Gov. Jan Brewer’s office issued a press release Monday afternoon that presented a “growing list of supporters’’ who endorse her approach to Arizona’s budget crisis.
The list, at first glance, seems impressive enough. Elected officials representing numerous cities and town from around Arizona are there, as are representatives from business groups, private businesses and non-profit groups that all have a stake in how the state’s budget shakes out. Education and health care interests are among the more prevalent. A complete list can be found at www.azgovernor.gov.
The list is noteworthy, though, for what’s not there – local elected leaders from East Valley cities. In fact, it appears only one, Mayor Art Sanders of Queen Creek, agreed to have his name tied to support for Brewer’s approach, which includes a call to ask Arizona voters to temporarily increase the state sales tax as a way of erasing a massive state deficit over the next few years.
The tax issue clearly is the major issue separating Brewer, a Republican, and GOP legislative leaders in this budget standoff.
To be sure, other East Valley interests are included in Brewer’s press release: the East Valley Partnership; Gilbert Public Schools’ Parents Legislative Network; the Apache Junction Main Street and Community Development Corp.; Tempe Chamber of Commerce; and Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, to name a few.
Also, the Arizona League of Cities and Towns, which represents interests of all cities and towns, is there, as are the community colleges.
This by no means is a complete list of who likely supports Brewer’s approach. While many conservative city leaders in the East Valley normally balk at any talk of tax hikes, they also do not like the way the Legislature has moved to divert certain revenue away from cities.
Funny thing about politics. While we often assume a politician’s penchant for talking at every opportunity is the norm, silence can have its benefits too. Many may well disagree with the governor. But in this case, I suspect more than a few of our local elected officials also believe it’s too risky, given the traditionally conservative nature of the East Valley, to have their name on a press release that will forever be linked to a call for a tax increase – even if deep down, they agree with the approach. They know that, no matter the current situation, any effort to explain such a position come re-election a few years down the road will be futile. A crafty opponent need only say, “Candidate X supported raising your taxes,’’ and the damage is done.
Many legislators who represent the East Valley do not back the tax idea and may not take too kindly to city officials who openly say otherwise.
Brewer, whose conservative credentials have been unquestioned throughout her political career, probably understands this as well as anyone. Yet, she has risked her future base of conservative support by throwing down the gauntlet on the tax issue, clearly convinced the magnitude of the budget crisis justifies the move.
It’s obviously harder to remain silent when you’re the governor.
Chris Coppola is editor of the Tribune Newspapers and eastvalleytribune.com. He can be reached at ccoppola@evtrib.com. Follow his newsroom updates on Twitter: EVTribEditor.)
If they can’t stand the heat, they should stay out of the kitchen. This is a time to do something, not sit back and worry about their re-elections or their “Grover Norquist club membership”. Ideology does not always work at a time of crisis, action does. These East Valley “legislators” should be shown the door in 2010 for being the gutless wonders that they are.
The last thing you want to do in a recession is raise taxes. The recession is caused by a lack of money in the economy, to remove more is perilously close to brain dead. I’m assuming more East Valley legislators actually passed an economics class at some point. The Governor needs to back off, get creative and find ways to do more with less, and halt the trend of government doing less for more. The Napolitano administration expanded government exponentially. That has to come to a screeching halt or we’ll be stuck in a recession for much longer than we need to be.