Southwest Windpower

Democrats vie for CD1 support

Four Democratic candidates who hope to replace outgoing Congressman Rick Renzi took the stage Sunday to win votes from a crowd that packed a Cottonwood conference room.

Ann Kirkpatrick, Jeffrey Brown, Howard Shankar and Mary Kim Titla represent the field from the Democratic slate with a goal of winning back win away the district that is now Republican-held. Democrats have more registered voters than Republicans in the first congressional district, but have never held the seat. Even though this was a Democratic forum, five Republicans are also seeking the GOP nomination in September. They include Barry Hall of Sedona, Tom Hansen of St. Johns, Sydney Hay of Munds Park, Preston Korn of Flagstaff and Sandra Livingstone of Prescott.

The Quality Inn Conference room was packed with a crowd mainly from two democratic organizations, Democrats of the Red Rocks (DORR) and Democrats of the Verde Valley (DOVV). Among others, there were also state and county democratic officials.

Moderator Jim Ledbetter said the organization hopes to send a Democrat to Washington "who is not under indictment." He referred to Renzi's 35-count federal indictment for conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, extortion and insurance fraud.

The candidates were asked how they would approach health insurance needs

No one should have "less health care than Congress," said Shankar. Titla cited the bankruptcy that often results from a medical crisis and pointed to the case of Cottonwood's Juliana Rojas for whom a carwash was held over the weekend to help raise funds for her medical care from a rare blood disease. Jeffrey Brown, who had lived in Western Europe, says some countries consider "health care a right rather than a privilege for a few" as in the United States. Ann Kirkpatrick decried the Bush veto of the SCHIP insurance funding for families with children and called for universal healthcare.

Ledbetter recounted that during a forum as part the last election that Renzi could not recall his Flagstaff address where he lists his primary residence, saying that he personally had visited the Congressman's home in Virginia. He asked if the candidates intended to have their primary residence within the district.

Titla says her primary residence is in San Carlos where she has always lived, but she also has a home in Chandler.

Shanker says he does "almost 100 percent of his legal business in the First District" and that he has a home in the Awatukee Foothills.

Kirkpatrick is from Flagstaff and Brown from nearby Munds Park.

All the candidates agreed that energy policies are important. Brown says, "Arizona should be the solar capital of the United States." Kirkpatrick criticized the Bush Administration's moratorium on solar energy projects. She hailed the development of a stand-alone wind generator system developed by Flagstaff's Southwest Windpower.

Shankar says the United States needs to make "dramatic steps to get away from a carbon based economy."

Titla wants a national strategy for energy "similar to Germany and Japan" She hailed her San Carlos Apache Reservation for its incentive to grow sugarcane for ethanol.

All four Democratic candidates said they supported the Supreme Court's decision on to end the ban of handguns in the District of Columbia.

Closing statements showed the differences between the two attorneys. Kirkpatrick said people are "empowered by dispute resolution." She said she is not a prosecutor, and has closed her practice to work as a legislator. Shankar said the people need a "fighter". We "can't afford a politician to toe the party line." He said the district "needs to stand up for the issues."

The forum was shorter than planned because Mary Kim Titla had to leave for a party for her son who is returning from the service. Other candidates mutually agreed to shorten the program in respect for Titla's situation.