SENATOR AL MELVIN UPDATE FIRST QUARTER 2012 Dear friends,           We are back at work at the Capitol and I have a lot to update you on:   LEGISLATIVE ACTION: On the legislative front, there are several important bills making their way through the process and I want to make you aware of them. Please check out the following bills that I am sponsoring:   SB 1333 evaluation; response; federal law (Committee of Correspondence) SB 1332 federal lands: conveyance and taxation (Taking back the 42.1% of Arizona that is made up of federal land) SB 1348 state poet laureate; establishment SCM 1004 recycling spent nuclear fuel; management (Arizona Energy- Education Fund) (Please check out (azedcoalition.org). SB1349 water utilities; disclosures SM 10012 corporation commission; water ratepayers.    You can follow these and other bills that I am working on at   (my legislative website).   REDISTRICTING: On the redistricting front, the so-called Independent Redistricting Commission has finished its work and has sent maps drawn by Obama’s mapmaker to Obama’s Department of Justice for approval. As you can imagine, that part of the process lacks suspense. While there will be court challenges to these deliberately unconstitutional lines, the people of Arizona will likely be stuck with them for the short-term. One of the goals of the IRC was to create primaries between conservative Republican officeholders and they did that with me by drawing me into a district with fellow GOP State Senator Steve Smith.   LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 11: Fortunately for the conservative cause, Senator Smith refused to let them succeed and he announced that he would respect my seniority, put the interests of the district and the party first, and seek election to the State House instead. I, like a great many others, were both impressed and grateful to him for his decision.   CAMPAIGN 2012: With Steve Smith’s decision to run for the House, we now have a terrific team for the State Legislature. Al Melvin for State Senate and Steve Smith and Adam Kwasman for State House. If you don’t know Adam you really need to get to know him. He is a solid conservative who has been active in our movement for several years. He has a lot of great endorsements and is a very hard working campaigner. You will hear more from our team as the year goes along, but if you would like to be involved in helping us to gather signatures or campaign for office, please send me an email and we will get you plugged in right away.   FOLLOWUP: As always, I am raising the money we will need to keep these seats in Republican hands and I hope that if you have not yet given, that you will by visiting my website at (senatormelvin.com) and making a contribution. Thank you for your continued support and please let me know if I can do anything to help you. Please send this email update to your friends, neighbors, colleagues and relatives.         Best regards,   Al Melvin

SENATOR AL MELVIN’S UPDATE JULY / AUGUST 2011 Dear friends, JOBS IN ARIZONA: Many companies in Arizona are hiring, including the following: (1) TRUCKING: Every trucking company based in Arizona is hiring. Many of the jobs are long haul, but some are local. (2) MINING: Many mining companies in Arizona are hiring. The Freeport mine, north of Green Valley has 50 open positions. The parent company has over 600 jobs to fill throughout Arizona. (3) STOCK BROKERAGE HOUSES: Edward Jones, and other firms, is always looking for good people with a college education and some practical business experience. It is a rigorous application process, but they are hiring. (4) ENTERPRISE RENTAL CARS: This company hires an average of one college graduate per day in southern Arizona. (5) CALL CENTER: C3/CustomerContactChannels will be hiring 600 people between now and the end of November in the Tucson area at 1150 W. Drexel Road. (6) ARIZONA DEPT OF CORRECTIONS: This department is hiring Corrections Officers and some medical personnel. If you know of any additional job opportunities, please let me know, so I can help get the word out. Please help me spread the word on these jobs.           BORDER SECURITY: Good things are finally happening in this critical area. Please check out the following important websites: (1) www.buildtheborderfence.com: Please go to this website and contribute online. In the first ten days, we raised over $110,000 from just over 2,000 contributors. It is critically important that we receive your support in this area. (2) www.azleg.gov/jbsac: This is the new website for the Joint Border Security Advisory Committee that meets at the Capitol the last Wed of each month. You are welcome to attend in person, watch it live from home online or on this website.   PUBLIC/ PRIVATE JOB RELATED PARTNERSHIPS: I am pleased to advise and confirm that I, along with others, have been able to get the following partnerships started to promote jobs in Arizona. (1) ARIZONA TOURISM CAUCUS: This is a bipartisan effort to get as many Arizona legislators as possible signed up to protect and increase tourism related jobs in our state. LD 26 is second only to Scottsdale in the number of top ranked resorts located here. (2) ARIZONA MINING CAUCUS: This is another bipartisan effort to get as many Arizona legislators as possible signed up to protect and increase mining related jobs in our state. We need to get the Rosemont Mine opened as soon as possible. (3) AMERICAN NUCLEAR SOCIETY: This group meets monthly in Phoenix (Senate Majority Caucus Room on the last Wed of each month at 6:30PM) and in Tucson (El Parador Restaurant on the third Fri of each month at 11:30 AM). If you are interested in nuclear power and its potential for Arizona, please join us in either Phoenix or Tucson. Nuclear power can make Arizona a very wealthy state. It can provide jobs and prosperity for our people. We can be the eleftricity supplier for the entire Southwest Region of the USA.   REDISTRICTING: Please help us try to keep the LD 26 and CD8 lines as they are now for the next ten years. Please communicate this to the Independent Redistricting Commission in writing and/ or by attending and speaking at the following public meetings: (1) Tue. Aug 2 at South Tucson City Chamber, 1601 S. 6th Ave, South Tucson at 6 PM. Please arrive early to get a seat and be able to speak. (2) Sat. Aug 6 at Abrams Public Health Bldg #1106, 3950 S. Country Club at 1 PM. Again, please arrive early to get a seat and be able to speak. (3) Additional Information: Contact Lynn St. Angelo at:     (H) 520-229-0022     (C) 605-321-6224   THINGS YOU CAN DO TO DEFEAT B.H. OBAMA: (1) Ask all of your friends to register as Republicans. (2) Join and support your local Republican club. (3) It is said that over 50% of conservative Christians are not registered to vote. Ask your pastor to allow voter registration at your church one Sunday a month until Nov 2012. (4) Consider becoming a Republican Precinct Committee Person. Call me at 520-429-8083 for the steps required to become a GOP PC. (5) Help start a Teenage Republican Club at your local high school. (6) Contribute to the campaigns of conservative Reagan Republican candidates to help get them elefted. (7) Consider displaying the American flag in front of your house every day from now until Nov 2012, to show everyone your support of our troops in harm’s way and your love for the USA.   EMINENT DOMAIN ON FEDERAL LAND: In the eastern part of the USA, states are almost 100% private land. Texas is 98% private land. This is not true in the West. Most western states are 50% or more Federal land. Arizona is 42% Federal land and less than 17% private land. This is not fair and must be changed for Arizona to be able to effectively compete with states in the East. SB 1546 "Eminent Domain on Federal Property" is my bill and it was signed into law by Gov Brewer. It is patterned after a bill in Utah. There will be more to follow on this critical issue.   HELP SENATOR RUSSELL PEARCE: Please go to www.protectanamericanpatriot.com and/or to www.russellpearce.com to contribute to Senator Pearce’s defense in the recall effort that is being waged against him by the Radical Left, mostly from out of state. They are trying to hurt him because he is a true Arizona and American patriot who is trying to secure our border with Mexico. They are trying to recall him because he is doing his job to protect our state and our country from the ongoing invasion of illegal aliens and drugs.   HELP REELEFT SENATOR AL MELVIN: I would appreciate it very much if you would contribute to my reeleftion by going to my website at www.senatormelvin.com and using the Pay Pal feature. I request that you follow me at www.facebook.com/senatormelvin and www.twitter.com/senatormelvin and www.twitter.com/senatormelvin. Please send this email update to your friends, colleagues, neighbors and family members.       Best regards,   Al Melvin

SENATOR AL MELVIN’S SUMMER 2011 UPDATE Dear friends,           What a difference a large conservative majority makes!           In just 100 days, we wrapped up our legislative session for 2011 and we can claim a great many successes. The most important was that we fulfilled our sworn duty and passed a truly balanced budget, free of the gimmicks and accounting tricks that had been used for far too long. While many of these reductions were painful, we cannot spend more money than we have, and it was important that Arizona live by that truth. It would be generational theft for government to spend more than it takes in and the Republican majority will not engage in this, despite the left calling for more spending. I remain hopeful that our economy will improve and revenues will increase so that we can revisit many of those cuts, but we did what needed to be done.           As part of helping our economy to grow, we passed a jobs related bill to send a message to companies and employers that Arizona was serious about creating an environment where businesses can thrive. It was a pleasure to visit business after business and hand out the "Jobs are Job #1" yard signs we have made.             We pursued meaningful public pension reform to protect the long-term viability of those funds and to protect the people who were counting on them for their golden years. We passed transparency bills to help taxpayers track how their governments spend their tax dollars. And border security fans will be thrilled to know that we passed a bill to allow for the collection of private funds to begin construction of a real border fence. The bill allows the use of inmate labor that costs us just 50 cents an hour, providing training and hands on experience to inmates while saving tens of millions of dollars. We also have new legislation to form an Arizona State Guard to augment the Arizona Army National Guard and to help secure the border. We made major progress in the following 14 areas: (1) Balanced Budget (2) Economic Recovery and Tax Reduction (3) Pension Reform (4) Better Business Practices (5) Illegal Migration and Border Security (6) Education Reform (7) Judicial Reform (8) Healthcare Reform (9) 2nd Amendment Rights (10) Tort Reform (11) Election Reform (12) Strengthening the Family (13) Privatization (14) Government Reform (Click here for a detailed recap of these 14 points)            As always, I continue to advocate for an energy policy that would make Arizona the clean energy capitol of the country, while generating hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenues that could be used to improve our education system. As the world spirals out of control, having access to adequate energy becomes more and more critical, and I am pleased that my work is starting to pay dividends. We have started a Phoenix and Tucson chapter of the American Nuclear Society. If you are interested in joining us for our monthly meetings, please contact me at al@votealmelvin.com           I have enjoyed having many of you come up to the Capitol to spend the day with me, sitting in on meetings, etc. If you are interested in doing the same when the Legislature reconvenes in January, 2012, please contact my office at (602) 926-4326. In the meantime, please let me know if I can do anything to help you, and thank you for the continued opportunity to serve you. Please send this email to your friends, colleagues, neighbors and family members. Please follow what is happening in Legislative District 26 and throughout Arizona at: www.senatormelvin.com www.facebook.com/senatormelvin www.twitter.com/senatormelvin       Best regards,   Al Melvin     Al's 2011 Official Senate Photograph

