Incumbent Arizona Representative Brenda Barton
Sedona AZ (June 4, 2012) – On June 7, 2012 Arizona State Representative Brenda Barton will be a guest of the Sedona Republican Men’s Club in Sedona, Arizona. During the past legislative session, Representative Barton was a strong advocate of HB 2127, the Multimedia Production and Incentives measure that she believed would have greatly benefited the Verde Valley and LD6 if passed.
“I am the present incumbent Arizona Representative for LD6 and a member of the Centennial 50th Arizona Legislature. Indeed yes I am running for re-election this November,” said Representative Barton.
“I serve as Vice Chairman of the House Committee on Higher Education, Innovation and Reform, and am a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Agriculture and Water Committee. I am the Arizona representative to the Council of State Governments West Energy and Natural Resources Committee. This past year I was one of three Arizona House members selected to attend the Western Legislative Academy in Colorado Springs. Together with my husband Bruce, I live in Payson Arizona where I have resided since October 2011.”
Born in Safford, Arizona, Representative Barton is a fifth generation native of rural eastern Arizona. In 1871, her great-great grandfather established the first crossing on the Colorado River, Lee’s Ferry. In 1880, the family settled in Lee Valley near Greer in the White Mountains. Her maternal great-great grandfather, also an Arizona Pioneer, rests in the Lebanon cemetery just west of the family’s historic homestead in Artesia where Representative Barton spent her early years.
In the late 1980s, now Rep. Barton began a career in public service with the City of Safford where she served in both the Accounting and Materials Management departments. During the end of her tenure with the city, Barton was tasked to lead a group of employees in drafting the City of Safford Vision Statement subsequently adopted by its City Council.
By the mid-1990s, public events drew Brenda Barton into political activism. Activist Barton became an elected officer of People for the West, a land and property rights group. She considers herself a veteran of the Sage Brush Rebellion that swept the Western Lands States from the 1970s into the 1990s.
Rep. Barton is a two-term past president of the Graham County Republican Women, and a two term Region III Director on the State Board of the Arizona Republican Women. A graduate of the second class of the Dodie Londen Excellence in Public Service series, Barton was elected to the Arizona House in 2010 and was appointed as State Director of Women in Government, a bipartisan national organization of women elected officials.
Representative Barton lists her achievements with the Arizona State 50th Legislature as follows:
- Signed into Law – Author; Government Transparency Act of 2011; Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). Requires local governments to make available to the public in a printable format, in a highly visible location on their official website access to their C.A.F.R. This is the document bonding agencies use to rate government entities for credit worthiness. They are the gold standard in municipal financial reporting (Rep. Barton).
- Signed into Law – Author; HB 2610 allowing professional real estate firms to advertise via signage properties that are for rent or for lease. Also makes some adjustments to political signage.
- Authored Resolution Declaring “I Love You Arizona” by Rex Allen Jr the Official Arizona Centennial Song
- Signed into Law – Author; HB 2457, Hunter’s Safety Act permits lawful possession of a secondary weapon while hunting as long as the secondary weapon is not used in the taking of game.
- During the 2011 Special Session amended the draft Jobs Bill to achieve a level playing field between rural Arizona communities and urbanized Maricopa and Pima Counties by threshold adjustments for tax incentive benefits.
- Author HB 2458, Wildfire First Responders State Primacy – held in committee
- Author HB 2459, Forest Restoration and Federal Coordination – held in committee
The above list is not comprehensive and does not include all sponsorships, co-sponsorships and legislation Rep. Barton worked to pass or to defeat.
Rep. Barton said in closing, “The Transparency in Government bill was a campaign promise made and kept.”
Representative Brenda Barton may be contacted at the Arizona House of Representatives,Capitol Complex, Room 124, 1700 West Washington Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85007-2890. The Sedona Republican Men’s Club meetings are held at Los Abrigados Resort and Spa, 179 Portal Lane, Sedona Arizona 86336.
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Verde Valley Republican Women’s June meeting will feature Bob Burns, who previously served as a member of the Arizona State Senate; Susan Bitter Smith, a native Arizonan, and Executive Director of the Arizona New Mexico Cable Communications Association; and Bob Stump, who serves as a member of the House Water and Agriculture Committee.
The meeting will be held at 11:30 a.m. (doors open at 11:00 a.m. for meet and greet) at the Los Abrigados Resort located at Highway 179 and Portal Lane in Sedona AZ 86336.
Please come, bring a friend, enjoy a delicious lunch for $16 all inclusive and hear from the Arizona Corporation Commission candidates. RESERVATIONS PLEASE call 928-284-4248 or email sesek@q.com. Visit our website at http://www.Azfrw.com.
To those who trash Arizona and America,
Is trashing our Arizona and American highways how we honor our Armed Forces, veterans and residents?
Unless you have participated in several highway litter clean-up events, there’s a chance this editorial and letter to Governor Brewer will have little impact your point of view….. possibly out of sight, out of mind will apply.
The forensics of the Arizona highway trash clearly indicates that the top three contributors to the trash that lines our highways come from our construction trades, beverage containers and smokers.
Those of us who clean the highways recover thousands of soft drink and alcohol containers every year. Why isn’t Arizona mentioned along with California, Connecticut, Guam, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon and Vermont for having a bottle bill? How safe is it to drive our Arizona highways?
How about a deposit on cigarette cartons and packages?
Where is Keep America Beautiful when you need their support to promote these beverage deposits in every state and bring the industries who produce these litter products to the “problem solvers table”?
Where are the soft drink, alcohol beverage, and fast food industries efforts to solve the problems its customers bring to our highways and reward the groups who pick up this trash?
The following letter was sent to Governor Jan Brewer with the hope of stimulating the Arizona economy through true beautification that attracts residents, tourists, businesses and jobs.
