Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page F5

WWW.AZCENTRAL.COM 3,2016 5F Many leaders will make headlines this year. The Arizona Republic editorial board picked 16 we think are particularly worth watching. Here are the irst eight. On Monday, publish the other eight. Sylvia Allen Education is the issue of 2016, which makes Sylvia appointment to chair an influential state Senate education committeeall the more important.

personal beliefs may have raised yebrows, but she has always kept an pen door to people with other views. All en also has unveiled a four-point plan of focus for the education committee, including boosting career and technical Education and preserving parental hoice. If she can keep a lid on controver- ial distractions and involve people from oth sides of the aisle to work on pressing issues, such as how (or whether) to hold schools accountable for their scores on the new AzMERIT test, this could be a ositively productive year for education. Carlyle Begay The former Democrat state senator was welcomed into the Republican Party and he says run for re-election as a Republican in his heavily Democratic District 7. So, the big questions are: Will his defection from the Democrats mark a shift in Navajo voting traditions? Will he find a happy home among the Repub- icans and make a splash? Or will he ake an even bigger noise by joining the already-crowded GOP race to fill the ongressional seat being vacated by Democratic Rep.

Ann Kirkpatrick, who is running for Senate? Republicans Ken ennett, Paul Babeu and David Gowan of the four GOP contenders for District 1seat were at he event when Begay announced his new identity as an elephant. Andy Biggs Senate President Andy Biggs has be- ome the most influential legislator since Burt whirlwind days in the 1970s and 1980s. The state budget was argely negotiated between Biggs and the Ducey administration. In the deliberations leading to the education inflation- unding lawsuit, Biggs determined what the positionwas going to be. Of course, it that long ago that Biggs was rolled, at the urging of Gov.

Jan Brewer, by renegade members of his wn caucus and Democrats to enact Medicaid expansion. So, his grasp of legislative influence is considerably less sec ure than was influence is i part derived from having a new governor with whom he is politically in sync. onetheless, legislative wiles be discounted. And he will use them to try to keep the finger in the dike on spending in 2016. Javier Dr.

is a neurologist with the arrow Neurological Institute at St. Hospital and Medical Center. Thoughtful and articulate, he is the dir ector of the B.R.A.I.N.S. Clinic and the Barrow Concussion Network, and is focused on treating and preventing traumatic brain injuryin young people. He provides sideline concussion coverage for the National Football League and Arizona State University, and was awarded Arizona State Young Alumn i award in 2014.

Dr. is the son of Jose one of the most dynamic leaders. Like his father, he poss esses the winning qualities to lead at high levels. Doug Ducey In his first year, Gov. Doug Ducey irmly seized control of the policy agenda.

He got a budget to his likingand settled the education inflation-funding the way for new initiatives in his second year. In the campaign, Ducey vowed to cut taxes every year, with a goal of coming as close as possible to eliminating the income tax entirely. But in his first year, Ducey went small, being satisfied with indexing individual rate brackets to inflation. Higher-thane xpected revenue growth has left the general fund with a surplus. But the state is still a long way from restoring deep spending cuts imposed to cope with the ecession.

And some believe a big tax cut ould undermine voter support for roposition 123, state land trust proposal, in May. What Ducey proposes on taxes will set the stage for next budget deliberations. Steve Farley Democratic state senator has a flair for the dramatic he is a professional artist, after all and he could help the Democrats rise in relevance next year. His Farley Report uses social mediato give his constituents a blow-by- blow during the session. also willing step into issues where the GOP position looks vulnerable, such as Gov.

Doug call to bar Syrian refugees. Farl ey created a group called Arizona Welcomes Refugees in Tucsonto organize potlucks with refugee families and stage rotests on their behalf. not easy being a Democrat north of the Gila River, ut Farley may be creative enough to make ideas harder to ignore. Derrick Hall Former Suns owner Jerry Colangelo was once this most important lead- erbecause he worked effortlessly to promote metro Phoenix and the state. Der- rick Hall, president and CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks, is emerging as the ext Colangelo.

His commitment to community-buildingwas perhaps best exemplified in 2013 when the Diamondbacks embraced the families of the Yarn ell Hill fire, flying the banner of the 19 allen firefighters and helping to raise ore than $700,000 to benefit their surviving family members. In 2014, the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation and Diamondbacks organization reached $41 million in charitable giving. And Hall urned his own bout with prostate cancer i 2011into a crusade for cancer fighting harities. positive influence grows larger by the year. Paul Johnson Paul Johnson was once an Arizona po- itical wunderkind, winning election to the Phoenix City Council at 25 and becoming the mayor at 30.

In 1998, he as the Democratic candidate for governor. Although Johnson remains politically active, but the former Phoenix ayor has soured on the partisan political system he thinks offers up unappetiz- i ng choices that are unreflective of the Arizona political mainstream. And he wants to do something about it. In 2012, headed up an initiative drive to adopt atop-two primary system. In that system, all candidates, irrespective of part compete against each other in the primary.

And the top two vote-getters, a gain irrespective of party, go on the general election. The initiative got crushed, losing by a 2-1margin. But the ontinuing swell of independent registration, and general dissatisfaction with politics as usual, are believed to put some additional wind under the sails. Johnson intends to bring the top-two primary initiative back to the ballot in 2016. It might be the most politically consequential proposal of the year.

16 Arizonans to watch in 2016: Part 1 TOM REPUBLIC State Sen. Sylvia appointment to chair an influential committee raised eyebrows last month due to controversial personal views. But if she can put the controversy aside and work with both sides of the aisle, the results could be positive for education system. (ISSN 0892-87 11 (USPS 030-920) ol. 1 26, No.

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Periodicals Postage Paid in Phoenix AZ 85026. Member: Alliance for Audited Media Postmaster: Send address changes to The Arizona Republic, P.O. Box 1950, Phoenix, AZ 8500 1. I-AI PARRISH, Publisher and President RANDY LOVELY, Senior Vice President, News and Audience Development NICOLE CARROLL, Vice President News and Editor HIL BOAS, Editor of the Editorial Pages ROOKE CHRISTOFFERSON, Vice President, Market and Business Development TRISHA GOSSER, Vice President, Finance HASE RANKIN, Vice President, Advertising THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC Founded in 1890 AGannett newspaper MI-AI PARRISH, Publisher and President REPUBLIC EDITORIAL BOARD Mi-Ai Parrish, Joanna Allhands, Steve Benson, Phil Boas, Nicole Carroll, Robert Robb and Linda Valdez REACH US PHIL BOAS, EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR, PHIL.BOAS@ARIZONAREPUBLIC.COM OPINIONS.AZCENTRAL.COM EDITORIAL THE REPUBLIC EDITORIAL BOARD JOHN REPUBLIC State Sen. Carlyle Begay switched from the emocratic Party to the GOP in 2015.

What does it mean for his re-election chances and olitical future in 2016? DAVID REPUBLIC Senate President Andy Biggs has become the most influential legislator..