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Wednesday, October 24, 2018
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EV leaders urge ‘no’ on voucher, no-tax propositions BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
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@AhwatukeeFN |
he East Valley’s most prominent organization of business, education and community leaders has parted ways with the governor and a state Realtors group on two ballot propositions. The nonpartisan East Valley Partnership board urged voters to cast their ballots against Prop 305, which would expand school vouchers, and against Prop 126, which the Arizona Association of Realtors has pushed to prevent state and local governments from enacting new taxes on services – such as real estate transactions. The board also urged a “No” vote on Prop 127, which would amend Arizona’s constitution and require utilities to get 50 percent of their energy from renewable sources, such as solar and wind, by 2030.
The Partnership’s 45-member advocacy committee and 65-member board is a who’s who of representatives from some of the biggest businesses and educational institutions in Arizona, ranging from Wells Fargo and Cox Communications to Arizona Public Service and Salt River Project. It also counts virtually all East Valley municipalities, ASU and both community colleges among its members. While it never endorses candidates, it occasionally weighs in on propositions and other issues. The board said its recommendations on all three propositions followed “presentations from both sides of the issues and thoughtful consideration.” Its recommendations for votes against expanded vouchers flies in the face of Gov. Doug Ducey, who threw his support behind the controversial measure and was reported saying recently, “Prop 305 is fiscally responsi-
ble, improves accountability and transparency, prioritizes low-income students and families and does not raise taxes. When parents have options, kids win.” That’s not the way opponents, including the Partnership, see it. Opponents call the expansion a direct attack on public education funding, saying it would divert already depleted funding of public schools in favor of private educational institutions. State funding of public school districts depends largely on their enrollment count. Supporters of the measure have been trying to deflect public attention from the proposition’s impact by avoiding – and at times even criticizing – the use of the term “vouchers.” The proposition would lift restrictions on the state’s ESA empowerment scholarships, which provide financial assistance to public See
PARTNERSHIP on page 17
Ahwatukee girl meets the Pope – and catches a ride with him BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
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fall-break trip to Italy earlier this month left a 12-year-old Ahwatukee girl with a lifelong memory that wowed her classmates as well as parishioners at St. Benedict Catholic Church. Melanie Mlecko got to ride with the Pope. She tooled around Vatican Square with two other children in the Popemobile for about 20 minutes as fellow passenger Pope Francis waved to a crowd of close to 80,000 people. And if that wasn’t enough of a thrill for Melanie, a seventh-grader at St. Mary Basha Catholic School in Chandler, the Pope also gave her a singularly special surprise: She was the only one of the trio of youngsters that he patted on the head. That gesture profoundly affected Melanie, her brother Tyler and her parents, Tammy and Ray Mlecko. That’s because the man who helped the Mleckos set up their trip to the Vatican in the first place – their parish pastor, Father Bob Binta, who passed away in August after a valiant battle with cancer – did the same thing whenever he saw Melanie at mass at St. Benedict’s – the Ahwatukee church where the
(Special to AFN)
Pope Francis’ kiss and pat on the head reminded 12-year-old Ahwatukee resident Melanie Mlecko of the loving gesture of her late pastor, Father Bob Binta, the pastor of the Parish of St. Benedict in Ahwatukee who died of cancer in August. Melanie also got to ride in the Popemobile as the Pope greeted thousands of visitors in Vatican Square.
Mleckos are parishioners. “He always patted me on the head,” Melanie said. “I kind of felt like he was there with me when the Pope did that.”
Father Binta’s death had “left a huge hole in our hearts as well as a huge hole in St. BenSee
POPE on page 15