Ann Kirkpatrick - for Arizona

Kirkpatrick Campaigning for Better Jobs, Health Care, Education

(Editor's note: The Chronicle had invited all of the candidates for the Congressional District 1 race to participate in election interviews. Ann Kirkpatrick is the only one who responded by press time.)

Page - Ann Kirkpatrick is hoping to turn the tide in Congressional District 1, which has been a Republican stronghold for many years, and provide Democratic representation for the district, which is as large as the state of Illinois.

Kirkpatrick was formerly a representative for Legislative District 2, which covered Flagstaff and the Navajo and Hopi tribes. She has three main focuses for her political platform: jobs, health care and education.

"In District 1, a very rural district, we need jobs, we need health care, we need good schools, and now we need to be able to afford the gas to get to our jobs, get to the doctor's office and to run our school buses," Kirkpatrick said. "This is a really critical time for us and I have to tell you that conditions are worse than they were when I grew up in the White Mountains."

Currently residing in Flagstaff, Kirkpatrick admitted she is angry about the current state of affairs, and she plans to use her anger as an effective tool in bringing change. One thing she is not thrilled with is the No Child Left Behind Act, which she is in favor of repealing, not because she does not think there should be standards in the education system but because the act is the complete opposite of what its title indicates.

"I've been listening to teachers throughout the district, and they're telling me this act is leaving more children behind. They don't like it; they want it to go away," Kirkpatrick said.

The key to making sure students are learning is to hire excellent teachers, she noted, but she doesn't feel the teachers can strive for excellence on the salaries offered now. Kirkpatrick said she was one of the key figures in the Legislature who increased the minimum salary for state teachers from $24,000 to $30,000.

"You've got a low salary and a high cost of living, which makes it really hard to bring teachers to Arizona," she said.

As far as health care, Kirkpatrick labeled it critical. She noted that it was the most frequent issue she has heard from District 1 voters since starting her campaign a year ago.

Approximately 20 percent of Americans have no health care insurance, and it's even worse in this Congressional district, Kirkpatrick said. She pointed out that one-third of the Navajo Nation has no electricity or water, and many tribal members suffer from diabetes.

"These are families that can't keep a refrigerator at home where they need to keep their insulin and fruits and vegetables for the kind of diet that is required," she said. "The system is definitely broken, and my top priority is to make sure every person in this district has access to affordable health care."

Three things Kirkpatrick believes Congress can do in the short term is to reinstate the S-chip program, which helped provide health care to children; find a way to get Medicare to lower the cost of prescriptions, an especially huge problem for seniors; and to require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions.

The job situation in District 1 is poor, in Kirkpatrick's view. For Arizona as a whole, the median income is $32,000, she said, while the median for reservations is only $7,000.

"Everywhere I go, unemployment is high. I was just in Winslow, where unemployment is 17 to 18 percent," she said. "My vision is to bring good jobs - manufacturing jobs - into District 1, but before we can do that, we have to address the infrastructure problem."

Cell phone and broadband Internet coverage is spotty at best in northern Arizona, Kirkpatrick said, and that makes it less attractive for companies who want to come here. She noted that progress was made when she was in the Legislature, but she believes Congress could move it forward much more.

Kirkpatrick also touched on American Indian concerns, noting that the communication and approval processes need to be streamlined in order to more effectively cater to the 11 reservations that exist in District 1's boundaries.

Kirkpatrick stepped down from her seat in the Legislature shortly after current Rep. Rick Renzi was indicted on federal charges involving his businesses. Besides there being a law saying she could not hold one elected position while seeking another, she knew it would take a long time to cover the entire district and find out about voters' concerns.

"One of the things I want to do is cover - I think I counted one day - the 84 small towns, and I wanted to be there so they could meet their candidate," Kirkpatrick said. "We're still campaigning off my kitchen table in Flagstaff."

Although the district has been represented by Republicans for years, Kirkpatrick believes she has a good chance of convincing moderates to come to her side. Living and raising a family in the district helps. Another positive in her favor is her position on gun control, which is contrary to the traditional Democratic line.

"I'm opposed to gun control. I support gun ownership and responsible use of guns," Kirkpatrick said. "That's a product of the district I grew up in - my dad, my uncle. I was a pretty good shot in high school."

She also wants to make sure this country's natural resources are protected. Kirkpatrick said she is very displeased that the National Park Service's budget has been cut and vowed to bring the budget back up. She noted that the increase in park fees is due to a lack of funding from Congress.

"Going to the national parks used to be what families did for vacations," Kirkpatrick said. "The fees have really become a burden on working families, but on the other hand, the park service has to run."