senator Nancy Barto

Representative Heather Carter

Representative David Burnell Smith

8:30 PM Adjourn

NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, April 19, 2010, 6:00 p.m. - Scottsdale Bible Church “The Chapel”

Have a safe and happy month! See you in April …

NE Valley Pachyderm Coalition Meeting Next Wednesday, March 9

2011-03-04T10:36:00.002-07:00

Sheriff Arpaio Speaking Wed. at NW Pachyderm Coalition Meeting

2011-02-15T01:38:00.000-07:00

A political party cannot be all things to all people. It must represent certain fundamental beliefs, which must not be compromised to political expediency or simply to swell its numbers.... And if there are those who cannot subscribe to these conservative principles, then let them go their own way. - Ronald Reagan March 1, 1975

PAChyderm Coalition

North West Chapter

Monthly Meeting
February 16, 2011

Donate To Our P.A.C.

Buy Great Meal
And
Support Our Free Meeting Room!

Yum!

Check Out Growing Our Party
The PAChyderm Blog

Just a reminder that the annual election of officers will be held during the February meeting. The officer positions are Chairman, 1^st Vice Chairman, 2^nd Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer.

PAChyderm Coalition MO

Wednesday February 16, 2011

Dinner Starts at 6:15 pm

Come and Hear Maricopa County's Own

Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Seating is Limited Contact Diane Douglas at azpatsfan@cox.net to reserve your seat.

Dinner starts at 6:15 PM at Marie Callender's, 4930 W Bell Rd, Glendale, AZ.

LD7 Meeting & PC Training

2011-02-15T01:27:00.002-07:00

Hello to All of LD 7 Precinct Committeeman:

Our next meeting is February 15, 2011 ,Tuesday @ 6:45PM .

Location : The Chapel @ Scottsdale Bible Church ,7901 E . Shea Blvd.

Scottsdale, AZ.

We will be having our first in a series of Precinct Committeeman Training and information sessions starting at 6:15 PM , ending at 6:45PM before our regularly schedule meeting.

This session will feature Mr. Dan Schultz, Member at Large of the Maricopa County Committee (MCRC) who will be giving us an overview of the roles and responsibilities of a PC.

If you are a new Precinct Committeeman, have questions about being a PC, or just would like a refresher course please attend, this is open to one and all of our PC's.

For further questions please contact:

Howard Levine- 2nd Vice Chairman

(howard_levine@rocketmail.com)

Russell Pearce to Speak at Kickoff Meeting for NE Valley Pachyderm Coalition

2011-01-24T08:57:00.004-07:00

The Pachyderm Coalition has just formed a Northeast Valley chapter. This will make it easier for conservative Republicans to get together to find out what is happening in the State government and Republican Party, hear from conservative elected officials, and find out about conservative policy proposals.

You can find out more about the Pachyderm Coalition at www.pachydermcoalition.com

The officers of the new NE Valley Pachyderm Coalition Chapter are Howard Levine, Chairman; Ron Ludders, 1st Vice Chairman; Mark Zemel, 2nd Vice Chairman; Lisa Kopp, Secretary; and Chris Palmer, Treasurer.

We are honored to have Russell Pearce, a staunch conservative and President of the Arizona Senate, as our first speaker.

Click on the meeting announcement to make it larger and easier to read.

State Committee Election Results

2011-01-24T08:49:00.001-07:00

Here are the new state party officers:

State Chairman: Tom Morrissey

Secretary: Linda White

Treasurer: Timothy Lee

Members at large for the CDs LD7 is in:

CD 3 Member at Large:

Margaret Dugan

Nancy Edwards

Cheryl Pietkiewicz

CD 5 Member at Large:

Jim O'Connor

Steve Parsons

April Riggins

Congratulations to all of the new officers. In particular, congratulations to the members at large from LD7: Cheryl Pietkiwicz and April Riggins.

Bruce Ash Drops Out of AZ GOP Chairman Race

2011-01-17T23:40:00.000-07:00

Bruce Ash, citing health problems, dropped out of the race for AZ State GOP Chairman, today. Ash had been courting conservative grassroots state committeemen and was clearly heading to victory.

There are reports that Thayer Verschoor, formerly a State Senator, is considering running as a grassroots conservative candidate since Bruce Ash dropped out.

Pachyderm Coalition Meets with Dick Morris and Mike Gallagher on Wed.

2011-01-17T23:13:00.000-07:00

Mon, January 17, 2011 8:25:52 AM

Join Us For The Education Revolution:Restoring America's Exceptionalism Tour

...

PAChyderm Coalition

North West Chapter

Monthly Meeting
January 19, 2011

Donate To Our P.A.C.

Buy Great Meal
And
Support Our Free Meeting Room!

Yum!

Check Out Growing Our Party
The PAChyderm Blog

MEETING TIME AND LOCATION CHANGED

PAChyderm Coalition has reserved a block of tickets for our members. PLEASE e-Mail Diane Douglas at azpatsfan@cox.net of your ticket order so that we can manage our reserved ticket availability for our members. Thank you!

