Arizona needs another generation of water leaders

Arizona lost one of its great public servants this month with the passing of former U.S. Senator Jon Kyl. His legacy offers an important lesson at exactly the moment our state needs it: Arizona’s biggest challenges are solved when leaders study the details, bring people together and plan beyond the next election.

Few issues demonstrate that better than water.

Before serving in congress, Kyl was involved in the work surrounding Arizona’s landmark 1980 groundwater law. In Washington, he became a leading voice on Western water and helped advance major water-rights agreements, including the Arizona Water Settlements Act of 2004.

That tradition goes back further. Democratic Senator Carl Hayden and Republican Senator Barry Goldwater came from different political traditions, yet both understood the importance of securing Arizona’s water future through what became the Central Arizona Project. Building that future required cooperation among federal, state, tribal, agricultural, urban and business interests.

Arizona needs that spirit again.

We face difficult questions involving groundwater, the Colorado River, growth, conservation, infrastructure and long-term supply. There are no easy answers, but there should be one shared principle: we must plan for the Arizona our children and grandchildren will inherit, not simply for what is politically convenient today.

During my time on the Scottsdale City Council, I saw firsthand that conservation and economic growth are not opposing forces. Responsible water policy can protect taxpayers, provide reliability for businesses, preserve property values and quality of life, and keep Arizona economically competitive.

Conservation must remain part of the solution. Technology, recycling and reuse, leak reduction, groundwater recharge and storage, and smarter infrastructure can help us do more with every acre-foot available. But conservation cannot simply mean telling Arizona families to use less while government, agriculture and industry avoid difficult conversations.

Fiscal responsibility matters, too. Serious water investment should never mean blank checks. Taxpayers deserve transparent costs, measurable results, and a clear explanation of how investments improve Arizona’s long-term water security.

Doing nothing carries a cost. Declining groundwater supplies and uncertainty over future Colorado River deliveries can affect communities, farms, businesses, property owners, and taxpayers.

The legislature should be where these interests come together, not where water policy gets trapped in partisan corners.

That is a major reason I am running for the Arizona House.

I will bring the same practical approach I brought to Scottsdale: begin with facts, listen to stakeholders, respect local communities, protect taxpayers, and stay at the table long enough to find workable solutions. I want water to be one of the defining responsibilities I take on at the Capitol, and I will not wait for a crisis before demanding action.

Arizona does not need more speeches about water. It needs sustained dialogue, serious policymaking, and leaders willing to do the work.

Decades from now, I want Arizonans to look back and say we chose dialogue over paralysis and planning over crisis.

That is the water leadership I intend to bring to the Arizona Legislature.