DID WE JUST MEET ARIZONA'S NEXT GOVERNOR?

posted by Michael Chihak

An interview we did for a future Arizona Week uncovered Flagstaff's worst-kept secret: that Mayor Sara Presler is a superstar.

While those in Flag know about Presler, we didn't, and we assume many others south f the Mogollon Rim don't either. Here's a brief look.

We spent just an hour or so with the two-term mayor and were impressed with her political savvy, her knowledge of the convention and visitor business that makes Flagstaff business tick and how to keep it ticking.

She also showed the smarts to let business take the lead in Flagstaff's downtown redevelopment. She was so proud of it that she didn't hesitate to take yours truly for a stroll through downtown before the formal interview. Then, in the interview, she plugged it shamelessly.

Presler is 31, a lawyer and the first woman and the youngest person ever elected Flagstaff mayor. She was 28 when first elected in 2008. She is in the last year of her second two-year term and has already announced she won't run for a third term.

Flagstaff elections are nonpartisan, but Presler says "everyone knows" that she is a Democrat.

Sara Presler is someone to watch in Arizona. If she wants it, she could have a bright political futute.

TUCSON RACES SO FAR

posted by Andrea Kelly

The summer has already been busy for city elections, even though the races are just getting started. Several candidates were knocked off the ballot when they failed court challenges and, even more recently, write-in candidates have joined the crowd.

Additional write-in candidates still have time to officially file with the city Clerk's office, the deadline is July 21.

Here's a look at the races as they stand now:

Mayor
Dave Croteau (Green)
Mary DeCamp (Green)
Rick Grinnell (write-in Republican)
David Karr (write-in Democrat)
Joseph Maher (write-in Democrat)
Jonathan Rothschild (Democrat)

In the race for mayor, the write-ins have different thresholds to meet to advance to the general election. Grinnell must get a little more than 1,000 votes to earn a spot on the general election ballot. That mark is equal to the number of signatures he would have had to collect if he had instead filed as a primary candidate, instead of a write-in candidate.

For one of the Democrat write-in candidates to make it to the general election ballot, they must receive more votes than Rothschild, since he's already qualified for the primary ballot.

Ward One
Joe Flores (Democrat)
Regina Romero (Democrat)

Ward Two
Paul Cunningham (Democrat)
Jennifer Rawson (Republican)

Ward Four
Shirley Scott (Democrat)
Tyler Vogt (Republican)

WILL KELLY RUN?

posted by Christopher Conover

Campaign finance reports are due to the Federal Elections Commission by the end of the week, so numbers are just starting to trickle in. While most political junkies keep an eye on who is raising money attention is also paid to who isn’t raising money.

In January, Jesse Kelly who challenged Gabrielle Giffords last year was rumored to be on the cusp of announcing another run…but so far that announcement hasn’t come. And despite the fact that Kelly has an active campaign account for a 20-12 congressional run, in the last quarter he raised no money. Kelly is the only active candidate in either Congressional District 7 or 8 to file a report at this point.

SENATE CAMPAIGN FINANCE

posted by Christopher Conover

Election Day for the US Senate and House is still more than a year off, but candidates are starting to line up their finances. Rep. Jeff Flake (R) who is running for the US Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Jon Kyl (R) has banked $ 2 million so far. According to his campaign that is an addition of more than $800 thousand to his coffers in the last quarter. Campaign finance reports are due to the Federal Elections Commission by the end of the week.

COMPETITION FOR 51ST STATEHOOD?

posted by Andrea Kelly

A California politician is floating the idea of splitting the state into two.

If the effort moves forward, that would mean competition between the Southern California folks hoping to form a new state, and the Southern Arizona folks hoping to do the same.

Will there be a 51st state in the near future? If so, will it be Baja Arizona or South California? Questions to which we, of course, don't know the answers.

Here's an Associated Press story on the California effort:

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Thirteen mostly conservative California counties would break away to create a 51st state known as South California under a proposal by a local elected official.

Republican Jeff Stone has asked fellow members of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to support a motion to bring together officials from the 13 counties to discuss the idea. A vote is scheduled for Tuesday.

Stone says California is too big to govern, which has led the state to raid local government coffers because of runaway spending.

Stone's version of South California would not include Los Angeles County. Instead, it would encompass coastal Orange and San Diego counties, and inland Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Riverside, San Bernardino and Tulare counties. It would have a part-time Legislature and no term limits.

AZ SENATOR DISPUTES AIMING GUN AT REPORTER

posted by Andrea Kelly

The political news of the day Monday came from a Sunday news story.

In its series, "Guns in Arizona," the Arizona Republic newspaper reported Sunday that, while a reporter was interviewing State Sen. Lori Klein (R-Anthem) about carrying her gun onto the Senate floor, she took the gun out of her purse to show it to him.

But it was the way she showed him that is drawing attention from national and local media. The reporter said she pointed the laser sight of the loaded gun at his chest.

After the news swept the state, State Sen. Steve Gallardo, (D-Phoenix) called for an ethics inquiry into the incident, and also a ban of firearms in the Senate.

Klein told the Arizona Capitol Times she pointed the gun's laser sight at a wall, and the reporter sat down in front of it.

Here's reporter Richard Ruelas' account in the Republic:

"Oh, it's so cute," Klein said, as she unzipped the loaded Ruger from its carrying case to show a reporter and photographer. She was sitting on a leather couch in a lounge, just outside the Senate chamber.

She showed off the laser sighting by pointing the red beam at the reporter's chest. The gun has no safety, she said, but there was no need to worry.

"I just didn't have my hand on the trigger," she said.

And here's Klein's account in the Arizona Capitol Times:

“The photographer, who was behind me at the time, asked me to show him the laser sight and I did so, turning it on and shining it on the wall in front of me (away from the photographer). During this demonstration, the reporter came and sat down in the sofa in front of me, placing himself in the line of the laser sight,” Klein said.

“He noticed the light, then I noticed the light, then I turned it off. I apologized and let him know that he was safe because I keep my finger out of the trigger guard. Again, that is basic gun safety,” she added.