PAChyderm Coalition MO

Special Meeting

Note Time, Location Change

Wednesday January 19, 2010

7:30 - 9:00 PM

PAChyderm Coalition is proud to partner with

Intelligent Conservative Talk 960 AM KKNT

AND

National School Choice Week

AND

Americans for Prosperity Arizona

TO PRESENT THE

Education Revolution:Restoring America's Exceptionalism Tour

American 15-year-olds rank 35th out of 57 countries in math and literacy, behind almost all industrialized nations! America shouldn't be 35th in anything. Be part of the revolution to restore America's exceptionalism!

Special guests, Dick Morris, a political author and conservative commentator and Mike Gallagher, host of a nationally syndicated conservative talk radio show, will be featured speakers. You will also hear from a panel of other guests on the subject of school choice.

Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort
11111 North 7th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85020

Ticket Instructions:

Order your free ticket at: http://educationrevolutiontouraz.eventbrite.com/

Forward email Please Include your name as the person forwarding the E-mail

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Don Goldwater | 7141 E. 6th Avenue | Scottsdale | AZ | 85251

Haney Re-Elected in a Blowout at GOP Maricopa County Meeting

2011-01-09T13:38:00.000-07:00

Rob Haney was re-elected Maricopa County Republican Committee (MCRC) chairman at the MCRC meeting held yesterday. He defeated challenger Bill Cheatham, who was being promoted by US Senators Kyl and McCain, by an overwhelming margin of 1281 to 575 votes. Cheatham had mailings done on his behalf, had numerous campaign signs posted outside of the meeting location, and had a huge banner sign posted inside the meeting room. Rob Haney sent out emails and had a flyer included with the registration packet. Both candidates distributed stickers which their supporters wore.

Cheatham had campaigned as someone espousing Jon Kyl's philosophy of what the Republican Party should be: an organization to register voters, raise money for election campaigns, and help elect Republican candidates which should leave all issues of public policy to elected officials and candidates.

Rob Haney's view of the Republican Party's function is that it should register voters, help raise money for election campaigns, and help elect Republican candidates. However, he thinks that the Republican Party should provide input to the elected and officials and candidates regarding public policy issues and provide feedback concerning their adherence to the Constitution and Republican Party Platform.

Based on the vote, it looks like Maricopa County PCs generally agree more with Rob Haney than Jon Kyl regarding the proper role of the Republican Party.

In other business, the Treasurer race was won overwhelmingly by David Ludwig. All of the other officer elections were uncontested and they were elected by acclamation. Diane Ortiz-Parsons for 1st Vice Chairman, Janet Contreras for 2nd Vice Chairman, and Patricia Oldroyd for Secretary.

All proposed by-law changes were also passed.

This year the seating was open instead of organized by LD. Personally, I didn't like that as much because we were all scattered around, and it made it difficult to see everyone from LD7 who came to the meeting. I would like other people's opinions about that, though. I realize that there might be some benefits such as mixing more with people from other LDs. Please let me know what you think.

Thank you to those from LD7 who volunteered to help at the County Meeting. That especially includes Judy Borrajero, Jose Borrajero, Jayne Friedman, and April Riggins who worked at the LD7 registration desk and Howard Levine (permit me to pat myself on the back) who helped at the proxy table. If I missed anyone, my apologies. Let me know and I'll update the list of people.

Gabrielle Giffords Shot; 6 others Murdered

2011-01-09T12:50:00.000-07:00

An assassin tried to murder US Representative Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson yesterday. She was shot in the head, but is alive after treatment at the University of Arizona Hospital. Among the six people killed during the attack were a federal judge and a nine year old child. In addition, there were about another dozen people shot by the assassin.

Our prayers are with the families of those who were attacked and for the well being and swift recovery of all those who were wounded as well as for the souls of those who were murdered.

May be assailant be prosecuted and punished to the full extent allowed by law, and may justice be swift.

New Information about County Meeting

2011-01-06T23:12:00.000-07:00

New information from LD7 Chairman April Riggins about the county meeting this Saturday:

Thu, January 6, 2011 10:04:05 PM

Hello to the PC's of Legislative District 7:

I have just come back from the EGC (Executive Guidance Council) meeting and wanted to give you all an update on some information regarding our upcoming meeting.

*Ballot counting is expected to be much faster this year with 40 ballots per minute being scanned so we will have results sooner.

*There will be 10 locations in the main room to place your ballot for voting , more than last year.

*Proxy verification will be at a quicker pace this year due to each station doing one item, this will be an improvement from last year.

*Estimated time of the end of the meeting is approximately: 1:45 PM

*There will be 500 parking spaces so carpool if you can.

*There will be 4 concessions stands inside selling coffee, donuts, etc. so bring cash as debit cards are not being accepted I am told. Donut crumbs on the ballots will spoil the ballots so be careful ,,,

*The ballots will be different sizes this year, one size for the officers ballot and another size for the By Laws ballot .

*All seating is open seating, the LD's will not be set up in certain area's . This is new from years past when a "signpost" with our LD would be at the end of the isle .

*There will be greeters to let you know where the registration table / credentials check for all LD's are going to be located. Some are inside, some are outside I am told look for the LD 7 Balloon!

Registration is at 8:00AM, Meeting starts @ 9:00AM, Dress "warm"...

Diane Ortiz - Parsons (1st Vice Chairman of the County) is needing volunteers to be greeters, if you can do this please contact her at:

preference@ cox.net, she would REALLY like to hear from YOU...