SENATOR AL MELVIN'S 2011 FIRST QUARTER (Jan, Feb, Mar) UPDATE Dear friends,   Since we went into session on January 10, 2011, we have been pretty busy at the Arizona State Senate. The following is an update on the many things that we are working on to make Arizona the very best state in the USA to live, work, prosper and enjoy life.   JOBS ARE JOB #1:  I was pleased to help make some yard signs which we distributed to our Republican members on both the House and Senate side that read "Jobs are Job #1", and we have certainly made it clear that that is the case. These signs are everywhere at the Legislature. They are in almost every Republican Senator's and Representative's office. We are working on many subjects but this is our first priority. (CLICK here to view the Arizona Competitiveness Package) From this Jobs Bill, which will help Arizona to ease the burden on our local businesses and which sends a strong message to out-of-state employers as well that "Arizona is open for business", to efforts to get our state budget under control and provide a stable environment, we are doing what we can to improve Arizona's economic environment.   BALANCED STATE BUDGET:  There is always frustration at how large the federal government's role is in our economy and daily lives, and at the degree to which we are held hostage by a horrid national economy and the specter of our nation's financial house of cards coming crashing down. We can do all that we can at the state level, but until and unless they fix things at the federal level, it may be a long while until we feel improvements locally. Just by way of comparison, while we are managing our way out of a $2 Billion deficit, the federal government is dealing with a $1.6 Trillion dollar deficit, a problem nearly 1,000 times as large. The Arizona Senate has already approved a balanced budget for 2011/12 with $721 million in reductions. We will soon start negotiations with Arizona House and Gov. Brewer on a final budget.   BORDER SECURITY:  It is absolutely critical that we do everything as a state to secure our border with Mexico. Illegal aliens cost Arizona between $2 and 3 Billion a year because 20 to 30 % of the people in our schools, prisons and hospital system are illegal aliens (www.fairus.org). We will soon start raising private money through a website to build the fence. We will build it with Dept. of Corrections' inmates at .50 an hour. 6,000 of our 40,000 inmates are available for this type of work. We have formed the Joint Border Security Advisory Committee which will meet monthly and report to the people of Arizona on the current state of the border and our efforts to secure it. It is made up of the Governor's office, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House and other key people including the head of the Arizona National Guard, the head of the Dept of Public Safety (Highway Patrol) etc. I have been appointed the Senate Co-Chairman. The first meeting of this committee will be Wed Mar 30 starting at 9 AM at the Legislature. We are looking at other states, especially Texas, to see if we can incorporate things that they are now doing. Please check out the following websites to get an indication of what we are planning for Arizona: www.txsg.state.tx.us www.protectyourtexasborder.com   AMERICAN NUCLEAR SOCIETY (ANS): One of my goals is to see Arizona become the most nuclear energy friendly state in the nation. My own personal efforts to promote clean and alternative energy sources like atomic energy are making progress. With the Middle East a tinderbox and gas prices spiking again, perhaps those on the left will start to acknowledge how critical energy independence is to our nation's security and how large of a role Arizona could play in a solution. I am trying to form a Tucson chapter of the above noted ANS (www.new.ans.org)that will meet monthly to help promote nuclear power in Arizona. The Phoenix chapter has started meeting at the Arizona Senate on the 4th Wed of each month at 6 PM in the Senate Majority Caucus Room. If you are interested in joining and helping to organize either of these chapters, please call my office at 602-926-4326.   ARIZONA MINING CAUCUS:  I am trying to help the Arizona mining industry by forming an Arizona Mining Caucus at the Arizona Legislature. We will have our first meeting on Wed Apr 20. Our goal is to have as many Arizona legislators as possible, from both chambers and both parties, to join this caucus. We need to promote the Rosemont Mine south of Tucson and all state of the art mining operations throughout Arizona.   SENATE SHADOW PROGRAM:   I have enjoyed having many people come up to the Capitol to spend the day with me. Many people have participated and enjoyed the experience.   FOLLOWUP:    Please let me know if I can do anything to help you or if you have any ideas or input on any topic. Please follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/senatormelvin. I also post daily on twitter.com/SenatorMelvin. The Helpful Links page on my website www.votealmelvin.com has some very useful information. Please send this email update to your friends, relatives, neighbors and colleagues. It remains my honor to continue to serve you at the Arizona State Senate.   PS Please check out the following local Arizona Conservative Republican Bogs: http://www.morninginarizona.com   http://sonoranalliance.com Best regards, http://www.espressopundit.com Al Melvin http://seeingredaz.wordpress.com

WE WON! Dear friends,   VICTORY: We did it! Thanks to all of your hard work, we won re-election by almost 8%, a four-fold increase over our 2008 margin. And that was in spite of being outspent by a 2 to 1 margin. And the news got even better for LD26 as Representative Vic Williams was re-elected and Terri Proud defeated Nancy Young Wright to re-capture the second House seat. Our district is now entirely back in Republican hands and better still, in the hands of Republicans who will represent our Party’s values as they should be represented.   HISTORIC ELECTION: Across Arizona, Republicans were winning races and adding to our new and historically impressive numbers at the State Legislature. We added three new State Senators and now hold 21 out of 30 Senate seats. We also added five new State Representatives and hold 40 out of 60 House seats. These are phenomenal, veto proof, margins and we are going to need them because Arizona faces serious challenges as we balance our budget and get our economy growing again.   JOBS; SECURE BORDER; BALANCED BUDGET: The good news is that folks on the right and on the left seem to agree that serious cuts need to be made. A variety of liberal advocacy groups sent out mailers during the election urging voters to tell the Legislature to get serious about making cuts and conservative groups feel the same way. It is good to have agreement at this critical time for Arizona and we will begin work on shrinking government soon, perhaps even in a special session. We will do all that we can to help Arizona businesses add jobs through tax, tort and regulatory reform. We will continue our border security efforts to save Arizona the billions of dollars that a porous border is costing us and to protect life and property from border related crime. We must balance the state budget just like Arizona families have to balance their budgets.   SPEND A DAY AT THE SENATE WITH ME: In closing, I invite you to spend a day at the Senate with me. One of my goals is to have two people a day to spend each day with me from 9 AM to 2 PM when we are in session. The legislative session starts the second Monday in January and goes to the end of April. Each week, we are in session from Monday through Thursday. Please pick a day that is convenient for you and then call my office at 602-926-4326, so we can get it on the schedule. Plan to bring a second person with you (spouse, friend, son, daughter, etc) and I promise you that you will have a rewarding experience at the Capitol.   THANKS AGAIN: For now, please accept my thanks again for all that you did to help us to victory. Also, please join me in congratulating all of the other conservative Republican candidates for their successful campaigns. Please send this email update to your friends, relatives, neighbors and colleagues at work. May God bless you, your family, Arizona and the USA.   Best regards,   Al Melvin

SENATOR AL MELVIN’S PRE NOV 2,2010 ELECTION UPDATE! Dear friends,   It seems almost cliché to say that this is the most important election of our lives, but I believe that it is. Dennis Prager, the conservative radio talk show host, is calling this the most important election since 1860, when Abraham Lincoln was elected President. Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats have turned our country hard to the left and we will have the opportunity to make a major correction. Locally, the Democrats running for the Legislature want to do to Arizona what Obama has done to America, and we cannot let that happen.   If you vote by mail, you should have mailed your ballot by Wednesday the 27th to be safe. Otherwise, fill it out and drop it off at your polling place on Election Day. You do not have to stand in line, you can just walk right in and drop it off. And if you can’t make that work, give us a call and we’ll have someone pick up your ballot and drop it off for you. If you like the tradition of going to the polls (I know I do!) then we will see you there. But no matter how you vote, be sure to get your ballot in the box!   If you have time to volunteer in this last week, we are making thousands of phone calls and knocking on hundreds of doors. You can work in your own neighborhood if you would like. We also can always use more volunteers on Election Day to work at the polls. We continue to get good feedback on our television ads and just made another buy to get even more air time. And if you have neighbors who want to learn more about the differences between me and my opponent, you can use this handout right here.(Comparison Piece)   Please contact each of your friends and make sure they also know how important November 2nd is for our state and our country. And when the polls close at 7 pm on Election Night, and we know that we have done all we can do, please join us at the DoubleTree Hotel on Alvernon near Broadway in Tucson to watch the election results. I would appreciate the opportunity to thank you in person for all that you have done. Please send this email update to your friends, relatives, neighbors and coworkers.       Best regards,   Al Melvin

