Living in Arizona since his family moved to Tempe from New York in 1982, David Gordon has three degrees from Arizona State University and the University of Phoenix in History, Political Science, and Secondary School Administration. A highly qualified Social Studies instructor and Certified School Principal, Mr. Gordon owned his own charter school, Grand Canyon College Preparatory Academy from 1997-2016. The school served students in grades 6-12 in the East Valley of Maricopa County. Many of the graduates of GCP earned college credit for free while still attending high school, some completing the first year of college before graduating. Among the speakers at the school's graduations were noted figures in Arizona Politics like Harry Mitchell, David Schweikert, Juan Mendes, Andrew Sherwood, and John Huppenthal. Mr. Gordon also participated in the revisions of the Arizona History and Social Studies standards. In January 2017, Mr. Gordon started the political blog Twenty-First Century Progressive Bull Moose. It has a global following and routinely comments on the political events of the day. Mr. Gordon also helps administer the Facebook page Living Blue in Arizona. He is also a science fiction writer and has just completed two series. The first one, Jigsaw: Beginnings, Warheads, and Full Circle. All are available on Amazon. The second Jigsaw Series: History's Forgotten: Parts One, Two, and Three are also out on Amazon. The seventh book, Jigsaw: Powder Keg should be released in November 2023. Mr. Gordon is very happy to be asked to join the Blog for Arizona team and hopes to spread the progressive word to make Arizona a better place for everyone.
Dr. Hiral Tipirneni, Democratic Candidate for the Eighth Congressional District.
In the 2014 and 2016 Elections for Arizona’s Eighth Congressional District, Representative Trent Franks had no Democratic Opponent and easily cruised to victory in both elections. Now, thanks to Representative Frank’s resignation because of his unique interpretation of family values (asking two unwilling women on his staff to be surrogate mothers for his wife and even offering one money), the Eighth Congressional District is potentially up for grabs in a special election being held on Tuesday, April 24. The two candidates are Dr. Hiral Tipirneni for the Democrats and Debbie Lesko for the Republicans. As Democrats, with a strong viable candidate, mount a credible campaign, conservatives in Republican World are increasingly worried of another “Pennsylvania Congressional 18TH District” upset in an area that went for the President by just over 20 points, was a stronghold for the embattled former Sheriff of Maricopa County Joe Arpaio, and contains Sun City within its boundaries. According to Bill Roe, the First Vice Chair of the Arizona Democratic Party, this April 24 election will all come down to turnout among Democrats, Independents favorable to Dr. Tipirneni, fatigued Republicans disenchanted with their party, and the newly arrived populace in the district that no one knows how they will decide.
David Schapira, Progressive Candidate For Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction
In his new campaign headquarters in Tempe, Arizona, former Senate Democratic Leader and current Tempe City Council Member David Schapira passionately articulated the reasons he would be the best choice to lead our public schools as Superintendent of Public Instruction after the November election.
Schapira sports an impressive resume of public service that has prepared him to run for the position of Superintendent of Public Instruction. As a public school high school instructor, a professor at Arizona State University, and administrator at the East Valley Institute of Technology, Schapira has totally familiarized himself with both the academic and non-academic spheres of school operations.
As a public office holder, Schapira is well-versed in the mechanics of both the local and state planning and administering of public policy. In our discussion (and on his website), Schapira relayed that the achievement he takes the most pride in and would like to see as a model for the state: the “Tempe Pre” initiative he created as a councilmember in Tempe, which provides 360 low-income children access to free, high-quality preschool.
Toxic Diane Douglas
Schapira believes that current Superintendent Diane Douglas has failed in her position because she has fostered a “toxic” work environment at the Department of Education and proven herself inept at being a voice for public education and shaping public policy. His experience in seeing the public education system “from every perspective from which it can be seen” prepares him to lead the agency that will prepare the next generation of children and provide the opportunities that will ensure their success.
For the third time in a month, citizens in the Phoenix’s Valley met and marched for a cause that affects our children and the coming generations. The first two marches dealt with school safety and education funding.
