As the State Senator for LD 12, Lynsey Robinson will take the Needs and Wishes of the People Seriously

House Republican Majority Leader Warren Petersen takes the people of Arizona Legislative District (LD) 12 (an area that includes parts of Gilbert, Queen Creek, and San Tan) for granted.

He did not show up to the Clean Elections Debate for the LD 12 Senate Candidates.

He canvass’s in other districts, helping other Republicans in their races instead of working to earn the support of the people on his.

His votes in the State Legislature show he does not care about their needs either. Ove the last session, he has supported:

• Discrimination against members of the LGBTQ Community.
• Not allowing the increase of low-income housing credits.
• Building a border wall without construction permits.
• Not fully funding public education.
• Reducing the minimum wage for teenagers and other groups of people.
• Making the citizens’ initiative ballot process harder.
• Allowing people to use their cell phones while driving.
• Not providing HIV Prevention Education.
• Allowing people to walk on school grounds with loaded weapons.
• Restricting a woman’s right to choose.

Is this the record of a person that takes the people in LD 12 seriously?

Lynsey Robinson, a 2018 Democratic LD 12 State House Nominee, has repeatedly demonstrated that she will take the needs and wishes of the people seriously,

She will work for:

• An inclusive and safe district and state.
• A growing economy that lofts everyone up.
• A health care system that is high in quality, accessible, and affordable.
• An education system that is fully funded and built to prepare the children of today for the world of tomorrow.
• The expansion of the Democratic Process.

She will show up for every forum possible and work to earn everyone in LD 12’s vote.

Ms. Robinson graciously took the time to answer questions about her candidacy.

1) Please tell the voters two reasons they should pick you over your opponent.

“Our district deserves real leadership and a candidate who will be a true public servant.  They deserve a candidate who will not show contempt for the Democratic process but will show up to debates, have town halls without pre-screenings, and willing to avail themselves to them and willing to be held accountable for policy decisions and their voting record.”

“My opponent takes his supporters’ votes for granted by voting further and further to the right and does not care about their health or financial well-being.  For those who are not affiliated with his party, but he nonetheless represents; they are virtually invisible to him.”

“His voting record does not reflect any legislation where he works with bi-partisan support in order to represent them. In May when COVID-19 was predicted to spike in July; he texted his colleagues that “we can Sine Die if Democrats are not turds.”  Despite being the majority leader; he failed to rally his party to vote for a special session that would address getting ahead of the virus to crush the curve, save lives and mitigate the damage the pandemic would wreak on the economy.”

“Needless to say, that I have attended and plan to attend and avail myself to my constituents should they choose me to represent them.  I will provide an explanation in the event of a scheduled conflict and will hold town halls without screening questions.  I plan on working across the aisle so that everyone is heard, valued, and represented.”

“While my opponent signed a pledge of support for congressional candidates to have term limits; he switches back and forth between the State House and the Senate to avoid term limits.  I support congressional term limits and respecting our State term limits.  If elected, I will not look for loopholes to undermine the will of the voters.  Term limits protect the system from possible corruption and allow fresh ideas to keep our State in a perpetual state of growth, which is necessary for all its citizenry to thrive.”

“Finally, I believe that my life experience catapults me ahead of my opponent.  As an attorney who worked in the non-profit sector, I worked with clients in my hometown, who could not afford to get access to justice and fought to get them the representation they needed. I know the reality for many that live in our district.  As a survivor of domestic violence, molestation, and childhood abuse; I know the shame, fears, and invisibility that survivors face that traps them in a cycle of abuse.  I know that affluent neighborhoods are not insulated from such hardships.  I understand the journey. Most importantly, I am passionate about making sure that they are represented in the legislature.  Evil festers in the dark, which is why I have been so vocal about speaking publicly in order to expose this great evil in our society.”

“While women make up the majority of our district they have yet to be represented in the legislature.  We need leadership that looks like our mothers, wives, and daughters to make sure that issues that are unique to them are treated with dignity and the highest regard in the legislature.  I will support the Equal Rights Amendment because it is time for equal pay for equal work.”

“As Airbnb’s are becoming more popular, we need a legislature that will protect our cities by supporting local control to preserve the character and maintain property values; as well as protect the safety of our communities. I will put families first.”

2) Please tell the voters at least two ways your opponent does not reflect the vision of LD 12

“The majority of voters in my district are Republicans. Despite being the majority leader of his party, my opponent was the only Republican to vote against medical coverage for pre-existing conditions.”

“Families in LD12 want to see our schools open safely and our schools fully funded.  He has provided zero guidance for safety when posting about school openings. Rather he re-tweeted Jim Jordan on opening schools and having barbecues in July during the peak of the pandemic.  Despite the state having a billion-dollar surplus, he promoted bond overrides to fund schools when the legislature could have absorbed some of the cost to families.  Though I support bond overrides, this particular method is double taxation in my mind and it creates inequalities in the education system for the districts in our state that did not pass their bond overrides. Neither has he addressed the widening of the inequality gap as a result of online schooling.”

