By Katie Campbell | Arizona Capitol Times
Even after a taxing 134-day session, House Speaker Rusty Bowers remains patently himself when he sits down with the Arizona Capitol Times – reflective, resolute and ready with a story, which this time was about the day his brother shot himself in the foot.
Those who know Bowers will be able to imagine the tone of his voice when he gave one-word answers to some questions – lighthearted, accompanied by a laugh but perfunctory nonetheless.
That’s to be expected after what he described as a “demanding” session.
Why was it demanding?
Obviously, losing a member, having the first month or so consumed by DCP, throwing off our schedule, trying to build a caucus cohesion – many people contributed to that. A plethora of bills with one-vote margins, knowing I couldn’t get some through, having to say “no” to a lot of bills… rather than grandstand.
It’s easy to blame things on age because it’s so obvious, but there are issues that require a lot of physical and mental effort. And they take their toll. I’m grateful to have what strength I do, but I’m also (grateful) for other members who are very, very dynamic and picked up the ball in a lot of areas and just did stellar work.
Do you feel that this session set the right tone for your tenure as speaker?
