Each are less than three weeks into their first term as State Representatives, yet they have already demonstrated a commitment to conservative principles and protecting taxpayers that has surprised Capitol observers.  As budget negotiations reached a tipping point, each of the new “Fab Five Freshmen” took their turns being pressured to vote for millions of dollars in corporate pork, yet each of them withstood the pressure and the pork was cut out of the budget.  At a difficult time for Arizona, and with cuts looming across the board for vital programs like education and transportation, their actions protected these critical areas to the tune of $22 Million in the coming year alone.  Who are these Fab Five?  They are Carl Seel, Steve Montenegro, David Gowan, Frank Antenori and David Stevens.

As negotiations heated up, a full-court lobbying press was on to save Janet Napolitano’s 21st Century Fund, a grab-bag of taxpayer funded subsidies to major companies like Intel.  House Speaker Kirk Adams was working hard to preserve the program while a group of more than a dozen House members, led by State Representative Sam Crump, were insisting that the pork be cut out of the budget.  As Crump said, “I don’t want to say, “Yeah, we took $120 million out of K-12 education and gave $22 million to the 21st Century Fund.”  Arms were twisted, and a few bent and broke, but several ranking members, including State Representatives Jerry Weiers and Judy Burges, backed by the freshmen, held firm, denying the Speaker the votes he needed to pass the budget with the corporate giveaways intact.  Not even lobbying efforts from Capitol heavyweights like Lisa Atkins and other members of the GOP caucus were able to break through the united front.

In the end, House leadership relented and the pork was gone from the budget.  The taxpayers owe a debt of gratitude to those who stood strong, especially those who found the strength to do so, so early in their careers.  In the overall scheme of things, some folks will argue that $22 Million out of $1.6 Billion in cuts is a minor number.  But doing the right thing with the taxpayers’ money should always be a big deal.