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BIPARTISANSHIP TO BE TESTED “That’s just the way politics is,” he said. “We’ll get along
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36 when we can. … Obviously, we have disagreements, and I
think that will continue to be the case.”
He certainly had his disagreements with Bolding,
But it’s no surprise they rarely agree, and it doesn’t take much who placed blame for Arizona’s education funding crisis
to coax the party politics out again. squarely on the shoulders of the GOP.
at was evident when a panel of lawmakers talked about the “If you consistently are cutting taxes 25 of the last 26
next legislative session at a November 16 conference of public years, you don’t have revenue, and then a crisis occurs,
school board members, administrators, and nance o cials. then you have to sell the buildings – you were in the
Rep. Charlene Fernandez, D-Yuma, was optimistic about majority,” Bolding said. “You made the decision, and now
bipartisanship. we have to suffer.”
“Everything good about the state of Arizona has happened Mesnard did not take the critique lightly.
because Democrats and Republicans worked on it together,” “Time and again, this is the Republican perspective,
she said. we see the Democrats being late to the game, saying, ‘Oh,
Fernandez will lead Democrats in her chamber as House you should’ve done this.’ Except when we tried to do that,
minority leader starting in January. you opposed it,” Mesnard said, referring to a proposed
Rep. Reginald Bolding, D-Laveen, will serve in leadership temporary tax increase that went to the voters during the
with her as co-whip. recession. “Whatever we do is wrong, according to you.”
He said Democrats are open and ready to work with the Mesnard offered the 20 by 2020 teacher pay raise plan
majority from day one, but he put the onus on the Republicans as an example.
to include them. He said Democrats would never say the plan was a good
“Members of the majority will have to step back and ask thing, and he criticized them for characterizing the plan as
themselves if they want to really work with the other side,” he a drop in the bucket.
said. Fernandez did applaud Republicans for the raise, but
House Speaker J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, was the contrarian. not without a caveat.
Mesnard will be joining the Senate in 2019 after fending o “Yes, the Republicans did pass the 20 by 2020 plan,” she
a challenge by Democrat Steve Weichert in Legislative District said. “But by golly, it took about 70,000 people in red to
17, but he had some parting thoughts for the House and its new come to state Legislature to make it happen.”
dynamic. And she said the people who marched on the Capitol
Despite the tight split coming to the House, he said were there for much more.
Republicans would still be in the majority in both chambers. “It wasn’t just teacher pay raises that they were coming
Conversations will have to happen on both sides, but he said for,” she said. “They were talking about their classrooms
they’re bound to diverge. not being equipped with the resources that they need.
They were talking about their
roofs leaking. They were talking
about classrooms that had 30
kids and 25 desks. This is what
the teachers asked of us. … Our
constituents wanted public
education funded.”
Mesnard acknowledged the
Red for Ed movement had an
effect on everyone, not just
lawmakers, but he said to suggest
Republicans weren’t already
heading in that direction before
the teachers’ strike earlier this
year was factually inaccurate.
Ultimately, it was just another
disagreement not likely to be
resolved anytime soon, with or
without Democrats closing in on
the majority.
And it’s a disagreement that
is sure to arise again in the
upcoming session.

38 THE EDGE | WINTER 2019