Democratic Candidates for LD10 House Shine in Drive to Oust Clodfelter

 LD10 Democratic candidates.jpg
Left to right, candidates Kirsten Engel, Domingo DeGrazia, Nikki Lee and Catherine Ripley

Democrats have four impressive candidates for the Arizona House in Legislative District 10 in eastern Tucson, united in their effort to oust Republican incumbent, Todd “Confederate” Clodfelter.

  • UofA Law Professor Kirsten H. Engel is running for a second term in the AZ House, after serving on the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee, and Judiciary and Public Safety committee.
  • Newcomer Domingo DeGrazia, son of famous Tucson artist Ted DeGrazia, is a licensed pilot and a trial attorney in juvenile court. “I have a constant drive to better myself, creativity and tenacity to see a fight through to the end,” he says.
  • Catherine Ripley is a retired 26-year Navy officer and current political science teacher at Pima College (and earlier at Harvard, Boston University, and M.I.T.). In her first run for office, she says, “I’m a former diplomat, Mom, and business executive. I’ve seen famine and war. I’m here to bring my skills and experiences, and have the tools to hand Todd Clodfelter a defeat he’ll never forget.”
  • Running as a Clean Elections Candidate, newcomer Nikki Lee has a young campaign team of Millennials, including herself at age 36. “We have so much excitement on our campaign, doing innovating things, understanding the life of young people.”  She has  launched the “A to Z podcast” for young people.

LD10 has two AZ House members and one Senator, David Bradley, who was on hand and running without opposition. Clodfelter is notorious for his Confederate Flag screen saver, which he claimed wasn’t racist. His signature legislation throws a meager $150 tax credit at teachers to cover school supplies rather than help them in any meaningful way.

If you could pass one bill…

Asked if they could pass only one bill in the Republican-majority House, the candidates said it would be to:

Engel: End the hundreds of corporate sales tax loopholes and use the money to fund public schools.

DeGrazia: Stop gun violence.

Lee: Help veterans recover from PTSD and brain injuries.

Ripley: Enact common-sense gun policy, including a ban on bump stocks.

If you could reverse one law…

Asked what law or bill they would want to stop, the candidates said:

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AZ Asian American Pacific Islander Dems Election kickoff & New Year Social

“Join the AZ Asian American Pacific Islander Democratic Caucus to kick off the 2018 Election Season in conjunction with the start of the Lunar New Year. Enjoy delicious food, meet local Democratic candidates and learn about important issues. Visit their FB page for updated information on confirmed guests and key information.

This is a FREE event, but an RSVP is appreciated! RSVP on the FB page or call (520) 309-6114.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1561942400549342/

Come meet and mingle! Updated attendees …

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Healthcare Forum: We Want to Hear Your Stories

 

Banner University Medical Center
High-tech medical care at Banner University Medical Center

For the past 30 years, my career has focused on health promotion, disease prevention, behavioral research, and communications. I have seen, photographed, and written about the good, the bad and the ugly parts of our country’s healthcare “system”.

I saw the rise of HMOs (health maintenance organizations) in the 1980s. I cheered the Clintons for at least trying to fix the overly complicated mess in the early 1990s. I saw costs going up every year and service going down. I saw a health insurance system that was creaking under the weight of its own complexity, while big insurance and big pharma collected huge profits. As managing editor of the American Journal of Medicine, I stood proudly by the Editor-in-Chief when he and the Editorial Board called for Medicare for All on multiple occasions.

Along the way, I have heard stories about huge medical bills, uncompensated hospital care, outrageously expensive drugs, limited or delayed access to medical care, premature death and disease, medical bankruptcy, and the medical consequences of poverty.

Now, as a member of the Arizona House and the ranking Democrat on the Health Committee, I want to hear your stories.

Do you have concerns about the future of the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid and Kids Care? Is the cost of medical care or prescription drugs a worry for your family? How would dramatic cuts to these programs impact you? Come to the 200 Stories: Tucson Healthcare Forum on Oct 29.

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Arizona Legislature, Democratic Caucus

#AZ House Democrats Hold Budget Town Hall on Saturday

Arizona House Reps. Randy Friese, Kirsten Engel, Isela Blanc and I will be participating in a public town hall, organized by the Arizona House Democratic Caucus, to discuss the budget proposals. The event will be held today, April 8, at the University of Arizona Modern Languages Building, Room 350. Doors open at 12:30. We have … Read more

Final General Election results 2016 – LD 10 House & TUSD Board

Since Election night Nov. 8, 2016 we have been awaiting the final tally of Pima County’s early & provisional ballots for these 2 close races:

LD 10 House (two seats, one open):

Todd Clodfelter (R)   45,627

Kirsten Engel (D)  45,530

Stefanie Mach (D), incumbent  44,770

Incumbent Rep. Mach has apparently lost, after serving 2 terms in the Arizona House.  This was Clodfelter’s 3rd try for this same seat in LD 10.

TUSD Governing Board  (3 seats, nonpartisan, unpaid):

Mark Stegeman, incumbent   57,466

Kristel Foster, incumbent  54,352

Rachael Sedgwick  50,205

Betts Putnam-Hidalgo  49,519

Brett Rustand  47,683

Cam Juarez, incumbent 47,444

Lori Riegel  41,734

Incumbent Juarez has also apparently lost his bid, served for 1 term (4 years). Political newcomer (former teacher/3rd year law student) Rachael Sedgwick will be joining Prof. Mark Stegeman, Kristel Foster and current President Adelita Grijalva and Michael Hicks on the board.

http://www.tusd.k12.az.us/contents/govboard/govboard.html

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