Despite the inability to meet face to face with candidates competing in the Tuesday, August 4 primary and Tuesday, November 3 general election due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SBRC members participated in a variety of virtual events that provided them with the opportunity to become informed about these individuals. For instance, the two challengers to incumbent Congressman Tom O’Halleran participated in separate Town Hall meetings. The first was a Tuesday, May 19 event with Tiffany Shedd, followed by a multi-candidate Town Hall on Wednesday, May 20 with Nolan Reidhead, Shedd’s primary opponent; our current Sheriff, Mark Lamb, who is running for re-election; and Sylvia Allen, the incumbent State Senator in LD 6 whose district comprises much of CD 1. In addition to Town Halls, candidates prepared YouTube videos for the SBRC. Video presentations by candidates for Senate (McSally and Reidhead), County Assessor (incumbent Doug Wolf and his challenger Mike Cruz), Corporation Commission (Lea Márquez Peterson), and Sheriff (Mark Lamb) are posted on SBRC’s website https://saddlebrooke-republican-club.org/.
The SaddleBrooke Republican Club is among the largest Republican clubs in the country and has a high level of member activism. An appearance before this group is considered a must by Republican candidates for state or local office, and current officeholders often speak to offer updates. Speakers also are engaged to address members on issues of concern to voters, such as the economy, border security, terrorist and ideological threats to the nation and the future of entitlement programs. Meetings once resumed are usually held on the second Wednesday of every month at 4 p.m. in the Ballroom of the MountainView Clubhouse. For more information, and to view the YouTube presentations, visit the SBRC website at https://saddlebrooke-republican-club.org/.
SaddleBrooke Republican Club’s Virtual Town Hall with Nolan Reidhead, Sheriff Mark Lamb and Sylvia Allen
On Wednesday, May 20 SaddleBrooke Republican Club (SBRC) hosted a virtual Town Hall event with three Republican candidates for office: Nolan Reidhead, competing in the primary to face incumbent District 1 Congressman Tom O’Halleran; Sheriff Mark Lamb and State Senator Sylvia Allen.
Border security was a top concern. Reidhead stated that visiting Israel convinced him of the effectiveness of a wall. Lamb added that technology, boots on the ground and adequate funding are important as well.
Reidhead expressed concern over the effect of illegal immigration on the economy. He estimated that $30 billion is lost to the treasury when income earned here is remitted to immigrants’ home countries rather than taxed. Although the damage that human trafficking causes on privately-owned property has been acknowledged, harm ensues to Americans on public lands as well. Reidhead illustrated how safe access to these areas is constrained by describing a camping trip he had conducted as a Boy Scout leader. He and his troop were forced to abandon their campgrounds when dozens of young males, transported by coyotes, entered the area.
Lamb reinforced Reidhead’s point: “We have to step up, and we should never say, ‘we can’t go into this … area.’” Lamb also echoed Tiffany Shedd’s concern about the degree to which illegal drugs come into the state through the Native American reservation that encompasses both countries.
Sylvia Allen added the national security concerns arising from an unprotected border. Hezbollah, in conjunction with cartels, had established trails coming into Arizona. She stressed the danger of cartels setting up bases in sanctuary cities. She agreed with the other speakers that a wall would facilitate border protection and cited Yuma as an example but expressed dismay at the opposition it engendered: “Politics prevents us from doing what is right for our country.”
Each speaker commented on the economic repercussions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Reidhead’s background as a lawyer, representing businesses and advising them with respect to taxes and regulation, enabled him to offer suggestions to remediate the devastating impact on small business owners. These included SBa loans, a payroll tax cut, a reduction in short-term capital gains rates, and allowing penalty-free withdrawals from 401-k accounts. Concerned also about high rates of unemployment, he supported eliminating HB-1 visas to free up more jobs for Americans. He also stressed the need to eliminate job-killing regulations and the necessity for independence in the supply chain, positions that had also been asserted by Shedd. Unlike Shedd, Reidhead pledged to join the Freedom Caucus.
Lamb noted the disparity between the fear perpetrated by media and the actual numbers of COVID-19 infections and deaths. In a comment that predated the death of George Floyd by a week, Lamb noted the need to repair relationships between law enforcement and the community, attributing tensions to politicians, having been empowered by media-generated fear, employing law enforcement to deprive citizens of their constitutionally-guaranteed rights, such as attending worship services.
SaddleBrooke Republican Club’s Virtual Town Hall with Tiffany Shedd
Two Republican candidates, Tiffany Shedd and Nolan Reidhead, competing in the Tuesday, August 4 primary to challenge incumbent District 1 Congressman Tom O’Halleran, met with SBRC members in virtual Town Hall events during May.
Tiffany Shedd started her recent presentation on Tuesday, May 19 with a critique of the House of Representative’s legislative initiative proposing that a $1,200 stimulus payment be granted to those in the country illegally, and nullifying all state election laws in favor of a universal system that mandated mail-in ballots; eliminated in-person voting; and invalidated any state safeguards to protect election security, such as requiring voter ID.
She stated that her background as a fourth generation Arizonian, lawyer, farmer, and small business owner, along with her extensive volunteer efforts, would facilitate her advocacy in Congress for the diverse interests of CD1 residents. The location of her farm, close to the border, illustrates a concern she shares with constituents. A neighbor and friend was murdered on his ranch by an illegal immigrant. The bankruptcy of Douglas Hospital could be attributed to its serving as a magnet for the birth of “anchor babies.” She experiences the porous nature of the border each time a drug smuggler and a human trafficker crosses her front yard. One factor she mentioned as complicating border security is that the Tohono O’odham reservation extends from Arizona into Mexico. Viewing itself as sovereign, the tribe reaps financial benefits from the gangs, cartels, and drugs that traverse its territory, often forcing out legitimate businesses.
Although an issue of long standing (for example, the United States ceased manufacturing antibiotics in 2004), it was only during the COVID-19 pandemic that most Americans realized the extent to which our dependence on China put us in jeopardy. As a cotton farmer, Shedd witnessed how the Chinese government’s control and subsidization of this industry crippled American agriculture. She credited President Trump for confronting Chinese exploitation of the United States and his undertaking to move production of items vital to American security, e.g., parts for power grids as well as medicines, etc., here. Shedd praised America’s status as a constitutional republic which promotes individual success, innovation and job creation, but noted the threat from overregulation (for example, the timber industry, once prominent in Arizona, has been destroyed by this process) and the opposing party’s increasing support of socialism.
Water rights was the focus of one audience member during the question and answer period. Shedd emphasized water was one of her top priorities. She stated her concern about California taking water that should go to Arizona, exemplified by the expression that “water runs uphill to money.” She explained that the Navajo Nation’s lack of access to clean water made compliance with sanitary guidelines, e.g., frequent handwashing, difficult and thus might account for their disproportionately high COVID-19 death rate. She expressed her hope that a solar-generated desalination plant utilizing the large aquifer underlying the Navajo Nation might help this dire situation.
101 homes to be built on NW Tucson corner
