Dist. 7 candidates disagree on incumbent's accomplishments in office
by Barry Cohen

Lisa Black, Democrat challenger for a District 7 state Senate seat, says her can‑do attitude has earned her the nickname “Git‑er done.”

By the day after next month’s election, we’ll know if her campaigning was enough to unseat incumbent James Waring, a Republican.

Black, 42, of Phoenix, contends Waring has not followed through on his prior campaign promises.

“Besides a small bill that he moved during the last legislative session, I’ve yet to see him do anything significant,” said Black, a financial services representative for New York Life. “What’s surprising is that he’s done nothing in education, a field in which he has a Ph.D.,” she added.

Waring, 39, who holds a doctorate degree in public administration from ASU, says he has fought–successfully–in the legislature to get more  money allocated to Arizona’s universities–funds that have been used to build branch campuses for ASU and for better facilities and academic programs throughout the state.

“I’m trying to help ASU  prepare for the onslaught that will result from the doubling of the student population in the next 20 years,” said Waring, of Phoenix.

This past session, Waring  related, a publication that covers the legislature wrote that he had the best record of all state senators in getting bills signed into law. “And none of the bills were fluff,” he added.

If elected, Black says she wants to help make Arizona a leader in education during the next decade. She believes that lawmakers need to allocate more money to schools in order to reduce the number of students per classroom.

“We need more teachers; we need to pay them better, and we need more schools,” she declared. “We also need to give teachers the tools they need to keep students stimulated. That’s the best way to keep them in school.”

Waring is passionate about veterans’ issues. “We give short shrift to our veterans, and it angers and frustrates me,” he said.

Waring, who was been in office since 2003, points out he was instrumental in getting a bill passed in 2006 that provides funding for a 200‑bed veterans home. Construction of that home in Tucson is slated to start next year.

In addition, he plans to work on a bill to provide free tuition at state universities to children of military personnel who have been killed in action or earned a Purple Heart. As a result of his efforts on behalf of veterans, Waring said he was selected as the state’s  Legislator of the Year once by the American Legion and twice by the Arizona National Guard.

Waring also wants to continue his work in the legislature by addressing domestic violence through increased funding so more beds can be added to shelters. And he is a strong proponent of cracking down even harder on drunk drivers.

The rise in the number of inebriated drivers on Arizona’s roads is a source of frustration, he said. In 2005, Waring was responsible for passage of a law that raised the fines for drunk driving, with the increase going  to buy bulletproof vests for state troopers. If re‑elected, Waring says he’ll consider proposing legislation that would require blood tests for drivers involved in fatal accidents.

Black thinks the environment needs greater attention and that every state government building ought to have a recycling program.

With regard to transportation problems, she would propose tax incentives for developers who build vertically. “This way we can stack the population instead of spreading it out. That will enable people to work where they live,” she said.

Concerning health care, Black wants to put a ceiling on the amount of malpractice insurance paid out. She also favors a state healthcare self‑insurance program for residents, to eliminate the frustration of doctors and patients who are at the mercy of insurance companies that arbitrarily reject claims.

Reach the reporter at barry@thedesertadvocate.com.