Senator Al Melvin’S October 2010 Update! The Voting Has Begun! Dear friends, EARLY BALLOTS: If you vote by mail, and 70 % of Arizona voters do, your early ballot has already arrived. Please get it filled out and returned as quickly as possible. With limited time and resources, the sooner we know that you have voted, the sooner we can turn our attention to those voters who have not voted. This can be good news for you, because once you mail in your early ballot, you will get fewer phone calls and mailers from the majority of candidates! Please do all that you can to get conservatives out to vote in this critical election. This is the most important election of everyone’s lifetime. Please check out my website at www.senatormelvin.com for a comprehensive Voter Guide. REPUBLICAN TSUNAMI IN 2010: Our door-to-door effort has really been fantastic, with a great reception at almost every home we go to. My sincere thanks go out to all of you who are helping us out in this important area. We were doing great with Independent voters because the vast majority of them are with us. A large number of Democrats must be very unhappy with what is going on in Washington D.C., and when they learn more about the Democrats in our district, we will earn their votes. Many do not want Obamacare, they like SB 1070 and they want the state budget balanced just like they have to balance their own family budget. TV ADS: One of the ways we are now communicating with voters across the district is through our television ads. You can view the ads HERE (TV AD Number 1)  (TV AD Number 2) and I’d like to ask you to make a contribution to keep those ads on the air. Running an ad on a highly rated station can cost around $35, so if you would like to make a contribution and know exactly where that money is going, please click HERE to make a contribution to our TV effort. HELPFUL DOWNLOADS: Finally, you can click HERE (Compare_the_Candidates)  (LD26_Team)  (Education Flyer)  for three helpful downloads. One is a comparison piece between me and my ultra-liberal opponent. The other is a handout detailing the facts on education spending in Arizona. I have found both to be very useful. The third is the LD 26 conservative team of Al Melvin, Vic Williams and Terri Proud. You can download the pdf files and email them to your friends in the district, asking them to pass them on! INVEST IN ARIZONA & AMERICA: You can do this by contributing to our campaigns, even if it is $10 for each of us. If you haven’t contributed yet, please do so today. You can contribute online by going to our websites at: www.senatormelvin.com      www.Vote4Proud.com      www.Vote4Vic.com RANCHO VITOSO GOP VICTORY OFFICE: Please come by and visit this office at the crossroads of Rancho Vistoso Blvd and Sun City Blvd. Please come by and help us make phone calls for all of our Republican candidates. At this office, we also have yard signs, bumper stickers, etc. CANDIDATE DEBATE: I debate my opponent, C. Cage, at the Basis School on Oracle Road on Thursday Oct 14 starting at 6:30 PM. Please try to come by so we will have enough conservatives to balance out the leftist liberals that will most likely show up to support Cage’s secular socialist agenda. SEN RUSSELL PEARCE & SHERIFF PAUL BABEU: Please note the invitation at the bottom of this email update. I hope you can join us on Friday Oct 15 from 6 to 8 PM at the Metropolitan Grill on Oracle Road at Magee Road.     Please forward this email to your friends and let them know about how important our contest is. The Democrats have very few targets in Arizona, but we’re still on their list, so this is where we have to stand and fight. Encourage your friends to get involved here and make a real difference, no matter where they live.   Best regards,   Al Melvin

Senator Al Melvin's Sep 2010 Update Invest in AZ and the USA Contribute to Al'S Campaign Dear friends, The Republican Party in Arizona came out of the Primary Election on Aug 24 with some great candidates. I am honored to be on the same LD 26 ticket with: I want to thank all of you who voted in the Primary Election. Please do all that you can to get out the Republican vote for the general Election on Nov 2, which has been described as the most important election of our adult lifetime. We must take back our country in Nov. With your help we will win across the board in Nov. LD 26 IS TOP DEMOCRAT TARGET: We are the top target for the Democrats out of Arizona's 30 Legislative Districts. With your help, we will win all three LD 26 legislative seats. Our Democrat opponents are out fundraising us roughly two to one. We request each and every Republican to write a check for our three campaigns. Any amount will help. Please refer to our respective websites to contribute: www.senatormelvin.com www.vote4proud.com LD 26 REPUBLICAN VICTORY PLAN: Next week, we will open a Republican office on Rancho Vistoso Blvd. near Sun City. Please come by and check it out. Please volunteer to make phone calls and to go door to door with us. You will be able to pick up bumper stickers, yard signs, campaign handouts, etc at this office. COMPARE THE CANDIDATES: Please click on (Compare the Candidates) to see the stark contrast between my opponent, Cheryl Cage and me. It is my intention to mail this comparison to every Republican and Independent voter in LD 26. I will also run it several times in the Explorer Newspaper. AL's SEP TOWN HALL MEETINGS: Please try your best to make at least one of these upcoming Town Hall meetings in Sep. (1) DOVE MTN Clubhouse Heritage Highlands Sep 18 (9-11:00 AM) (NOTE #1 Below) (2) ORO VALLEY Town Coun Cntr Council Mtg Rm Sep 18 (1-3:00 PM) (NOTE #1 Below) (3) FOOTHILLS Near La Paloma on Skyline Urgent Care Facil. Sep 18 (4-6:00 PM ) (4) SaddleBrooke Mountainview Clubhouse Sep 25 (9-11:00 AM) (5) SUN CITY Catalina Vista Cntr Del Webb Blvd Sep 25 (1-3:00 PM) SOME TOPICS TO BE DISCUSSED ARE: (A) State Budget (F) Cap and Trade (K) Jobs (B) K-12 Funding (G) Border Security (L) Energy (C) Obamacare (H) Taxes (M) Water (D) Tort Reform (I) Privatization (N) States Rights (E) Animal Welfare (J) Inmate Labor (O) Cost Savings     (NOTE #1) Secretary of State Ken Bennett will be present to give his presentation on the Arizona state budget past, present and future. SEP CANDIDATE EVENTS: Please try to attend the following events: Sep 24 Friday: At 2 PM the League of Women Voters in SaddleBrooke will have a LD 26 candidate forum. (at the Mountainview Clubhouse) Sep 27 Monday: I will appear on the Bill Buckmaster TV show on Chan 6 along with my opponent, in the early evening. ARIZONA'S FUTURE: Please click on the following link to see how the Republican majority in the Arizona Legislature has protected K-12 funding (The truth about K-12 Funding.) Despite a massive deficit of over 3 billion dollars, we only reduced per pupil overall funding by less than $500 from $9,700 to $9,200. I am a teacher and I am committed to educational excellence for Arizona students through maximum parental school choice. We can insure our educational and economic future by making Arizona the most atomic energy friendly state in the nation. Please click on (Al'S Atomic Energy Article) INVEST IN AZ & THE USA: When you contribute to me and my fellow conservative Republican candidates you are investing in America. Every dollar helps. Please forward this email update to your friends, neighbors, relatives and colleagues at work. Please forward this email update to your friends, neighbors, relatives and colleagues at work.   Best regards,   Al Melvin

Senator Al Melvin’s Aug 2010 Update Invest in AZ and the USA Contribute to Al’S Campaign Dear friends, In just a few weeks, the primaries will be behind us and we will officially kick off the general election season. We are already more than halfway to our fundraising goal, but our time these days is divided into fundraising and voter contact. LD26 IS TOP DEMOCRAT TARGET: My "progressive" opponent, Cheryl Cage, has been very aggressive in her fundraising efforts, raising nearly double what we have raised. She has also been promised by the Arizona Democrat Party that our district will be their top target, so we know that we are in for a real fight this fall. CAGE IS A HARD LEFT EXTREMIST: I understand that there are a number of good candidates out there, but no race will feature a clearer contrast between a Republican who is looking out for the taxpayers of this district and the state and a Progressive Majority trained hard-left extremist who wants to bring the worst of the Obama agenda here to Arizona. Cap & Trade, Socialized Medicine, Card Check and a host of other scary ideas are just the beginning for Ms. Cage. She wants to promote the Obama administration’s secular socialist agenda in Arizona. She wants to stop SB 1070. She wants to promote Obamacare and La Raza courses in public schools. She is committed to more spending and additional taxes. In our 2008 contest, she even proposed a golf cart tax. (Cheryl Cage’s Golf Cart Tax) COMPARE THE CANDIDATES: Again, Cheryl Cage is the most liberal candidate the Democrats have ever run in this district. She was trained by the Progressive Majority, an organization funded by the SEIU (Services Employees International Union), Planned Parenthood and the remnants of ACORN. She is endorsed by Las Adelitas, an organization formed in the summer of 2002 to support the political campaign of Raul M. Grijalva. (Compare the Candidates) ARIZONA’S FUTURE: Your vote and support will determine our great state’s future. With the right vision, leadership and integrity, we can become a very rich and prosperous state. (Al’S Atomic Energy Article) You know that I love to campaign and I love the contest of ideas and policies that is involved. What I don’t love is the outright lying that our opponents have too often engaged in, and if early indications mean anything, Ms. Cage will say or do anything to win. We are going to need the resources to be able to respond and set the record straight. DEBATES IN AUGUST: I will be debating my opponent at the following locations in August. Please try to attend if at all possible. Date Start Time Location Sponsor Sun Aug 15 2:30 PM St. Mark's United Pima County Interfaith     Methodist Church Council     1431 W. Magee Rd.   Tue Aug 17 6:30 PM Painted Sky Elementary Parents & Teachers     School  Oro Valley   SEN RUSSELL PEARCE & SHERIFF PAUL BABEU: My good friends Russell and Paul are coming to LD 26 on Aug 19. Please join us that evening. (Aug 19 Event Details) We know that the Democrats are making this race a major battlefield, so it is incumbent upon us to meet their challenge. By fighting them here and beating them here, we will force them to use precious resources that they cannot then use elsewhere. So our efforts will help the Republican ticket all over Arizona. INVEST IN AZ & THE USA: If you have already made a contribution, thank you, and please consider making another one. If you have not already contributed, please do not wait any longer. Write a check to "Melvin for Senate" or go to Pay Pal at www.votealmelvin.com. The maximum contribution is $410 per person and I ask that you give as much as you can. (Contribution Form) HELP US WIN IN NOV.: I have been proud to represent you these last two years and have done my best to look out for you at the State Capitol. Now it is my turn to ask for your help. Can I count on you? For LD26 voters, please vote for Vic Williams and Terri Proud for the Arizona House of Representatives. Please forward this email update to your friends, neighbors, relatives and colleagues at work.   Best regards,   Al Melvin

