OPENING: PIMA COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Posted on 05/09/2013 @ 07:34 PM

Pima County Democratic Party
4639 East First Street
Tucson, AZ 85711
(520) 326-3716
www.PimaDems.org

The Pima County Democratic Party is accepting applications for a motivated, organized, dynamic Executive Director to ensure our continued success in 2013 and 2014. The Executive Director is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the party including but not limited to communications, field, finance and fund-raising, outreach and political strategy. Salary negotiable; dependent upon experience and qualifications. Benefits include health care and paid vacation. (complete job description)

To apply: Email a cover letter and a resume (including references) to donjorgensen@comcast.net with “PCDP Executive Director Application” in the subject line. Word Document or PDF format preferred.

Application Deadline: May 22, 2013

The Pima County Democratic Party encourages applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, ethnicity, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, or disability. The Pima County Democratic Party works to ensure fair treatment of applicants and employees against discrimination.

2nd Annual Dinner With Senator Tom Udall

Posted on 03/18/2013 @ 09:34 PM

The Pima County Democratic Party

Invites you to join us for the

2nd Annual Udall Dinner & Silent Auction with Senator Tom Udall

Featuring the

Spirit of Arizona Awards

Honorees:

Individual: David Fitsimmons
Organization:Ben's Bells

Saturday, April 13th
Registration at 6:00pm

Desert Diamond Casino
7350 S. Nogales Hwy
Tucson, AZ 85756

$75 Precinct Committee Person
$85 General Admission

Purchase Tickets online here:
actblue.com/page/udall2013

Or call 520-326-3716

To pay by mail:
checks can be made out to
Pima County Democratic Party
PO Box 40211
Tucson, AZ 85717

Goldwater Institute Exposed

Posted on 03/14/2013 @ 09:32 PM

In-depth report details out-of-state corporate funds, murky financial dealings & big staff bonuses after taxpayer-funded court awards

PHOENIX – The tax-exempt Goldwater Institute routinely attacks state and local government employee salaries as too high. But a new joint investigation by Arizona Working Families and the Center for Media and Democracy showed that, since the crippling recession of 2007, Goldwater executive staff salaries have soared while pay for the average Arizonan has shrunk. The investigation, made public today, also revealed that the charity paid one of its employees a $50,000 bonus -- and another a $35,000 bonus --on top of their six-figure salaries in the same year Goldwater was awarded over $1 million in attorney fees paid by Arizona taxpayers.

And that was not all that the Center’s investigation revealed about one of the country’s most well-known libertarian think tanks, said Lisa Graves, the Executive Director of the Center for Media and Democracy and the publisher of ALECexposed.org.

"Our joint investigation revealed other questionable financial decisions,” Graves said. “We also documented the out-of-state money flowing into and out of Goldwater to help advance an extreme agenda to mold Arizona law in ways sought by huge multinational corporate executives like the Koch brothers. Although Goldwater is one of the older libertarian-styled think tanks, this type of tango is being danced in other states as well by similar groups claiming they are independent."The full report is attached or can be viewed here. Other findings include:

• Tax Forms Reveal Murky Internal Financial Dealings: up to $1.9 million in Cash Was Loaned to a Board Member’s Company: The Goldwater Institute’s internal finances as a nonprofit include a loan of up to $1.9 million to  a private company led by a Goldwater board member.
• Funded by Special Interests and Out-of-State Right-Wing Ideologues: The Institute claims to be funded “solely” by “individual donations,” but a review of IRS filings and other documents from foundations shows that many of Goldwater's largest donors are out-of-state foundations tied to special interests and ideological agendas, including the Koch-connected Donors Capital Fund, the Bradley Foundation, the Roe Foundation, the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, and the Walton Family Foundation.
• Goldwater & ALEC’s Shared Agenda: The Goldwater Institute is a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a corporate-funded bill mill. Over the years, Goldwater staffers have proposed numerous bills at ALEC task force meetings, where elected officials and private sector m embers (like corporate lobbyists and special interest groups) vote as equals behind closed doors on templates to change the law. The coordinated agenda that ALEC and the Goldwater Institute press for would:

1. Block Arizonans from receiving healthcare benefits made possible by federal health insurance reforms by attempting to stop implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
2. Redirect funds from Arizona’s public schools via private school vouchers to other private or for-profit businesses.
3. Attack Arizona workers’ collective bargaining rights.