This second annual March for Science dealt with those issues in different ways and more as the assembled crowd of several hundred people at Margaret T. Hance Park (by the Burton Barr Library) gathered to call for an end to ignorance and an embracing of science and analysis for people of all beliefs and ethnicities.
Like Galileo all those centuries ago as he implored the Catholic Church to accept reason and scientific discovery, the speakers and crowd today (which included a collection of high school and college instructors and students, science advocates, and political candidates including both Democrats running for the Superintendent of Public Instruction — Katie Hoffman and David Schapira) made veiled and direct jabs at the current conservative leadership for abandoning reason and fact-based evidence.
Like the March for Lives last month at the State Capital, there were many vendors and dignitaries promoting the cause of Scientific Awareness. Virtually every discipline of science ranging from forensics to astronomy to zoology to chemistry was present. There were also vendors representing the Progressive Movement, Save Our Schools, Voter Registration, and “Outlaw Dirty Money” petitioners looking for support against the inflow of dirty money and to fight for alternative energy options in the valley. There were S.T.E.M. camps looking to attract recruits. There were homeschool science advocates.
Kathy Hoffman is an advocate for special needs children, mainstreaming ELL students, and protecting students in the LGBTQ community.
Over drinks of iced tea and ice water, Democratic candidate for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman passionately conveyed why she would be the best choice to lead our public schools starting in January 2019.
She is a native of Oregon who moved to Arizona and has taught special needs, and elementary age children in Tucson and the Valley. Ms. Hoffman said she was propelled to run by the Women’s Movement following the electoral college victory of Donald Trump and the ascension of Betsy DeVos, an opponent of public schools, to Secretary of Education.
She is competing with David Schapira in the Democratic primary.
An advocate for special needs children, mainstreaming ELL students in order to achieve immersion, and protecting the safety and rights of students in the LGBTQ community, Ms. Hoffman would pursue the following policies and positions if elected this November.
There were already hundreds of people at the State Capital in Phoenix a little more than an hour before the start of the March for Lives rally on March 24. Some 15,000 gathered when the rally started at 10:00 a.m.
Simultaneously, 8,000 marched in Tucson as one of 13 marches across Arizona Saturday, joining hundreds of concurrent marches across the U.S. protesting gun violence in schools and calling for gun-control laws.
The setting at the Capital was a farmers market of progressive political activity with activists, young and old, holding signs promoting life, gun control, and an end to the influence of the National Rifles Association.
There were also vendors representing Democratic and Progressive candidates and causes as well as a rigorous voter registration drive by the Maricopa Democratic Party and Next Gen. The Republican Party committed political malpractice by not even having one table for vendors to visit. It is not like this was a Trump rally where they had to fear for their lives.
Amid chants such as “Vote Them Out,” “We are change,” and “Must be banned,” the speakers, led by students like Jordan Harp offered a passionate appeal to the assembled crowd, calling for everyone to “March today and March Tomorrow” and to register to vote and participate in the process calling for sensible gun control reform.
Speaking with vendors and people in the crowd, all were unanimous in applauding the initiative of these high school students across the country. One person I spoke with, likened it to the rally’s protesting the Vietnam War when she was a child.
If the enthusiasm of rallies like these is an indicator, Democrats and Progressives should do well as long as they hold true to what they promote and sustain the momentum among their supporters.
David Gordon
David Gordon has three degrees from Arizona State University and the University of Phoenix in History, Political Science, and Secondary School Administration. Living in Arizona since his family moved to Tempe from New York in 1982, he is a highly qualified Social Studies instructor and Certified School Principal.
Mr. Gordon owned his own charter school, Grand Canyon College Preparatory Academy from 1997-2016. The school served students in grades 6-12 in the East Valley of Maricopa County. Many of the graduates of GCP earned college credit for free while still attending high school, some completing the first year of college before graduating.
Gordon also participated in the revisions of the Arizona History and Social Studies standards. In January 2017, Mr. Gordon started the political blog Twenty-First Century Progressive Bull Moose. It has a global following and routinely comments on the political events of the day. Mr. Gordon also helps administer the Facebook page Living Blue in Arizona.
