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SIERRA VISTA — Five candidates seeking office in state legislative District 30 have been on the campaign trail and learning what the voters are thinking.
The $9.9 billion state budget, facing a second year of red ink approaching $1 billion, seems to be on most people’s minds.
“They don’t want us spending more than we’re taking in,” said Frank Antenori, a Tucson Republican running for representative. “A lot of these people are worried about taxes going up.”
The retired Army Special Forces soldier said he was in Green Valley on Thursday and expected to hear the usual feedback from voters about illegal immigration and property taxes.
  
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“Everybody came up to me and wants to know what the heck is going on with the budget,” he said. “I have heard that all day today. The budget, the budget, the budget.”
There are two representative seats. Antenori is one of three candidates seeking the office in a district that covers the city limits of Sierra Vista, including Fort Huachuca, northern Santa Cruz County and a chunk of southeastern Pima County surrounding Tucson. State Senate President Tim Bee, a Republican running for Congress, is from District 30.
Antenori’s priorities are budget, education and immigration.
“I will not allow any cuts in education,” he said.
Antenori, who is in charge of a $15 million budget with a program at Raytheon Missile Systems Co. in Tucson, said Arizona has “a bunch of knuckle heads” running the state’s budget. One fatal error he sees is over-regulation and taxation of businesses, which he says will drive those companies out of the state.
“People wonder why our revenue is down,” he said. “It’s because we’re crapping on our hardest working sector of our economy — the business folks.”
One of Antenori’s opponents is Andrea Dalessandro, a Democrat from Green Valley.
Dalessandro also is aware of the state’s budget problem.
“It’s a very serious situation,” she said.
To her, the essential state services are education, prisons and law enforcement, and Child Protective Services. “All other agencies will have to have some cuts.”
Dalessandro said many people have told her they feel her opponents are “extreme,” and they feel she is better prepared, works to understand the issues and has more sensible solutions.
“My rationale for any cuts will look at the effect that the cut will have on the locality or region,” Dalessandro said.
She noted that every agency has curtailed transportation.
“We’ve had a budget crisis before, and we will get through this one,” Dalessandro said, adding once she gets elected she will be privy to more information.
The third candidate for representative is Republican David Gowan of Sierra Vista.
“Everybody wants this budget fixed, and everybody wants that border fixed,” Gowan said, reflecting on the mood of the voters he has contacted. “We need to quit spending so much, just like I said in the primary.”
Gowan said he hopes to convince independent voters and conservative Democrats to elect Antenori and himself.
“We’ve got to keep the Republicans strong up there (in the Capitol in Phoenix) so we can fix this budget,” Gowan said. “We don’t want to have the same look as in (Washington) D.C., where we know what’s going on.”
In the state Senate race, Jonathan Paton is running against Georgette Valle.
Lifelong Arizonan Paton, 37, has held a District 30 state representative seat since 2004. He is an Army veteran of the Iraq war as an intelligence officer. Valle, 83, is from Washington state, where as a state representative she fought big tobacco in a 13-year fight that resulted in the passage of anti-smoking legislation in 1985.
Paton said he has been hearing concerns about the budget and the economy.
“I get a lot of that,” he said.
The federal government bailout of the American financial credit industry is on the top of a lot of people’s minds right now, Paton said, even though state politicians have little power over that situation.
In the state budget, Paton feels the smartest thing is to make small cuts across the board so that it does not completely affect any single agency. There must be a priority placed on essential services.
State legislators will have to look at each part of the budget, and with so little revenue the government will have to make “a lot of tough choices,” Paton said, again noting there will have to be belt-tightening all the way around.
Valle is focused on education and is determined to move Arizona from its trailing position in the United States. The high school dropout rate especially concerns her.
Regarding the state budget, “The federal situation certainly affects us,” she said.
“First of all, we should look at what the last budget was,” she said. If it is possible to sustain current budget levels, then that should be done, she said.
Valle suggested the state could borrow money to “release revenues for the general budget.”
“There are many states that use capital monies, bonding, in their capital expenditures,” she said.
