District 30, Sheriff candidates offer varied approaches

State legislative candidates Frank Antenori and Andrea Dalessandro disagree on whether Arizona should remain in the federal No Child Left Behind education program. Pima County Sheriff’s candidates Clarence Dupnik and Harry Shaw differ sharply on how closely the Sheriff’s department has cooperated with the U.S. Border Patrol.

These are some of the viewpoints that have emerged from surveys the Green Valley News has sent to state, county and congressional candidates. Following are summaries of the responses from those candidates. Additional responses from other candidates will follow.

Frank Antenori — Republican — State Representative for Legislative District 30

ON THE STATE BUDGET: Except for education, which would be funded at current levels adjusted for inflation, Antenori would freeze all spending and suspend any new hiring, capital outlays and acquisitions and then cut spending to 2006 levels.

“The No. 1 rule when you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging,” he said. The state should limit spending to the levels in the budget of 2006, the last year he says the state budget was truly balanced.

Antenori would exempt education from any reduction and keep it funded at current levels adjusted for inflation and calls for building more vocational educational facilities.

ON SCHOOLS: Antenori favors opting out of the No Child Left Behind program, saying the cost of compliance to NCLB is far more than Arizona receives in federal funding, and local control of education policy would be better for schoolchildren.

He favors expanding the Joint Technological Education District by building additional facilities that offer vocational specialties that would enable more high school students to learn a skilled trade. He did not respond to a question on whether the state should use bonds or general revenues to pay for new schools.

ON ENERGY: Antenori said Arizona should stop adding regulatory mandates for utility companies. He advocates offering a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for research and development in new solar technologies and energy storage capabilities.

“We can’t be promoting solar and other alternatives when our economic policies and tax structure are chasing solar companies to other states,” he said.

ON MEDICAL COVERAGE: To help solve the problem for uninsured employees, Antenori said Arizona needs to start looking at health care associations that will allow individuals and small businesses to pool buying power to enable the ability to negotiate for lower rates like larger companies do. He said the state needs to look at tort reform, which would reduce the costs of physicians and medical facilities.

ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: In addition to enforcing existing laws, Antenori said the state should reduce state funds to cities that practice what he calls “sanctuary city” policies. He did not name the cities or offer details.

Antenori says the state “can provide local law enforcement with the ability to coordinate with Border Patrol and other federal agencies through expanding Inter Governmental Agreements, which will allow police and sheriff’s deputies to detain people thought to be in the country illegally until they can be turned over to the Border Patrol.”

Andrea Dalessandro — Democrat — State Representative for Legislative District 30

ON THE STATE BUDGET: “Because of the current shortfall in revenue, there will have to be cuts. Much of the current funding is voter mandated.” It is virtually impossible to increase taxes because of a super-majority requirement, Dalessandro said. “When making budget cuts we must protect public education, CPS and our security.”

ON SCHOOLS: Congress must reform No Child Left Behind. “It is child abuse to force teachers to administer the AIMS test to special groups of students who will never be able to pass it. It is teacher abuse for our federal government to require it. However, as much as I dislike NCLB, it would be fiscally irresponsible to opt out at this time.”

Schools scheduled for construction in both Vail and Sahuarita have been postponed. “Because of the (potential) infusion of jobs and cash into the Pima County economy, I would have recommended borrowing to fund these schools. These projects would have generated not only jobs but also income tax and sales tax. The postponed projects instead result in overcrowding which negatively impacts our students and teachers.

“During focus groups I held last fall, attendees of every party supported borrowing for school construction. Long-term funding for long-term assets made sense to them, especially at a time when interest rates were low.”

The first bill she would sponsor would install “the latest solar technology in public schools with net metering. It would reduce school and energy costs and provide power on the grid during the time the schools are closed and the energy needs are most high in June, July and August.”

ON ENERGY: Keeping utility bills in check is a function of the Arizona Corporation Commission and she supports its increased renewable energy mandate. She favors targeted tax credits for solar energy Research and Development and support for the emerging Energy Technology in both research and the installation/maintenance in educational settings.

ON MEDICAL CARE: In Arizona, one in five residents are without health insurance and the number is growing. “I would fight to make sure that every child has health care. Beyond that I would work to reform the small business health care system so that employers can buy into a stable pool and share the costs of covering their workers. I support targeted tort reform.”

ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: “I would throw the book at drug smugglers and human traffickers, work to prevent wire transfers to coyotes, criminals and drug smugglers and try to stop the increasing flow of illegal weapons to Mexico, which can be used against our law enforcement personnel.”

Focus groups with voters of every party, including some all-Republican groups, favored a guest worker program for agriculture. “We should keep pressure on the federal government to implement implement Comprehensive Immigration Reform,” she said.

Clarence Dupnik — Democrat — Pima County Sheriff (incumbent)

On the proposed Border Patrol checkpoint north of Tubac or securing the border ‘at the border,’ Dupnik said, “I agree with my federal partners from both the U.S. Border Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Agency that a combination both checkpoints and securing the border at the border is not only necessary but is a matter of national security.”

Dupnik said until the federal government’s study on checkpoints is complete, it would be premature to determine a checkpoint location.

“As your Sheriff,I will continue to be actively involved with the Green Valley and Sahuarita community and neighborhood organizations as well as keeping a close liaison with our federal law enforcement partners to immediately address any potential issues if and when they may arise,” Dupnik said.

On working with the Border Patrol to reduce illegal immigration, he said, “I will continue to utilize both federal and state grants to build upon our very successful and nationally recognized Border Crimes Unit,” Dupnik said.

The new unit includes one lieutenant, two sergeants, 14 deputies and two Border Patrol agents assigned to the border area.

“When members of this unit come across undocumented aliens, they are immediately turned over to the custody and control of the U.S. Border Patrol. This partnership with the Border Patrol has been overwhelmingly successful. Deputies now have immediate access to federal intelligence and unlimited federal resources as well as direct communications with our border patrol partners. This unprecedented sense of cooperation has fostered a safer operational environment for our deputies and is producing amazing results on a daily basis in one of the most dangerous and remote areas of our nation,” the Sheriff said.

Harry Shaw — Republican — candidate for Pima County Sheriff

On the checkpoint, Shaw said, “History teaches us that a checkpoint in a permanent place does not work — example, Checkpoint Charlie located on the Berlin Wall. Those wanting out of the communist side went around the checkpoint to avoid detection.

“The closer to Green Valley a checkpoint is means they (illegals) will go a little wider around the checkpoint and into the neighborhoods. Experience tells us that when you keep changing the location of the checkpoint it keeps the enemy guessing where you’re at and they will eventually get caught… after getting around the checkpoint, our streets become unsafe and crime gets out of hand.”

Regarding cooperation with the Border Patrol to help stop illegal immigrants, Shaw said law enforcement agencies must respond to calls from the Border Patrol and vice versa. He says the Sheriff’s office can no longer deny that crime has risen and claims the department under Dupnik on at least one occasion failed to respond to a Border Patrol call about migrants being detained, beaten and robbed by armed U.S. citizens.

“The Sheriff’s office a year ago received a call from Border Patrol. They had stopped a number of border violators being herded by U.S. citizens at gun point. Agents were told of beatings and robbery by the two gunmen. The Border Patrol called the Sheriff’s office and advised them of the violation and Sheriff’s office said, ‘We’re not interested. Let them go.’”

Shaw said he heard this story from a Border Patrol agent. “We need to enforce all laws no matter who the victim is.”

Ellen Sussman is a freelance writer in Green Valley. Contact her at ellen2414@cox.net.

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