- Photo courtesy of azleg.gov
- Victoria Steele
Full disclosure: I’m an LD-9 resident, so I follow its political goings-on attentively and am likely to post about them regularly. Even for non-resident political junkies, though, LD-9 makes for fascinating viewing because it’s a rare swing district. Reps. Victoria Steele (D) and Ethan Orr (R) have a good working relationship, but with a new, serious Democratic contender in town, Dr. Randy Friese (he was one of the surgeons on hand at the UA trauma center after the January 8, 2011, shooting), we should see some very interesting political back-and-forth.
All this makes the public positions taken by Steele over the past few days especially newsworthy.
Steele is sponsoring a bill that would hold parents responsible if they leave a gun lying around and their children use it to harm someone.
“We’ve seen too many children get hold of guns and hurt themselves or hurt somebody else,” Steele said. “I think parents and people who have guns should be responsible gun owners. … To me, this is a no-brainer. This is responsible parenting.”
Writing a bill challenging the NRA-crazed anti-gun regulation crowd is a gutsy move.
Next, she’s supporting Sen. Steve Gallardo’s bill to repeal SB 1070 . A few years ago, Democrats running for office ran scared whenever SB 1070 was mentioned. Now Steele and others are running right at the bill and condemning it in no uncertain terms.
Both stands put Steele’s fellow LD-9 Rep in a difficult spot. Will Orr distance himself from Steele on guns and immigration, jeopardizing the moderate cred he works so hard to cultivate in the LD, or will he embrace Steele’s positions and piss off the right? Stay tuned.
Speaking of Orr, Steele mentioned him twice on Facebook yesterday, and not in a good way. Here’s what she wrote about Orr’s pivotal vote allowing Republicans to overturn their own voter suppression bill, meaning Arizonans won’t have the opportunity to vote on a referendum.
”I’m disappointed to see my Republican colleague in Legislative District 9 voted for this. This is not good representation of our district and it is not what our constituents want and deserve.”
Strong words. Next, she shared a FB post about Orr’s no-show at the press conference backing Gallardo’s bill to repeal SB 1070.
”Couldn’t help but wonder why Arizona State Rep. Ethan Orr wasn’t at Tucson’s press conference announcing S.B. 1299, which repeals S.B. 1070. Does he support this anti-immigrant legislation? If he can’t choose a side, we have even more reason to support friends like Victoria Steele, who supports repeal and attended today, in 2014.”
Steele didn’t write the post, but by sharing it, she gave it her stamp of approval.
Steele is one of the nicest people in the world, which I’m sure makes it tough to go after her colleague. But she’s also fiercely dedicated to doing what she thinks is right. We’ll see how this conflict works itself out in the weeks and months leading up to the November elections.
This article appears in Jan 30 – Feb 5, 2014.
1. Steele has passed 0 pieces of legislation since she has been elected. Will probably pass 0 again this year.
2. She is not part of the budget discussion nor will she ever be. (not enough competitive districts to change this reality) Orr is. Orr is fighting for 20 million for the U of A. This would not even happen if he was not there.
3. Orr know more about Tucson and our past than her or the Doc. On voting record alone for example: Doc has voted in last 6 elections. Steele last 24 and Ethan 34. So who has been following the issues?
4. When a Tucson constituent, a local leader, or other elected Rep from any district in Tucson wants legislation passed or an agency head called to the table their only realistic chance is through a Republican. Ethan is the only Republican that touches Tucson.
5. Why would we hurt Tucson by electing one more Dem that in the best case scenario for the Dems leaves the house 35-25 with a Republican majority.
6. There are more examples to come.
Electing the Doc will just produce another seat occupying Democrat. Compromise is part of life, we live in a pluralistic society where ALL people’s interests must be protected not just the beliefs of liberals, Dems, Rep, or Conservatives. ETHAN ORR represents this ideal. I want my politicians to think about what they do, not just listen to Don Jorgenson or Carolyn Cox for their marching orders.
