Published: 07.13.2008

GOP hopefuls duke it out on border, tax, K-12 issues
By Lourdes Medrano
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

The two Republicans vying for a state Senate seat in suburban District 26 squared off Saturday over taxes, education and illegal immigration.
The debate between state Rep. Pete Hershberger and challenger Al Melvin, who are running in the Sept. 2 primary, attracted more than 60 people to the district's monthly GOP meeting in the Metro Water building near North La Cañada and West Orange Grove roads.
The candidates attacked each other's suitability for the post, with Hershberger portraying Melvin as having extreme political views and Melvin characterizing the incumbent as a liberal more aligned with Democrats than Republicans.
Each candidate said he represents the best chance for the party to regain control of the GOP-leaning district, which includes Oro Valley and parts of Marana and the Catalina Foothills.
In 2006, Democrats won a House seat and the Senate seat there.
"I voted for the largest tax cut in Arizona history," Hershberger told the crowd.
"I voted for the toughest employer-sanctions bill in the country. I support a positive, deliberative approach to addressing the problems facing Arizona."
Melvin, who ran and lost to Democratic state Sen. Charlene Pesquiera by fewer than 500 votes two years ago, said he feels confident of winning this time.
Pesquiera is not seeking re-election, so the winner of the Republican primary is expected to face Democrat Cheryl Cage in the November general election.
"I've got five points to make Arizona the premier state in the union," Melvin said, listing them as control of the border, K-12 education improvement, tax relief for individuals and businesses, water conservation and energy and the environment.
Melvin attacked Hershberger's track record during his eight years at the Arizona House of Representatives, accusing him of being fiscally irresponsible.
Unlike his stance, belief in less government and lower taxes, Melvin said Hershberger "has not come across a bloated budget or a higher tax that he hasn't signed on to."
Hershberger defended his vote for the most recent state budget as necessary to avoid a shutdown of state government.
"Across the board, Republicans would've been made responsible," Hershberger said.
In June, lawmakers passed a $9.9 billion budget plan that includes nearly $1 billion in borrowing.
On the role that Arizona should play in the changing of immigration policy and enforcement, Melvin said:
"We need a guest-worker program here, where people can come on air-conditioned buses with legal work papers to do work that Americans won't do.
"And we can get that set up as a state. We as a state are showing the rest of the country, as a border state, that we can get things done."
He called Proposition 200, which voters passed in 2004 to keep illegal immigrants from voting or receiving certain public benefits, "a stellar piece of legislation."
Melvin also touted the employer-sanctions law, to penalize companies that hire illegal immigrants, as "already having its intended effect."
Said Hershberger: "I voted for the toughest employer sanctions bill in the United States.
"This year, we went back to that bill and did some fine tuning to protect businesses that were not intentionally and knowingly hiring illegals. ...
"The cornerstones of immigration reform are an employers' sanctions bill, border security and verifiable identification, because half the IDs out there are fake ... and a guest-worker program."
In addition, Hershberger said there is a need to move forward with comprehensive immigration reform in partnership with the federal government.
On improving Arizona's K-12 education system, Hershberger and Melvin clashed on school choice that promotes vouchers.
Hershberger said he opposes the idea: "That would be taking money away from our public schools and giving them to private schools."
Melvin disagreed: "We're cheating our children; we need more competition, we need parental school choice. ... Every family in the state regardless of income should have the means to send their child to the school of their choice."

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