*Bring photo ID and your voting card or if only one , bring the PHOTO I.D. please.

Thanks again,

Just wanting all to know this information about the meeting to make your experience better and up to date with this new information.

See you there!

April

April Riggins, LD 7 Chairman

Bruce Ash, AZ National Committeeman, Endorses Rob Haney

2011-01-04T23:47:00.000-07:00

Bruce Ash, the National Committeeman from Arizona and candidate for state GOP Chairman, has endorsed Rob Haney for re-election as Maricopa County GOP Chairman.

See the video endorsement here:

Information about Bill Cheatham, Candidate for Maricopa County GOP Chairman

2011-01-04T23:17:00.000-07:00

Bill Cheatham is running against an experienced, hard working incumbent Rob Haney for Maricopa County GOP Chairman. Here is his website.

Here is the text on his site that he uses to introduce himself:

My name is Bill Cheatham and I am a candidate for Maricopa County GOP Chairman.

Our party must be presented to our current and future members as a party that is fiscally sound, business friendly, and aware of current problems and the solutions to fix them.

We can be these things by communicating effectively with our members through the legislative district chairmen and precinct committeemen. I don’t view this position as a policy making position. I view it as a position to help LD chairmen recruit new members and candidates for office that will help our party grow. We need an organization that is nimble,available, and organized so that there are coordinated efforts county wide to address the needs of the GOP.

It is also in our interest to work with the state party toward a stronger message statewide. It is tempting to try and make this a platform for policy pronouncements but I believe our most pressing goal is to recruit new members and energize our current registered republicans . This can only be done by vastly improving the organization and it’s ability to communicate.

I am convinced that we will be able to grow the party and provide our fellow Republicans the tools needed to recruit new members, inform potential Republicans about our party and stay in contact with our current base.

I am a pro-life conservative who believes in fiscal responsibility and economic growth. As we build this party together, we will not always agree on everything, but if we focus on the goals of organizing the party, registering voters and electing Republicans, we can ensure a bright future for our community.

I see his statement as having internal contradictions. He days that the party should not make policy pronouncements, while also, in his first paragraph, saying that the Republican Party should be perceived as being in support of certain positions and presenting solutions to issues regarding public policy. He talks about energizing Republicans, but why should they be energized if the party does not stand for certain government policies that will be implemented if Republicans are successful at winning elections? If policy is of no concern to the Republican Party, then why does he even bother telling us that he is "a pro-life conservative who believes in fiscal responsibility and economic growth" in the last paragraph of his introduction?

What if Republican government officials act contrary to the National and State Party Platforms? Should party officers and PCs be able to point out that those acts are in opposition to Republican principles as expressed in our platform? In fact, does he think it is even legitimate for a party to have a platform?

I don't see how the Party and PCs can be energized if the Republican Party does not stand for something. In order to energize the party base, I think the party needs to take positions or set guidelines on public policy issues and convey that information to Republican candidates and officials.

Rob Haney Makes Case for Re-election as Maricopa County GOP Chairman

2010-12-26T08:24:00.001-07:00

Rob Haney, the current Maricopa GOP Chairman describes his accomplishments in office and reminds us of his qualifications for the position. See the information here.

Lynne Weaver Receives National Recognition for 2010 Election Work

2010-12-26T08:18:00.001-07:00

Here is a link to an article describing Lynne Weaver's award for helping to lead the fight against Prop 112 which would have made putting citizen initiatives on the ballot more difficult than it already is.

PC Information Sheet Handed out at LD7 Xmas Party

2010-12-26T08:08:00.004-07:00

This information sheet for the county and state meetings was handed out at the LD7 Republican Christmas Party. It is geared primarily for new PCs and those who have never attended these meetings before.

Make sure you look at the information you receive with the meeting call since it may have updated information. That will be more updated than the general information on this sheet.

If you are an elected PC, you should have already received your call for the county meeting. If not, contact an LD7 officer.

If you click on the Information Sheet, it should get slightly larger and a little easier to read.

LD7 Christmas Party Dec 21

2010-12-13T07:37:00.001-07:00

LD7 will be having a Christmas Party in lieu of its regularly scheduled December 2010 meeting. It will be at Scottsdale Bible Church on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010 from 6:15pm to about 8:45pm. PCs should be getting an invitation by email or regular mail soon. All LD7 PCs and their guests are welcome to attend.

There will also be information available about the upcoming county and state GOP statutory organizational meetings. This will include meeting dates, times, and locations. In addition, there will be some information about what to expect at these meetings that will be geared toward new PCs and new State Committeemen. Information about proxies will also be provided.

State GOP Christmas Party

2010-12-13T07:27:00.002-07:00

AZ GOP Christmas Party Scheduled Dec 16. 5:30-8:30 pm, GOP HQ, 3501 N. 24th St., Phx. Admission: unwrapped boys and girls (1 each) gift for Toys for Tots.

RSVP to Matt Roberts at mroberts@azgop.org or Brett Mecum at bmecum@azgop.org

Pachyderm Coalition Meeting Wednesday, Dec. 15 with Bruce Ash and Diane Cohen Speaking

2010-12-13T07:18:00.001-07:00

	This will be a great opportunity to meet Bruce Ash, Arizona's GOP National Committeeman, who is running for GOP State Party Chairman. Diane Cohen from the Goldwater Institute will be providing us with information about ObamaCare.