In dealing with issues such as infrastructure, school property and other capital expenditures, “I am used to bonding for this purpose,” she said.
But the budget must be studied carefully, she added.
“Sometimes you can put off what an agency is doing until the next year,” Valle said.
Herald/Review City Editor Ted Morris can be reached at 515-4614 or by e-mail at cityeditor@svherald.com.
District 30 Senate candidate profiles
Jonathon Paton, Republican
• age: 37
• How long have you lived in the area: Since birth
• Education/military: Bachelor of arts, German, University of Arizona; active reservist with U.S. Army; serves as a 1st lieutenant with the 301st Military Intelligence Battalion in Phoenix; deployed overseas with Operation Iraqi Freedom from September 2006 to February 2007.
• Employment history: Licensed real estate agent; political consultant, Paton & Associates.
• Previous offices held: State representative for District 30 since 2004; precinct committeeman.
• how to contact: (520) 885-9889; e-mail jpaton@azleg.gov; Web (pending) patonforsenate.com.
Georgette Valle, Democrat
• age: 83
• How long have you lived in the area: Resident of Green Valley since October 2005.
• Education/military: Associate of arts from Waldorf Lutheran College in Forest City, Iowa, and bachelor of science in occupational therapy from the University of Minnesota.
• Employment history: Employed as an occupational therapist at the Minneapolis Rehabilitation Center for one year; director of occupational therapy of the Swedish Polio Rehabilitation Center. One year later set sail for Norway and married Odd Valle, D.D.S. One and half years at Renton Hospital in Renton, Wash., as director of occupational therapy.
• Previous offices held: State representative for 24 years in 31st and 34th legislative districts in Washington.
• How to contact: (520) 625-9365; or call campaign chairman John McNeice, (520) 625-0543.
District 30 House candidate profiles
Frank Antenori, Republican
• age: 42
• Residence: Tucson
• How long have you lived in the area: May 2004.
• Education/military: Bachelor’s degree, health science (pre-medicine), Campbell University, Buies Creek, N.C. Earned degree in between deployments while serving with the U.S. Army at Fort Bragg, N.C. Became a decorated Green Beret with overseas operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places. Earned certificate of medical technology from the University of Texas, San Antonio, to become an emergency medical technician and paramedic. Trained U.S. Special Forces in paramedical skills in cooperation with New York City Fire Department units and NYC hospitals, 1997-99. Retired from Army after 20 years in 2004.
• Employment history: Since May 2004, program manager at Raytheon, overseeing the development of hybrid vehicles for the military.
• Previous offices held: Currently serves as president of the Pima County Library Board, appointed by Pima County Board of Supervisors. Ran for Congress, District 8, in 2006.
• How to contact: Send e-mail to vote4frank@cox.net. Call (520) 465-8850. Visit vote4frank.com.
Andrea Dalessandro, Democrat
• age: 61
• Residence: Sahuarita
• How long have you lived in the area: 2004.
• Education/military: Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics education. Master of business administration in professional accounting from Rutgers University.
• Employment history: Taught mathematics in public schools grades 7-12 and accounting at Rutgers University. Was a senior tax accountant at Price Waterhouse and has other corporate tax experience. Operated a tax practice for 20 years focusing on individuals and small businesses.
• Previous offices held: Precinct committeewoman and state committeewoman.
• How to contact: Visit andrea4ld30.com. Send e-mail to adalesscpa@aol.com or andrea4ld30@gmail.com. Call (520) 648-2092.
David Gowan, Republican
• age: 39
• Residence: Sierra Vista
• How long have you lived in the area: Since 1993.
• Education/military: Cochise College, general education, 2003. University of Arizona South, bachelor’s degree, education/social studies, 2003.
• Employment history: Sales representative for 11 years for ProLogix, magazine distributor in Tucson. Martial-arts instructor, Tai Shin Ki Do (Way of Body, Mind, Spirit).
• Previous offices held: Precinct committeeman.
• How to contact: Visit gowan1.com. Call 559-0878. Send e-mail to davidgowan1@cox.net.
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