SENATOR AL MELVIN’S JULY 2010 UPDATE!!! Dear friends, The political season is upon us and there is much to report on. NO PRIMARY: For the first time, we do not have a primary and we will get to lead a united Republican Party into the general election. This is great news because it allows us to focus on the Democrat from much earlier in the campaign. DEMOCRAT OPPONENT: Our opponent is the same Democrat we beat in 2008, Cheryl Cage, but she has been training since then with a very far-left organization called Progressive Majority which seeks to train and elect more of the hard-left progressives that are destroying our country right now in Washington, D.C. As a group, I would not underestimate them. We certainly won’t be underestimating her as an opponent.Candidate Comparison FUND RAISING: To date, she is one of the better-funded legislative candidates that the Democrats are fielding, so our main focus right now is fundraising. If I have not called you yet for support, you should expect me to, because we have a terrific message but we will need to be able to get it out. We also know that she is going to tell a great many lies in this race, she has already started, and we need to make sure that people know the truth about my record and hers. DEBATES: One of the ways we are educating the voters is by participating in a number of debates with Ms. Cage, and those public appearances and comparisons will be very helpful. We are also handing out comparison pieces to voters as we go from door to door. Their reactions when they realize what her policies will mean to our state are quite strong. EDUCATION & ENERGY: It has also been interesting to visit homes that Ms. Cage’s campaign has already visited. She bases her opposition to me on several false premises. The first is that we have somehow “gutted” education and that Republicans hate children, etc. Of course, when the state budget is cut a whopping 22% and education funding is cut less than 5%, its pretty clear that we made education a priority and protected it. Her second lie is that we all want to turn Arizona into a smoldering nuclear dump. Apparently the Progressive Majority training did not include any science classes, because Ms. Cage’s opposition to an increased and improved portfolio of alternative energy products relies on emotions rather than science or fact. Arizona can and should do a better job of harnessing alternative sources of energy and we are poised to reap an influx of high-paying jobs and a real windfall for our education system if we do it the right way. OBAMACARE, ETC.:   Of course Ms. Cage’s devotion to liberal/progressive ideas like Obamacare, Cap & Trade, and higher taxes and government spending is something that she spends no time on when she is campaigning for votes. So we have to educate the voters as we go! SB 1070: My opponent also remains very upset with SB1070, and her allies continue to march in the streets and encourage other states and businesses to boycott Arizona. I can tell you that the voters that we are hearing from are very much in favor of enforcing our laws and very much opposed to amnesty. CONTRIBUTIONS: As you can tell, we’re going to have a very lively campaign, so please do what you can and make a contribution to the campaign by using the PayPal feature at (VOTEALMELVIN.COM), or by sending a check made out to "Melvin for Senate" and mailed to: Al Melvin: 38665 SOUTH SAND CREST DRIVE TUCSON, AZ 85739 The maximum contribution is $410 but even if you are sending $200, $100 or even just $50, every gift makes a very real difference. Contribution Form THANK YOU: Many thanks, in advance, for your support. And as always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or needs. Please forward this email update to your friends, neighbors, relatives and colleagues at work.   Best regards,   Al Melvin   Gov Brewer signing into law Al's Arizona Gold Star Military Medal bill. Al with JD Hayworth, US Senate candidate at a recent candidate forum.   Al assisting putting up American flags in Catalina on July 4 as part of the Catalina Mountain Elks Lodge.   Al with Sen Russell Pearce, father of SB 1070 and Judy Vandewiele at the Mountainview Clubhouse in SaddleBrooke.. Al with Linda Maccurry at her home when Al was going door to door. Picture taken by her husband, Michael.

SENATOR AL MELVIN’S MAY / JUNE 2010 UPDATE!! Dear friends, CAMPAIGN UPDATE: Normally I lead off my updates with news from the Capitol, but this month is different because we are fast approaching a major deadline, so I’m going to start with campaign news first. May 31st is the deadline for this financial reporting period, which means that those of you who have been thinking of making a contribution to our effort would help us out immensely by sending us a check or making a contribution through our website (VOTEALMELVIN.COM) by Monday, May 31st. Please make checks out to "MELVIN FOR SENATE". The campaign is going well, but the liberal Democrats in this district and at the Capitol have made our race a top target. It seems they don’t like a conservative holding this seat and voting for good bills, so they intend to come after us in full force. Frankly, Republican gains in other areas are also limiting the number of targets they can even try for, so we are going to be on the receiving end of a serious barrage. I will need the help and support of all of you in this election. SB 1070 & BORDER SECURITY: Now to the good news and a few more reasons why the left is making me a top target. We passed a number of very meaningful bills at the end of the session, including bills to help education groups and school choice trusts, a bill that restores our 2nd Amendment freedoms and puts Arizona in the top three states in the country in terms of 2nd Amendment freedom (joining Alaska and Vermont by the way), and of course SB1070, which gives our law enforcement many of the tools that they have been asking for to deal with illegal immigration. AWARD AND RECOGNITION:  I am pleased to advise you that the Arizona Manufacturers Council gave me their 2010 SENATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD for my defense of businesses, large and small, and jobs this year. Based on my 2010 voting record, the   Tucson Chamber of Commerce  and the Center for Arizona Policy  have given me a 100% rating. DEMOCRAT OPPOSITION: We had a difficult session at the Capitol this year, yet we succeeded in doing good work and passing good bills, all in the face of nearly unanimous Democrat opposition. They have very different plans for our state, radically different. So they are recruiting and training what they call "progessive" candidates. Don’t be alarmed, they’re just raging liberals using a new word because they admit that liberalism just isn’t popular anymore. But they are recruiting and training nevertheless, even training my opponent. Newt Gingrich has come out with a new book calling the Obama administration the secular socialist left. Arizona Democrats will try, given half a chance, to duplicate in Arizona what is being done in Washington, DC. We must repeal and replace Obamacare. We must stop Cap and Trade. We must create jobs and defend individual liberties. We must achieve true tort reform. We can do all of these things with conservative Republican majorities in the Arizona Legislature and the US Congress. TWITTER & FACEBOOK: Please stay in contact with me on Twitter and Facebook. I will be going door to door throughout LD 26 starting in June. I plan to be visiting your neighborhood soon. America is at a historic crossroads and we must we must take our country back in November. So please, stand with us and make a contribution to the campaign here (VOTEALMELVIN.COM), or by sending a check made out to "MELVIN FPR SENATE" and mailed to: 38665 SOUTH SAND CREST DRIVE TUCSON, AZ 85739 The maximum contribution is $410 but even if you are sending $200, $100 or even just $50, every gift makes a very real difference. Many thanks, in advance, for your support. When you contribute to my campaign and to those of other conservative Republican candidates, you are investing in America’s future. I promise that I will not let you down. And as always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or needs. Please forward this email update to your friends, neighbors, relatives and colleagues at work.   Best regards,   Al Melvin   Al with fellow Eagle Scout Greg Guteriz with BSA gift that Greg gave Al Al with Joe Higgins and Chris Desimone in their Wakeup Tucson 1030 AM radio studio.     Al with fellow Senator Frank Antenori with two JTED high school teachers. Al with Paul Marsh and Randy Graf at a veterans' hall in Tucson.

