Dear Editor:

With the long-awaited final results of the 2012 election behind us, I extend my deepest gratitude to all of the voters who believed in me, as a candidate worthy to represent you in the Arizona Senate from Legislative District 14. In this new, extensive legislative district, nearly 30,000 of you gave me your votes of confidence; however that was significantly short of what was needed to win the seat.

To my opponent, Senator Gail Griffin, I send my best wishes for a successful 51st Legislature.

This past campaign showed our significant differences of opinions and approaches to government responsibilities. The “super-majority” status in both the Arizona Senate and House of Representatives was broken, and that is a good for the people of Arizona.

While every elected state official, when taking the oath of office, solemnly swears to “… support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution and laws of the State of Arizona...” this is just the beginning of the serious work that has to be done, particularly in our diverse district. There are numerous issues that are common to all or most that desperately need considerate and reasonable solutions, such as funding for public education and fixing the problem of uncompensated care for our health care facilities. Failure to properly fund our schools does a major disservice to not only our children and educators, but to our economy. Failure to address the uncompensated care issues has resulted in the precarious situation for our Arizona hospitals.

In the coming legislature, citizens of the new Legislative District 14 are looking for Senator Griffin and the GOP majority to work hand in hand with members of the minority in addressing these common issues in a bi-partisan, solution-seeking manner.

Sincerely

Patricia V. Fleming