PAChyderm Coalition

North West Chapter

Monthly Meeting
December 15, 2010

Donate To Our P.A.C.

Marie Callenders Restaurant
4930 W. Bell Road
Glendale Arizona 85308

Dinner 6:15
Seating is limited

E-Mail Diane Douglas at azpatsfan@cox.net for your reservation.
First come, first serve

Buy Great Meal
And
Support Our Free Meeting Room!

Yum!

Check Out Growing Our Party
The PAChyderm Blog

Don't Miss December's Meeting With....

Diane Cohen

Goldwater Institute

The Truth About Obama Care

Diane Cohen is an attorney with Goldwater's Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation. Diane spent more than ten years as a trial attorney for the City of Chicago Corporation Counsel's office, where she represented the Chicago Police and Fire Departments, handling a variety of constitutional and civil rights cases. Prior to working for the City of Chicago, she served as legal counsel to State of Illinois Comptroller Loleta Didrickson and as counsel to United States Senator Charles Grassley on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Diane began her legal career as an attorney for the US Department of Justice and has also worked as an associate in private practice. Diane received her JD and BA from Washington University in St. Louis.

AND

Bruce Ash

For

State Rep. Chairman

Arizona's Republican State Committeemen will gather in Phoenix to elect a new Chairman of the Arizona Republican Party. With the future of Arizona on the line, Republican National Committeeman Bruce Ash has decided to seek election as Chairman of the AZGOP.

Wednesday

December 15, 2010

Dinner at 6:15 PM

Marie Callenders Restaurant
4930 W. Bell Road
Glendale Arizona

Forward email Please Include your name as the person forwarding the E-mail

This email was sent to howard_levine@rocketmail.com by don@dongoldwater.com.

Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy.

Email Marketing by

Don Goldwater | 7141 E. 6th Avenue | Scottsdale | AZ | 85251

Bruce Ash to Speak at 2012 Project Meeting

2010-12-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

December 13, 2010
7:00 PM
Arizona 2012 Project
Evening Public Meeting - North
Affiliated with the National Tea Party Patriots CoCo's 4514 E. Cactus Road, Phoenix, AZ 85032

If ever there was a meeting requiring your attendance, this is the one!

You may have heard that Randy Pullen, current State Chairman of the Republican Party, cannot stand for reelection. This leaves a massive void in the conservative leadership of the state G.O.P.

As Tea Party members, we can not and must not allow a moderate or RINO to be elected at the January State mandatory meeting. We have worked too hard expanding our influence to allow these efforts to be squandered by the lack of an acceptable Constitutionally Conservative Chairman.

At this last Arizona 2012 Project (Evening Public) meeting of the year, we will be honored with the presence of Mr. Bruce Ash, an extraordinarily qualified candidate for Arizona Republican Party Chairman.

Mr. Ash will make a casual presentation of his thought-provoking vision for the Party and will be available for questions following his remarks. Since time is of the essence due to this critical turn of events, all other business will be tabled so we can take as much time as needed to get to know Mr. Ash.

Nominations for Arizona Republican Party Chairman are closed; all the candidates are declared, and the critical votes will be cast next month at the state meeting. We believe Bruce Ash is the most "Tea Party friendly" of those candidates and is someone who will work to expand Tea Party influence in the Republican Party.

Arizona's Legislative District Chairs have been invited to attend, as have the major Tea Parties in the state. Both groups are critical to getting the word out to the P.C.s and State Committeemen in advance of January's state convention.

Please join us early for dinner, available off the menu as always, at Coco's, 4541 E. Cactus (at Paradise Valley Mall). The meeting starts promptly (we mean it this time) at 7:00 pm.

Because so many people have been invited, it is essential that you R.S.V.P. to Jean at jama111142@cox.net or 602 795-7815 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 602 795-7815 end_of_the_skype_highlighting so we can alert Coco's management to schedule adequate staff.

Please R.S.V.P. with the number of people in your party and let us know either "Early" or "Meeting":

Early - You plan to arrive around 6:00pm and will be dining with us.

Meeting - You plan to arrive in time for the meeting and may, or may not order a meal.

LD7 Republican Committee Elections Held

2010-11-18T21:52:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2010, the LD7 Republican Committee met and elected its officers and 59 state committeemen.

Three officers ran unopposed and were elected by acclamation: April Riggins as Chairman, Lynne Weaver as 1st Vice Chairman, and Andrew Stevens as Treasurer.

There were elections for 2nd Vice Chairman and Secretary. Howard Levine (yes, that's me) was elected 2nd Vice Chairman and Nickie Kelley was elected Secretary.