SENATOR AL MELVIN'S MAR / APR 2010 UPDATE! Dear friends, OBAMACARE: In spite of the challenges we face here in Arizona, most of the public’s attention has been focused on the passage of the Democrat’s takeover of our healthcare system.  And rightfully so, as it changes our lives in ways that were previously inconceivable.  Of course, the Democrats both in Washington D.C. and right here in our district, were cheerleaders for its passage, so it will be interesting to see what the voters have to say, not only about Rep. Giffords who voted for it, but for Rep. Nancy Young Wright, Cheryl Cage, and others who publicly urged its passage. On the issue of health care, I stand with the majority of Arizonans in opposing Obamacare, and was proud to be able to vote to give the Governor the authority to join a series of lawsuits that seek to block its implementation.  Our action would have been unnecessary if our Attorney General was willing to do his job and take his orders from the Governor or State Legislature, but Terry Goddard is too busy running for the Democrat nomination for Governor to stand up to a Democrat Administration, even when Arizona has so much at stake. The Obama administration has the USA on a fast track to the abyss of socialism. We must take our country back in the November 2010 general election, by electing conservative Republican candidates to office, at levels of government. ARIZONA BUDGET: We have been voting on various budget bills to deal with the possibility that revenues will continue to decline and that voters will reject an increase in the state sales tax.  If they approve the higher sales tax, then we will be back-filling some of the areas that were cut.  As it is however, we are finally undoing some of the damage that was done to our state’s budget by six years of Janet Napolitano and her hopeless addiction to massive spending increases.  The imbalances she abandoned us to have been difficult to deal with, but our state government should not spend more than it has to spend, and that remains a concept that many are having trouble dealing with. It took 90 years (from 1912 to 2002) for Arizona to reach a General Fund budget of $6.5 Billion, but it only took six years (from 2002 to 2008) for Arizona’s General Fund budget to almost double to $11.2 billion. Janet Napolitano was governor during those extravagant six years. LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 26: Back here in the district, it is campaign time again and we are taking full advantage of the good weather and wrapping up our signature collection efforts.  It is great to see the energy among Republicans that we talk to, and many of the Independents have woken up to the price we are all paying for the election of 2008.  Having run in both 2006 and 2008, which were tough years for Republican candidates in general, I can really feel the difference this year.  So let’s get everyone involved on our side and push hard, onward to victory in November.  If you have any free time in the evenings or on the weekends, please contact me and we’ll be grateful for your help in contacting more voters. I request that you donate to my campaign to insure that I am reelected to be able to serve you for the next two years. There is a PayPal feature at my website: www.votealmelvin.com. It is not easy asking for money but I have to ask in order to win. These are difficult times for most family budgets but a contribution to a conservative Republican candidate, like myself, is an investment in the future of our country. I want to thank everyone who has contributed to date. We are now at $25,000 and we are trying to get to $75,000 as soon as we can. With your help, we will make it. TOWN HALL MEETINGS IN APRIL: Every quarter, since I was elected to the Arizona State Senate, I have held Town Hall Meetings. The April meetings will be as follows:                                                                                                     (1) April 17: Oro Valley Town Council Room (3 to 5 PM) (2)       '' La Paloma Urgent Care on Sunrise (5:30 to 7 PM) (3) April 24: SaddleBrooke, Desert View Theater (9 to 11 AM) (4)       '' Sun City, Catalina Vista Center (1 to 3:30 PM) NOTE: Sec of State Ken Bennett will be at the SaddleBrooke and Sun City Town Hall meetings on April 24 to illustrate and explain the origins of Arizona’s current budget crisis and what can be done now and in the future to prevent a recurrence. PLEASE TRY TO ATTEND ONE OF THESE TOWN HALL MEETINGS. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or needs.  It remains a pleasure and distinct honor to be serving each and every one of you at the State Capitol!   Best regards,   Al Melvin

SENATOR AL MELVIN'S JAN / FEB 2010 UPDATE! Dear friends, We'll start national, then get more local as this update progresses. Sen. Scott Brown: It was just a short time ago that Republican Scott Brown won a U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts. This was a terrific victory for the Republican Party and it sent a real warning to those in the Democrat Party who continue to march us down the wrong path. I don't think the Democrats in Washington, D.C. will listen to the message, but maybe those in Arizona will? Arizona State Budget: Last year, Senate Democrats stood united in their opposition to every solution offered to deal with the State's budget crisis. They voted "No" on every bill at every opportunity because they thought there was political gain in trying to blame Janet Napolitano's budget legacy on Republicans. I voted with the more than 90% of Republicans who put together a plan that had spending cuts, reforms and tax cuts to get our economy growing again, and a temporary sales-tax that would be referred to the voters for their up or down vote. It was a compromise measure that displeased those on the hard right and those on the hard left, but it wasn't about politics, it was about governing. And that may be the real message coming out of Massachusetts. Voters want leaders and elected officials who will tell them the truth and do the right thing, regardless of the politics. Time will tell if Arizona Democrats heard that message. My Health: Locally, I am thrilled to tell you that with regard to my health, I am finished with my treatments and after a series of new tests, my doctor has proclaimed me cancer free! My thanks to all of you for your prayers and support. It has meant the world to me and to Kou. Campaign Donations: Finally, as we look ahead to the election later this year, it is time for us to get serious about the fundraising we will need to do to keep this seat in Republican hands. I kept a very full work schedule during my treatments, but that meant I was not nearly as active in the fundraising department as I would have liked to be. With the cancer behind me, I can start getting caught up. And you can help! This state Senate race will cost more than $100,000, and your support is critical to our ultimate success in Nov. As of Dec 31, 2009, my opponent raised $30,000, compared to my $15,000, so there is work to do. As of the end of Feb, we are now at $20,000. I thank everyone who has contributed to my campaign to date. Every contribution is critical to the overall success of this campaign. It is said that the hardest job in the world is finding one. I think that is true. The second hardest job has got to be asking for money. As you can imagine, it is not easy but I have to do it in order to win in Nov. I have written a letter to many of you and I will soon be following up with a phone call. Please visit my website at www.VoteAlMelvin.com and make a contribution today! The website has a PayPal feature or you can mail in your contribution. I promise you that I will use your money wisely to win and to further the conservative Republican cause. PLEASE DONATE TODAY! A Day At The Senate: Please consider spending a day at the Senate with me. We can do this any day, Mon through Thu, Jan through May, from 9 AM to 5 PM. Just call my office at 602-926-4326, so my Assistant can put in on the calendar. We can accommodate two people per day. This is a great way to see how state government works and to learn more about the history of our wonderful state. As always, please contact me if you have any questions or concerns and thank you for your continued support. My cell phone is 520-429-8083 and my personal email address is almelvin3@gmail.com.  Please be good enough to forward this email update to your friends and relatives.  May God bless you, Arizona and the USA.   Best  regards, Al  Melvin     Al and Kou with Elks Exalted Ruler and Mrs Larry Megahan on Feb 27 when Al was given the Elks Distinguished Citizenship Award.     Al with the Firemen (Golder Ranch) and Policewoman (Oro Valley) of the year at the Catalina Mtn AZ Lodge #2815 annual awards night on Feb 27.   Al speaking at the Capitol on Feb 8, 2010, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. Al with some Boy Scouts at the Capitol on Feb 8, 2010.

 

SENATOR AL MELVIN'S DEC 2009 UPDATE! Dear friends, It is hard to believe that the year is almost over, but the holidays are right around the corner and we are all getting ready to take a short break, recharge our batteries, enjoy our family and friends, and give thanks to God for all that He has blessed us with in 2009. Before that break comes, I can tell you that we are still busy at the Capitol. We have had yet another special session and there is talk of trying to get one more in before the end of the year. No matter how bad the economic forecasts are, the real numbers always end up worse. And the process of making the cuts needed is that much more difficult because there is not a Democrat in the House or Senate who will vote for any of the Republican proposals. It is remarkable that when we are faced with these historic deficits, we can't find a single Democrat, all year long, who would support any cuts to any programs. I continue to work on energy and water issues as well and that is important. While we have a short-term crisis with our budget, we can't let that be an excuse to take our eye off the ball long-term. We are going to need ample water and energy in order to attract good jobs to our state. One campaign note: Many of you have indicated that you will be making a contribution to my campaign before December 31st. That is very much appreciated. I don't want to bug you during the holidays with reminders, so please, won't you visit my website TODAY and make your contribution? (www.senatormelvin.com) We know that the Democrat candidate has been busy having events and raising money, and she is expected to file her financial reports early next year showing a very impressive number. We don't expect to have as much money as she does, but we still want to have a nice number to report as well. Kou and I want to thank you again for your continued prayers and support, and for your friendship as well. Please don't hesitate to call me on matters related to the campaign or my job. It remains one of my great honors to be able to represent you at the State Capitol. Have a blessed holiday season! Please forward this email update to your friends, relatives and colleagues.   Best  regards, Al  Melvin     Al, with his good friends Paul Marsh and Randy Graf, at a Disabled Veterans' Hall in Tucson.     Al at the 2009 Oro Valley December parade with Nancy Lynn and Bob Ewing's 1967 Impala.   Al with Chris DeSimone and Joe Higgins at their Wake Up Tucson radio studio 1030 AM on the dial. Al with Randy Graf and Mike Ebert, President of the Pima County Republican Club.

 

