Legislative District 27 - Senate

Education, budget top issues for D27 Senate candidates

Covers much of Tucson's West, Southwest sides

B. POOLE  |  Published: 09.24.2008  |  Tucson Citizen

Education and trying to make government ends meet are high priorities for both candidates in the District 27 state Senate race, but the two candidates differ on what to do.

The district takes in much of Tucson's West and Southwest sides, including the Tucson Mountains and part of Avra Valley.

Incumbent Jorge Luis Garcia, a Democrat, to make up for income shortfalls that continue to plague the state budget, would like to see a halt to new construction and capital projects. He said he is willing to mull sales or income tax increases. Even selling off state university properties is an option, he said.

"Not that it's going to happen, but it has to remain an option," he said.

Republican challenger Bob Westerman said he favors trimming budgets for existing operations and consolidating functions to keep costs down.

He cites the Department of Administration, which provides support services for other state departments. It will get 26 percent more money this fiscal year than it did two years ago. Maybe the Legislature should give the department just 18 percent more, Westerman suggested.

"It might be less than what they wanted, but it's still more than they had," he said.

The Department of Commerce, which some legislators have said could be eliminated, is one difference between the candidates. The department is responsible for luring new businesses to Arizona, so cutting it would be a mistake, Garcia said.

"That's the worst thing you can do," he said.

Westerman would support eliminating the department if its functions remain intact.

"You could argue that it needs more money, but you might not want to keep it its own department. Maybe it becomes part of the Department of Administration," he said.

There are two basic taxes that fund state government - income taxes and sales taxes. Garcia doubts the Legislature will increase either soon, and he doubts the body could muster the necessary two-thirds majority needed for an income tax hike.

It could be done by statewide referendum - something he doesn't support or reject. Everything is on the table to be sorted out in April and May, when legislators negotiate the next budget, he said.

While both candidates mentioned education as high priorities, Garcia talked mostly about higher education and Westerman focused on K-12.

Garcia would strive to shelter universities from budget cuts.

"We cannot forget about the universities and community colleges. We need to be cognizant that not investing in them would hurt us in the long run," Garcia said.

He would also like to see more money spent to ensure that students can read by second grade, something he supported earlier this year but which never passed, he said.

Westerman entered the race specifically because of education. He is tired of seeing Arizona ranked low in K-12 achievement year after year, he said.

The state funding formula needs to be revamped to put more control in local hands and ensure districts that need money get it, he said.

"The first thing I will do when I get to Phoenix is put together a bill to reform that formula," he said.

Garcia realizes that compromise is the key to securing state funding for southern Arizona, so he is willing to negotiate across party lines, and with legislators representing Maricopa County, who outnumber southern Arizona representatives more than 3 to 1, he said.

"Those are the realities we face," he said.

Westerman, a project manager for Raytheon Missile Systems, has experience in negotiation contracts with domestic and foreign governments and small and large businesses. That experience would serve him well in Phoenix, he said.

The Republican faces an uphill battle in the heavily Democratic district. There are 41,000 registered Democrats and 17,000 Republicans in the district, according to a state elections report. There are 23,000 independents, the report shows.