The 59 state committeemen who were elected are (in alphabetical order by last name and then first name):

Janet Anderson

Nils Anderson

Paula Barnes

Ray Barnes

Brenda Barry

John Barry

Joseph Barto

Nancy Barto

Margaret Biggs

Jose Borrajero

Judy Borrajero

Thomas Botos

Lawrence Brainard

Phyllis Bunch

Thomas Bunch

Robert Coady

Susan Coady

Walter Dudley

Victor Felice

Jeannette Fish

Gerald Freeman

Jayne Friedman

George Garbell

Charlene Hanson

Richard Hanson

Lisa Karlovsky

Marcus Kelley

Nickie Kelley

Howard Levine

David Lyman

Eleanor Manes

John Manes

Edie Mayer

Stanley Mayer

Margaret Mitchell

Lee Mitchell ii

Marian Newman

Paul Newman jr

James Otis

Marian Otis

James Peirce

Cheryl Pietkiewicz

April Riggins

Jon Riggins

Anita Rose

John Rose

Lisa Sabin

David Smith

Rita Smith

Howard Sprague

Andrew Stevens

James Waring

Mark Warren

Katherina Watson

Susan Wearly

Lynne Weaver

Lynda White

Margot Wittenberg

Russ Wittenberg

LD7 Republican Committee Elections

2010-11-09T20:47:00.000-07:00

At the next LD7 Meeting, which is next Tuesday, November 16, we will be electing our officers and state committeemen for the next two years. If you are an LD7 Republican Precinct Committeeman (PC), you should have received a meeting notice and a proxy form.

If you are unable to attend the meeting, make sure you give your proxy to another registered Republican voter in your precint. You need EITHER two witnesses OR notarization of your proxy form. It is easiest if you send it with another PC from your precinct. If you send it with another Republican from your precinct who is not a PC, make sure that person also takes his voter registration card or some other proof that he is a registered Republican in your precinct to the meeting. Otherwise, he won't be able to act as your proxy and vote at the meeting.

The announced candidates for district office are on your official meeting notice. There can also be nominations from the floor.

As you may have noticed, I am running for 2nd Vice Chairman. As my luck would have it, so far, that is the only contested race. Lynne Weaver, candidate for 1st Vice Chairman, and Nickie Kelley, candidate for Secretary, are supporting me. In addition, I have an excellent working relationship with Andy Stevens, candidate for Treasurer, and April Riggins, candidate for Chairman. I think I would be a helpful member of a cohesive officer team for LD7.

The reason I am running is to help organize the district and grow our base of PCs and Republican voters. Some of the objectives that April and Lynne are working toward such as being a "go to" person for voters in our precincts and reaching out to contact Republican and Independent voters are fully consistent with the objectives I had when I unsuccessfully ran for District Chairman two years ago. I would like to work as part of an officer team that supports those ideas and is willing to work together to implement many of them. You can read them for yourself here.

My background information from two years ago is here. If you age everything by two years, most everything is the same. In addition, I have served as one of the CD-3 at large members of the State Republican Executive Committee (it functions like the Board of Directors of the State GOP). The Pachyderm Coalition Legislator Evaluation, which I created several years ago, has become more noticed in the state blogosphere and by politically active Republicans. I got the idea to start the evaluation when I was the LD7 Legislative Liason in 2005-2006, so I understand the importance of involving people and encouraging them to develop their ideas.

I hope that you will vote for me. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

GOP LD7 Primary Senate Candidate Indicted for Election Violations

2010-11-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

LD7 Republican Senate primary candidate Bob Greene has been indicted for allegedly committing crimes in connection with his political campaign. The Arizona Republic has the story. This should serve as a harsh reminder that honesty is the best policy. Even if Greene is acquitted, his legal bills alone will be a heavy penalty.

It is interesting, though, that Terry Goddard indicted a Republican politician on election day when the evidence must have been available shortly after the primary election.

LD7 Republicans Win

2010-11-03T23:32:00.000-07:00

Nancy Barto was elected to the State Senate and Heather Carter and David Smith were elected to the State House of Representatives. Since LD7 is a Republican District, this was not a surprise, but it is still good news.

Our Congressional candidates, Ben Quayle in CD-3 and David Schweikert in CD-5, won decisive victories and will be representing us in Congress.

Howard Levine and Lynne Weaver being recognized along with other volunteers for helping to achieve Republican Victories. State Chairman Randy Pullen and County Chairman Rob Haney are also in the picture.

At the Republican Victory Party at the Hyatt in downtown Phoenix, Lynne Weaver and Howard Levine, both on the State Party Executive Committee, were honored along with other volunteers for their help achieving Republican gains in the elections.

In the Cave Creek School Board election, Susan Clancy and Stephanie Reese were elected. Susan Clancy is a great representative of the tax payers and challenges the administration instead of blindly following their lead like many other board members.

LD7 Meeting - GOTV and Officer Nominations

2010-10-20T01:55:00.000-07:00

At the LD7 Republican meeting on Tuesday evening, Oct. 19, PCs listened to Lynne Weaver speak about the GOTV (Get Out The Vote) activities which includes a Call 25 program to get PCs to call 25 Republican and Independent voters to help get the vote out. To get phone numbers, send an email to Matt Roberts (mroberts@azgop.org) at the state party HQ with your precinct name and number (check you voter id card for this information) and copy Lynne Weaver (LynnWeaver@aol.com). Takes notes as you make calls and bring the information to the November LD7 meeting. A sample script is available.

Howard Levine, a member of the State Party Executive Committee, announced the results of the state party endorsement decisions for ballot propositions that were made that evening. See here for more information.

