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Archive for the 'Jack Harper' Tag

Back at work, budget still missing in action

August 7th, 2009, 5:31 pm by Le Templar
Grover Norquist/AP photo

Grover Norquist/AP photo

It’s been 10 days since I left town to attend my brother’s wedding. At the time, Gov. Jan Brewer and legislative Republicans were supposed to be on the verge of finally adopting a balanced budget that included a November election to hike the statewide salex tax. In my last blog post, I predicted Brewer, Senate President Bob Burns and House Speaker Kirk Adams would do huge political damage to themselves and the Republican Party if they couldn’t finally get their act together.

Well, Adams, R-Mesa, and fellow House GOP leaders did their part while I was gone and won approval of a new budget that links Brewer’s sales tax election to an immediate repeal of state property taxes and future reductions in corporate and personal income taxes.

However, the dysfunctional meltdown in the Senate continued unabated. Burns, R-Peoria, managed to switch one vote of Sen. Jack Harper, R-Surprise, with legislative language to arbitrarily shrink the state workforce by 5 percent or 1,700 jobs. But Sen. Chuck Gray, R-Mesa, (the Republican floor leader) went on a weeklong vacation cruise and Sen. Pamela Gorman, R-Anthem, resigned her post as Republican whip to fend off expectations that she deliver the magical 16th vote to send the budget proposal to Brewer.

Still unwilling to negotiate with Democrats, Brewer suggested Wednesday that the sales tax election and the future tax cuts be put in separate bills, so that Sen. Carolyn Allen, R-Scottsdale can provide the required 16th vote for the first portion while Gorman provides the 16th vote for the second half. But tying the two issues firmly together into a single bill is what got the budget proposal through the House last week in the first place.

So Burns didn’t even bother trying to make a final push on the budget today, and less than a quorum of senators were present to pray and pledge before going home for the weekend.

Now, Capitol Media Services is reporting that Grover Norquist and his Americans for Tax Reform might be riding to Brewer’s rescue. Norquist has become something of a shadow lawmaker on the budget debate this year with his threats to politically punish any Republican who signed the ATR oath to never raise taxes but votes to send a possible sales tax hike to a statewide election. Apparently, Norquist has sent a new letter to those Republicans saying it’s now OK to vote for the sales tax election in a stand-alone bill, just as along as they make darn sure they vote for the proposed tax cuts in a second bill in the same budget package.

That might be enough to keep the support of at least 31 House Republicans. Then again, something else could just as easily go wrong, considering the recent luck of Brewer and Co.

By the way, the Legislature has to approve a budget when it returns Monday, or  sales tax election on Nov. 3 will be out of the question because of technical reasons related to federal and state election laws. There’s nothing like deadline pressure to inspire Arizona politicians. That’s why our Legislature finished its previous attempt at a budget in the early hours of the current fiscal year.

Posted in: Arizona Legislature • Arizona government • Governor • • • • • • • • | 2 Comments »

State budget woes continue another week

July 13th, 2009, 1:46 pm by Le Templar
Sen. Ron Gould/Capitol Media Services

Sen. Ron Gould/Capitol Media Services

At least another week will pass before state lawmakers address the remaining details of the budget, including a projected $2 billion to $2.7 billion deficit this year. The Senate and House met long enough this afternoon to offer prayers, say the Pledge of Allegiance and schedule to meet again next Monday. Sen. Ron Gould, R-Lake Havasu City, did try to slip in a motion to immediately end the session without further action, but not a single colleague joined him.
“The only reason the special session is still open is to shove through a (sales) tax increase to the ballot,” Gould said after his lone vote to adjourn sine die. “I’m never going to vote to send any tax increase to the ballot and I’m disappointed no other Republicans supported my motion.”

Sen. Jack Harper, R-Surprise, who normally stands right next to Gould on budget issues, said he wants the Republican-sponsored changes in the budget reconciliation bills vetoed by Gov. Jan Brewer. Many of those changes sought to reduce government fraud or waste, and would make policy changes intended to shrink state spending.

A reminder, the Legislature decided last week to suspend the pay of lawmakers on days it doesn’t actually meet during this special session on the budget.

