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Scottsdale candidates debate jobs, immigration

CLEAN ELECTION: John Kavanagh (left) and John Kriekard (right) debate Tuesday night as they battle in the polls for the House of Representative position in District 8. (Photo by Scott Stuk)
CLEAN ELECTION: John Kavanagh (left) and John Kriekard (right) debate Tuesday night as they battle in the polls for the House of Representative position in District 8. (Photo by Scott Stuk)

Job creation and immigration reform were hot topics at a loosely attended debate among four candidates in state Legislative District 8 Tuesday night.

The district encompasses most of Scottsdale, Fountain Hills and Rio Verde, and its current legislators are all Republican.

House Republican candidate Michelle Ugenti connected the importance of Senate Bill 1070, Arizona’s immigration law, and the money the state loses on illegal immigrants at the Clean Elections debate held at ASU’s Kerr Cultural Center in Scottsdale.

“[The bill] addresses two key issues,” Ugenti said. “It addresses the rule of law and the $2.5 billion that we spend on illegal immigrants.”

House Democratic candidate John Kriekard disagreed with the $2.5 billion figure.

“Some of it is education, but that’s a guess because we cannot ask immigration status at the time of enrollment,” Kriekard said. “To devise policy based on guess work is really risky.”

After the debate, Ugenti said her numbers were based on estimates by the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a nonprofit group that is against amnesty, wants secure borders and limited immigration to the U.S.

“They use all the latest methods and protocols,” she said after the debate. “There’s no doubt [illegal immigrants] cost Arizona money in incarceration, education and health care.”

Candidates talked about reforming the tax code to make Arizona more attractive to out-of-state businesses, which led to an audience member’s question of how to fund programs that would give these tax cuts to new businesses.

Incumbent John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, said those cuts will be paid for through the increase that will come from more sales tax revenue.

“Right to our west we have California, which has taken a very bad way of taxing itself out of this recession,” Kavanagh said. “By phasing these tax cuts in, we will achieve far more with increased revenue from these businesses and with these jobs than if we taxed.”

Senate Democratic candidate Stuart Turnansky, who ran for the District 8 office in 2004, said economic difficulties will not be solved by throwing government money at the problems.

“The solution is not willy-nilly tax cuts,” Turnansky said. “If we have tax cuts, they need to be aimed at specific places that will bring about real job creation.”

Turnansky is challenged in the Senate race by Rep. Michele Reagan, R-Scottsdale, who could not attend the debate because of a prior engagement.

The would-be incumbent in that race, Rep. Carolyn S. Allen, R-Scottsdale, has exceeded her four-term limit, leaving her seat open.

Reach the reporter at ymgonzal@asu.edu


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