April Riggins, 1st Vice Chair, announced that District Officer elections will be held at the next meeting in November. So far, the candidates are as follows:

Chairman - April Riggins
1st Vice Chairman - Lynne Weaver
2nd Vice Chairman - Howard Levine, Larry Brainerd, and Brenda Barry
Treasurer - Andrew Stevens
Secretary - Nickie Kelley

State Committeeman candidates were also announced. As is obvious from the list of officer candidates, the only contested race so far is for 2nd Vice Chairman.

Jean McGrath, a member of the Central Arizona Plan (CAP) board, mentioned five candidates who should be supported for the CAP Board. These are non-partisan positions, so they will not have a "Republican" next to their names on the ballot. Their names are Mark Lewis, TC Bundy, Raymond Johnson, John Rosado, and Cynthia M Moulton. These are conservatives who will work to keep our taxes as low as possible while keeping the water flowing.

David Smith and Nancy Barto spoke briefly at the meeting.

On a sad note, Heather Carter, one of the candidates for State Representative, lost her father in the past week. Condolences to Heather and her family. Our prayers are with them.

LD7 Election Results - Money Talks

2010-09-19T10:03:00.001-07:00

I was happy that David Smith won a nomination as state representative. He deserved to go back to the legislature and will serve LD7 voters well. As mentioned in the Sonoran Alliance, David does have two issues that he is not as conservative as he could be: tort reform and insurance industry regulation. However, two issues out of many others is not terrible. Also, I hope he will moderate his views on those issues and change his approach. He has already told me that he supports limits on punitive awards, but he is still concerned that people be able to recover fair settlements for actual damages as well as pain and suffering.

The elections results in LD7 showed the importance of money in politics.

In the Senate race, Nancy Barto had far more money that the other candidates. Her victory was not as large as many expected, but it was by a large margin.

In the House race, David Smith and Heather Carter had the largest amounts of spending and won. For the most part, vote talleys were correlated with spending, but, with the lower vote count candidates, this wasn't quite as true.

The House race was interesting in that the largest vote getter, David Smith, did not use any campaign signs. He did have several mailings and auto dialer calls. Heather Carter demonstrated that any previously unknown, well educated, reasonably intelligent, pretty woman who gets substantial union and education lobby support (both "volunteers" and money) can ~~buy~~win an election for state representative.

Heather Carter's nomination as a Republican candidate is troubling. During her campaign, she has been supported by the education lobby and unions. These organizations are always in favor of more government spending and are willing to support tax increases in order to get it. It would be very surprising if they supported her if she didn't agree with their view of government. After all, Carter did support Prop 100 to increase our sales taxes. In addition, Carter is an ASU employee involved with instructing prospective school teachers, so it is very unlikely she will push for lower taxpayer funding of the Universities or public education or greater accountability on the part of the universities and public schools to taxpayers, parents, and students.

The fundamental problem for Republican PCs in LD7 is that if any Republican voter were to ask if having the Libertarian candidate instead of Heather Carter elected as Representative would better advance the Republican Platform and principles, it would be difficult to honestly say no. This is more related to concern about Carter's support of Republican principles than to the Libertarian candidate adhering to the Republican Platform. It is an ethical dilemma for many Republican PCs when the party's candidate is very likely less "Republican" than a candidate from another party when someone asks them about the candidates.

It also weakens, or at least changes, the Republican brand. To a large extent, Gov. Brewer's advocacy of Prop 100 and veto of the State Equalization property tax diminished the Republican brand with respect to opposition to tax increases. Republican voters in general seem to be more "moderate" than Republican PCs. If they are sufficiently "moderate" as to be indistinguishable from Democrats, then our state is headed for more government regulation, higher taxes, and more government spending.

September LD7 Meeting

2010-09-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

The next LD7 Meeting will be Tuesday, September 21 at the Scottsdale Bible Church (where we have met the last few months). The meeting starts at 6:45 pm with a meet and greet for the 30 minutes prior to the meeting.

We will have a chance to meet our state legislative candidates: Nancy Barto for Senate, David Smith and Heather Carter for Representative. There should be adequate time for asking questions of the candidates as there are no other speakers scheduled.

Bill Montgomery Endorsed David Smith and Howard Sprague

2010-08-03T23:14:00.003-07:00

When Bill Montgomery, candidate for Maricopa County Attorney, spoke at the LD7 meeting, he endorsed David Smith for State House of Representatives and had previously endorsed Howard Sprague.

Montgomery is running against RINO interim County Attorney Rick Romley.

LD7 House Candidate Brief Summary

2010-07-20T07:51:00.006-07:00

All of the candidates running for State House of Representatives in LD7 are decent, friendly people. They illustrate how nice people can have political differences which need to be taken into account when voting and discussing the candidates with other voters.

I have created a brief, one sentence summary for each of the candidates that I think fairly captures their essential points. I also have some additional information at the bottom to supplement information about a couple of candidates.

Even if you don't agree with my assessments, I hope they will be food for thought that will help you navigate your way through this election.

Conservative candidates with a history of political involvement who are committed to cutting both government spending and taxes: David Smith and Howard Sprague.

Conservative candidate new to politics: Mike Farrar

Chamber of Commerce candidates potentially soft on illegal aliens and vulnerable to Chamber pressure for targeted business benefits from the government: Michael Coskun and Kristen Burroughs

Tax and Spend big government education lobby candidates: Heather Carter and Craig Barton

Craig Barton feels, as a legislator, he should take a pay cut to show solidarity with Paradise Valley School District employees who had to take a recent pay cut. From his web site:

Dr. Barton said he would take take a 2.7 percent pay cut if elected since that’s the cut Paradise Valley Unified School District had to take recently.

