Month: September 2012

Part one: Arizona Politics 101 – “Peanuts! Crackerjack! Scorecards! Ya can’t tell the players without a scorecard!”

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By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings

 

After writing this blog for 6+ years, I've noticed that I tend to write in a sort of shorthand, using abbreviations more often than I should and writing as if all readers know the backstory of the elected officials, candidates, players (lobbyists, mostly) and situations here in AZ (See? An abbreviation!  "AZ" is short for "Arizona").

Originally, this post was going to include the works – abbreviations, players, backstory (stuff that I tend to assume everyone already knows, so I tend to just reference it, but not necessarily explain it) – but the post was getting to be incredibly, and unreadably, long, and still wasn't close to being complete.

Time to break it into parts.

As such, the first post will be a list of abbreviations and nicknames.  It won't be comprehensive, not hardly, but it should be a good start.

Also, while there will be a few mentions of matters of a partisan nature, neither this nor the next post aren't ideological hit pieces.  I'll just be discussing some of the practical applications of power in Arizona.

If I leave out something that you believe should be included, let me know in a comment or an email.

Rothschild proposes transforming Congress St. into pedestrian mall

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by Pamela Powers Hannley

If you want to read about Mayor Jonathan Rothschild's latest big idea for downtown Tucson, don't look for it online — except here at The Blog for Arizona. The Arizona Daily Star published Rothschild's brain storm only in the "dead tree" editon, dooming it to the recycle bin tomorrow morning. 

As the light rail tracks are laid on Congress Street, Rothschild is proposing converting Congress into a pedestrian mall. I think this is a GREAT idea, and I also think that the Star— which is beholden to a certain wealthy car dealer for most of its print advertising– is trying to bury the idea by putting it in the print-only edition.  

Rothschild says that a pedestrian-only Congress Street will complement the modern street car, the new apartments and dorms downtown, the businesses, and the music/art scene. He's spot on, in my opinion. Alluding to Denver's 16th Street Mall– pictured here– Rothschild goes on to say, "Where it works, it's a great attraction."

In the past, some Congress Street business owners have lobbied to increase traffic congestion on Congress by proposing that it be converted to two-way traffic. Somehow they equated more congestion with more business. (Luckily, the City Council didn't fall for that one.) On the contrary, I think reducing traffic congestion and promoting foot traffic, light rail, and bicycles would be good for business, good for downtown, and good for the citizens of Tucson. 

With several cousins in the Denver area, I have spent quite a bit of time there. The ambiance of Denver's 16th Street Mall is relaxed and eclectic. The light rail comes in from the suburbs, right passed the Denver Convention Center and the famous blue bear statue, and glides through the pedestrian mall, which is dotted with cafes, outdoor seating, trees, trendy retail shops, and hotels. It is the perfect place for people sip wine or coffee and watch the scene. There are also bicycle rentals downtown to facilitate taking the light rail.

Allowing customers to move freely around Congress Street without worrying about dodging cars promotes a symbiotic relationship among the entertainment, retail, and food venues downtown. A pedestrian mall on Congress would be business-friendly, arts-friendly, tourist-friendly, and more sustainable and less congested than the current car-based downtown.  Dream big. Let's do it, Mr. Mayor. 

More photos after the jump.

Maybe Brady McCombs doesn’t follow national politics

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by David Safier One of the Republican's biggest talking points is that Obama cut $713 billion from Medicare. Democrats respond, Ryan has the exact same dollar cut — $713 billion — in his plan. In Clinton's convention speech, speaking about Ryan's hypocrisy, he ad-libbed, "It takes some brass to attack a guy for doing what … Read more

Unable to attend President’s speech, Obama fans fill the streets of Charlotte (videos)

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DNCcrowd7363sm72by Pamela Powers Hannley

Thousands of people crowded the sidewalks of Charlotte on the last night of the Democratic National Convention. Originally scheduled for the Bank of America Stadium, which holds 73,000 people, President Barack Obama's speech was moved indoors to the Time Warner Arena, a much smaller venue. The official reason for moving the venue was projected rainy weather, which had plagued the convention off and on all week.

Pundits are reporting that the venue was changed because Democrats could not fill the stadium, but hundreds– if not thousands– of people milled about on Charlotte's sidewalks or watched speeches at the outdoor MSNBC stage or inside bars, restaurants, and the convention center.

The street scene was carnival-like with dozens of vendors selling t-shirts, buttons, American flags, programs, and other Obama memorabilia. Although thousands of disappointed but amicable Obama fans, plus police, pedicabs, and a handful of protesters filled the area outside of the arena, the aura was peaceful and friendly, as it had been all week.

Watch videos of the street scenes in Charlotte, after the jump.