Printable VersionGov. Jan Brewer campaigned for voters to pass a temporary sales tax increase in an upcoming May election during a luncheon visit Thursday in Lake Havasu City.
 Gov. Jan Brewer spoke during a luncheon in Lake Havasu City Thursday. Jackie Leatherman/News-Herald Photo. |
Brewer’s address was the first in a new public official speaker series hosted by the Lake Havasu Area Chamber of Commerce. General admission luncheon tickets were $50. Roughly 80 people attended.
“I thought her remarks were very interesting,” said Lisa Krueger, Chamber president and CEO. “I appreciate the fact that she is very honest when she speaks. There is no sugar coating with what she says. I appreciate the fact that she is very up front with her constituents.”
During a special May 18 election, voters will face the Proposition 100 ballot question, which will ask for a temporary 1-cent-per-dollar sales tax increase to last until May 2013 to help bail the state out of financial ruins.
Brewer said if the tax doesn’t pass, education and public safety would be the biggest funding pockets hit when the Legislature tries to cut $1 billion from the bottom line.
She said passing the measure would keep funding for K-12 public schools “reasonable.” Her budget proposal funds the state’s education department at 2006 levels.
“It’s really important that we all understand the situation that Arizona is in,” she said.
By law, Brewer assumed the governor’s seat in 2009 when former governor Janet Napolitano was appointed to head the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Brewer is seeking to maintain her seat in the November election.
Only three attendees asked questions after Brewer’s 15-minute speech. One citizen asked about her efforts to attract solar industries to Arizona, in which she responded that she wants to make Arizona the “solar capital of the world.”
“I think we can do that,” Brewer said. “We’ve been very, very successful.”
Jim Salscheider, executive director of the Lake Havasu City Marine Association, asked about the status of the Windsor state park in the wake of cuts to that state department.
Brewer touched upon the state legislation that was recently passed to allow public/private partnerships to keep state parks open.
Another citizen asked how she was going to keep education on the forefront with the dire budget situation.
“If we are going to turn our economy around, we have got to have a skilled workforce,” Brewer said. However, her latest budget proposal rips millions of funding for high school programs that are geared toward workforce skills.
Lake Havasu City Mayor Mark Nexsen said after her speech that the “governor is obviously very concerned about Arizona or she wouldn’t be doing what she is doing.”
“I know a sales tax increase is going to be very, very difficult,” he said. “I think it is appropriate that the voters decide.”
You may contact the reporter at jleatherman@havasunews.com
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