The Star endorses Randall Friese and Ethan Orr for state representative in District 9.
We also endorse incumbent state Sen. Steve Farley, an artist and longtime transportation advocate who has served three terms as a representative and is seeking is second term in the Senate. He is running unopposed.
Friese, a trauma surgeon at University of Arizona Medical Center, was inspired to run after the Jan. 8, 2011, shootings that killed six and injured 13 others. He was part of the team that treated victims.
Since then, Democrat Friese has immersed himself in the political process, becoming knowledgeable on issues affecting the state and his district and participating in Leading for Change, a nonprofit civic training group. We’ve rarely seen his level of preparedness in a newcomer to politics.
His skills in negotiation, team and coalition building and decision-making will serve him well.
We support his positions that adults should be held responsible for the safety of their weapons, schools should provide comprehensive sex education and that the state’s rainy-day fund should be used to pay the $317 million a judge has ruled is owed public schools.
Republican Orr has started two small businesses and is an adjunct instructor at the UA School of Government and Public Policy. He is former executive director of Linkages of Arizona, which helps people with disabilities train and find jobs. Orr also worked in Tucson and South Tucson government.
Orr, who is seeking a second term, has been a champion of public schools and higher education in the Legislature. He has been a strong advocate for JTED (Joint Technical Education District) funding, a successful vocational education program that trains high school students. He shepherded a funding formula change for JTED — raising it from 91 percent to 96 percent of the amount given for traditional instruction.
He also worked to gain millions of dollars more for the UA campus, including $3.5 million for Cooperative Extension.
Additionally, he says the state should move ahead with the settlement offer on funding for unpaid inflation adjustments for public education. One way to pay the $317 million tab is by enacting a tax on e-cigarettes, he suggests.
We disagree with Orr’s stands on issues such as reproductive rights and gun legislation. However, he stood up to Republican leaders in the House by supporting the expansion of Medicaid and opposing SB 1062, which allowed businesses to discriminate based on their religious views.
Those stances, his quick learning of the legislative process and his knowledge of the issues clearly show he is an independent thinker who does his homework.
Victoria Steele, the Democratic House incumbent, and Friese share many of the same viewpoints. We believe Friese will be more dynamic and effective in advancing his positions and advocating for District 9.
The district is fortunate to have three good candidates for the House to choose from, but we believe Friese and Orr are the better choices.
