“I’m sure they’re going to put out a mailer where they label me as a RINO (Republican in name only) or a low-energy Republican or whatever,” she said. “I just turned 55 on Sept. 1,” Martinez said. “I don’t have time for any more political games. I’m going to be nice to people and be cordial wherever I can, but I’m not going to back down. I’m going to fight for what I think is right for my constituents.” Martinez pointed out her ”yes“ vote for Prop 400 will directly benefit Maricopans who commute each day to the Valley for work. “It’s important to know that there’s five miles of SR 347 in Maricopa County,” Martinez said. “It’s going to help fix part of that road. How could I vote ‘no’ against that bill, knowing that my constituents are driving on it every day? How can I do that in good conscience?” Martinez is a conservative Republican who served as a staffer for U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) prior to becoming a state representative. She believes that the state government should be held accountable for making sure that roads are safe and efficient. "Government shouldn't be in our lives about sex, or about how we spend our money. The least we could do is deliver the mail on time, fix our roads, protect our country, and teach our kids a little bit of math, English, writing and some science, so they can get a job and support themselves. “Everything else needs to be handled by the people, but we can't even get the roads right.”
ANNIVERSARY
“I don’t have time for any more political games. I’m going to be nice to people and be cordial wherever I can, but I’m not going to back down. I’m going to fight for what I think is right for my constituents.” REP. TERESA MARTINEZ, REPUBLICAN VICE CHAIR, ARIZONA HOUSE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
A WOMAN ON A MISSION
“He went to kiss me on the cheek, and I turned away because I was mad at him,” she said. “I wouldn’t even look at him and he left. The 23rd was his birthday. He left at midnight and on the morning of Christmas Eve, they tell me that I get to open my presents because he’d died the night before.” Victor Martinez was 35 when he died needlessly, like the deaths that occur on SR 347 each year. “That stuck with me,” said Martinez of her father’s death and Fernandez’s. “When we go by and we see traffic accidents just, that's somebody's dad or somebody's brother or somebody's son. That 10-year-old little girl, that was their child in a traffic accident that didn't need to happen. “That could have been avoided.” And for that reason, Martinez says she will unapologetically vote for any bill she believes addresses road safety for her constituents. Martinez has taken fire from conservative groups like the Arizona Free Enterprise Club for her votes on transportation issues, most notably putting Proposition 400 on the ballot in Maricopa County, but says she’s more worried about road safety than winning a purity contest.
When you talk to Republican Arizona state Rep. Teresa Martinez, it doesn't take long for the conversation to turn to the problems faced by Maricopans on the local roads, most notably State Route 347. Martinez, the House whip and vice chair for the Arizona House Transportation Committee, has personal reasons for her laser-beam focus on traffic safety. According to Arizona Department of Transportation statistics, a crash occurs every other day on the thoroughfare. One crash, however, stood out to Martinez. Back in March, 10-year- old Suheiry Fernandez died in a multi-car crash on SR 347. Martinez never met Fernandez or her family, but she understands their deep feelings of loss. When Martinez was 10, her father, Victor Martinez, died in a crash the day before Christmas Eve during his daily commute to San Manuel. “It was icy and some of those sharp curves at the time weren’t the safest,” Martinez said. “He lost control of his truck and died on the way to the hospital.” To this day, Martinez
For some, it went well beyond the mere inconvenience of dealing with traffic issues. It meant getting stranded when their cars overheated or ran out of gas — all in the raging summer heat in no-man’s land with help miles away. The situation angered Arizona House Rep. Teresa Martinez, the Republican vice chair for the Arizona House Transportation Committee and one of Maricopa’s two representatives. “We need to make sure our roads are safe and efficient,” said Martinez, who contacted ADOT to follow up on the incident. “I wanted the information on what the response time was and what the time it was to take to clean up.” More than a dozen cars dotted the highway shoulder that steamy afternoon, either overheated or out of gas. “And then there's no turn-back,” Martinez said. “There's no turnaround. That's completely inappropriate.” It’s no secret SR 347 is one of the most dangerous highways in Arizona, especially that 14-mile stretch between Interstate 10 and Maricopa. Earlier this year, ADOT released a study reporting a total of 967 crashes on SR 347 from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2022. An average of 193 crashes occurred each year, or more than one crash every other day. Most of the collisions didn’t result in injury but 21 of those had serious injuries and another 15 were fatal. Auto crashes stay on the minds of the thousands of Maricopans commuting to the Valley each day for work — but throw in a heat wave and a gas tank that’s running low, and you
From Point A to Point B Republican puts politics aside in name of safety BY JUSTIN GRIFFIN
I
T’S A HOT MORNING IN LATE June and while traveling to Maricopa on State Route 347, you notice traffic backing up. It’s hard
to tell why — a miles-long automotive caravan lines up in front of you, robbing your visibility. As it turns out, a semi-trailer full of trash caught fire just north of Casa Blanca Road. The incident was reported around 10:30 a.m. It took nearly eight hours for the road to re-open. While a literal dumpster fire on SR 347 offers some poetic justice, most commuters will tell you it feels like an everyday occurrence on this troubled highway. It seemed like the punchline to a joke, but it was anything but to the thousands of commuters who had their day disrupted as one of the worst heat waves in Arizona history began.
remembers seeing her father for the last time.
InMaricopa.com | October 2023
October 2023 | InMaricopa.com
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