Page 32 - The Edge - Fall 2018

CAPITOL MEDIA SERVICES CONTRIBUTING STORY

BY HOWARD FISCHER
Carolyn Warner, former

superintendent of education, dead at 88
Warner
Carolyn Warner, who died Oct. 9, 2018, could have been Department of Public Safety not to cooperate into an
the first woman governor of Arizona if it weren’t for Bill investigation of death threats involving two aides.
Schulz. He died in 2008.
And the state would have been spared the political In the years after leaving politics directly, Warner and
wounds of having to impeach and convict a sitting former state schools aide Dave Bolger formed Corporate/
governor. Education Consulting Inc., a consulting, speaking and
After losing the general election in 1986, Warner, who training firm. But she remained an active supporter of
had been state school superintendent, said she thought Democratic candidates and was a super-delegate for
that Arizona just wasn’t ready for a woman to be the state’s Hillary Clinton in 2008 even as then-Gov. Janet Napolitano
chief executive. backed Barack Obama.
But the truth is more complicated. And, curiously Four years ago she endorsed David Garcia in his
enough, her defeat at the hands of Republican Ev Mecham unsuccessful race for school superintendent against
did eventually lead to the first woman governor two years Republican Diane Douglas.
later as Secretary of State Rose Mofford after Mecham was That did not stop Douglas from having some nice words
ousted. about Warner on Wednesday.
Born in 1930 in Oklahoma, Warner was active in “Although we were from different sides of the political
Democratic politics there. aisle, there was no other former superintendent of public
After moving to Arizona in 1953 she and husband Ron instruction that was nearly as gracious and kindhearted
ran a high-end furniture store in Phoenix before she to me as Carolyn,’’ Douglas said in a prepared statement.
decided to get directly involved in statewide politics by Douglas also said that Warner remained active on
running for schools chief in 1974. She was elected as the education issues, with the pair serving together as co-
first non-educator ever to that position, serving for three chairs of the Career and Technical Education Quality Skills
four-year terms, as this was before term limits. Commission.
There was a bid in 1976 for U.S. Senate, but she lost the She is the author of four books, including “The Last
primary to Pima County Attorney Dennis DeConcini. Word: A Treasury of Women’s Quotations.’’
The 1986 gubernatorial race came as incumbent Arizona finally got its first elected woman governor in
Democrat Bruce Babbitt chose to focus his energies on 1998 in Republican Jane Hull. She actually had become
a bid for president. Warner became the party’s nominee, governor the year before after Symington was forced to
with Mecham becoming the GOP standard-bearer after resign after being indicted on charges of fraud.
defeating House Majority Leader Burton Barr in a bitter
primary.
But then Democrat Bill Schulz, who had run for U.S. “Although we were from
Senate in 1980 against Barry Goldwater, decided he
wanted a shot at the state’s top office. So he became a different sides of the political
political independent and poured $2.2 million of his own
cash on the race, a huge amount at the time. aisle, there was no other former
The result was that Mecham picked up 343,913 votes
against 298,986 for Warner -- and Schulz tallying 224,085. superintendent of public
State lawmakers subsequently got voters to amend the
Arizona Constitution to require someone to get at least 50 instruction that was nearly as
percent of the vote to get elected. But that was repealed
after the 1990 gubernatorial race forced a runoff between gracious and kindhearted to me as
Democrat Terry Goddard and Republican Fife Symington.
Mecham was subsequently found guilty by the state Carolyn,.’
Senate of illegally lending $850,000 of proceeds from an — State School Superintendent Diane Douglas
inaugural ball to his Glendale Pontiac dealership and
of obstruction of justice for telling the director of the

32 THE EDGE | FALL 2018