“It’s outrageous that an organization that bears Barry Goldwater’s name has consistently led the attack on working Arizonans, on our teachers and on our first responders, while its executives enrich themselves at our expense,” said Frank Piccioli, President of AFSCME Local 2960 in Phoenix and a member of Arizona Working Families. “This comprehensive report should be helpful to Arizona’s media. Reporters can now place the Goldwater Institute’s extreme agenda in the proper context and understand its dangerous consequences for our state.”
Media members interested in speaking to Lisa Graves can contact Nikolina Lazic, at  608-260-9713 or  nikolina@prwatch.org.

Arizona Working Families is a broad coalition of community members, taxpayers and parents demanding that politicians focus on the economy instead of extreme policies that will hurt all Arizonans.

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Message From Chair Bill Roe

Posted on 02/14/2013 @ 01:59 PM

As you know, the ADP Executive Committee consists of the Executive Board, the Chair and First and Second Vice-Chairs of each county, Members-at-Large from each Congressional District, and representatives from eligible caucuses. (ADP Bylaws Art. IV, §1(A); Art. VI, (F).) The State Chair has the responsibility – and privilege – to appoint the Members-at-Large, and to do so within one month of the reorganizational meeting – this year, by February 26, 2013. (ADP Bylaws Art. IV, §1-2.)

I am pleased to announce the appointment of what I believe to be the most diverse team of members-at-large in the history of our party. More specifically, based on our initial assessment, approximately

• 26% of the Members-at-Large are Hispanic;
• 15% of the Members-at-Large are Native American;
• 15% of the Members-at-Large are African American;
• 4% of the Members-at-Large are another race;
• 7% of the Members-at-Large are LGBT; and
• 41% of the Members-at-Large are younger than 40.

Based on available information, this represents a substantial increase in diversity on every demographic measured. (Several demographic groups are not addressed here, but I hope to work with the Affirmative Action Committee to obtain such information and to continue increasing our party’s diversity at every level.)

Please join me in welcoming the following Members-at-Large to the ADP Executive Committee: 

CD1 MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

• Brett Caldwell
• Shaun Deschene
• Lena Fowler

CD2 MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

• Elaine Lim
• Jeff Rogers
• Jim Woodbrey

CD3 MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

• Andres Cano
• Charlene Fernandez
• Alma Hernandez

CD4 MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

• Barbara Njos
• Dennis Welsh, Jr.
• Vallarie Woolridge

CD5 MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

• Ken Dowlin
• Megan M. McPherson
• Dan O'Neal

CD6 MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

• Anne Greenberg
• Mary Nickum
• Ann Wallack

CD7 MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

• Mahogany Cherry
• Laura Pastor
• Jose D. Rivas

CD8 MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

• Robert Donat
• Bill Engler
• Jacqueline Sandoval

CD9 MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

• Lisa Blackhorse
• Gerald Richard
• Corey D. Woods

"My Last Kick" by Luis Heredia

Posted on 01/08/2013 @ 01:45 PM

December 31, 2012

Dear Arizona Democrats:

I notified Chairman Bill Roe earlier this month that today would be my last day as Executive Director of the Arizona Democratic Party. The decision was not easy. I love Arizona and the Democratic Party, and serving as your ED was truly an honor. The position was not just a job but a mission. I was an active participant of the party before and I will remain engaged in moving Arizona forward by electing strong Democrats into public office. I decided to step aside and seek another opportunity after many discussions with my family.Words cannot capture what I have learned and experienced throughout my period of service. But, I will start by saying thank you.