SENATOR AL MELVIN'S SPECIAL NOV 2009 UPDATE! Dear Friends, This is a special and rather long update and you'll soon read why. In addition to gearing up the 2010 campaign; to the work that I have been doing as the Senate Co-Chairman of the Legislative Ad Hoc Committee on Energy and Water development; to gearing up for another special session to deal with the state's ongoing budget crisis; I have been dealt a temporary setback in my personal life. For some time now, I have been receiving treatments to deal with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma (NHL) and while my prognosis is good, it has served as a meaningful reminder of how important it is that we all make our time on this earth count for something. I remain deeply honored to be able to serve as your representative in the Arizona State Senate. I remain committed to doing my best for the families and businesses of this great state. Kou and I love Arizona a great deal and we highly value your friendship as well. I am including in this update my press release on the NHL, as well as a list of accomplishments that your State Legislature achieved this year. I am also enclosing a link to a TV interview that I recently participated in regarding how atomic energy can make Arizona one of the richest states in the union. Finally, I am enclosing the details of three campaign receptions that I am having this month. I will be in touch once more before Christmas. I hope that you all have a Happy Thanksgiving later this month and that your holiday season will be full of blessings. (A) PRESS RELEASE FOR NOV 10, 2009: State Senator Al Melvin Announces He Has Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma ~ Has been receiving treatment and expects full recovery ~ Melvin, the first-term Senator from LD26, made the announcement because the treatments he is receiving are expected to cause considerable hair loss and he wanted to be sure that people knew the reason for it. "I don't have a great deal of hair", said Melvin, adding "so those that I do have are like members of my family. I've known them for so long and I'll be sad to see them go, particularly with winter approaching." n a more serious note, Melvin said that he had been lucky that the detection was fairly early, allowing the doctors to treat the disease in ample time, dramatically increasing his odds of a full recovery. "There are two types of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL), one that is slow developing but which is nearly impossible to eliminate, and the other that is faster growing but that can be cured. Fortunately, I have the second, so we can cure it and I can go on with my life." "According to the National Cancer Institute, three of the risk factors for developing NHL are being "older, male or white", so I guess my goose was cooked from the get go!" Melvin said that the disease had not interfered with his work and he did not anticipate any problems. "I haven't been sick or had any ill effects from it, and the doctors have said that I should be fine during and after the treatments. In the meantime, I continue to work hard both at the Legislature, and in the district where we are gearing up our re-election effort." On a related point, Fred Thompson, in his 2008 bid for the White House, announced that he had NH Lymphoma. His doctor, like Melvin's, encouraged him to continue his public service and he continued with his presidential campaign. Currently, Melvin is the Vice-Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and also serves on the Public Safety and Human Services Committee and the Veterans and Military Affairs Committee. He has also been serving as the Senate Co-Chairman of the Legislative Ad Hoc Committee on Energy and Water Development, which has been meeting regularly while the Legislature is out of session. Melvin also plans on speaking with Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu to seek out advice on maintaining and polishing his new head. (B) ATOMIC ENERGY AND ARIZONA (AL'S TV INTERVIEW): Eight, Arizona PBS, is a member-supported service of Arizona State University (C) TEN MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY IN THE 2010 ARIZONA LEGISLATIVE SESSION:   (1) Passed a public/ private partnership bill that will, for the first time, enable Arizona to tap into the private capitol market for building out our transportation infrastructure needs. (2) Passed tort reform legislation to protect Emergency Room doctors and staunch the flow of doctors leaving Arizona. (3) Established a new, "Regulation-Oversight Committee" to ensure that excess regulation does not stifle Arizona businesses. (4) Repealed the state property tax three times. (In the end, the Gov. vetoed these repeals.) (5) Passed the "Red Tape Reduction Act"to free up our schools from burdensome and unnecessary paperwork, so they can focus more on educating our children and less on satisfying bureaucrats. (6) Passed legislation ending the practice of "tenured" teachers receiving preference in hiring. (7) Passed legislation requiring parental consent for abortions. (8) Passed a ballot referendum to allow people the opportunity to opt out of government run healthcare. (9) Passed a ballot referendum to end race based preferences. (10) Voted for a tax relief package that was lauded in the pages of the Wall Street Journal and called the "anti California" tax relief package. (In the end, the Gov. also vetoed this legislation.) (D) AL'S UPCOMING NOV 2009 CAMPAIGN RECEPTION & FUND RAISING EVENTS: Please join us for the following campaign receptions and fund raising events. The two Republican candidates from LD 26 for the Arizona House of Representatives: *Representative Vic Williams * Ms. Terri Proud will also be there. Emil Franzi, newspaper columnist and radio show host (1030 AM) will speak at the SaddleBrooke and Tucson events. Sheriff Paul Babeu will also help kick off the SaddleBrooke event.   (1) CAPITOL: Mon Nov 9 (4:30-6:00PM) La Canasta Restaurant (2) SADDLEBROOKE: Fri Nov 13 (5:30-&7:00PM) M/V Clubhouse (3) TUCSON: Fri Nov 20 (5:30-&7:00PM) Metropolitan Grill (Oracle Road and Magee) Please check out www.senatormelvin.com for ways to donate to my campaign including PAYPAL. Please contribute to all of your conservative republican candidates so we can take our country back in 2010. Please forward this email update to your friends, relatives and colleagues.   Best regards, Al Melvin PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU WISH TO UNSUBSCRIBE

SENATOR AL MELVIN'S OCT / NOV 2009 UPDATE! Dear friends, Even though the Legislature is not in session, the work has not stopped. I have been appointed Cochairman of an ad-hoc committee to deal with Energy and Water issues (Ad Hoc Committee on Energy and Water Development). We are now having regularly scheduled meetings, hearing from various experts and groups, and trying to develop a comprehensive energy policy for our state that will ensure ample, clean energy for Arizona. The next three hour hearing will be on Nov 2, followed by another one on Nov 16. While issues like education and illegal immigration tend to get all of the media attention, it is impossible to over-estimate the importance that water and energy play in our daily lives. The good news is that technology is making a number of new options available, from atomic energy, to clean coal, to solar, geothermal and even wind power. None of these are a single silver bullet that will solve all of our problems by itself, but taken together they will enable us to meet the needs of our people while protecting our environment. Another benefit is that technologies like atomic energy will allow us to become a    major energy exporter, generating thousands of jobs here in Arizona, as well as steady revenue for the state that can help to prevent the peaks and valleys that our state's revenues usually experience. If Arizona can become the most atomic energy friendly state in the Union, Arizona can    become one of the richest states in the USA. When this happens, the gut wrenching budget deficits of the past and present will indeed become a thing of the past. When Arizona becomes the Energy and Water development leader in our country, it will help us to become the math and science leader in K-12, community colleges and in our state universities. Politically, we can tell that Campaign 2010 is right around the corner.   Most local newspapers are filled with cookie-cutter attacks from liberal organizations on Republican lawmakers like me.   Some of you have taken the time to write responses to them and I appreciate that.  I have also responded to some that so distorted reality that they deserved a personal response. It is interesting to note that the teachers' union, the Arizona Education Association (AEA), has teamed up with the national abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, to conduct political candidate workshops for Democrat candidates for elective office. This follows the AEA teaming   up with ACORN and the SEIU to raise the minimum wage in Arizona. The AEA's far left political agenda must be a real disappointment to moderate and conservative teachers and parents, since our country continues to be a center right nation. What is clear is that, like 2008, our race will be one of the big ones in the state, attracting outside interests, major party funding, and media attention.   With the left-wing Obama agenda failing in Washington, D.C., we can be encouraged that Arizona Democrats are campaigning on doing to Arizona what Obama is doing to America.  The voters aren't having it and they are rightfully upset at the extreme policies of Obama and Pelosi.   Arizona Democrats think that you can cram those same liberal policies into a cowboy hat and the voters will fall for it.  We're smarter than that. Please seriously consider becoming a Republican Precinct Committeeman. Please ask your friends who are registered as an Independent to reregister as a Republican. As an Independent, they are on the sideline watching the national train wreck happen. As a Republican, they can stop the train wreck from happening. Only the Republican Party can save our nation from the abyss of Socialism.   AL MELVIN'S UPCOMING RECEPTIONS AND FUNDRAISING EVENTS We are having the following events in November and all are welcome to come and join us: (1)  CAPITOL: Mon Nov 9 from 4:30 to 6:00 PM La Canasta restaurant near the JLBC (2)  SADDLEBRPOOKE: Fri Nov 13 from 5:30 to 7:00 PM Mountainview Club House (3)  TUCSON: Fri Nov 20 from 5:30 to 7:00 PM Metropolitan Grill on Oracle near Magee We're going to have to work hard, so I'm counting on all of you to help.  At this time, we have started fundraising and your contribution is critically important.  Please visit my website at www.votealmelvin.com and make a contribution! There is a PAYPAL option on my homepage. As always, please contact me if you have any questions or concerns and thank you for your continued support. You can contact me at almelvin3@gmail.com and/or call me on my cell phone at 520-429-8083. Please send this email to your friends and colleagues. Please pray for our country.   Best  regards, Al  Melvin     Al and Kou with Carolyn Cox, Miss Liberty, at the Arizona Federation of Republican Women conference in Tucson.     Al with Connor Ellinwood, a future Arizona Attorney General.   Al with Jesse Kelly, candidate for CD8, and Terri Proud, LD 26 candidate for the AZ House. Al speaking to a group of Republican supporters at the home of Ray and Renee Eastman.

 

SENATOR AL MELVIN'S AUG / SEP 2009 UPDATE! Dear friends, It does seem as though the legislative update portions of these emails ends up as an echo of previous updates.  We have again attempted to fix our state's budget, cut taxes, spur economic growth, prevent an increase in our property taxes, and satisfy the Governor's demand for a statewide referral of an increase in the sales tax.  And we were again thwarted by the entire Democrat caucus and a couple of Republican holdouts. This newest attempt was endorsed by a large number of good taxpayer groups and was even lauded in the Wall Street Journal as an example to the rest of the nation.  Please click on (Wall Street Journal Article). We continue to generate a good work product in very difficult circumstances, without any support from a Democrat minority who only wants to support a package if it has higher taxes and more spending than we can afford. It took Arizona 90 years (1912 to 2002) to have an annual budget of $6.5 billion. It only took six years (2002 to 2008) to almost double the annual budget figure to $11.2 billion. We must stop spending more than we take in and the last thing we should do in a recession is to raise taxes, of any kind. At this time, we are waiting to see what action the Governor will take with the bills that were sent to her, but I expect that a number of them will be vetoed and we will be called back into special session yet again.  I am not sure what, if anything, will help us to wrangle the final vote we need to pass the package that was crafted, but we will continue to press for the best deal that we can get. Locally, we are cranking up our campaign, but that effort must take second place behind getting the job done at the Legislature.  When I first ran I remember being told that Arizona has a part-time legislature.  I sure haven't seen that yet!  My focus on doing the job means that I am going to be more reliant on all of you to help with the campaign side.  I will be using my free time to solicit your support and your contributions and I hope and pray that you will be as generous with both as you have always been.  To learn more, please visit my campaign at (www.SenatorMelvin.com). I will be holding a total of seven town hall meetings on Saturday September 5 and 12. For dates, times and locations, please click on (Town Hall Meetings). Of course, it wouldn't be a monthly email without addressing Democrat distortions on the issue of education.  We always hear the litany of claims of how Arizona's education system is horrible and chronically underfunded.  And we keep pointing out the truth in response.  Now the latest SAT test scores are out and Arizona is again above the national average in reading (516 v 501), math (521 v 515) and writing (497 v 493).  When you factor in the large number of students for whom English is a second language, these results are encouraging.  Still, you can be sure to hear the Democrats lament that "Arizona is last in the country" when it comes to education.  The truth is far different and our students, parents, and teachers deserve to be treated better by those on the left. As always, please contact me if you have any questions or concerns and thank you for your continued support. Please consider becoming a Republican Precinct Committeeperson. Please ask your conservative friends who are registered as Independents to reregister as Republicans. As Independents, they are on the sidelines watching the national train wreck happen. As Republicans, they can help us stop the train wreck and take our country back. You can reach me on my cell phone at 520-429-8083. Please send this email update to your friends and relatives.   Best  regards, Al  Melvin     Al with US Congressman Trent Franks.   Al speaking at the Pima County Republican Club.   Al with State Treasurer Dean Martin.   Al with his predecessor, Sen Charlene Pesquera. Al with his friend, Alberto Moore, a local businessman and Republican activist.

