Tag Archives: corporations

Meet Our Candidates: Mark Manoil for Arizona Treasurer

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The time to fight back — and fight forward — for reproductive justice is fast approaching. The stakes are high in this year’s state election, with candidates for governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and other races on the ballot. The Arizona general election will be held November 6, 2018 — and early voting began on October 10. Voters needed to have been registered by October 9 to cast their ballots. Reproductive health has been under attack, both nationally and statewide, but Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona has endorsed candidates who put our health and our rights first. Get to know them now in our series of “Meet Our Candidates” interviews, and make your voice heard in 2018!

[M]ark Manoil came of age in Phoenix during the 1960s and ’70s, an era that saw his hometown boom as it built out infrastructure and provided children with quality education. It was a time period when “government understood how responsible investment could help our communities thrive” — in contrast to today’s Arizona, where lawmakers have turned away from that forward-thinking belief in responsible investment. He saw it when his family struggled during the 2008 recession while the government chose to bail out banks, and he sees it in millennials burdened with student debt. Mr. Manoil is hoping for a change of course, in which lawmakers reinvest in Arizona’s citizens and allow them to prosper — and he’s running for Arizona treasurer so he can be at the helm for these changes.

“We should be pulling from all of the great minds in this state rather than ignoring them.”

The state treasurer oversees Arizona’s $40 billion budget and $15 billion in assets, and is responsible for distributing taxpayer money to state agencies, local governments, and public schools. The treasurer also has influence over investments, loans, and state lands. Arizona’s current treasurer is stepping down from her post, leaving the seat open for either Republican Kimberly Yee and Democrat Mark Manoil.

As a state senator, Ms. Yee consistently opposed reproductive rights and received the lowest ratings possible from Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona and NARAL Arizona. She also supported tax cuts for corporations, a move that Mr. Manoil says has made the state too dependent on regressive sales taxes that disproportionately affect lower-income people. Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona is excited to endorse Mr. Manoil for Arizona treasurer, trusting him to fight for families over corporations.

Mr. Manoil generously took the time to tell us more about his background and his candidacy on October 4.

Please tell us a little about your background and why you’re running for office right now in this political climate.

I am a fourth-generation Arizonan with roots stretching back to territorial days. My great grandfather and his brother both served as Arizona territorial treasurers. I am a proud graduate of our public schools and a prouder public school parent. Today, I’m a small business owner focused on enforcing our property tax laws, especially on greedy speculators trying to skirt taxes. More and more we see people who can’t pay off their college debt, can’t afford a house, can’t qualify for a small business loan, and can’t afford to start a family. Our kids can’t live at home forever — things have to change. When the government stops working for the people, we must elect new leaders to fix it. I will fight to create opportunity and restore dignity to an office that for too long has let politicians get away with bad budgets and self-dealing. Continue reading →

Meet Our Candidates: Terry Goddard for Arizona Secretary of State

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The Arizona general election will be held on November 4, 2014. Reproductive health care access has been under attack, both nationally and statewide, but Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona has endorsed candidates who have shown strong commitment to reproductive justice. To acquaint you with our endorsed candidates, we are running a series called “Meet Our Candidates.” In order to vote in the general election, you must register to vote by October 6 — and can even register online. Make your voice heard in 2014!

Terry_Goddard 2014[T]erry Goddard is running for Arizona secretary of state — one of eight executive positions that are open during the 2014 general election. This seat is currently held by Ken Bennett, who is barred from running for re-election under Arizona’s term-limit restrictions. As attorney general under Gov. Janet Napolitano and Gov. Jan Brewer from 2003 to 2011, state director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1995 to 2002, and four-time mayor of Phoenix from 1983 to 1990, Mr. Goddard is no stranger to Arizona politics.

The secretary of state is the first in line to succeed the governor in the event of removal from office, and primarily serves as Arizona’s chief election official. In a time when states are actively working to mandate strict voter registration laws to disenfranchise voters under the guise of minimizing voter fraud, it is essential that Arizona elect a secretary of state who understands Arizona from the ground up. As secretary of state, Mr. Goddard will ensure that we all retain our right to vote for individuals who will serve on our behalf and protect our basic human rights.

Mr. Goddard was kind enough to talk to us on September 22, 2014.

“One of Arizona’s greatest strengths is our diversity. We should celebrate it, not demonize it.”

Tell us a little about your background.

I am an Arizona native and ASU College of Law graduate. I am proud to have served on active duty in the U.S. Navy. I retired as a commander after 27 years in the Naval Reserve.

I was elected mayor of Phoenix four times, serving from 1983 to 1990. In those years, the city greatly increased citizen participation, expanded and modernized law enforcement, revitalized downtown, and set up nationally recognized programs in economic development, the arts, and historic preservation. During that time, we worked closely with Planned Parenthood to control potentially highly disruptive demonstrations at clinics and protect the rights of women patients. Continue reading →

Chad Campbell Calls for New Faces at the Capitol

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Campbell ChadEditor’s Note: We loved Chad Campbell’s Arizona Republic op-ed so much that we couldn’t help but share it with our readers, as it so perfectly encapsulates our feelings about the current legislative movement here in Arizona! Please take a look at the below excerpt and click the link to read the rest. And, if you’re in the Phoenix area, why don’t you come to the I Stand With Planned Parenthood luncheon on March 14 at the Arizona Biltmore Resort, where we will be honoring Rep. Campbell, the minority leader in the Arizona House and an amazing ally for reproductive justice!

Arizona has been in the spotlight yet again for legislation so incredibly outrageous that it never should have made it to the governor’s desk.

Extreme conservatives in the Legislature are so out of touch with Arizonans, they can’t be bothered with what is best for the state and its citizens. This is all about their ideology, an ideology that wants to legalize discrimination.

This controversy has already hurt the image of our state, but similar bills have been introduced in about 10 states. The specifics vary, but all of them would allow private corporations to discriminate against LGBT individuals.

This orchestrated effort is one I have seen many times, locally and nationally, with bills that discriminate against women and their right to make health-care decisions.

The Center for Arizona Policy, the organization behind the “religious freedom” bill, has pushed an endless barrage of bills that have attacked women and reproductive health care over the past three years.

While we have expressed outrage with Senate Bill 1062 and its discrimination, the U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to hear two cases from corporations arguing that they have a religious right to take away birth-control coverage from their employees.

Let’s be completely clear: Churches and religious organizations don’t have to give employees birth control, and they don’t have to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.

That’s not what these bills or these cases are about. They’re about private corporations attempting to get a free pass, under the cover of religious freedom, to discriminate.

Read the rest of the piece at the Arizona Republic!