I recall applying for the job and going through a long interview process. I accepted the position in May 2009, quickly met with staff and my admiration grew and grew. Together we encountered the political lava and noise of the Tea Party. We prepared for 2010 and learned quickly of the electorate’s frustration with political process. Witnessing how SB1070 emerged during the Arizona Legislature's 2010 session, it became clear we had a lot of work in this state. November 2, 2010, was difficult and it was even harder to put together a focused and clear path to move forward. Then you encounter moments in life.

I vividly remember driving to Tucson on Saturday, January 8, 2011, to attend Pima County’s reorganization meeting. By noon that day, we all united in prayer and support to the victims of the tragedy in Tucson. Our Democratic family — and all Arizonans — experienced a roller coaster of pain and emotion. However, we faced that episode together.

We re-grouped in 2011 and focused on redistricting, adding more Democrats to PEVL, and building our party infrastructure. We fought back and out-organized the Tea Party during redistricting by recruiting true grassroots leaders to testify why we needed to respect the Voting Rights Act and add competitive districts to Arizona’s political landscape. The state party made strategic investments to the voter file to support our county parties to win local races. We arrived to 2012 with a strong foundation. We made the case to national partners as to why Arizona is a battleground. We continued to make more investments in data and voter engagement tools. We trained a new generation of organizers to face the front line of dark money with great candidates and solid campaigns.

Nationally, Congressional Democrats added eight seats and two came from Arizona. We re-elected Congressmen Pastor, Grijalva, and Barber. Together we returned Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick and added Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema to the halls of Congress. We added four state senate and four state representative seats. There is more work ahead but together we have changed the conversation to why Arizona is much more pragmatic, independent, and very purple.

Your staff at the party is there because they share your passion and commitment in building a stronger Arizona. They work tirelessly every day. It was an honor to work with them. As I reflect on my service, I am extremely proud in mentoring, hiring, and supporting political organizers that continue to shape the future of our state.

I also want to thank the thousands of Arizona Democrats who volunteer their service, from County Chairs and Legislative Chairs, to Executive Board and Committee members to the canvassers who walked every weekend in October. THANK YOU.

I served under the leadership of Don Bivens, Andrei Cherny, and Bill Roe. I would like to thank them for their support and trust.

Finally, I would like to thank my wife Claudia and son Abraham who understood why this position was more than a job. Their support and love is what gave me energy and determination.

We move forward together.

The Arizona Democratic Party is strong because it is greater than the sum of its parts. DJ Quinlan has agreed to serve as the acting Executive Director. His email is dquinlan@azdem.org.

You can reach me at luis.heredia@gmail.com.

Thank you again.
Luis A. Heredia

It's Official

Posted on 12/03/2012 @ 02:00 PM

Ballots are finally all counted and the state officially certified the November 6, 2012 election this morning.

Our party stands strong. Democrats will comprise a majority of Arizona’s congressional delegation. Representatives Ed Pastor, Raul Grijalva and Ron Barber were all re-elected and they will be joined in Washington by Congresswoman-Elect Ann Kirkpatrick and Congresswoman-Elect Kyrsten Sinema.

Voters made clear that change was needed at the state Capitol. Democrats won four more seats in each the state Senate and House of Representatives, thus ending the GOP super-majority in the state legislature.

None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the thousands of volunteers making more than a million phone calls and knocking on hundreds of thousands of doors. That passion, dedication and teamwork was reflected in Dr. Richard Carmona’s campaign, which came within 3 percentage points of defeating career politician Jeff Flake. We thank Dr. Carmona for his inspiring and courageous stand against corporate special interests and the Super PACs that poured millions into the state. We will depend on Dr. Carmona’s wisdom and leadership in the months ahead.

We are proud of the work we did together and grateful to all our candidates who volunteered this year to run for public office. During the campaign, our candidates spoke with many Arizona families about important Democratic priorities like jobs, education and women's health care. More importantly, our candidates provided voters with a common sense choice for the future.