 

SENATOR AL MELVIN'S July 2009 UPDATE! Dear Friends:    It is 110 degrees up here in Phoenix, and we're back into a special session that the Governor has called. Life has been an endless series of state budget meetings since my last emailed update, and we finally came to agreement on a budget that balanced, without having to raise taxes. We cut hundreds of millions of dollars from various spending programs while protecting a few priorities like public safety and education. Everything got cut, a lot or a little, but when your budget deficit approaches 30% of your budget, that is just the way it has to be. As is always the case, most folks screamed bloody murder at their respective cuts, but some groups recognized that we were making the best of a bad situation and they handled the situation with maturity and a shared concern for Arizona's long-term well-being.    I was very appreciative of the meetings with, and emails from, school teachers here in the district. It seems as though there is a very large disconnect between the union leaders/school bureaucrats, and the teachers they are supposed to be representing. With education spending representing more than 40% of our state's budget, the unions were trying to scare their membership with horror stories of impending cuts of 20%, 30%, or even more. Instead, education spending ended up cut 2.2 percent. The large difference between what they were told to expect and what actually occurred was noticed by a lot of the teachers who contacted me. They understood that cuts were going to be needed to balance our state's budget and they were largely appreciative that we had protected education the way we had. Personally, I believe that we will be restoring some of those cuts as well as part of our work during the special session. Ultimately, I expect education to be almost entirely spared.    A number of other good bills were also passed, but we're still waiting to see which the Governor will sign and which she might veto. I'll have more to report on those in next month's update. I will also be able to report on the status of the Governor's push for a higher sales tax. I am bothered by the idea of simply raising taxes to fund a broken system without taking the steps needed to fix the system. Right now, our state's budget is largely on auto-pilot because of voter-passed initiatives that the Legislature lacks the power to amend. Simply pouring more money into the problems won't fix the structural problems we are facing, so I am continuing to advocate fundamental reforms so that we can address the out-of-control rate of growth of spending that threatens to swamp us in future years.    Back here in the district, we are geared up and back in the neighborhoods, walking and talking to voters. President Obama's ultra-liberal policies seem to be generating a real backlash among Independent and conservative Democrat voters, and we've seen an increase in GOP registrations from these folks. If you have any free time in the evenings or on the weekends, please contact me and we'll be grateful for your help in contacting more voters.    As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or needs. 110 degrees or not, it remains a pleasure and distinct honor to be serving each and every one of you at the State Capitol! Please send this email update to your friends and relatives. Please check out www.VoteAlMelvin.com       Best  regards, Al  Melvin     Al at his senate desk. The 6th grade poster is from Flowing Wells School District.   Al's official Senate photograph.   Al with Kristie, Sue, and Steve Guisinger. Kristie works in the AZ House of Reps. They are from LD 26.   Al with Cole Ellinwood on the Senate Floor. Cole's plan is to be AZ Gov by 2030. He lives in LD 26. Al with Sen Steve Pierce LD-1 on the Senate Floor.

 

SENATOR AL MELVIN'S MAY-JUNE 2009 UPDATE! Dear Friends:    Most of you who receive this email worked very hard on my campaign last year, and I’ll be counting on you to do so again next year. A month like the one we’ve just had at the Capitol gives us all the proof we need that our efforts are not for nothing.    Over the last week and a half, we worked hard to pass Lexie’s Law, which provides scholarships for special needs children through a tax credit program. More than 500 kids were in great school programs under a state voucher program when a judge ruled that the vouchers were unconstitutional. As a result, these kids were being forced back into regular public schools that were poorly equiped to deal with their needs. So we needed to get this new program done and done quickly, so that these families could be ready for school in August.    It was no surprise that some bureaucrats and union officials were opposed to our efforts. Some folks want to block any expansion of parental school choice because they don’t want parents to get used to the idea. Other folks are only concerned with the money, and since much of their funding is based on a “per student” formula, they view any student that goes to an alternative school as money out of their pocket. Of course, the truth is that these are special kids with special needs, and the schools they would be forced back into were not equipped to teach them. It would be bad for the school, bad for the teachers, and most importantly bad for the child.    Please note that even though state revenues have been reduced by over 30%, the 2009 state budget had reductions to K-12 funding of only 1.3%, which works out to $126 per pupil, out of a total of $9,700 per pupil. The newspapers continuously say that Arizona ranks 50th in per pupil funding, but they never point out that Arizona ranks 31st in teacher salaries and 33rd in overall academic achievement. The homepage of my website has excellent links that confirm these numbers.    We got it done, and the kids will be taken care of, but not before a number of Senate Democrats snuck out of the State Capitol in an effort to deny us the quorum we needed to conduct business. I can’t tell you how angry and upset the parents and many of us were when we heard about this. Running away from the Capitol rather than debate an issue and give these kids their best chance at a successful life?    On the tax/budget side of things, we continue to get bombarded by people who are trying to force us into raising your taxes. And while I disagree with our Governor’s push to increase our sales tax, the Democrats recently unveiled a plan that was even worse. They would tax everything and even add a number of previously untaxed services, even starting new taxes on haircuts and lottery tickets. Naturally, my 2010 Democrat opponent loves this plan, and she would have voted for it if she had won in 2008.    So there you have it. What we did in 2008 helped kids get a quality and customized education and we’re helping to prevent higher taxes. But we all know that the Democrats will be back after us again in 2010 and we will need to defend this seat. If you have not already done so, please visit my website at www.VoteAlMelvin.com and sign up to help. Most importantly at this early stage, please help the campaign financially. We are running traditionally this time, which means no Clean Elections funding and no public financing. It is up to all of us to do what needs to be done to fund and run a top notch campaign in 2010. The maximum anyone can give is $410, but there is no minimum.    It is important to have lots of contributions, but also to have lots of contributors, so even if you can only give $10, making a contribution is very, very important!    *****PLEASE NOTE: There may be some lobbyists or similar folks on my email list. The list is quite large and I can’t tell from the email addresses who everyone is. If you are a lobbyist, PAC, or anyone else who is prohibited from making contributions during the legislative session, please know that my appeal is NOT directed at you. I am NOT soliciting funds from any of these restricted sources at this time.    I will be having my next round of Quarterly Town Hall Meetings on June 6 and 13 at 8 different locations as oer this schedule: TOWN HALL SCHEDULE. I hope that you can make one of these events. Please start to get ready for the second round of Tea Parties on July 4. Together, we can make the next one even bigger than the first one.    As always, feel free to contact me directly if you need anything at all and thank you for your continued friendship and support! Please be good enough to forward this email update to your friends and relatives.   Best regards, Al Melvin     Gov Brewer signing the Lexie Wick Bill with Lexie in her mother's arms.     Lexie Weck with her parents at the signing of the special needs education bill in her name and honor.   Al's Assistant, Cassie Dee at her desk next to Al's office. Al and Cassie can be contacted at 602-926-4326. Al with Connor Ellinwood, a future Attorney General of Arizona.

