Rich Crandall
Arizona Conservatives uneasy about LD-19 shakeup & Rich Crandall
August 16, 2010
Posted by Candie Dates under Campaigns & Elections
[4] Comments
Ask almost any of the tried and faithful precinct committeemen in Legislative District 19 about the impending retirement of Senator Chuck Gray and the decision by House Member Rich Crandall to seek that post and you’ll find plenty of unrest.
Crandall who has been viewed as an educrat Republican with a less than spectacular voting record is not held in favor amongst many conservatives in the district. Some would even say that he has burned too many bridges with the party faithful.
Crandall’s motioning to walk into Gray’s Senate seat is leading some conservatives to recruit a more conservative alternative. Two names being mentioned are East Valley Conservative James Molina who just recently joined the race, and Maricopa County Community College District Board Member, Jerry Walker.
Conservative activists are actively seeking a candidate to deny Crandall an easy slide into Chuck Gray’s seat. That candidate is lifelong Arizona resident JAMES MOLINA. A Crandall win would symbolize a weakening of the party and lack of fiscal discipline.
In the House race, Speaker of the House Kirk Adams is also running for re-election and for speakership. Ready to give him a run is newcomer Justin Olson whose conservative platform is truly impressive. Across town in Legislative District 10, Jim Weiers also has his sights set on reclaiming the speakership as he faces his final term in the Legislature.
Democrats will also put up a candidate in 2010. Kathryn “Kit” Filbey, a Democratic party official, community activist, business owner and former teacher, will likely be the “Single-shot” candidate for Democrats next year.
4 Responses to “Conservatives uneasy about LD-19 shakeup”
Look for him to try to set the stage during the 2010 session, subtly if he has a serious potential primary opponent, overtly if he does not.
December 9th, 2009 at 8:55 pm Jerry Walker deserves a look. He’s been a loyal conservative and a platform Republican.
February 18th, 2010 at 9:23 am By way of informtation, Mr. Crandall has set a record in the House. He was last term’s winner of the Most Missed Votes title, being absent from about 2/3 of all floor votes.
April 11th, 2010 at 10:30 pm Thx Nelson. I found this milk carton notice; http://tinypic.com/r/of58c6/5
June 4th, 2010 at 5:53 pm - James Molina is our man. James is Pro-Education, Pro-Taxpayer Conservative, and Pro 2nd Amendment Rights. Rich Crandall opposes almost every conservative principle. Crandall is a hard man to figure out since he misses so many votes, or walks off the floor minutes before the vote is taken. Rich Crandall’s recent announcement about fundraising with Libs and Dems really set me off. We really need to wake up Arizona. We can do better - much better!
————————————————————————————–
Lawmake
rs’ first duty: Show up and vote (this includes you Rich Crandall)
Here’s the simple mathematics of representative government: Arizona taxpayers pay for lawmakers to show up and vote on every bill in the Legislature. Now here’s the flaw in that equation: Lawmakers get paid whether they show up or not.
Unfortunately, many Arizona residents were underrepresented at the Capitol during last year’s regular legislative session. It was a dismal performance by the 21 lawmakers who failed to show up for one out of every five floor votes.
There were many excuses: late-night votes, last-minute calls to the floor, the fact that their votes wouldn’t change the final outcome, etc. It’s true that the session was marked by poor planning, rules changes and an inability to gain consensus on many substantial bills. It’s also a fact that most lawmakers have jobs outside the Capitol, and many had to travel long distances to Phoenix from their homes in outlying areas.
Still, they were elected for a singular purpose that in some cases went unfulfilled. If they don’t vote, their constituents may as well have checked a box on the ballot for “nobody.”
In the Senate, two Democrats from Phoenix – Sen. Debbie McCune Davis and Sen. Ken Cheuvront – topped the list of missed votes. The geography is significant; they live much closer to the Capitol than Republican Sen. Sylvia Allen, who has to drive about six hours roundtrip from her home in Snowflake. Allen, by the way, didn’t miss any floor votes.
Rep. Rich Crandall, a Mesa Republican, missed 254 of the 382 House votes. Did you catch that – Mesa, a Phoenix suburb. In comparison, Republican Rep. Nancy McClain has a seven-hour roundtrip from Bullhead City and didn’t miss any votes.
For the same reason it’s important that voters recognize who is not representing them, they also should take note of those who make it a priority to be in chambers when it matters.
Eleven representatives and seven senators voted on every single measure that reached the floor. All of them were Republicans, and five of them were freshmen.
Last week, we published a list of lawmakers who missed the final vote on measures during the 2009 session (it didn’t include missed votes in committee). But we failed to call attention to those who had perfect attendance on the floor.
So, here’s a list of lawmakers who deserve a gold star - not necessarily for the way they voted, but for rising above the rest to make sure their constituents had a seat at the table when the state’s newest laws were crafted:
*
A+ Report Card
—————————————-
Rep. Frank Antenori, R-Tucson (District 30)
Rep. Judy Burges, R-Skull Valley (District 4)
Rep. David Gowan, R-Sierra Vista (District 30)
Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills (District 8 )
Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Glendale (District 9)
Rep. John McComish, R-Phoenix (District 20)
Rep. Nancy McLain, R-Bullhead City (District 3)
Rep. Carl Seel, R-Phoenix (District 6)
Rep. Andy Tobin, R-Phoenix (District 1)
Rep. Jim Weiers, R-Phoenix (District 10)
Rep. Steve Yarbrough, R-Chandler (District 21)
Sen. Sylvia Allen, R-Snowflake (District 5)
Sen. Bob Burns, R-Peoria (District 9)
Sen. Chuck Gray, R-Mesa (District 19)
Sen. Barbara Leff, R-Paradise Valley (District 11)
Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa (District 18)
Sen. Steve Pierce, R-Prescott (District 1)
Sen. Jim Waring, R-Phoenix (District 7)
F- Report Card
—————————————-
Rep. Rich Crandall, R-Mesa (District 19)
Sen. Debbie McCune Davis, D-Phoenix
Sen. Ken Cheuvront, D-Phoenix
December 9th, 2009 at 10:13 am The conservative base in LD19 has good reason to be concerned about Crandall in the Senate, where he would have at least twice as much influence as he has in the House. He has been heard recently saying he “wants to be the next Carolyn Allen.”He is referring to her ability to hold the caucus hostage for her vote, thereby extracting a disproportionate number of concessions to her personal agenda, not necessarily her specific ideology. However, with a reasonably conservative Senate membership, the issue positions drive the power. Crandall has to be willing to block conservative policies, and the other Senators have to believe he will, before the power to demand his personal priorities be addressed will materialize.