Tag Archives: Douglas

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: James Burton for State Representative, LD 14

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The Arizona general election will be held on November 4, 2014, and early voting is already underway! 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.” Make your voice heard in 2014!

James Burton LD 14[E]ast of the Tucson metropolitan area, LD 14 comprises Cochise County (Sierra Vista, Douglas), Greenlee County, Graham County (excluding the tribal reservation), and the far eastside of Pima County (Rosemont area, Corona, Vail, Rita Ranch, and the surrounding mountains of East Tucson). Here, James Burton is running for a seat in the Arizona House of Representatives, where he is facing incumbents David Gowan and David Stevens.

David Gowan is the current majority leader in Arizona’s House of Representatives. He is running on a platform that includes “limiting government and promoting individual responsibility,” yet he voted in favor of SB 1062, which, through the government, would have allowed businesses to discriminate against individuals on the basis of religious beliefs. He also voted in favor of HB 2284, which authorizes the government to perform unannounced inspections of abortion facilities without a warrant, which makes it that much harder for individuals to obtain a medical service that is protected under the U.S. Constitution. Burton’s other opponent, David Stevens, voted in favor of SB 1062 and HB 2284 as well.

Both Gowan and Stevens also support the government prohibiting an individual’s constitutional right to obtain an abortion; and oppose comprehensive sex education, which would serve to educate an individual on how to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases and prevent unintended pregnancies. Further, both oppose adding “sexual orientation,” “gender identity,” or “gender expression” to the classes of race, religion, age, sex, and ancestry in an anti-discrimination law that would serve to protect the individual. Lastly, both oppose unmarried domestic partners receiving the same employee and health benefits as married couples — discriminating against people who make the personal choice to remain unmarried.

Burton, running on a platform of inclusiveness — including listening to the people of LD 14 — was the only one out of the three candidates who attended the district’s debate. Answering a series of moderator-provided questions, Burton stated “the voices of the district need to be heard.” Burton is the only LD 14 House candidate running on a platform of inclusiveness, and we recommend Mr. Burton for a single-shot vote.

Mr. Burton was kind enough to speak with us on October 15, 2014.

“The government should not interfere in anyone’s health care choices. Period.”

Tell us a little about yourself.

When I finished high school in 1968, I enlisted in the U.S. Navy. I served four years with service in Vietnam and as a hospital corpsman with the Marine Corps minefield team at Guantanamo Naval Base, Cuba. When I was in high school, I began insulating pipes, boilers, and air conditioning systems with my father, at his insistence. Thanks, Dad. After my honorable discharge, I returned to that trade. After a short time I left the Midwest for the environs of Arizona. Arriving in Phoenix on St. Patrick’s Day, 1973. Continue reading →

Meet Our Candidates: Pat Fleming for State Senator, LD 14

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The Arizona general election will be held on November 6, 2012, with early voting starting on October 11. After the many recent legislative challenges to reproductive health care access, both nationally and statewide, the importance of voting in November can’t be overstated. To help voters, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona has endorsed candidates who have shown strong commitment to reproductive health and freedom. Along with those endorsements, we are spotlighting our endorsed candidates in a series called “Meet Our Candidates.” To vote in the general election, you must register to vote by October 9 — and can even register online. Make your voice heard in 2012!

[P]at Fleming has lived in Arizona for four decades, with roots going back to Missouri, where she was born near her grandparents’ farm. Her military ties brought her to Sierra Vista, where she continues to live — and seeks to serve.

“A licensed pharmacist is licensed to dispense prescriptions, not determine morality.”

Fleming supports access to preventive health care and education. “Protecting women’s access to contraception is critical,” she has stated. Elaborating upon her positions in an exclusive interview with us, she indicated support for comprehensive sex education because of its role in the “prevention of unwanted and unplanned pregnancies.” As a member of the state Senate, Fleming will stand for commonsense values such as comprehensive sex education, health care access, and family planning. She will also represent the needs of her rural constituents, whose access to health care is limited.

Fleming is seeking office in the newly drawn Legislative District 14, which stretches from east Pima County into rural areas of the state, including Cochise and Greenlee counties, as well as most of Graham County. She generously took time for an interview with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona on October 1, 2012.

Tell us a little about your background.

I have been proud to call southeastern Arizona home for 43 years. After retiring from Ft. Huachuca in 2005, I ran my first campaign for the Arizona House of Representatives from LD 25, losing by only 764 votes. In 2008, I ran again and handily won a seat in the Arizona House of Representatives. I was honored to have served one term representing the good people of the former Legislative District 25, however, I lost my bid for re-election in 2010.

I live south of Sierra Vista with my husband Bob Fleming. We have been married almost 11 years, and have a combined family that includes five children and 12 grandchildren. I have remained a participating and involved civilian representative and continue community activism as I run for the Arizona Senate from the new LD 14.

In the previous legislative session, there were a lot of bad bills that negatively affected access to birth control (HB2625), funding for family planning (HB2800), abortion (HB2036), and unbiased information about unintended pregnancies in public schools (SB1009). What kind of beneficial legislation would you like to see introduced, and why do you think it’s important to fight for it?

If elected, I will work to reverse these radical, ideologically based laws. I will work to include easier access to contraceptive medications and devices as part of a woman’s health care options. Government bureaucrats should never be in charge of personal health care choices. However, without major changes in the demographics or partisan elected officials, in both the Arizona Senate and Arizona House, none of this is going to happen. Continue reading →