Election time grows near<br>

Williams residents will decide who will sit on their school board, and who will represent them at the state and federal levels Nov. 5.

Williams’ two precincts will be located at the Holiday Inn at Williams, 950 N. Grand Canyon Boulevard, and First Baptist Church, 629 W. Grant Ave. Voters should check their voter registration cards for their assigned polling place.

In the 1st Congressional District, Democrat George Cordova is running against Republican Rick Renzi. Most polls have shown the candidates nearly even in the race for one of the most hotly contested districts in the country.

The four-way gubernatorial race finds Republican Matt Salmon running against Democrat Janet Napolitano, Libertarian Barry Hess and independent candidate Richard Mahoney.

In the race for the District 1 seat in the State Senate, Democrat Dawn Knight will face Republican Ken Bennett.

Republicans Tom O’Halleran and Lucy Mason will compete with Democrat Henry J. Camarot for two available seats in the State House of Representatives.

In the race for Secretary of State, Republican Jan Brewer will face Democrat Chris Cummiskey and Libertarian Sean Nottingham.

Democrat Terry Goddard will run against Republican Andrew P. Thomas for attorney general.

In the State superintendent of public instruction race, Republican Tom Horne will face Democrat Jay Blanchard.

Locally, five candidates are vying for two open seats on the Williams Unified School Governing Board. Incumbents Becky Nelson and Bud Parenteau are running against David Nenne, Gary Killinsworth and Nancy MacDonald.

Voters will also decide on more than a dozen state initiatives ranging from medical marijuana, increased taxes on cigarettes and Indian gaming.

Some of the propositions that have garnered attention this election year are:

• Proposition 200, initiated by the Colorado River Indian Tribes, would allow each tribe three gaming facilities with 1,000 to 1,400 slot machines and up to 20 gaming tables.

Three percent of the tribes’ net income would go to fund programs for college and university scholarships and elderly health care services.

• Proposition 201, which has come to be known as the “Joe Arizona” proposition, would allow horse and dog racetracks to operate as casinos. The proposition would allow for 10 racetrack-casino facilities statewide with 550 to 950 slow machines each. Also, each tribe would be allowed up to three facilities with up to 2,400 slot machines and 50 to 75 gaming tables. Tribes would give eight percent of their gross income to the state and racetracks would give 40 percent.

• Proposition 202, supported by 17 Arizona Indian tribes, would allow one to four facilities per tribe with 475 to 1,400 slot machines and 75 to 100 card tables. Up to eight percent of tribes’ gross income would go to state programs.

Proposition 203 would decriminalize possession of marijuana for personal use and require the Department of Public Safety to distribute free marijuana to those with a doctor’s written request.

Under this proposition, possession of marijuana would be considered a civil offense with up to a $250 fine. Those previously convicted of personal possession of marijuana would get paroled unless shown to be a danger to the public.

• Proposition 303 would raise cigarette tax 60 cents per pack. The money would go toward healthcare for low income Arizonans, disease detection and prevention programs and would resurrect the state’s anti-tobacco media campaigns.