Legislators make $24K per year as legislators. I would be shocked if any full time employee of the PV school district has a salary even close to as low as that even after the pay cut. Also, many people, especially those in the private sector, took even larger reductions in compensation. Why the special sympathy for employees of a school district? Nobody in the state will care about less than $700 per year saved in a legislator's salary if the state government does not cut spending and reduce taxes in order to stimulate the private sector to create more jobs. This stunt indicates too tight a bond with public employee unions that would not serve the interests of our district or state well.

Heather Carter is actually endorsed by the Arizona Education Association. She is focused on education as one of her campaign signs illustrates:

Being an educator, of course, is not a disqualification for being a good Republican. However, being closely linked with the education lobby is. Heather Carter has only lukewarm support for school choice and feels the state government, rather than parents of school children, should have the primary role in determining whether a school is successfully educating students. She talks about fiscal responsibility, but not about lowering taxes. This means that having her in office would likely result in votes for more spending on education and even higher taxes instead of restructuring government education to be more efficient. She believes in holding private schools that might receive vouchers and charters accountable to the public (rather than to the parents of their students), but does not address the issue of why private and charter schools generally do a better job of educating students than public schools - and generally at a lower cost.

I think it would be a mistake for our district to elect anyone other than a conservative Republican. We certainly don't want people who are running as Republicans only because it is impossible to win in our district as a Democrat. With so many candidates running, LD7 voters will have to be careful not to split their votes among too many conservative and mainstream Republicans which could allow liberals to walk away with the nominations for the two House seats.

Pachyderm Coaltion - Wed - Russell Pearce

2010-07-18T11:39:00.002-07:00

PAChyderm Coalition MO

Is Proud To Host

Senator Russell Pearce

Let's Talk About SB1070

And Next Years Budget!

Wednesday July 21, 2010

Dinner at 6:15 pm

Marie Callender's

4930 West Bell Rd., Glendale

Order Dinner off the Menu

Or

Marie Callender's offers a wonderful soup & salad bar and dinner specials are available. Visit mcpies.com

Seating is limited

LD7 Meeting this Tuesday

2010-07-18T10:57:00.002-07:00

I strongly urge you to support Bill Montgomery for County Attorney. He is running against RINO Rick Romley. This is a good opportunity to meet Bill and hear what he plans to do as County Attorney.

Here is the meeting information sent by Mike Staffer:

Thu, July 15, 2010 1:14:05 AM

Official Call to the Regular Meeting

Republican Committee of

Arizona Legislative District 7

at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, July 20, 2010

To be held at the

Scottsdale Bible Church

“The Chapel”

7901 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ. 85255

July 20, 2010- Meeting Agenda

6:15 Sign In and Social

6:45 Call to Order & Welcome

Invocation & Pledge

Treasurer’s Report

Guest Speaker: Bill Montgomery

Candidate Presentations

Adjourn

Mike Stauffer
Secretary
AZ GOP LD7
MStauf525@aol.com

LD7 Clean Elections Debate

2010-06-29T21:14:00.003-07:00

On Thursday, June 24, 2010, the LD7 Republican candidates for the legislature had their Clean Elections debate. All candidates getting Clean Elections funding are required to participate and candidates using traditional funding are invited to participate. Generally, candidates participate in these debates even though they are not particularly well run because the debates are recorded for later viewing and participation signals a willingness to connect with the voting public in a forum available to all candidates.

All of the State Senate candidates were present and all but two of the State House candidates were present. Conspicuous by their absence were House candidates Michael Coskun and Kristen Burroughs. The four Senate candidates present were Ray Barnes, Nancy Barto, Brad Buch, and Bob Green. The five House candidates present were Craig Barton, Heather Carter, Michael Farrar, David Smith, and Howard Sprague.

The “debate” lasted 90 minutes. Each candidate got 2 minutes for an opening statement, 2 minutes for a closing statement, and 2 minutes to answer each question. With 9 candidates, 36 minutes were spend on opening and closing statements. Fifty-four minutes were available for answering questions. At 18 minutes per question for all candidates, that meant only three questions could be asked. Had the candidates been given only one minute to answer each question, six questions could have been asked which would have been more informative. Most of the candidates could have answered the questions more concisely which would have given those present or watching the recording a broader view of each candidate.

The moderator, Paula Shue, chose the questions to ask. A question I provided about school funding and candidate links to Expect More Arizona was not asked even though it was the first question submitted. Here are the three questions that were asked:

1) What are Arizona’s strengths, weaknesses, and challenges?

2) If voting on a bill a certain way would be good for LD7, would you vote that way even if your party legislative leadership told you to vote the other way?

3) What is your position on border control and illegal immigration?

The typical answers to #1 were weather as a strength and the economy and state budget deficit as weaknesses and challenges.

