Together for nearly 40 years, Mayor Linda Kavanagh and her husband, State Rep. John Kavanagh, have a relationship that’s persevered because of, or in spite of, a shared passion for politics.

“We’ve always had an interest in politics,” John said.

He served on the board of health and eventually ran for the town council in Lafayette, N.J. when the issue of a polluting landfill drew their attention.

Linda was a member of the planning board in Lafayette and was president of the board of directors for the private school their children attended.

When they came to Fountain Hills John wanted to become active in civic affairs and became a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission.

“Linda suggested Parks and Rec because it would be non-controversial,” John said. “I ended up smack in the middle of a controversy over trails in the washes.”

Linda served with the Chamber of Commerce taking an interest in economic development.

One thing they say they both have learned is you need to have a vote to get things done.

“If you want to influence policy, you need the vote (on issues),” John said.

Linda said there were a lot of good ideas that came out of the Chamber, but they could not be implemented without a seat at the (council) table.

Linda has been mayor for one year, and while John has served as state representative since 2006, this past session was a different experience as they discussed issues.

“It was one party informing the other,” John said. “With the (sales tax) issue, Linda informed me about the town’s concerns and I looked into it.

“The speaker assigned it to my committee and we tried to work out the issues with stakeholder meetings. The governor’s office got impatient and it was moved to the Senate.”

Linda said that without John’s involvement she does not believe the concerns of the cities and towns about the construction sales tax would have been addressed.

Animal issues

When Linda received a frantic call from a mother last fall when her child brought a rabbit home as a carnival prize, she first turned to John.

“We investigated and discussed closing the loophole in state law that allows live animals and prizes, but the chairman of the Agriculture Committee would not hear it,” John said.

That is when Linda brought the issue to the Town Council, which voted to ban the use of live animals as prizes for carnival games.

“This is something that has had nationwide impact,” Linda said. “I’ve been hearing from people as far away as Philadelphia about the ordinance.

“It has been good publicity for Fountain Hills.”

John said he would try again in 2015 to make a change in the state law, but he also said the Arizona Humane Society is looking at putting the question on the ballot.

Perspective

While the Kavanaghs don’t always agree, they do provide one another with perspective from the point of view of the other legislative body.

“I understand the state has different positions and priorities,” Linda said, but using the state Highway User Revenue Fund as an example, she added, “I’d like to encourage the legislature to find other ways to fund items. We need HURF.”

“We have a limited pot of money,” John said. “When you have to look at everything, you see things differently.

“I still advocate for the town, the HURF money will come back.”

Next year the Kavanaghs will be running at the same time for election. The legislature has mandated that all municipal elections for office be held in the fall at the same time as state, county and federal races.

John is in his last term in the House and said he will be running for the Senate seat now held by Michele Reagan. He said every indication is that she will be running for secretary of state in 2014.

Linda indicates she will be seeking a second term two-year as mayor.

Running at the same time presents a fundraising disadvantage, according to John, since they depend on donations from the same people.

However, he believes there is a ballot advantage with the increased name recognition there will be with both names on the ballot.

“They probably cancel each other out,” he said.

The Kavanaghs seem to agree one of the biggest advantages to holding office at different levels is the communication aspect.

“It is important to realize it can be a great asset to keep the lines of communication open,” Linda said. “The Legislature can help us.”

John adds, “It helps you to remember the details of local issues with local perspective. In the legislature it is like flying at 10,000 feet.”