The Incumbent Meets the Iron Lady

In some political races, an incumbent can be compared with a particular garment that everyone has in their closet. You know how it is; we get up in the morning and we throw on a shirt that we notice is somewhat, well, wrinkled.

Then, we have a choice. Do we wear it all day because we think, "it's not that bad; I can get away with it," or, do we take the time and iron the shirt? If we iron the shirt, we feel better about ourselves and think that is it was worth the time to do so. But, in the former argument, the shirt does serve its primary purpose; it covers what needs to be covered, right? The wrinkled shirt may do the job, but does it do in the best possible fashion?

In Gilbert's district 22, State Legislators Andy Biggs and Eddie Farnsworth are the incumbents. Terri Tobey is running to unseat one of these gentlemen in the Republican primary on September 12th. I've met Tobey and she is a graceful and smart woman, but, she's also an Iron Lady. And that's not a bad thing in the world of politics.

This is Tobey's first run at elective office. She has an extensive legal background that includes working on high profile cases like the Exxon Valdez. With a streak for independent thought and a life-long penchant common sense decision making, Tobey is ready to bring fresh thinking to the problems we face in this district. She has an agenda for lowering taxes; securing the border; getting tough on crime (including domestic crime); and bringing conservative principles to the many issues of the day.

"I'm a city girl from the country," said Tobey. "My grandpa was a County Sheriff in a small town in Oklahoma where I lived on the proverbial red dirt road." Tobey, by the way, has worked for a law publishing company in New York City during her career. "Don't mess with Arizona," Tobey remarked. "That's how I feel about living here."

"My goal in the Legislature is to represent all the people, but while recognizing first of all, the will and desires of the majority of the people. In this way, I'll contribute to the quality of life overall in Gilbert." She said there are three areas that she could address right away; they are to: "make Gilbert a safer place; help create a healthy environment for our children and reduce the financial stress that families feel in their day to day lives."

"I'm not opposed to seeking expert help, in fact, I will seek it out. But some things require plain old common sense. While I will not compromise on what is right, there is room to negotiate with most issues. There are viable and effective solutions to our problems, they only have to be sought by those willing to see what's best for the community and not what's best for our individual political careers. It's that simple."

No wrinkles in that argument.

- J. James Estrada