 

SENATOR AL MELVIN'S APRIL 2009 UPDATE! Dear Friends:    It has been quite a while since I have been in touch with many of you. Much has happened, and much more is going on, so I want to send this update to all of you. First off, I’m pleased to report that I am hard at work, representing all of us in the Arizona State Senate. My Republican colleagues are, by and large, a great group of folks, committed to the Republican platform and its ideals of limited government, lower taxes, and pro-family policies. The bad news is that the hole that former Governor Napolitano dug us all into ended up being much deeper than any of us imagined. It is difficult to describe the challenge of starting with a budget of $10 Billion and then being told that there is a deficit of $3 Billion. So we have spent our time figuring out how to get Arizona out of this mess without raising taxes and without reducing vital services and programs. With so much of the state’s budget on auto-pilot, that has been a real challenge. Once we finish with that task, we will finally get to work on the remainder of the legislative agenda. I am looking forward to it!    While I have the chance, I want to dedicate a few words to correcting the fantasy that local Democrats and liberal members of the media are trying to sell, namely that the Republicans are in any way "gutting" education funding. No doubt you’ve seen articles or news stories talking about "huge" cuts. The truth is our reduction to K-12 education spending in the 2009 budget was less than 1.3%, averaging $126 per pupil, out of a total expenditure of close to $10,000 per pupil! When you consider that education funding is more than 40% of our overall budget, it becomes obvious that we have gone to great lengths to protect education spending. I expect that the 2010 reduction will be something similar. Times are tough all over and our families are having to make do with less, so it makes sense that government should also get its house and budget in order.    Of course, that’s what Republicans think. Want to know the Democrat’s plan? They came up with their own budget and it was a collection of accounting gimmicks and tax increases. A few token spending cuts but mostly more spending and more taxes. And they claim that Republicans are mean people who don’t care about the working families? They simply do not understand that for working class families and people on fixed incomes, paying $300, $500, $800 a year in additional taxes means doing without necessities. I guess they all feel as then Senator Joe Biden did when he said that paying higher taxes was "patriotic".    Lastly, my 2008 opponent, Cheryl Cage, has already filed to run again and she has begun her campaign with more of the same over-the-top rhetoric that she was known for in the 2008 race. She follows me from town hall meeting to town hall meeting, trying to disrupt things and make scenes, but so far everyone has been relatively polite with her. Naturally, she is back to her message that we are all extremists who hate children, schools, and senior citizens. The voters didn’t buy it in 2008 and its our job to make sure that they don’t buy it in 2010. Cage has filed to run traditionally (rather than taking public financing from Clean Elections) so we are going to have to match her. My campaign consultant says that we need to be prepared to raise and spend around $100,000 on this race, so I need to start raising money and that means that I need to ask each of you to please visit my website at www.VoteAlMelvin.com and click on the Make A Contribution button. The maximum anyone can give is $410, but there is no minimum.    It is important to have lots of contributions, but also to have lots of contributors, so even if you can only give $10, making a contribution is very, very important! Click Here    PLEASE NOTE: There may be some lobbyists or similar folks on my email list. The list is quite large and I can’t tell from the email addresses who everyone is. If you are a lobbyist, PAC, or anyone else who is prohibited from making contributions during the legislative session, please know that my appeal is NOT directed at you. I am NOT soliciting funds from any of these prohibited sources at this time.    Here is a newspaper article about the upcoming 2010 race. I hope that you will read it and that you will feel inspired enough to visit my website and sign up petitions, yard signs, bumper stickers, and any other way that you can help! Recent Newspaper Article    If you are as concerned as I am about the Obama administration's rush to socialism and excessive spending and taxation, I urge you to help me make Arizona a safe haven for freedom in America. We can do this by making the Republican Party in Arizona as strong as possible. Specifically, please do what you can in the following areas:    (1) Become a Republican Precinct Committeeman    (2) Urge your conservative friends who are now registered Independents to reregister as Republcans. As Independents, they are merely standing on the sidelines watching the Obama administration train wreck happen. As Republicans they can join us in taking back our country.    (3) Support and contribute to the Republican Party and our Republican candidates. Help us find more Republican candidates to run for elective office at all levels of government.    (4) Support and participate in future TEA PARTIES. Together, we can make a difference and we will take our country back    That's it for now, but I will keep you updated as the legislative session continues. As always, feel free to contact me directly if you need anything at all and thank you for your continued friendship and support! Please be good enough to forward this email update to your friends and relatives.       Best regards, Al Melvin     Al speaking at a town hall meeting at Pima Community College.     Al speaking at a GOP meeting at McMahon's Steak House. The tall fellow to the left is Jesse Kelly who is running against Rep. Giffords.   Al with Lynne StAngelo, a LD 26 Republican Precinct Committeeman and leader. Al with Joe Higgins, a LD 26 Precinct Committeeman, business leader and radio talk show host on 690 AM.

 

Thank You for All of Your Support! We Won the LD 26 Senate Seat! (NOVEMBER 2008 UPDATE FOR AL MELVIN’S SENATE CAMPAIGN) Dear Friends:    Enough time has passed, the dust has settled, and we finally did it! We are ahead by 2% (1,966 votes) at this time and we are now getting ready to get to work, fighting for Southern Arizona and our great district.    First and foremost, we have to resolve the budget mess that our Governor and the prior Legislature have left us. Make no mistake, they have dug us into an extremely deep hole, and it will take us several years to get us out of it. There are those who think that she will take a job in the Obama administration, but I think the fair thing would be for her to have to stay behind and help us clean up her mess. Of course, if she does run out on our state, she will be replaced by our own Jan Brewer, who would be an excellent leader for our State. Republicans now have 18 out of 30 Arizona Senate seats and 35 out 60 Arizona House of Representatives seats.    I will stay in touch on those issues, but for now, from Kou and myself, please accept our heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for your dedication and sacrifice. You knocked on the doors and made the telephone calls that needed to be made. You spoke with your neighbors, put up yard signs, and worked the polls. Our State Party and our Party Chairman Randy Pullen, in particular, deserve a lot of credit for our Election Day successes while Republican candidates were being defeated in so many other states. And our Party folks down here in Southern Arizona did yeoman's work as well, especially Linda White, who ran our Rancho Vistoso office, and Bruce Ash, our National Committeeman. This is a team victory, and I will remain eternally grateful for all that you have done.    Please enjoy the upcoming holidays and take a well-deserved respite. We can be sure that 2009 will be full of activity, so get rested and ready! Please contact me if you want to become a Republican Precinct Committeeperson; help start a Republican Club in Sun City, Dove Mountain, Oro Valley, Marana, etc; and / or help start a Teen Age Republican Club at one of our local high schools. You can contact me at 520-825-2894, 520-429-8083 or almelvin@wbhsi.net. May God bless each of you and please pray for our country.   Your faithful servant, Al Melvin

 

The General Election Has Begun! OCTOBER UPDATE FOR AL MELVIN’S SENATE CAMPAIGN Dear Friends:    The early ballots began going out on Thursday, October 2nd.  Now is the time to finish the job we began two years ago.    It will not be easy and current polling shows this race is closer that it should be. We will need every vote to win this critical race.  The Democrats are planning to spend a great deal of money in this race and we will be outspent.  But then again, aren’t we always?  We overcome our financial disadvantages by working harder and by having a better message.  Our opponent has recently started taking public positions on a number of issues and her agenda is as extreme as it is liberal.  Southern Arizona and our district cannot afford her spending plans or her tax increases.  Our economy needs help and her plans would only make things worse.  While her tax and spend policies come straight out of the Washington, D.C. liberal policymakers, her extreme positions on social issues like gay marriage and gun control come straight from the left-wing capitols of Europe. CLICK FOR CANDIDATE COMPARISON    My opponent wants increased taxes wherever she can find them. She wants the $250 million dollar property tax increase in the Governor’s current budget and she has stated on her website: “If we build wider paths and encourage the use of alternative forms of transportation like golf carts…we can also license those golf carts. We will make it easy and affordable to do so (perhaps in the range of $20 / year) but that will be another income stream.”    Our job is to spread the word, just like before, telling the truth about our campaign and the extreme positions of our opponent.  We are phone banking from the party office at Rancho Vistoso and putting up yard signs. What can you do to help?  Now is the time!  Please contact us and sign up to help us.  In less than 30 days this election will be over and we will be judged by our ultimate success.  We have come this far together and we need you to win in November. I am pleased to tell you that I have received the following major endorsements:                              *National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB)                              *Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry                              *Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce                              *National Rifle Association (NRA)    As always, please pass this email on to your friends and urge them to visit our website: www.VoteAlMelvin.com.  Kou and I will have a reception at our home on Thursday October 30 from 5 to 7 PM. Everyone is invited. If you can join us, please email me at almelvin@wbhsi.net and I will send you directions to our home. Thank you so much for your continued support.   Best regards Al Melvin p.s.  Don't forget to call if you want a yard sign!   Al speaking at a recent meeting of the Oro Valley Republican Womens' Club.   Al speaking at a senior class government course at AMPHI High School leading up to the Nov 4 General Election.

 

Victory in the Primary! Thank You SEPTEMBER UPDATE FOR AL MELVIN’S SENATE CAMPAIGN Dear Friends: We did it! We were badly outspent but your hard work and dedication helped us to victory in the Republican Primary.  We celebrated that night, but then turned our attention to the November general election. It will not be easy.  The Democrats are running a political consultant and they have promised to spend a lot of money to get her elected.  Helping us to even out the fight is a re-energized Republican Party thanks to the McCain-Palin ticket at the top! Our job is to spread the word, just like before, telling the truth about our campaign and our opponent.  The Democrats want higher taxes, so that they can continue their spending spree. Arizona Democrats want to turn our State Legislature into a local version of the U.S. Congress, controlled by do-nothing, big-spending liberals.  We cannot allow that to happen. Our district and Southern Arizona deserves someone who will look out for our interests and we will do just that.  While our current Democrat State Senator thought that it was “okay” that none of her bills even got a hearing, we know that it is not okay.  We have real needs that are not being met and we must elect a State Senator who can deliver on his promises. Before I finish, I want to say a few kind words about Pete Hershberger.  Pete and I are night and day on the issues and that is something that we both agree on.  Still, he handled himself with grace during the race and during our joint appearances, and he called me to congratulate me when the race was over.  That was a classy move and it is rare in today’s political world.  I imagine that I and other legislators will rely on Pete’s continued input on children’s issues at the State Capitol. Now it is back to work!  Back to knocking on doors, making phone calls, placing signs, hosting meet and greets, and talking to our neighbors about this race. As always, please pass this email on to your friends and urge them to visit our website: www.VoteAlMelvin.com.  And thank you so much for your continued support!   Best regards Al Melvin p.s.  Don't forget to call if you want a yard sign!