Friends o’ Farley

Next Stop: State Capitol!

November 14th, 2006

I am so grateful to the people of District 28 and you, my supporters, for giving us a great victory on November 7 as part of a tremendous day for Democrats all over this country. Thank you for all your hard work and support on behalf of Dave Bradley and me and so many other victorious candidates.

All your hard work produced the results we wanted. With 100% of the precincts reporting, the numbers are:

Steve Farley (D): 38.82%
David Bradley (D): 38.35%
Bill Phillips (R): 22.52%

Now it is my honor to serve you as your voice in that legislature. As I get my bearings up there, please let me know what issues you feel are most important to tackle, tell me how you think I am doing, and how I might do better. I know that we will work together to expand health insurance to all Arizonans, dramatically improve our public education system, and make Arizona the solar energy capital of the world. We will increase our seniors’ independence and security, conserve our precious environment, build real transportation alternatives, preserve the quality of life in our neighborhoods, and reduce poverty in this state. Yes, I have a long to-do list…

The session officially starts January 8. Come up and see me sometime!

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Gov. Napolitano Endorses Farley & Bradley

September 28th, 2006

Steve Farley and Gov. Napolitano Janet Napolitano, the best governor in the entire United States, has honored David Bradley and me with her endorsement for the two State House seats in District 28:

“As I continue to push for better health care and stronger education, I must have the leadership and expertise that David Bradley and Steve Farley bring to the legislative process. Please join me in supporting them this November.”

Posted in Events, Public Health, Respecting Citizens, Arizona's Future |
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On to November!

September 13th, 2006

Thanks to all your hard work and support, we won a resounding victory in the District 28 State House Democratic Primary yesterday. Voter turnout was 52.7%, a bigger turnout that we have seen in an LD28 primary for at least ten years–and you helped turn out that vote.

Our dedicated Farley volunteers managed to cover on foot more than two-thirds of the precincts in the district in the last three weeks alone, making that personal voter contact that makes the difference.

The final official results are:

Steve Farley: 8715 votes (33.14%)
David Bradley: 8675 votes (32.99%)
Matt Heinz: 6075 votes (23.10%)
Ted Prezelski: 2758 votes (10.49%)

Since the two top vote-getters win the party nomination, that means that David Bradley and I will have the honor to represent the Democratic Party on the November 7 general election ballot.

I do want to congratulate Matt and Ted for having run a couple of very strong campaigns, and I hope both of them stay involved in Tucson politics. It was a distinct pleasure to run with three other people who are so intelligent, articulate, and passionate, and it was too bad that all four of us couldn’t win.

So now, on to November, and then on to make a real difference in the Arizona State Legislature, with your help.

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Tucson Weekly endorses Farley

August 21st, 2006

The Tucson Weekly editorial board has officially endorsed in the LD28 State House race, and the news is good:

“We’re going with Steve Farley, for the same reasons we endorsed him in last year’s City Council race. Farley is a policy wonk who gives a lot of thought to the issues and comes up with imaginative solutions. And in his recent work with the Regional Transportation Authority, he showed he could work across the political aisle.”

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AZ League of Conservation Voters: Vote Farley!

July 31st, 2006

Back in June, I took my daughters to see the Al Gore film, An Inconvenient Truth, the day it opened in Tucson. The girls and I were riveted by the message that we need to act NOW to slow global warming. Even my 7-year-old understood that this was her future Gore was talking about, and they both spoke of a personal need to take action to create a sustainable Arizona and preserve our world.

I want to take action in the Arizona Legislature, and I will be working closely with our state’s environmental organizations to make sure that our state (and world) will remain livable for humans and nature alike throughout my daughters’ lifetimes and that of their descendants.

It is for this reason that I’m extremely happy to have received the endorsement of the Arizona League of Conservation Voters today. The League states in their letter:

“You have received this endorsement in recognition of the strong pro-conservation record you have built as an activist in your community, as well as your comprehensive understanding of those issues we consider to be most crucial to Arizona’s future.

“The Arizona League of Conservation Voters urges District 28’s conservation-minded citizens to vote for you in the September 12th primary.”

Posted in Events, Protecting the Environment, Arizona's Future |
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AZ Education Association Endorses Farley

June 28th, 2006

The endorsements are rolling in. Today I received the endorsement of the Arizona Education Association. John Wright, AEA president, says in his letter:

“Our recommendation is based on your support for the students in our public schools and the public school employees who serve them.”

I feel very humbled by this endorsement because teachers and support staff have always been so important in my life, from my public-school-teacher parents to the dedicated teachers and staff at my daughters’ public schools.

We need to honor our children and our schools with higher pay for teachers, smaller class sizes for individualized attention, increased access to technology in the classrooms, continuing teacher training, and equalized funding for all public schools in all neighborhoods.

We don’t need to legislate curriculum; we need to respect our teachers and then get out of their way. We need to treat our teachers as the professionals they are, and let them use their skills to do what they know best–help every child become the best student he or she can be. That’s how we will nurture the brightest kids in the country.