Posted in: Arizona Legislature • Arizona government • Governor • • • • | Post a Comment »

Budget deal in real trouble now

June 29th, 2009, 11:22 am by Le Templar
Sen. Sylvia Allen attempts to convince Sen. Jack Harper, kneeling on the floor, to vote for a $8.4 billion spending plan in the Senate Appropriatiions Committee on Monday. Harper and Sen. Ron Gould refused to go along, as did all the Democrats on the panel, leaving Sen. Russell Pearce, seated, chairman of the committee, without the votes for approval (Capitol Media Services photo by Howard Fischer).

Sen. Sylvia Allen attempts to convince Sen. Jack Harper, kneeling on the floor, to vote for a $8.4 billion spending plan in the Senate Appropriatiions Committee on Monday. Harper and Sen. Ron Gould refused to go along, as did all the Democrats on the panel, leaving Sen. Russell Pearce, seated, chairman of the committee, without the votes for approval (Capitol Media Services photo by Howard Fischer).

The Senate Appropriations Committee just failed to pass the main budget trailer bill, which would make changes to all of the spending appropriations adopted in the June 4 budget package. Three Republicans joined one Democrat in voting against the bill (a number of committee members seem to be absent), with Republican Sens. Ron Gould and Jack Harper saying the deal with Gov. Jan Brewer is “a step backwards” in solving the $3.3 billion deficit.

UPDATE: The Senate Appropriations Committee tried to reconsider the bill a few minutes later, but this time several absent Democrats showed up (they plan to vote against the budget deal) and Harper and Gould said they were still voting “no.” Committee chairman Russell Pearce figured out he still does not have the votes to pass the main budget bill and recessed the committee for a second time.

Perhaps it’s back to the drawing board for Brewer, Senate President Bob Burns and House Speaker Kirk Adams.

Posted in: Uncategorized • • • • • • | Post a Comment »

Arizona’s top military commander retiring

October 9th, 2008, 10:37 am by Le Templar


GEN. DAVID RATACZAK (Photo courtesy of the Arizona National Guard)

Unlike the federal military services, the Arizona National Guard has a single person who commands all of the state military branches called the adjutant general. The man who has held that post since 1999, David Rataczak, announced this morning that he will retire in December after 43 years in the military.

A combat helicopter pilot from the Vietnam War, Rataczak was appointed to his post by then-Gov. Jane Dee Hull, a Republican. But he has been a faithful and able commander during the administration of Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat. Rataczak has managed Army and Air branches that have grown quite rapidly (by 60 percent) in terms of troops, armories and other buildings, and missions. The Air National Guard became a lead military agency to test and deploy the Predator combat drone, which has been used in nonviolent patrol missions along the Mexican border and in a variety of combat situations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But Rataczak has seen a fair share of controversy during this tenure. In 2000, Tribune investigative reporter Mark Flatten disclosed evidence that the Arizona National Guard was keeping the name of soliders on its books for months after they had left service in order to draw in more federal funding. The “ghost soldiers” series sparked some criticism, particulary within the military community. But the issue disappeared after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as federal funding jumped for the various state national guards in exchange for participating heavily in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rataczak also found himself in a political showdown in the past two years with Sen. Jack Harper, R-Surprise, that nearly cost Rataczak his job. Harper was angry that Rataczak had previously refused to back the senator’s proposals for using National Guard troops in direct border patrol operations and potential detention of illegal immigrants. Operation Jump Start, which was funded by the Pentagon, relied on National Guard troops from Arizona and other states in a supporting role for the civilian Border Patrol. Harper used his position as a committee chairman to block Rataczak’s reappointment as adjutant general, and Harper relented only under enormous pressure.

I got to know Rataczak just a little bit when I was covering Napolitano a few years ago. The governor had traveled to Yuma for a regional military conference, so she was allowed to use a National Guard plane to make the trip. I was invited along, and it turned out Rataczak was Napolitano’s host for the day. The general admitted during a quiet moment that he was using the daylong trip to speak one-on-one with Napolitano about some of his ideas for the National Guard and about a couple of funding requests. Since the two have continued to work well together, I always assumed that Napolitano was pleased with what Rataczak had to say.

Posted in: Arizona government • • • • • | 2 Comments »
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