Education
My kids needed a different path and the ESA made it possible
A mother of three kids with dyslexia on what Arizona's ESA scholarship made possible, and why she's worried about the ballot measure that would change it.
All essays
Voices archive, page 2
Representation
The most powerful person in politics isn't who you think
Former state senator Steve Kaiser argues that the most powerful influence on a politician is an informed constituent. He walks through how voters can build real civic relationships with the people who represent them.
Legislature
Putting "represent" back in representative
The bipartisan town hall has all but disappeared from Arizona politics. A freshman legislator decided to hold three anyway, and found that civility still holds when voters get room to be heard.
Early childhood
If Arizona wants better education outcomes, we must start earlier
Education doesn't start in kindergarten. If Arizona wants stronger schools, a stable workforce, and a healthier economy, we have to take the years before kindergarten seriously.
Arizona identity
Arizona: Where identities are built, not inherited
A transplant from Iowa reflects on how Arizona's culture of freedom and accountability transformed his understanding of opportunity—from personal advancement to a calling to build, serve, and become.
Political identity
We must be more than our political identities
“The strength of our nation depends on our ability to see ourselves—and others—as more than who we vote for. Our country needs you and me to be more than our political identities.”
Filibuster
A former congressman's warning: Don't kill the filibuster
As Republicans push to end the filibuster, a former GOP congressman urges restraint — and offers a lesson from history.
Journalism
Why I stay in the arena
I’ve spent more than three decades in Arizona’s public life — most of it in media, where the job is to observe, analyze, and, at times, amplify the noise. For a long time, that felt like enough. You cover the story. You move on to the next one. But something changed. In recent years, especially around our elections, I found myself less interested in the daily headlines and more drawn to what was happening underneath them. The arguments were getting louder, the lines sharper, the trust thinner.
Civility
A new home for civic voices across Arizona
We're launching Arizona Talks Voices: a new platform for the kind of writing that civic life has been calling for.
