News
Candidates debate in Benson
Thelma Grimes/San Pedro Valley News-Sun
It was a dismal turnout Wednesday night, as the District 25 candidates seeking seats with the Arizona Legislature debated the issues in Benson.
About 10 people attended the debate hosted by the Citizens for Clean Elections Commission, and sponsored by Child Protective Services.
Attending the debate were Democratic candidates Pat Fleming and Richard Boyer. Republican candidates David Stevens and Timothy Davies were not present.
There are two seats open for the House of Representatives District 25, which covers all of
Cochise County.
Arizona Senate candidates attending the debate were three-term incumbent D-Manny Alvarez and Republican opponent Mary Ann Black. On Nov. 4, voters will be electing one candidate to the Senate.
Among the main topics of discussion in the debate were issues facing the state's education system and illegal immigration.
Both the candidates for the house and senate agreed that the federal government needs to start doing more to enforce immigration laws, and that a guest-worker program may be in the state's best interest.
"The system we have now is broken," Fleming said. "People are coming across because our federal government is not doing what they are supposed to. We must have some kind of a worker program here."
Boyer agreed with Fleming, adding that he agrees with the guest-worker programs being proposed by Gov. Janet Napolitano, D-Ariz.
Black, a rancher, said illegal immigration is a sore subject.
"They come through and trash our range lands, turn on our water, open our gates, and unfortunately Border Patrol does the same thing chasing them," she said. "We need to enforce the laws we have now. We also need a guest-worker program."
Alvarez called it a sore subject for everyone, not just ranchers.
"In Cochise County, we need the federal government to step up," he said. "It is not the county or the state's responsibility. If the federal government doesn't step up and do their jobs, unfortunately, there is little we can do."
Alvarez, who is seeking his fourth term, said there was a bill in the last legislative session that proposed a guest worker program, but it stalled in the Senate.
In other topics concerning the border, candidates in both races agreed that checkpoints should be located closer to the actual U.S./Mexican border, instead of 20 or 30 miles away.
On education, candidates said they remain concerned with the amount of funding going into public schools, and at the fact that Arizona ranks 49th in the nation.
"First, we have to agree on what is acceptable funding," Boyer said. "Do we want to remain 49th or move to the head of the class? We need more equitable funding in our rural school districts; we need smaller class sizes and we need to increase pay for teachers."
Fleming said the newly elected candidates will be inheriting programs and fee structures that have already been approved, noting it's going to be tough, but for her, children will always be a top priority.
Black said most of the kindergarten through 12th grade funding is already mandated through propositions with the state, but she would like to see some restructuring that would focus on smaller class sizes and getting students who are part of the English Language Learner programs back into the mainstream classrooms. It does not help the students to be separated from their classes, Black said.
Alvarez said in his six years with the Senate, education has always been a top priority, noting, "The more funding we put toward education, the better off we will be."
Alvarez and Black were also asked about the funding being provided to charter schools and whether or not they thought it took away from the public school system.
Black said she is a proponent of a parent's right to choose which school their children will attend, while Alvarez said he is against it.
"I am not fond of charters schools," he said. "We do have some that served their purpose at first, but now so many are just taking money away from public schools. It's taking money away to the point that some schools can't even build new buildings when they need them. We need to provide more to public education, instead of giving money away."
All four candidates were questioned about issues surrounding Child Protective Services (CPS), a state agency, and what needs to be done to fix the problems in the agency.
Over the last year, several children died in Tucson while the state agency was involved in the cases.
Fleming said the first priority is assuring that the agency is safe from budget cuts. Second, the state needs to do a better job of recognizing CPS workers, because the work they do every day is just as important as teachers, doctors and nurses.
Boyer agreed that a lot of the problem is funding.
"We have to find out what kind of money is needed to perform these services," he said. "And second, training is needed. What do they need to perform these duties properly?"
Alvarez said the first priority is hiring more people, and to give the CPS workers more authority.
"They can't do their jobs with what they are authorized to do now," he said. "CPS workers need all the help they can get."
Black advocated for more funding, and especially more training for CPS workers.
"There were some unfortunate losses in Tucson," she said. "We need more accountability. They need to know what they are doing so they can recognize a dangerous situation when they see one."
In issues concerning the state and especially Cochise County, Boyer and Fleming were asked what they would do about protecting water. The two candidates agreed that more government regulation is needed.
"We are behind the rest of the nation," Boyer said. "As a state legislature, we need to promote water conservation, and the only way to do that is government regulation. The state has to take a more aggressive, proactive role in water conservation."
Fleming said at the current rate the San Pedro Valley near Benson would not be able to sustain high-density housing.
"This is an area where we really do have to have government regulation," she said.
In some topics where the candidates had 20 seconds to provide answers to quick questions, they were all asked about abortion, and Proposition 102, or the constitutional amendment to state marriage is between a man and woman.
All four candidates agreed that abortion is a woman's right and the government should not be involved, with Black noting she is also for education that may teach young women more about the situation.
With Proposition 102, while Fleming, Boyer and Alvarez said they were against it, Black said she is in favor of voters' passing it.
Boyer said the government shouldn't get involved with the issues involving marriage, while Fleming and Alvarez said there is already an Arizona law stating gay marriage is illegal, and there is no reason to take the issue any further by amending the Arizona Constitution.
