TRUMP CARD: JOURNALISTIC EXPERTISE

posted by Michael Chihak

The depth and breadth of knowledge among the three journalists on today's Arizona Week panel brought home the realities of the state's culture of political and civic leadership.

Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts, tucsoncitizen.com Editor Mark Evans and Tucson Weekly writer Mari Herreras discussed those realities in understandable terms.

They spelled out that the key reality is that Republicans are in charge and call the shots. Others need not apply -- not Democrats, not Libertarians, not Greens, not independent voters.

Yet, the state's voter registration lists show a much more even division, about one-third Republican, a little less than one-third independent, and a little less than that Democratic. Libertarians and Greens bring up the rear with low single-digit percentages.

The key, Evans and Roberts said, is to switch to an open primary system that allows for nonpartisan elections. The problem, Herreras said, is that it will take state political leadership to bring about such a change. The leaders in control won't do it because it would potentially lead to their losing power.

Leaving the system in place as it is means there's one approach to solving problems -- fiscal, educational, environmental and in all other realms. Little or no odds for compromise or bipartisan solutions.

Audacious leadership training programs such as the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy featured on the program thus are fairly limited in what they can do to drive improvement in many of the state's key issues, the journalists concluded.

That's why we continue to ask for Arizona's best and brightest journalists to be on Arizona Week.

DUAL AND DUELING INTERVIEWS FOR FRIDAY'S PROGRAM

posted by Michael Chihak

Arizona Week explores civic leadership in the state for Friday's program, looking at a new initiative kicked off this spring in Phoenix.

The Flinn-Brown Leadership Academy held its first class with 25 people from around the state wanting to improve their skills and get up to speed on a wide range of state political and civic issues. The group completes the program Friday, and its founders and two members of the class sat for interviews today in Phoenix.

That's where the complexity comes in. Normally, our on-location interviews are one-on-one -- me speaking with one person. In this instance, we had two interviews back to back, and both were one-on-two -- me speaking with two people at a time.

Steve Riggs, Bob Lindberg and Dominick de Leon were undaunted in their setup and approach to the shoot, accommodating my request to do it this way without pause.

First interview was with Jack Jewett, president and CEO of the Flinn Foundation and founder of the leadership academy, and Nancy Welch, vice president at Flinn overseeing the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership.

Second interview was with Flinn-Brown Academy Fellows Lisa Urias, of Urias Communications in Scottsdale, and Paul Brierley, director of organization for the Arizona Farm Bureau in Gilbert.

LEADERSHIP: TRANSCENDING POLITICAL INTRANSIGENCE

posted by Michael Chihak

Are good leaders made or born?

In Arizona, if it’s the former, there’s now a way they can be made. If it’s the latter, that same way purports to make them better.

It’s called the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership. Its centerpiece program, a civic leadership academy, holds its first graduation on Friday, when it will turn two dozen Arizonans back to their communities with fresh perspective on the state’s top political and civic issues.

They also take with them what they learned from public policy experts and others -- the traits and tools of leadership.

Participants spent ten two-day sessions together in Phoenix, hearing from experts on the state’s fiscal system and budget, the economy, education, water, immigration and border issues and a half-dozen other key topics.

It was all focused on fulfilling the leadership center’s mission to ensure that Arizona’s future leaders “have the commitment, knowledge and skills to work together to carry out creative, long-term solutions to pressing problems."

The key phrase in that statement may well be “to work together.” For in this day of political divisiveness when politicians don’t bother even paying lip service to the notion of bipartisanship, getting people to work together on the issues will clearly be the heaviest lift.

Graduates of the academy were admitted on, among other things, the condition that they step up and seek a position of leadership in the community, in civic and/or political life.

The key measure of the program's success could well be how well its graduates do at bringing together disparate political and civic factions for focus on Arizona's crucial issues.

LOCAL LEADERSHIP TRAINING ABOUNDS; WHY GO STATEWIDE?

posted by Michael Chihak

Jack Jewett is a former Arizona legislator, businessman, health-care industry executive and higher education executive. In it all, he has seen great leaders, good leaders and the need for strong leadership.

Now as CEO of the Flinn Foundation in Phoenix, Jewett is helping focus on development of strong leadership for Arizona. He has helped create the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership and in partnership with Tucson's Brown Foundations created the Flinn-Brown Leadership Academy.

The academy will graduate its first class of new and ongoing civic leaders for Arizona in ceremonies on Friday, with each of the two dozen class members pledged to take on a bigger role in civic life, through an organization or even running for public office.

On Friday's Arizona Week, we will speak with Jewett for the story behind the founding of the academy, his leadership philosophy and what needs he sees it fulfilling in the state.

IMPROVED CIVIC LEADERSHIP IN AZ IS GOAL

posted by Michael Chihak

Friday's Arizona Week will explore the new Arizona Center for Civic Leadership and its affiliated Flinn-Brown Leadership Academy.

The academy, based in Phoenix, will graduate its first group of civic leadership trainees on Friday. They will have completed a dozen seminars on a wide array of public issues and topics,

The goal of the program, according to the civic leadership Website: "As Arizona looks toward its second 100 years of statehood, its challenges are increasingly complex. Arizona must ensure its future leaders have the commitment, knowledge, and skills to work together to carry out creative, long-term solutions to pressing problems."

We will interview the founders and leaders of the center and the academy and speak with two of the graduating academy fellows for Friday's program.

NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS IN TV LAND

posted by Michael Chihak

The typical three-segment Arizona Week is never shot in one sitting, yet tonight's program is a marvel of technical planning and execution and the art of TV direction.

Typical is that the lead interview is shot on location and edited for the program. We did that for this week's program on Arizona water and the drought.

Then, a second segment is shot, either on location or in what is called "live-to-tape" in our studio.

Live-to-tape means that while it is taped, the shoot is captured as is from beginning to end, as if it were live. In other words, no "Take 2" or beyond.

Finally, the journalists' panel segment is shot in the studio, again "live-to-tape."

For this week's program, the second segment was shot after the third, because the interviewee couldn't make it at the usual time. So the journalists went before the interview, and then in post-production editing, the order of presentation was reversed.

It all worked seamlessly, and viewers will see the seamlessness when it airs at 8:30 p.m. MST on PBS-HD 6.

Only you blog readers will know how the stitches were sewn to create the seamless appearance.