A big roster of state, county and local candidates shared their visions for the offices they seek at the October meeting of Fountain Hills Liberal Ladies, which had over 100 people in attendance.

Arizona Attorney General candidate Kris Mayes promised to focus on doing what’s in the public interest in contrast to her opponent, who she said remains adamant about decertifying the 2020 election and eliminating voting by mail.

Mayes also reminded the group that reproductive rights are on the ballot, with Arizona women now under the reinstated law from 1864, a time when women weren’t allowed to vote. The law mandates a minimum two- to five-year prison sentence for anyone who helps a woman obtain an abortion. Mayes promises that as state attorney general, she would not prosecute under this law.

Another top priority for Mayes will be protecting Arizona’s water supplies and working to cancel the low-cost lease the state has with a Saudi Arabian corporation that has been pumping water from Phoenix’s backup water supply in western Arizona to grow alfalfa that is shipped back to Saudi Arabia.

Lauren Kuby is a senior sustainability scientist at Arizona State University who is a climate activist running for Arizona Corporation Commission, “the most important office no one’s ever heard of,” Kuby said addressing the club.

Kuby said that during a climate crisis and the worst drought in Arizona history, nearly three-quarters of voters want to see a transition to clean energy. Kuby plans to help bring the wishes of the majority to fruition by expanding access to solar, investing in energy efficiency and supporting a just and equitable transition toward a 21st-century clean energy system. She said that it’s critical that all who share these values also vote for Sandra Kennedy, who is on the ballot seeking re-election.

Maricopa County Attorney hopeful Julie Gunnigle has her sights set on fighting costly, historic corruption in the county attorney’s office.

Gunnigle is also fighting to protect people from abortion prosecutions and applying evidence-based addiction treatment options to reduce the state’s costly incarceration rates, which are among the highest in the nation.

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman plans to build on the many successful programs she has championed and implemented during her time in office.

One particular program is the collaboration between the Arizona Department of Education with the non-profit crowdfunding organization DonorsChoose.org, which helps public school educators get classroom resources they might otherwise not have. It’s expected to provide more than 8,300 public school teachers with up to $600 in funding for their projects, empowering them to support student academic success with classroom resources.

As a new mother, Hoffman said “thinking about my daughter adds urgency to solving these issues that are so important to our students.”

Retired schoolteacher Lillian Acker is running for the Fountain Hills School Board.

“I care about our schools, I care about how we treat our teachers…and how we treat each other,” Acker said. “It’s very important that our teachers be treated as the professionals that they are.”

FHUSD Superintendent Dr. Cain Jagodzinski and former FHUSD superintendent Dr. Patrick Sweeney also presented Liberal Ladies with an overview of the district’s capital bond and override items on November’s ballot and why it’s imperative that “we vote yes.”

The 10% budget override will support critical and ongoing safety and security plans, renovations and improvements, technology upgrades, textbooks and online resources for students, they explained.