inMaricopa: Pinal County "Economic Hub of Arizona'

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By Ryan Bawek

The gym floor turned into a dining hall at Copper Sky Multigenerational Complex Friday as the city hosted Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick, AZ District 1, and Congressman Paul Gosar, AZ District 4, for Pinal Partnership's monthly breakfast.

Pinal Partnership is a coalition of community, business and educational and governmental leaders.

Kirkpatrick and Gosar addressed a number of topics currently affecting Pinal County, the state and nation. The issues discussed included the Lower Santa Cruz Watershed Flood Control Project, State Route 347 grade separation project, Resolution Copper Mine, Clean Water Act, Veterans Affairs Hospital investigation and the bureaucracy that exists in Washington.

"Legislation is like pulling teeth; I am really good at it," Gosar, a dentist, said. "Bureaucrats fear me because they don't get anesthetic when I pull teeth on them."

Gosar called for a rebalancing of power in the judiciary, legislative and executive branches of the federal government.

Kirkpatrick said, "Getting the funding for the reconnaissance study for the Lower Santa Cruz Project was just about persistence. Paul and I made a decision that we were going to fight for that."

This is a project in which the federal government is providing $300,000 to protect Pinal County and Indian tribal lands from severe flooding along the Lower Santa Cruz River.

"This is an opportunity to reset the bar, which is what I thought Arizona is all about. We are not happy with the status quo," Gosar said.

He is in favor of the Resolution Copper Mining Project and the revenue it will generate.

"The house leadership knows from both sides that this one of the top priorities in the country. When you are talking about bringing in a billion dollars a year every year for at least the next 50 years to our economy and almost 4,000 jobs, that's how you start spreading economic stability and diversification," Gosar said.

Kirkpatrick said, "My work is really centered around creating a diversified and stable economy in Arizona. We have been through too many boom and bust cycles in my lifetime and we really need to diversify."

Maricopa City Council member Marvin Brown is impressed by Kirkpatrick's efforts to get the grade separation and Lower Santa Cruz projects passed and funded: "She hasn't had a continual streak of terms of 15 to 20 years to see an issue through like many others, but she has done well in her time in Congress. She and Gosar have worked together quite nicely; I would like to see more of that in Congress."

Gosar was passionate in his opposition to the Clean Water Act.

"This is a power grab from the federal government and jurisdiction, and if you think it doesn't affect you, it does. This is a power grab to the umpteenth proportion that really has no validation by the federal government," said Gosar.

He said these issues are part of states' rights and up to local communities, and, as such, shouldn't be regulated by the federal government.

Gosar was asked by an audience member about the ongoing VA Hospital controversy.

"I have a hard time believing that what we're forcing veterans to do is come to Phoenix or Prescott or Tucson, instead of letting them stay in the communities in which they grew up or are a part of. Part of healthy communities is allowing people to stay home and pick the healthcare availabilities and options of their choice," Gosar said.

Gosar believes scheduling is a central part of the issue and advocates for a move to cloud scheduling to streamline the process.

Paul Jepson, Maricopa's intergovernmental affairs director, said the city is always excited to have our representatives come to discuss the issues affecting the county.

"Kirkpatrick and Gosar have been very attentive to issues going on in Pinal County, including the grade separation and Lower Santa Cruz flooding project," Jepson said. "They keep projects on their radar when they head back to Washington."

He said Gosar is supportive of the local community even though he doesn't represent the district.

"He is very interested in statewide issues and supportive of our causes," Jepson said. "He is very quiet but very tenacious, and we benefit from his efforts."

The feeling appears to be mutual.

"I like Pinal County," Gosar told the group. "You have always been a part of the process of solutions, a part of the process of ideas. You are the economic hub of Arizona."

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