On Nov. 2, Arizona voters should have more on their minds than just the governor’s race or the fate of Congress, as there’s another significant race that shouldn’t be forgotten. The attorney general is Arizona’s top legal officer and is in charge of the state’s largest law firm. The attorney general works to prosecute criminals throughout the state, including drug and human smugglers and those who commit mortgage and accounting fraud, and acts as a financial watchdog by enforcing regulations on businesses. This November, the correct choice for this office is obvious: Arizonans should vote for Felecia Rotellini.
Rotellini is an aggressive prosecutor who has spent the last 18 years in the Office of the Attorney General. In 2006, she was named superintendent of the State Banking Department, in charge of supervising and licensing financial institutions. She has also had extensive trial experience and knows how the attorney general’s office works. It would be hard to find someone with as much prosecuting experience as Rotellini.
The attorney general’s office is one that should be above politics. Its purpose is to enforce the laws of our state, not to interpret the laws or go after politically popular pet projects. Rotellini, although running as a Democrat, is far from an ideologue. Her opponent likes to paint her as a spokesperson for the Obama administration, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. She’s a prosecutor, not a politician. For example, while she is personally opposed to S.B. 1070, she says she recognizes that it’s not the attorney general’s job to pick and choose which laws to enforce.
Her opponent, current State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, is nothing more than an ambitious politician with a track record of failure. Horne currently is in charge of the Arizona public school system, which is widely regarded as one of the worst in the country. He describes himself as a strong conservative, but this description only shows his desire to bring politics into an ideally apolitical office. The state already has enough “”strong conservatives”” in office and could use someone a little more objective as attorney general.
In addition, the attorney general must be ethical, something Horne is definitely not. In fact, due to his former investment company violating federal regulations, he has a lifetime trading ban from the Securities and Exchange Commission. In other words, it is illegal for him to ever talk about securities to a consumer. Should someone who has a lifetime ban from the SEC really be allowed to prosecute fraud in the state of Arizona? Horne defends himself by saying this happened 40 years ago, which is true, but you don’t get banned for life for over something insignificant. This may have happened a long time ago, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important.
This is one race where people shouldn’t vote based on the “”R”” or “”D”” next to the candidate’s name. It’s an office that requires someone with experience, drive and intelligence. Rotellini is an extremely smart, quick-witted, highly experienced attorney who has worked to protect Arizona consumers. Horne is nothing more than an ideologically driven, overly ambitious politician looking for personal gain and a step toward the governor’s office. He has a terrible record as superintendent of public instruction and a lifetime ban from the SEC. Due to Horne’s obsession with party politics and Rotellini’s excellent qualifications, the choice for attorney general couldn’t be clearer: vote for Felecia Rotellini on Nov. 2.
— Andrew Shepherd is a political science senior. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