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May 5, 2012
Governor Jan Brewer
Arizona Executive Tower
1700 West Washington Street
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Dear Governor Brewer,
I am sending you several Folksville USA Newsletters and media stories in an effort to bring attention to the efforts of what I would consider the best team of 30 Adopt-A-Highway Groups (AAHG) in the entire state of Arizona and possibly the nation. If you Google “Folksville USA” you will see what has been happening in Arizona’s Verde Valley to restore the beauty to America’s and Arizona’s highways as reported by many local news media organizations.
If this group of 30 ADOT AAHG’s could be recognized by your office, based on their efforts, to make our Verde Valley highways appealing to those who travel to our area as tourists, new residents, new home buyers and new businesses who may bring employment opportunities that would be appreciated.
Those who started the “Road Warriors” in 2009 have convinced 30 Adopt-A-Highway Groups that if they honor their commitment to the ADOT AAH Program that we can make a difference and a difference we have made in the cleanliness of our highways.
If you’re able to visit Scenic Highway 89A between Cottonwood and Sedona plus Highway 260 between Cottonwood and Camp Verde you will see proof positive that these sections of highway are unusually clean. We have just added several other one-mile sections of highway to bring our total miles of highway to 50.
As a Vietnam veteran and citizen of Arizona, I along with many others are outraged at the filth of our Arizona Veterans Highway (I-17), Purple Heart highway (I-40) and our Pearl Harbor Highway (I-10). Is this how we honor our veterans? Is this how we attract people and businesses to our state?
If Arizona’s Adopt-A-Highway Program is to be effective then ADOT must properly manage this program! If ADOT wants it’s volunteers to clean their one-mile sections of highway then ADOT must make it safe and mow these sections two times per year and insist that all groups clean their sections 3 times or more per year. If these volunteers can’t clean and provide 9 hours of effort per year then I, as a tax payer, suggest that their ADOT AAH signs be removed immediately. If ADOT can’t properly manage the Adopt-A-Highway Program then maybe this task could be given to our former and current “missions driven” veterans who are well prepared to make it happen.
As you are aggravated over the lack of the Federal Government protecting our border, I’m equally aggravated at the Director of ADOT and the ADOT Adopt-A-Highway managers for not mowing the highways and cutting back the brush which allows those of us who want to honor our ADOT AAH commitment possible.
Clean highways bring economic benefits to Arizona, who wants to live in a dump? I would like us to work together on restoring the beauty to Arizona’s highways.
Gary Chamberlain
“Point Man” FVUSA
Cornville, AZ
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Isn’t it time for the residents of Arizona to let those who manage the taxpayer funded ADOT Adopt-A-Highway program know that we want them to do their job and properly manage the ADOT Adopt-A-Highway Program.
Could we be better served if we paid our Armed Forces men and women veterans to mow and clean our highways? After all, it was several veterans who started the Road Warriors of Folksville USA and increased the participation of 30 ADOT Groups from 25% to 90% honoring their commitment for 30 miles of highway.
It’s time for those folks who have their names on the ADOT Adopt-A-Highway signs throughout the state to honor their commitment of…..per ADOT’s web page…
Volunteer groups adopt a two mile section along available State, Interstate, or United States highway. Groups sign up by completing a two year permit application. We generally ask that groups perform cleanups three to four times each year. Members of the Adopt a Highway Volunteer Program should be volunteers and not paid to pick up litter. Groups can partner with other volunteer groups, but may not pay another group or company to pick up litter.
Many of the ADOT regulations discourage participation and Folksville USA (FVUSA) is trying, without success to change these crippling regulations. ADOT has yet to convince FVUSA that they (ADOT) truly understand the word “partnering” they pretend to promote.
The “Broken window theory” that apples to neighborhoods also applies to our highways and communities.
For those who wish to join our effort to restore the beauty to Arizona’s highways e-mail FolksvilleUSA@gmail.com. Our next event is August 18, 2012 and we are targeting 50 miles of highway.
Gary Chamberlain “Point Man” FVUSA
Governor Brewer,
I applaud Gary Chamberlain and those who not only talk about an issue but act on them. I worked, retired and lived in Michigan for 30 years and saw the destruction of what was a great state and now many cities going bankrupt and being taken over by the state. On my last visit to Michigan a few months ago not only did I see vacant buildings the increase of crime but the decrease of services and now the roads and country side littered with trash that people left behind. One of the reasons that I retired to Arizona was how beautiful this state is and how so many people like Gary Chamberlin care about our state. I agree with Gary that clean highways bring economic benefits to Arizona. I think that it is all of our responsibility to help in his efforts to keep Arizona that great state it is.
Jim Iacovacci, Cornville AZ
I’d like to add my congratulations to Mr. Chamberlain and his team!! What PATRIOTS they are!! Seeing a problem, reaching a solution, and acting upon it…no greater proof of the EXCEPTIONALISM in these GREAT and BELOVED United States and what her people, acting alone, WITHOUT government intervention, to accomplish!!
Thank you for your service, Mr. Chamberlain, and for the amount of work it must have taken to provide such a wonderful way for people to participate and see the results of their labor!! A job WELL DONE, sir!!
Sincerely yours,
Jackie Hardy
Georgia, USA
I was recently traveling in Washington, Oregon, Utah and Nevada.
Washington wasn’t as bad as our Cottonwood area but it wasn’t good.
Oregon and Utah were really clean. Oregon has a published littering penalty of $2625. It was really clean!
Utah has no published penalty and it was really clean.
Nevada was as bad as our Cottonwood area but it doesn’t have a published littering penalty that I saw.
Maybe a higher penalty would work? I do know that the broken window theory seems to be true for many things.
Brenda Barton does not maintain a residence in her district. She instead lives with non-blood relatives in East Mesa