Arizona Legislative District (LD) 20, an area that includes parts of Phoenix, Moon Valley, and Glendale, is one of the priority tier areas Democrats are focusing on in their quest to take over both the State House and Senate.
They have recruited two stellar candidates, Judy Schwiebert for one of the State House seats and Doug Ervin for the Senate.
In a rematch of the 2018 State Senate race where Mr. Ervin’s opponent, Paul Boyer, barely won the seat by less than 3,000 votes, the Democratic nominee, an experienced accountant and devoted community volunteer, believes that greater voter awareness and participation will tilt the tide in his direction on November 3, 2020.
In his two years in the Senate, Mr. Boyer has taken, compared to his more right-wing colleagues, a moderate approach to some legislation.
However, he has also supported legislation that:
- Did not fully fund public education.
- Would unfavorably amend the minimum wage.
- Would make the ballot initiative process more difficult.
- Allows loaded firearms on schools.
- Would inhibit a woman’s right to choose.
- Authorizes the use of firearm sales without background checks.
He also did not bother to show up to the recent Clean Elections Debate.
Doug Ervin did.
If he wins election to the State Senate, Mr. Ervin would pursue a different people-centered agenda for the residents of LD 20.
This includes:
- Helping Arizonans recover from COVID 19 both physically and financially.
- Strengthening the state’s public education system.
- Improving health care for everyone.
- Promoting economic development for the district and state.
Mr. Ervin graciously took the time to discuss his candidacy.
The questions and his responses are below.
- Please tell the voters three reasons they should pick your general election opponents.
- “Fiscal responsibility. I am an accountant and have decades of experience helping businesses succeed and create good-paying jobs. Mr. Boyer claims to be fiscally conservative but actually, he is fiscally self-serving. He has voted for huge special interest tax giveaways and rewards corporate donors. This has continued to drain money from our schools and jeopardize our state’s future.
I will correct these unproductive exemptions and credits, so we can make smart infrastructure investments that will help grow our economy, create good-paying jobs, and reduce the burden that has been put on working families.” - “Listening and Honest Communication. I have listened and spoken to thousands of people in our district and listen to their concerns. Several people have told me they tried to speak with Mr. Boyer, but he did not listen. This is evidenced by the voters of LD20 overwhelmingly rejecting voucher expansion, but he ignored them and has continued to vote for expansion. Instead of helping people get access to quality affordable healthcare he prevents it by voting against programs like Kids Care, and pushing anti-vaccine bills that endanger our community.”
- “Mr. Boyer is a career politician focused on getting reelected. However, I have had a long career in business and am running to put people first, encourage innovation, support small businesses, and protect the working families of Arizona. Especially during these difficult times, we need elected officials who will work together to solve problems and help the people of Arizona.”
- Please tell the voters at least three ways your opponent does not reflect the vision or direction of LD 20.
- “The citizens of LD 20 want leaders that will put the people first and keep our taxes low. However, Boyer continues to put the financial burden on working families while rewarding his corporate donors. Just this year, during the pandemic, he co-sponsored legislation that gives a huge property tax break to utilities and golf courses and on the same bill imposes a new tax on family vehicles. The independent Joint Legislative Budget Committee estimated the measure would cost over $100 million annually, which are funds that are not going to schools.”
- “Even during the pandemic, the people in our community continue to tell me that education is their top issue. Boyer claims to be an education champion but has repeatedly chosen huge special interest tax breaks over investing in education. He takes credit for the 20×20 plan, but he only did so after teachers called for a strike. He has repeatedly voted to defund our community colleges and thwarted attempts to implement proper transparency on how taxpayer money is spent on publicly funded schools by private companies.”
- “He does not support small businesses in our district which we desperately need in these difficult times. He claims that we have a great economy because of his work, but the working families in LD 20 do not see the results of that. The great examples are the demise of Metro Center and Bell Tower Pavilions.
Unlike Boyer, I will continue to support local businesses both in my personal buying choices and with actions in the legislature.”
- Please tell the voters at least three public policy issues you will advance if you are elected to the State Legislature.
- “Ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. It is disgraceful that Mr. Boyer is so opposed to equality for women, that he annually prevents the topic from even being discussed.”
- “Expand access to quality, affordable health care, and ensure we protect children, seniors, and people with preexisting conditions. I support expanding KidsCare and telehealth/telemedicine with expanded broadband.”
- “Improve education at every level across our state. One step is to correct the out of control Student Tuition Organization (STO) program. It is draining hundreds of millions of dollars from public schools and wasting tens of millions on administration fees. Instead of restricting the use to a small population of students, my plan will allow the existing funds to be used for early childhood education, after-the-bell programs, and quality summer learning opportunities so all students have a chance to thrive. I support Invest in Ed, investments in broadband, universal pre-k, full-day kindergarten, and better funding of our community colleges.”
- Please tell the voters if you feel Doug Ducey should open a special session to deal with the urgent problems (like COVID 19, assistance to the most vulnerable, funding schools to safely reopen, legal reform) facing Arizona? Please explain.
“I definitely think we need to call them back. We desperately need to address the unemployment insurance issues that are causing many families to suffer through no fault of their own. Even before COVID19, the UI issues in Arizona needed to be addressed as we are 49th in the nation in our rate, plus we have overburdensome rules that have prevented many people from receiving the insurance benefits they deserve.
We also need the legislature to work with the Governor on getting schools the funding they need to address these challenging times.
Unfortunately, we have too many legislators, including those from LD20, to continue to politicize these urgent problems. We need elected officials who will put the people first and work together to address issues and solve problems – that is what I will do in the State Senate.”
- Is there anything you would like the voter to know about you or your candidacy that has not been asked in the first four questions. Take care.
“My parents are an Air Force Captain and Nursing Teacher. They instilled in me the important Arizona values of integrity, honesty, respect, hard work, and civic responsibility. Along with my decades of business experience, accounting knowledge, and problem-solving skills, I will bring these desperately needed values to our State Senate so we can work together to improve the lives of Arizonans.”
For more information on Mr. Ervin and his candidacy, please click on his webpage here, his Facebook Page here, his performance in the LD 20 Clean Elections Debate here, his interview with Maricopa County School Superintendent Candidate Jeanne Casteen here, and his previous interview with Blog for Arizona here.
Please remember:
- The General Election Day is on November 3. 2020. Please see the below graphic for all-important voting dates.
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- Also, please remember to stay informed on all the candidates and vote for all the offices on the ballot.
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