Hi everyone! I can't believe that this is my last week, it seems like senior projects have gone by really fast. Today I started on the House floor, where they didn't do much, and then I spent the rest of my day interviewing representatives! It was a really great experience and I am so thankful that Rep. Ugenit-Rita and Mr. Klugman helped set that up, and of course that these people were willing to speak with me at all. I ended up interviewing Rep. Rios, the minority leader, Rep. Weninger, a Republican who represents Chandler, and Rep. Clark, a Democrat who represents parts of Pheonix and Scottsdale. I won't quote any of them because I didn't record the interviews so I have zero guarantees that I will use their exact wording but I will do my best? Everyone gave really insightful and thoughtful responses to my questions, I'll write about each question I wrote and their answers. Also, if you choose to skim through, or if you are going to read any of this, please read question #6!!! I asked for it specifically for you guys so be grateful.
1) What drove you to become a representative?
Representative Rios said that she was originally a social worker, and for her when a seat opened up in her district it was an opportunity for her to do that work at a macro level. She mentioned that she was frustrated with some of the ways that things were run and thought it was a great opportunity for her to affect greater change.
Representative Weninger told me that for him it seemed like the next step after having served on city council for a few years, and as a way to move onto bigger problems in the state. He did, however, also talk to some of the things he misses about working on the city council, like the instant satisfaction. In other words, as a city councilman, when someone approached him with a particular issue, he could get it solved quickly, whereas as a representative it is a longer and more laborious process to help someone with a particular issue.
Representative Clark said he does it for the money (which is a joke- state legislators only get paid $24,000 a year and have not had a raise in years, and is also why many hold second jobs to supplement that income). His story was actually a bit longer (but I'll tell you a shorter version). He studied in Holland for a while in a military school during the Cold War, where he fell in love with politics. Along with that, he missed Arizona, and so he chose to run here for state representative.
2) How do you as a representative keep in contact with your constituents and stay aware of the needs in your district?
Rep. Rios keeps in touch with her district by newsletters that she publishes on what she has been doing at the Capitol, as well as attending as many events in her district as possible. She also mentioned that reading her local papers and reaching out to other elected officials at the local level were other ways that she learns about what is going on in her district.
Rep. Weninger told me the state legislature was referred to as "the bubble" by legislators because it sometimes becomes difficult to stay aware of what is going on outside the Capitol. But he also said that one of the ways that he keeps in touch with constituents is through social media and facebook community pages. Every now and then he would make videos explaining why he voted a certain way for his constituents, and he reads all his emails, to which he adds to a database of email addresses to ask his constituents about what they think of certain issues. Beyond that, he talks a lot with the people in his restaurants (he owns a few) who like to discuss the legislature with him and their issues in the district.
Rep. Clark is also a big fan of social media, which he uses to keep in touch with constituents; however, he did mention some difficulties with internet trolling. He also tries to host as many events as possible, including attending neighbourhood association meetings, as well as reading emails.
3) Would you consider your consituents as actively engaged in the political process?
Rep. Rios made an interesting point that she felt like her constituents were more aware of her and the state legislature when she represented a more rural district, rather than now that she represents a larger city.
Rep. Weninger mentioned that though he likes to give updates, people who are far more extreme in their political beliefs tend to stay more up to date with the state legislature, whereas the average person not as much. On the flip side, this is why, he said, the communication with his constituents is important, especially since he distrusts the media to accurately portray him and wants to cut through the media to keep them updated. Rep. Weninger also mentioned that this is why he trusts community newspapers more.
Rep. Clark said that his consituents are more active than ever before, but still not enough. He points to recent protests and marches as signs of his consituency caring more and mroe about what is going on at the state level, but that more steps need to be taken for them to affect change.
4) If you had to identify one flaw in the legislative process, what would it be?
Rep. Rios told me that one of the more frustrating things was that the party that is in control has total control of the legislature. She conceded that if Democrats were in power, they would probably do the same thing as Republicans when choosing committees and their chairs; however, in her view, if things were fairly done it would be more on a proportional base. I.e., if Democrats had 40% of the House, they would have 40% on committees and 40% chairing, etc. She said that the partisanship does make it difficult for anyone in the minority to be heard.
Rep. Weninger pointed to the fact that one person out of the 90 legislators can kill a bill. He said that this wasn't so terrible so as that he would abolish it, but he did say it was frustrating when one person, be it a committee chair or the Speaker or the President, can simply choose not to hear the bill and it will die.
Rep. Clark said that bipartisanship was much better than it was in previous years, due to the change in Speaker to J.D. Mesnard. However, he did say that one thing that frustrates him were the stacked committees against Democrats, meaning that each committee will always have a majority that is Republican, making it difficult for the Democrats to stop a bill or push one forward.
5) Do you feel that the way the bills are covered accurately reflect their intent and the consequence they will have? If no, what can be done to fix these issues?
Rep. Rios said that people don't know the legislative process that led to a bill, or the pros/cons of an issue, only the end result. When articles talk about the legislature, they focus on outcomes rather than process. However, she also said that the media can only do so much, that they only really can cover the highlights. Furthermore, it is getting better now, especially with live streaming, and a lot of times, it becomes a matter of interest and whether the people take steps to find out what's going on.
Rep Weninger said that the media does a poor job of covering the state legislature, that their focus is overwhelmingly negative and that they seek out to report on the "bad" things that get passed, rather than the hundreds of bills that get passed every year that help other Arizonans. He pointed to "kids care" as an example, because when it passed out of the House with no fuss, but when it went over to the Senate reporters started writing articles shaming the legislature for what was going on.
Rep. Clark labelled the coverage of the state legislature as accurate, but lacking in details. His example was the voucher program, where it has been reported on at a surface level, but missing many of its nuances like the lack of accountability and so forth. He said that this is because it is difficult for reporters to do so and that the problem is that the media has shrunk, are there are not enough reporters to cover everything like there were before.
6) If you had one thing to tell all of the young Arizonans who are gaining their right to vote this year, what would you tell them about the legislative process?
Rep. Rios said to get involved! (wow quote of the day!) She told us to get involved, have a voice, register! She said not to dismiss the legislature, everything they do impacts us, and youth has the power to change things. She even told me/you to consider running, especially if you are a woman, because the legislature needs that kind of representation.
Rep. Weninger told me/you all to not take everything you believe for granted, and to objectively consider both parties' viewpoints. He said that he is surprised how often people just assume the values of their parents or friends, especially since it would go against the rebellious spirit of nonconformity. He also mentioned that we should be wary, and to look objectively at what the media and everyone is saying.
Rep. Clark said that politics is like television series and that when you're not watching, it can seem intimidating when you don't know the conflicts or the characters, but take the time to start. Because once you know it, it's addicting, And you'll want to watch the next episode.
(I can personally attest to that, I think he just kinda summed up my project in like three seconds)
Anyways! I hope you all enjoyed reading all of these words as I enjoyed listening to them from the legislators. It was a huge privaledge, and I am excited to incorporate it into my project. See you next time!
