Hello world!  I created this blog as a medium for sharing a wider range of content than what I can typically post on social media.  Like my social media, you can expect a variety of topics. I recently returned from my summer travels in Europe, so the first posts will be about those adventures.  But there are other things that I could post about that you might find interesting or useful. I mean, if I had started this blog when I was in college, I could have, over the years, posted about my 40 years in Arizona politics, starting as a Page at the State Capitol where I witnessed up-close the impeachment of a Governor to my work as an elected official serving in the Arizona legislature as a state representative and state senator. Or about my work as an attorney working to end the sexual abuse of underage girls being forced into polygamous marriages in remote Colorado City, Arizona. Or I could have shared my perspectives on how, as the CEO of a nonprofit advocacy organization,  I helped successfully lead a statewide ballot measure to increase taxes on the top one percent of the richest Arizonans to raise more than $1 billion annually for public education – something that was thought to be impossible in a state like Arizona – only to have that law which was supported by almost 60 percent of voters, be struck down by the Arizona Supreme Court. And there were a lot of thoughts I could share about my time serving in the Governor’s Cabinet as the Director of Arizona’s child protection agency. But I definitely do not like posting about serious topics all of the time. So I likely would have also posted about the times I met Johnny Cash, Aerosmith, and even Kato Kaelin! Or the opportunities I had to visit the White House and met Presidents Obama and Biden. And I definitely would have posted about being at Game 7 of the 2001 World Series – one of the greatest World Series games of all time!

I have been incredibly fortunate in my life.  I am hopeful that there will be plenty more posts about travel, politics, public policy, public education, and sports in the future. I will also talk about my new role as the executive director of the Arizona School for the Arts, an A-rated public school in central Phoenix. I am so proud and impressed by the creative and talented students and teachers at the school, so I will no doubt be sharing some of their impressive performing arts and academic talents with you. And of course I will never miss an opportunity to post about my grandchildren or my dog Louie when they are doing cute things. Thank you for your interest!