This election is history, but our job is far from over — in fact, it’s just beginning. We are already collecting and analyzing the data from this election that will serve as a guide to victory in the future. From those numbers, a few things have already become clear: If we are to win in 2014, we need to start registering more Democrats immediately; we need to start recruiting and training new candidates now; and we need to continue our grassroots efforts to find and mobilize our supporters.

The motivation to accomplish these goals isn't hard to find. We know that Governor Brewer, Attorney General Tom Horne and an out-of-touch Republican Legislature will soon be back to their business-as-usual policies that favor special interests and harm Arizona's working families. This election also proved that our state needs a bipartisan commission to review our election process.

The Arizona Democratic Party will remain a vehicle for change, but we must build upon the gains we have made in 2012 and continue to elect Democrats for local, statewide and national offices. Stand with us as we build a stronger party and continue to move our state forward by making a contribution today.

Sincerely,

Luis Heredia
Executive Director 
Arizona Democratic Party

Truth, the Only Known Cure for "Romnesia"

Posted on 10/29/2012 @ 03:00 PM

by Delores L. Adams


“I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and nonviolence are as old as the hills.”                                                                                              ~Mahatma Gandhi 

Likely fed up with Romney’s shifting policies and patent lies, while speaking before a crowd of 9,000 in Fairfax, Virgina, President Obama first coined the phrase “Romnesia” [here].  Thanks Mr. President for using humor to uphold the truth, the only known cure for persistent lies.   

Sadly, Fmr. Gov. Mitt Romney “has a truth problem” [here], the ultimate threat to our democracy, indeed the entire world! 

During the first debate, Mitt makes a rather odd statement about lying, particularly coming from one who has lied repeatedly: “Look, I got five boys. I’m used to people saying something that’s not always true, but just keep on repeating it and ultimately hoping I’ll believe it” [here].  

Stranger still, Dr. Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s notorious Propaganda Minister once declared, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”   

Hitler, the hate-driven Nazi leader allegedly said, “It is not truth that matters, but victory.  The victor will never be asked if he told the truth.”  

Could such upside-down thinking be the underlying cause of Mitt’s Romnesia?  After all, one day he will rule the free world- or so he truly believes.  Illusions of grandeur, mad with ambition, Goebbels incarnate… who knows.  Yet, let us not fool ourselves.  Mankind’s history is strewn with the parched bones of mad men who vainly sought to rule the world, and of the rest who blindly followed them.

Delores Adams is a retired paralegal, a writer and a former DNC 2012 Delegate.

Special Meeting for Legislative District 17

Posted on 10/16/2012 @ 07:31 PM

Click here for a letter from the Chair of the Democratic Party Bill Roe, regarding a special meeting for Legislative District 17 on Thursday, October 18, 2012.

Early Voting Has Started In Arizona

Posted on 10/11/2012 @ 02:30 PM

Early voting is well underway in our great state of Arizona, enabling citizens all across AZ to begin the process of electing numerous offices including President of the United States.

If you are on the Permanent Early Voter List, you should already have received your early ballot in the mail. However, if you have not received your ballot, please contact the Arizona Democratic Party, click here

You do not need to have an early ballot in order to vote early! Simply visit one of the early voting location below before this Friday, November 2 by 5:00PM to cast your early ballot.

For additional election information, see the list below of important dates:
-Early Ballots were mailed on Thursday, October 11, 2012

-Early Voting ends this Friday, November 2, 2012

-Emergency Voting is Monday, November 5, 2012

-Election Day is Tuesday, November 6, 2012

-To review the Election Calendar, click here.

Below is a list of Early Voting locations that you can still cast your ballot at for the upcoming General Election. The cut off for early voting is this Friday, November 2 at 5:00PM.

