Allen is one of Arizona's most effective lawmakers. She also played an important role in state welfare reform. And she does it all with a decorum that is uncommon at the state Capitol. We wish Allen well in her quest to become a leader by title as well as by deed. The other two candidates in the House District 28 race are incumbent Wes Marsh, a Republican, and Ginny Chin, a Democrat.
Incumbents usually benefit from name recognition and deeper knowledge of issues.
Marsh cashes in on only one of the two. For an incumbent, he is surprisingly uninformed on issues important to his northeast Valley district and to Arizona, such as open space preservation and redistricting. Republican voters in that primarily northeast Valley district will cheat themselves if they don't take a good look at the Democratic challenger. Chin, an aide to state Sen. Ruth Solomon of Tucson, is no stranger to community service. She has served six years on the Fountain Hills school board and is active in the arts.