Other articles by Brian J. Pedersen:

Ground under road, park projects rich in history Kids' desert tips for newcomers Candidate charges conflict of interest Cops catch speeders in Thornydale work zone Ex-assistant chief's hearing to start Only Democratic candidates show up at District 25 debate Foothills swath chilly to annexing Luxury living takes long-range planning Paving of critical route nearly done Catalina Foothills annexation proposal likely over before it starts

Education
Assessment Technology, Inc
Social Studies Content Writer Health Care
Rio Salado College
PA's/Online Instructors General
CORT
Warehouse Supervisor General
CORT
WAREHOUSE/DRIVER Construction
Komatsu Equipment Co
Mechanic

The same two Democrats have occupied Legislative District 27's House seats for the past three terms, leaving some to wonder why fellow Democrat John Kromko would want to challenge the longtime incumbents.

"I called John and asked him, 'Why are you running?' " Rep. Olivia Cajero Bedford joked during a debate Tuesday night at Pima Community College's district office on East Broadway in Midtown. "Am I not doing a good job?"

Rep. Phil Lopes, who like Cajero Bedford is seeking his fourth term in the House, noted that in 1988 he decided against running for a seat because Kromko, who spent 14 years in the Legislature, was running for re-election.

Kromko, less than a year after his unsuccessful backing of a city ballot proposition that would have limited Tucson's new water hookups and use of reclaimed water, told the crowd of about 50 that he had no specific reason for challenging Cajero Bedford and Lopes other than he felt "I'd do a good job."

His answer quickly changed, however, when the three primary candidates were asked how they would vote on an upcoming ballot initiative that would increase the state sales tax to pay for transportation improvements.

"I just remembered why I was running," Kromko said. "It's a tragic thing that someone would fall for a scam like this. This is a deliberate attempt to shift the burden from the rich to the poor."

Both Lopes and Cajero Bedford said they planned to vote for the initiative, which would raise the state's sales tax by 17.9 percent — from 5.6 to 6.6 cents on each dollar spent — for 30 years. Cajero Bedford said she would have preferred having the measure call for just a half-cent-per-dollar increase during the first 15 years.

Lopes, the House minority leader, noted on several occasions Tuesday that he helped craft the recently approved state budget. He said increasing taxes sometimes is the only alternative.

"The choice we had was this or nothing," Lopes said. "Those are the kinds of choices we have to make."

Most of the issues discussed Tuesday found Lopes and Cajero Bedford on one side and Kromko on the other.

When it came to baseball spring training, the incumbents both voiced their support for efforts by local business leaders to create a taxing authority that would try to keep major-league teams in Pima County.

Kromko, however, decried the idea of helping to line the pockets of professional sports franchises with taxpayer money.

"I don't care what they do with spring training, as long as I don't have to pay for it," he said.

Kromko also was the only candidate who said he was not in favor of repealing the state's term limits, which for the House and the Senate are eight years.

Lopes and Cajero Bedford, both of whom would have to give up their seats after one more term, each used the word "disaster" to describe what term limits have done to the Legislature.

"Experience is critical to a legislator," Cajero Bedford said, adding that if she were doing a poor job, her constituents would let her know about it.

Kromko was also opposed Cajero Bedford and Lopes when it came to how the 2008-09 budget was crafted and whether the state should borrow money to pay for school construction.

"We should not have the state go into debt," Kromko said, noting that the Legislature managed to shore up a $2 billion budget shortfall only by using what he called accounting tricks. "When you bond to build something, you pay twice as much, sometimes three times as much," he said.

The three candidates for the seats in District 27, which includes Tucson's West and Southwest sides, agreed that the state should be involved in enforcing immigration, that state trust land should be put aside for conservation without payment, and that changes in the AIMS test are needed.

Cajero Bedford actually called eliminating AIMS, a state requirement for high school graduation.

"I just think it's been a disservice," she said.