Apache County

• Recorder's Office
  75 W. Cleveland St. 
  St. Johns, AZ 85936

Cochise County

• Recorder's Office
  1415 Melody Lane Building B
  Bisbee, AZ 85603

Coconino County

• County Elections Office
  110 E. Cherry Ave.
  Flagstaff, AZ 86001
• Williams City Hall
  113 S. First St. 
  Williams, AZ 86046
• County Elections Office
  Basement of Tuba City Library
  Tuba City, AZ 86045
• Page City Hall
  697 Vista Ave.
  Page, AZ 86040
• Sedona City Hall
  102 Roadrunner Dr.
  Sedona, AZ 86336
• Grand Canyon School District Office
  1 Boulder St.
  Grand Canyon, AZ 86023
• Freedonia Town Hall
  25 N. Main St.
  Freedonia, AZ 86052

Gila County

• Gila County Recorder's Office
  1400 E. Ash St.
  Globe, AZ 85501
• Payson Recorder's Office
  201 W. Frontier 
  Payson, AZ 85541

Graham County

• General Services Building
  921 Thatcher Blvd.
  Safford, AZ 85546

Greenlee County

• Greenlee Elections Office
  located in the Greenlee County Courthouse
  5th & Leonard St.
  Clifton, AZ 

La Paz County

• Recorder's Office
  1112 Joshua Ave. Suite 201
  Parker, AZ 85344

Maricopa County

• View the Maricopa County Early Voting Locations website, click here

Mohave County

• Mohave County Offices
  1130 Hancock Rd.
  Bullhead City, AZ 86442
• Aquatic Community Center
  100 Park Ave. 
  Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403
• Mohave County Elections Department
  700 W. Beale St. 
  Kingman, AZ 86401

Navajo County

• Navajo County Recorder's Office
  100 E. Code Talkers Dr. 
  South Highway 77
  Holbrook, AZ 86025
• Navajo County Early Voting Drop Boxes: 
    Holbrook Justice Court
    121 W. Buffalo St. 
    Holbrook, AZ 86025
  
    Heber Mogollon County Complex
    2188 W. Buffalo St.
    Holbrook, AZ 86025
  
    South County Complex
    550 N. 9th Pl.
    Show Low, AZ 85901
  
    Snowflake Justice Court
    145 S. Main
    Snowflake, AZ 85937
    
    Winslow County Complex
    619 E. 3rd St. 
    Winslow, AZ 86047

Pima County

• View the Pima County Early Voting Locations website, click here

Pinal County

• Florence Recorder's Office
  31 N. Pinal St. Building E
  Florence, AZ 85132
• Casa Grande Recorder's Office
  820 E. Cottonwood Lane, Suite A-2 
  Casa Grande, AZ 85122
• Apache Junction Recorder's Office
  575 N. Idaho Rd. Suite #800
  Apache Junction, AZ 85119

Santa Cruz County

• Recorder's Office
  2150 N. Congress Dr. Suite 101
  Nogales, AZ 85621

Yavapai County

• County Administration Building
  1015 Fair St. 
  Prescott, AZ 86305 
• County Building
  10 S. 6th St. 
  Cottonwood, AZ 86326

TODAY: Last Day To Register To Vote In Arizona

Posted on 10/09/2012 @ 02:30 PM

Today is the last day to register to vote in Arizona in order to cast a ballot on Election Day, November 6, 2012. In support of voter registration efforts, ADP HQ and some of our Field Offices will remain open until 12:00 midnight tonight. Click here for a listing that includes address and phone numbers for ADP HQ and Field Office locations that will be open until midnight tonight. It's not too late to register on-line via Service Arizona - click here to register on-line.

For additional election information, see the list below:

-Early ballots will be mailed on Thursday, October 11, 2012

-Early voting dates are Thursday, October 11, 2012 through Friday, November 2, 2012

-Emergency voting is Monday, November 5, 2012

-Last day to request an early ballot by mail is Friday, October 26, 2012

-Election Day is Tuesday, November 6, 2012

-To review the Election Calendar, click here.


Ready to WIN in 2012!