I recorded some of the speeches from the LD 26 meeting the other night, and I thought some might be interested to listen. I apologize for the sound quality. The levels are rather too low, so crank up your volume.
First is Lena’s speech, in which she outlines the reasons for her resignation and indicates her views on who should replace her:
Each of the candidates was given 5 minutes to address the meeting and make their case. I present only those candidates selected for nomination to the Board.
Don Jorgenson (in which my boneheaded mistake about the age of Don’s children becomes the stuff of political humor):
Nancy Young Wright:
Cheryl Cage:
UPDATE: I got a very interesting comment from ForcePrimeval,
who has been a fairly reliable contributor — though I am not going to
reveal the commenter’s real identity. But I have not received this
email myself, nor have a verified its accuracy with Lena Saradnik, so I
can’t vouch for the accuracy of this material. If anyone has
confirmation that this is indeed from Lena, or the converse, please
give me a yell. Note that I have edited the original comment to conceal
what is apparently Lena’s phone number: I doubt that she wants that
published on a blog at this time.
"January 17, 2008
Supervisor Sharon Bronson
Pima County Board of Supervisors
Tucson, Arizona
Dear Supervisor Bronson:
As you know I have suffered a stroke. I am sorry that I did not get
this letter to you yesterday, however, as I have limited use of my
right arm, I did not have the required energy to compose this letter
with one hand! Today, I have more energy.
Yesterday morning I made calls to the members of the Pima County
Board of Supervisors to discuss the LD-26 selection of my replacement.
I’m sorry we have not been able to connect.
One Supervisor I did reach yesterday told me the selection was a
‘done deal’. The reason given was that you were the point-person and
the selection would be a woman and your campaign manager, Nancy Young
Wright. Others were guarded in their conversation, but stated the
Board would take direction from you.
The fact that the nominees were announced at 9:30 Tuesday night and
this phone call took place at 9:00 Wednesday morning, I wondered how it
is possible that this could be a ‘done deal’? Logistically there was
not time for all of the Supervisors to hear from each candidate or
receive feedback on what the community desires.
I will be blunt; regardless of the individual qualifications of each
candidate I am concerned that this selection is being made based on
personal relationships and NOT a thorough opinion from the community.
I understand and value personal relationships. When my campaign
manager put her name up for consideration I told her I supported her as
one of the three nominees, but felt the best choice for the District at
this time was Don Jorgensen. She understood and I hope you will, too.
At the Tuesday’s meeting, I nominated Don Jorgensen for my
replacement because he is a committed candidate whose political views
and demeanor closely align with mine and, most importantly, he is ready
to assume the office. The District agreed. He won the first ballot with
62 out of 76 votes cast. This should be a clear signal about the
community’s desires because, as you know, PCs are elected officials and
they speak for their precincts. These same PCs also worked very hard to
get me elected with a 4000+ vote margin. They deserve to be heard.
I am a strong supporter of women’s rights and an ardent feminist. I
know all too well how hard we women have to fight to get our place at
the table. However, I am also an elected representative who must put
her District’s interests first. As you know, in District 26 the
Republican Party holds the majority. We need an individual with a
strong ability to cross over party lines and a person who can see all
sides of an argument. Don Jorgensen is that person.
I am confident that, upon hearing from the community, you will be able to make an informed and fair selection.
Due to my therapy schedule, I will not be able to attend tomorrow’s
Pima County Board of Supervisors meeting. I hope you will contact me to
discuss this further. I tire very easily and nap often. If there is no
answer, please leave a voicemail with a good number and time to call
you back.
Sincerely,
Representative Lena Saradnik
xxx-xxxx
cc: All Pima County Supervisors
LD-26 PCs"
Discover more from Blog for Arizona
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.