By Will Greene | Tucson Citizen
Supporters of clean energy in Arizona have reason to celebrate this week as Phoenix real estate agent and energy expert Ken Clark, and Afghanistan veteran Aaron Marquez made public their intentions to run for Arizona State House and Senate in central/south Phoenix districts 24 and 27.
Clark served as the state Energy Office Director in 2005 and 2006 following a two- year stint at the state legislature. He is more recently known for his efforts fighting payday lenders, most significantly his management of the successful campaign to defeat prop 200 – an attempt by payday lenders to write state laws that benefit themselves. Clark previously made a name for himself as an advocate for the growth of solar energy in the state, doing so well before many understood its economic potential in Arizona.
In 2012 Marquez led a Civil Affairs team in Afghanistan that executed 32 reconstruction projects across four provinces. Previous experience includes service in the AmeriCorps program “City Year” in which he mentored inner-city students at high risk of dropout, and policy analysis work at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
More recently Marquez has engaged in efforts to promote secure and local energy in Arizona as a part of Operation Free’s expanded activities in the West. Operation Free is a veterans-led effort to advance energy policy that makes our country more secure and less dependent on foreign energy sources.