“I prefer that we focus on a dedicated education funding source and not rely on bond overrides to fund our schools.”

“When it comes to the 400,000+ unemployed in our state who lost medical coverage due to job loss and without federal unemployment; his response is that “people will go back to work.”  There is no regard for small businesses that are hit by the pandemic as he voted against COVID-19 funding to mitigate the impact of the virus on both families and small businesses.  The combination of these acts amounts to the behavior of a political extremist with a depraved heart.  This is not a reflection of the great people who live in District 12.”

“Increasing unemployment assistance will also support our local economy.  Our local businesses depend on their communities to shop in order to keep the doors open. It’s not just compassion, it’s good economics.”

“District 12 deserves better.  District 12 deserves real leadership.”

3) Please tell the voters at least three public policy issues you will advance if you are elected to the Arizona State Legislature.

“My campaign slogan is an acronym for the areas that I perceive as having the greatest inequalities and therefore the areas I plan to advance legislation in if elected to the State Legislature.  Bridge the Gaps stands for:”

Growing the Economy

“Our economy is at the forefront of our political landscape. We can grow our economy by investing in our working class!  I will support legislation that supports trade program partnerships with high schools that focus on developing innovative ways to prepare our emerging working class for our changing job market.  Such as Career and Technical Education programs in our high schools so that students can graduate with industry-recognized certificates.”

“Businesses demand a well-educated workforce, and their employees want their children to attend great schools.  I am in favor of tax credits that have positive impacts on the community. I will support a tax credit for pandemic renovations.”

Advocating for Health Care

“Healthcare continues to cost Arizonans too much! I will fight to protect Arizonans’ access to quality, affordable health care—especially our most vulnerable. I will work to protect the right to basic coverage, like emergency services and maternity care. As well as coverage for those with pre-existing conditions.  I support viable options for small businesses to provide health insurance for their employees and a Medicaid buy-in option for those who have lost their lost health insurance due to job loss.”

“In the last decade, there have been a large number of young people who have died of suicide in the Southeast Valley.  I will support suicide prevention training for students and staff; mental health parity-which would require insurers to cover mental health as well as physical health, and bills to increase the number of school counselors and school social workers on campus.”

Protecting the Environment

“Climate change is real, and our legislators must champion laws that protect our State. Arizona along with the surrounding western states experienced unprecedented raging wildfires over the years. I will legislate and take into consideration the environmental impacts of bills.  I will support legislation that attempts to conserve natural resources and where possible, repair any damage and reverse trends of our natural environment that have been impacted by the pressures of overconsumption, population growth, and technology.”

“With more sunshine than any other state in the nation, Arizona has the potential to be the leading state in the nation for clean energy and solar power. Our economy can benefit greatly from high-paying jobs in the solar industry as well as help our families and businesses save money from the use of solar power.”

Supporting Public Education

“A good education system puts the needs of our children first. Strong schools are important for the future of our children and our state. Despite small gains in increased funding; we have yet to fund our schools at pre-recession levels. About 9 out of 10 Arizona students attend public schools, yet local districts struggle to fund their programs adequately. Buildings, textbooks, technology, and buses are aging. Some communities support their schools with bonds and override, but others do not. This has led to unequal funding across the state. Every child deserves a quality education no matter their zip code.”

“The closure of school buildings due to the pandemic has exacerbated the challenges faced by our schools.  Unequal access to technology, including equipment & broadband, made reaching all students difficult.  I will support legislation that focuses on the needs of schools as they operate during a pandemic. We do not have enough certified teachers who are willing to teach to cover all the classrooms in Arizona. 1, 800 of our classrooms are without certified teachers. I will support expanding the Teacher’s Academy in an effort to entice more people into becoming educators.  Our children deserve to be taught by highly qualified, certified teachers. The future of Arizona lies in the investments that we make in our children today.”

4) Is there anything you would like the voter to know about you or your candidacy that has not been asked in the first three questions. 

“The Governor should still hold a special session. We cannot wait until January to deal with the inequalities resulting from COVID. The Governor needs to issue a statewide mask mandate.”

“As well as improve contact tracing.  The piecemeal approach is not an appropriate response to a virus that is not limited by boundaries. We need a consistent  statewide response to  reduce confusion and improve results.“

“We also need to increase unemployment insurance. The current unemployment weekly allotment of $240 does not add up, especially for people that have lost health insurance. The cost to maintain coverage through COBRA is $500 a month, this creates a  great hardship for our families.  Arizona’s unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the nation, second to Mississippi’s rate.“ 

“Increasing unemployment assistance will also support our local economy.  Our local businesses depend on their communities to shop in order to keep the doors open. It’s not just compassion, it’s good economics.”

For more information on Ms. Robinson and her candidacy, please click on her website here, her Facebook Page here, her question and answer session at the LD 12 Clean Debate Session here, and her previous interviews with Blog for Arizona here.