I’m honored to have the AEA as a partner as we look ahead to the 2007 legislature.

Posted in Events, Respecting Citizens, Arizona's Future |
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Arizona AFL-CIO Endorses Farley

June 24th, 2006

I’m honored to have received the endorsement of the Arizona AFL-CIO for the LD28 primary. To quote the official letter from Executive Director Michael McGrath,

“The Arizona AFL-CIO General Board voted unanimously to endorse your candidacy on June 20, 2006 based on your commitment to the issues most important to working families.

“The official endorsement represents more than 145,000 union members and families here in Arizona. We are committed in our support and look forward to a successful campaign.”

This means a lot to me personally, as a union member myself (Graphic Artists Guild), as the son of two union-member public-school teachers, and as the grandson of a steelworker who had his pension fund and healthcare taken from him after his retirement.

I strongly believe that the economic well-being of working families is the foundation of a strong and healthy economy here in our state and across the country. I look forward to working with Arizona’s union members as a state representative to improve the lives of all of us.

Posted in Events, Economic Development, Respecting Citizens |
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A victory for Tucson!!

May 18th, 2006

Steve Farley and daughter Genevieve celebrate victory of Regional Transportation Plan It’s time to celebrate! We’re living in a new era for Tucson.

After many years of hard work on the part of so many people on so many sides of the issue, our community came together on Tuesday and said YES to a balanced, regional transportation plan that will revolutionize our transit system with dramatic increases in bus service, fill the gaps in our bike network (550 more lane miles of bike paths!), build 250 more miles of sidewalks, fully fund the El Paso and Southwest Greenway, and, yes, create and operate our first phase of a light rail system in the form of a Modern Streetcar!

I’m particularly excited about what this victory will mean to those who cannot drive or cannot afford to drive—seniors, the disabled, and those living in poverty, many of whom I met during the RTA campaign. The public transit improvements in the works will offer them a new independence beyond what they once thought possible.

Thank you so much for the work you all have done to make our dreams a reality. But our work is not over. I encourage each one of you to get involved in making sure this plan is carried out to meet our expectations. Please consider serving on the RTA Citizens Accountability Committee to oversee implementation (apply by May 31; the application form is here), and if you live in a neighborhood or own a business adjacent to a road improvement, submit your name to the Department of Transportation for your jurisdiction to be a part of the citizen committee that will help to design that roadway and ensure that it will meet the needs of neighborhoods, businesses, and motorists.

The passage of the RTA plan is also important for reasons bigger than transportation. The process marks a new way of doing things in Tucson–people of all opinions and backgrounds solving our seemingly intransigent problems together. I look forward to being a part of similar efforts to deal with water, land use, education, health care, poverty, and immigration. I do believe that we in Tucson can be a model for how to make good decisions and thrive in an era of increasing challenges.

And, yes, I intend to bring this model to the State House of Representatives next year. While I disagree strongly with many of the current House members on many different issues, I look forward to finding ways to work together. We must fight for what is right, and build coalitions with people of differing views to move our state forward. The stakes are high.

Posted in Economic Development, Sensible Development, Transportation, Protecting the Environment |
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Immigration: Singing together

April 2nd, 2006

My wife Regina and I were two of more than ten thousand who took part in the annual Cesar Chavez March today from Pueblo High to Rudy Garcia Park in Tucson’s Southside. I hope you were able to be there as well.

There was so much peaceful power and energy emanating from the crowd. People of all kinds waved myriad American flags to celebrate our dedication to the idea that we each add immeasurably to the lives of one another, no matter where we came from.

Mutual honor and mutual respect were everywhere, in the hopes that our Congress and Arizona Legislature could drop hateful, divisive rhetoric and laws, in favor of comprehensive immigration reform based in mutual respect for all who live and work in our land.

The most transcendent experience of the day came on the #16 SunTran bus, headed north from Laos Transit Center after the march. The bus was packed with all ages and shapes and sizes. It was standing room only, but everyone was in a very good mood and chatting amiably in Spanish and English.

Just after we started our trip, an old man got out his guitar and began to sing Mexican folk songs with a strong and expressive voice. A young boy started shouting out requests, and soon every rider was singing and clapping along. Rarely have I felt such a vibe of spontaneous communion and effervescent hope for our future here on the border.

It seems to me that a lot of the anti-immigrant sentiment we hear is based on fear of change. Certainly there are costs to immigration, but there are clearly benefits as well–both financial and social.

If we could accept the positive change that comes with immigration, and embrace the benefits of living in a multicultural society–complete with impromptu community sing-alongs on the public bus–, we would have a much stronger and more loving community with a brighter future where we could solve our problems together.

If only a Minuteman or two were riding on the #16 today, we might be on our way to changing our world–one song at a time.

Posted in Respecting Citizens, 3rd Rail of the Week, Immigration |
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