The typical answers to #2 were that they would vote in the interests of LD7 rather than follow the party leadership. There were some nuances that some of the candidates provided. David Smith said the question was stupid because state legislators should be focused on what is best for the entire state rather than just their legislative district. He would vote for the interests of the state as a whole which would ultimately be beneficial to people in LD7. An example might be avoiding pork barrel projects in LD7 in order to make sure that no pork barrel projects get passed in order to save all taxpayers money and provide a long term benefit to LD7 taxpayers. Howard Sprague built upon this by saying that the interests of LD7 and the state would almost always coincide. Ray Barnes made the point that if legislative leaders disagreed with him, he would carefully examine their arguments because they might be right. He would double check his position, but would still vote the way he thought was right despite any pressure from legislative leaders.

For question #3, all of the candidates said they support SB1070 and strict border enforcement. Most were willing to send the National Guard to the border; nobody opposed it.

David Smith noted that he is the only candidate who has declared he will not create sign pollution to support his candidacy. He has made a deliberate decision to not post signs along the roads in LD7 despite having the money to do so.

It was useful to see the candidates in person, but the event would have been more helpful to voters if candidates could have answered more questions with shorter answers. That is something Clean Elections should consider changing. Another improvement would be having separate “debates” for the Senate and House. That would allow greater focus on each race rather than mixing them together. The event was also poorly advertised. LD7 Republican officers did not send out notices to the Precinct Committeemen.

The "debate" can be viewed here.

LD7 Meeting Reminder

2010-06-11T13:37:00.001-07:00

Note the location.

We are no longer at the library. Meeting starts at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, June 15, 2010 at theScottsdale Bible Church “The Chapel” 7901 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ. 85255

Pachyderm Coalition Meeting Wed, June 16

2010-06-11T13:27:00.003-07:00

PAChyderm Coalition MO

Wednesday June 16, 2010

Dinner at 6:15 pm

PAChyderm Presents
Former Maricopa County Attorney
Arizona Attorney General Candidate
Andrew Thomas

And

State Treasurer Candidate
Senator Thayer Verschoor

Marie Callender's
4930 West Bell Rd., Glendale

Order Dinner off the Menu
Or
Marie Callender's offers a wonderful soup & salad bar and dinner.
Dinner specials are available.
Seating is limited
E-Mail Diane Douglas at azpatsfan@cox. net for your reservation or additional information. First come, first served. You will not receive a reply unless the event is full. If you have already sent an RSVP there is no need to do so again. Thank you!

Howard Levine for LD7 Republicans

County GOP Executive Guidance Committee (EGC) Members at Large

LD7 Republicans Hear Sheriff Arpaio and State Rep. Kavanaugh

AZ GOP Hosting David Horowitz Mon, Sept 26

Sheriff Joe Speaking at David Smith Fundraiser Wed, Sept 21

Corporation Commission Candidates to Speak at NE Valley Pachyderm Coalition

Subscribe to NE Valley Pachyderm Coalition

Attorney General Tom Horne to Speak at NE Valley PACyderm Coalition

AZ GOP Freedom Festival Features Joe the Plumber and Steven Seagal

Tom Jenney to Speak at NE Valley Pachyderm Coalition Meeting

LD7 PCs Hear Congressman Ben Quayle

Final Pachyderm Coalition Scores for Legislators Published!

NE Valley Pachyderm Coalition Meeting Wednesday, May 11

Updated Pachyderm Coalition Legislator Evaluation

LD7 Republican Meeting Tues., April 19.

NE Valley Pachyderm Coalition Meeting - John Kavanaugh - Wed., April 13

LD7 Meeting

Legislative District Officer Training Available

Pachyderm Coalition Legislator Evaluations Updated

LD7 Meeting Call for Tuesday

NE Valley Pachyderm Coalition Meeting Next Wednesday, March 9

Sheriff Arpaio Speaking Wed. at NW Pachyderm Coalition Meeting

LD7 Meeting & PC Training

Russell Pearce to Speak at Kickoff Meeting for NE Valley Pachyderm Coalition

State Committee Election Results

Bruce Ash Drops Out of AZ GOP Chairman Race

Pachyderm Coalition Meets with Dick Morris and Mike Gallagher on Wed.

Haney Re-Elected in a Blowout at GOP Maricopa County Meeting

Gabrielle Giffords Shot; 6 others Murdered

New Information about County Meeting

Bruce Ash, AZ National Committeeman, Endorses Rob Haney

Information about Bill Cheatham, Candidate for Maricopa County GOP Chairman

Rob Haney Makes Case for Re-election as Maricopa County GOP Chairman

Lynne Weaver Receives National Recognition for 2010 Election Work

PC Information Sheet Handed out at LD7 Xmas Party

LD7 Christmas Party Dec 21

State GOP Christmas Party

Pachyderm Coalition Meeting Wednesday, Dec. 15 with Bruce Ash and Diane Cohen Speaking

Bruce Ash to Speak at 2012 Project Meeting

LD7 Republican Committee Elections Held

LD7 Republican Committee Elections

GOP LD7 Primary Senate Candidate Indicted for Election Violations

LD7 Republicans Win

LD7 Meeting - GOTV and Officer Nominations

LD7 Election Results - Money Talks

September LD7 Meeting

Bill Montgomery Endorsed David Smith and Howard Sprague

LD7 House Candidate Brief Summary

Pachyderm Coaltion - Wed - Russell Pearce

LD7 Meeting this Tuesday

LD7 Clean Elections Debate

LD7 Meeting Reminder

Pachyderm Coalition Meeting Wed, June 16