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After getting some local attorneys and Demo- crats all jazzed about a potential run for Pima County attorney, Paul Eckerstrom says he won't be a candidate for the job.

An assistant attorney general and former chairman of the Pima County Democratic Party, Eckerstrom had been floating the idea of launching a primary challenge against Democratic incumbent Barbara LaWall.

LaWall was considered vulnerable due to criticisms of how she's handled a number of things, most notably, the prosecution of Bradley Schwartz.

Eckerstrom says his decision to stay out was based solely on

family reasons.

"Ultimately, I'm unwilling to sacrifice the best interests of my family on the altar of political ambition," Eckerstrom told Notebook.

The Arizona Federation of Taxpayers, a conservative group in Phoenix that believes in small government, has come out with its legislative scorecard, and Southern Arizona lawmakers didn't do too well.

State Rep. Steve Farley, a Midtown Democrat, had the worst score in the Legislature, right behind Phil Lopes, minority leader of the House. Farley, though, wears the ranking as a badge of honor.

"My low ranking evidently has something to do with me standing up for the rights of local governments to serve their citizens by providing the services citizens demand, and pointing out that supply-side economics is irrational fantasy — you don't gain more revenues by giving away money to the wealthiest citizens," Farley said in his monthly newsletter.

Others from south of the Gila River didn't do much better. State Sen. Victor Soltero and Reps. Tom Prezelski, Manuel Alvarez and Lena Saradnik, all Democrats, came in as "big government champions."

Democrats Olivia Cajero Bedford, Charlene Pesquiera, Linda Lopez, Paula Aboud, Marsha Arzberger, Jorge Luis Garcia and David Bradley, along with Republicans Jennifer Burns, Marian McClure, Pete Hershberger and Jonathan Paton, were "big government friends."

The highest-scoring Southern Arizonan was Republican Tim Bee, president of the Senate, and even he "needs improvement."

But for those who say the listing is partisan, it ain't necessarily so. Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano and Aboud both scored higher than Paton, considered a conservative. And state Sen. Ken Cheuvront, a Phoenix Democrat and "taxpayer ally," scored better than anyone in our neck of the woods.

Interestingly, the leader of the group is Tom Jenney, a former Tucsonan and graduate of University High School who went through school with a certain Southern Arizona congresswoman.

Keep in mind, all kinds of organizations have rankings, using their own formulas and cherry-picking particular votes.

For example, last year, the federation docked lawmakers for voting in favor of GPS monitoring of those convicted of dangerous crimes against kids. This year there doesn't appear to be anything quite as controversial on its list, but the bills and scores are all through the lens of what is most certainly a political organization.

Several readers called to inquire why Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden will not be appearing on the Arizona presidential preference election ballot.

The answer: His campaign never filed the necessary paperwork. Maybe Jim Nintzel over at the Tucson Weekly, who helped 20 regular people get on the ballot, could have offered some assistance.