I would love a STATE with 30 competitive districts but this is not a REALITY! However, what is most important to me is that TUCSON should not suffer from party politicians games or not having relevant and influential representation.
I think Demitri doth protest too much. Victoria is perfect for the district, perfect for the greater Tucson metropolitan area, perfect for the state. She works well with others, a necessity for accomplishing anything in our legislature, and she has achieved a measure of success in her first year. She and Ethan collaborated on a mental health bill that is now law; it was her idea and she convinced Ethan it was a good ideal, and together they got it passed. Ethan has done good things for the district, his heart is in the right place, but the only significant issue on which he has bucked legislative leadership is the expansion of AHCCCS, where he sided with the very conservative Republican governor, some sane Republican colleagues and the Democratic caucus.
As long as districts that might elect Democrats send Republicans to Phoenix the Democratic party will continue to lack clout in the legislature sufficient to stop the travesties that are routinely foisted on the state by a legislature I search in vain to find polite words to describe. And in spite of anything Demitri might wish for, American and Arizaona politics remain almost entirely a two party thing.
How moderate is Ethan Orr really? He’s pro-1070. He supports the awful Rosemont Mine. He’s fervently anti-choice. He’s out of step with his District 9 constituents in many ways.
Nice guy, but he’s got the wrong ideas for Southern Arizona. He’d be far more at home in Maricopa County.
So Demitri… if Orr loses in November who else do you have in mind to play shark to your political lamprey? Will you try a Libertarian? Just asking, since you’ve already burned through the Dems and are quickly wearing out your welcome among the Reps…
Demitri, do you live in District 9?
We should take the City of Tucson as an example of how Democrats can create jobs, lower a budget and develop a Government into something that results in bringing results. By cutting Police Officers the City of Tucson has more money to hire local artist to build statutes. By fighting back against mining, the City has created more jobs associated with helping the homeless. By killing Grand Canyon University from coming to Tucson, the City now has more people employed to help the uneducated. Crime has climbed in Tucson and this brings jobs to alarm companies and wrought iron shops. Drug dealing is on the increase and by fighting for no checks on those who cannot prove citizenship, combined with no jobs, drug dealing will continue to bring more revenues to our community. Face it, the Pima County Democrats love homeless people so much, they create more of them everyday. If your business experience is in dealing with crime, drug cartels, or people out of work, Tucson is the place for you.
Most “moderate” Republican voters I know want responsible, reasonable, and transparent government. They recognize that government has served American well in many ways (schools, roads, military, etc.) and they aren’t inclined to burn the whole house down just because there are parts of it that need to be fixed.
Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of people who run on the “Republican” ticket here in Arizona these days who represent smart & well-managed government. Too many are actually Libertarians that wouldn’t have given President Reagan the time of day. They don’t want government…or they only want government that suits them personally (See Sen. Yarbrough’s profitable STO scheme, etc.). It’s a shame that too many Republican voters cast an automatic vote for these types of modern-day anarchists without realizing what they really stand for.
I’m a gun owner, a conservative voter, and someone who has run out of patience with the AZ Republican party. The fact that we can’t have a reasonable debate about basic gun laws, etc. without people having an ideological melt-down is ridiculous. Rep. Steele’s bill should be thoughtfully considered regardless of the party she represents. Time for all of our legislative representatives to grow more of a backbone and to push against the self-serving and destructive libertarian “leaders” in our community & state.
Roger you ignorant slut… not a single police officer’s job has been cut by the Tucson City council. Not. One. Grand Canyon University was NEVER going to come to Tucson in its first round of expansion. Crime is down. TPD IS enforcing the racist policy of SB 1070. Christ man do you even know how to do basic research or are you just a piece of crap liar.
I’d bet both.
If you don’t like Tucson… move.
Yes I live in district 9. You know if your going to make public comments you should have the courage to use your real name!
Mr. Downing, unless and until we cease allowing our elections to be stolen via vote-by-mail in conjunction with e-voting machines, R’s and D’s will be the only parties able to succeed.