The Clean Elections debate can be viewed online at www.ccec.state.az.us.
It was a dismal turnout Wednesday night, as the District 25 candidates seeking seats with the Arizona Legislature debated the issues in Benson.
About 10 people attended the debate hosted by the Citizens for Clean Elections Commission, and sponsored by Child Protective Services.
Attending the debate were Democratic candidates Pat Fleming and Richard Boyer. Republican candidates David Stevens and Timothy Davies were not present.
There are two seats open for the House of Representatives District 25, which covers all of
Cochise County.
Arizona Senate candidates attending the debate were three-term incumbent D-Manny Alvarez and Republican opponent Mary Ann Black. On Nov. 4, voters will be electing one candidate to the Senate.
Among the main topics of discussion in the debate were issues facing the state's education system and illegal immigration.
Both the candidates for the house and senate agreed that the federal government needs to start doing more to enforce immigration laws, and that a guest-worker program may be in the state's best interest.
"The system we have now is broken," Fleming said. "People are coming across because our federal government is not doing what they are supposed to. We must have some kind of a worker program here."
Boyer agreed with Fleming, adding that he agrees with the guest-worker programs being proposed by Gov. Janet Napolitano, D-Ariz.
Black, a rancher, said illegal immigration is a sore subject.
"They come through and trash our range lands, turn on our water, open our gates, and unfortunately Border Patrol does the same thing chasing them," she said. "We need to enforce the laws we have now. We also need a guest-worker program."
Alvarez called it a sore subject for everyone, not just ranchers.
"In Cochise County, we need the federal government to step up," he said. "It is not the county or the state's responsibility. If the federal government doesn't step up and do their jobs, unfortunately, there is little we can do."
Alvarez, who is seeking his fourth term, said there was a bill in the last legislative session that proposed a guest worker program, but it stalled in the Senate.
In other topics concerning the border, candidates in both races agreed that checkpoints should be located closer to the actual U.S./Mexican border, instead of 20 or 30 miles away.
On education, candidates said they remain concerned with the amount of funding going into public schools, and at the fact that Arizona ranks 49th in the nation.
"First, we have to agree on what is acceptable funding," Boyer said. "Do we want to remain 49th or move to the head of the class? We need more equitable funding in our rural school districts; we need smaller class sizes and we need to increase pay for teachers."
Fleming said the newly elected candidates will be inheriting programs and fee structures that have already been approved, noting it's going to be tough, but for her, children will always be a top priority.
Black said most of the kindergarten through 12th grade funding is already mandated through propositions with the state, but she would like to see some restructuring that would focus on smaller class sizes and getting students who are part of the English Language Learner programs back into the mainstream classrooms. It does not help the students to be separated from their classes, Black said.
Alvarez said in his six years with the Senate, education has always been a top priority, noting, "The more funding we put toward education, the better off we will be."
Alvarez and Black were also asked about the funding being provided to charter schools and whether or not they thought it took away from the public school system.
Black said she is a proponent of a parent's right to choose which school their children will attend, while Alvarez said he is against it.
"I am not fond of charters schools," he said. "We do have some that served their purpose at first, but now so many are just taking money away from public schools. It's taking money away to the point that some schools can't even build new buildings when they need them. We need to provide more to public education, instead of giving money away."
All four candidates were questioned about issues surrounding Child Protective Services (CPS), a state agency, and what needs to be done to fix the problems in the agency.
Over the last year, several children died in Tucson while the state agency was involved in the cases.
Fleming said the first priority is assuring that the agency is safe from budget cuts. Second, the state needs to do a better job of recognizing CPS workers, because the work they do every day is just as important as teachers, doctors and nurses.
Boyer agreed that a lot of the problem is funding.
"We have to find out what kind of money is needed to perform these services," he said. "And second, training is needed. What do they need to perform these duties properly?"
Alvarez said the first priority is hiring more people, and to give the CPS workers more authority.
"They can't do their jobs with what they are authorized to do now," he said. "CPS workers need all the help they can get."
Black advocated for more funding, and especially more training for CPS workers.
"There were some unfortunate losses in Tucson," she said. "We need more accountability. They need to know what they are doing so they can recognize a dangerous situation when they see one."
In issues concerning the state and especially Cochise County, Boyer and Fleming were asked what they would do about protecting water. The two candidates agreed that more government regulation is needed.
"We are behind the rest of the nation," Boyer said. "As a state legislature, we need to promote water conservation, and the only way to do that is government regulation. The state has to take a more aggressive, proactive role in water conservation."
Fleming said at the current rate the San Pedro Valley near Benson would not be able to sustain high-density housing.
"This is an area where we really do have to have government regulation," she said.
In some topics where the candidates had 20 seconds to provide answers to quick questions, they were all asked about abortion, and Proposition 102, or the constitutional amendment to state marriage is between a man and woman.
All four candidates agreed that abortion is a woman's right and the government should not be involved, with Black noting she is also for education that may teach young women more about the situation.
With Proposition 102, while Fleming, Boyer and Alvarez said they were against it, Black said she is in favor of voters' passing it.
Boyer said the government shouldn't get involved with the issues involving marriage, while Fleming and Alvarez said there is already an Arizona law stating gay marriage is illegal, and there is no reason to take the issue any further by amending the Arizona Constitution.
The Clean Elections debate can be viewed online at www.ccec.state.az.us.
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