3 Dems seek Dist. 25 seat
The mostly rural Legislative District 25 boasts the rare combination of a Republican and a Democrat serving in the Arizona House of Representatives.
The district includes nearly all of Cochise County outside of Sierra Vista, most of western Pima County, and parts of Santa Cruz and southern Maricopa counties.
It’s the district in which Rep. Pat Fleming is running for her second term in the House. In the Democratic primary, she faces political newcomer Ken Davis and former state Rep. Ruben Ortega, who served four terms from 1989 to 1996.
Fleming said she is proud to have been one of the few Democrats who had a bill signed into law during the 2009 session. The law allows military veterans to pay in-state tuition rates. She also cites her involvement in community organizations, including the National Alliance on Mental Illness, AARP and the Southwest Association of Buffalo Soldiers.
Davis said he got into the race because he was “very disappointed in what was happening in our education system. I believe education is the foundation of a strong economy.
“The key to an individual earning more is to get more education, and the key for society to grow and expand is education,” Davis said.
This is Ortega’s fifth run for public office, and he said he stayed away from the Legislature after 1996 because he needed a break from politics and wanted to help run his family’s business.
“After a 14-year break, I feel that not only can I do it well, but I am refreshed in being able to approach the problems enthusiastically. I know how to do the job, I enjoy doing it, and I do representation well,” he said.
The two Democrats with the most votes in the Aug. 24 primary will compete with Republicans Peggy Judd and incumbent David Stevens for the two house seats in November.
Here’s a look at the candidates:
Ken Davis
Davis, 69, Benson resident, former Air Force intelligence officer, now a civilian Defense Department contractor.
Main priority: Education, which he says will help the economy. A lower state sales tax rate of 3.5 percent, applied more broadly to services and not just retail products, which he says will provide more stable revenue for education.
Greatest strength: He cited the ability to work with people with opposing views and to find common ground, saying he has done so in his military and civilian careers. “I can compromise and move forward, and it’s that skill that I would like to bring to the state Legislature.”
Budget shortfall: One of the problems is legislators who have taken an oath not to increase taxes, Davis said. “That is preventing restructuring” of the budget.
Endorsements: Las Adelitas, Arizona Correctional and Peace Officers Association, Arizona Nurses Association Political Action Committee, Arizona Education Association.
Website: web.mac.com/kendavisforarizona
Patricia Fleming
Fleming, 61, Sierra Vista resident, retired Army civilian budget analyst, incumbent.
Main priority: Increasing the state investment in public education, with a goal of reducing class sizes. “We need to review the tax credits that are out there that aren’t supporting what we know we need to support: our public education.”
Greatest strength: As a former analyst, she said, she has the ability to look at as many sides of a situation as possible. In the Legislature, that means looking for unintended consequences of bills, she added.
Budget shortfall: She said the tax code needs to be reviewed, and some tax benefits for large corporations should be eliminated. The sales tax should apply to services in addition to retail products, she said.
Endorsements: Arizona Education Association, Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association, Sierra Club, AFL-CIO, UA Plumbers and Pipefitters
Website: www.patflemingaz.com
Ruben Ortega
Ortega, 54, Hereford resident, retired, former boot- and leather-repair shop owner, former state legislator.
Main priority: Rural Arizona, which he said can be easily overlooked by Phoenix and Tucson legislators. Having a good relationship with other lawmakers and knowing the political process will help him keep a focus on how proposed legislation would affect rural communities, he said.
Greatest strength: “I have always been involved in the community,” including in the local Chamber of Commerce, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the National Association on Mental Illness and the Nature Conservancy.
Budget shortfall: He said the right balance of taxation will be up to the Legislature, but sales taxes should provide a smaller percentage of the state’s revenue, and business tax incentives must attract the kinds of companies that will provide good jobs for rural communities.
Endorsements: “I’ve always told people endorsements are worth exactly the one person that endorsed you. I’m more particularly proud of folks that I volunteered with and did work for at the local level.”
Contact reporter Andrea Kelly at akelly@azstarnet.com or 807-7790.