Future AZ Governor?

Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett

(Sun City) - Arizona does not have a Lt. Governor, so the second in line to the Governor of Arizona is Secretary of State Ken Bennett.  Bennett addressed Republicans in Sun City on Monday evening with his easy to understand description of the State's Budget.  Then he "wooed" the crowd of about 60 attendees, with his singing tribute to Arizona's 100th Anniversary, his lyrics set to Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire."

At this meeting, Bennett announced that he has established an exploratory committee for Arizona Governor in 2014.  Current Governor Jan Brewer is term limited and can not seek another term as Governor.  Secretary Bennett is a Republican politician and businessman.  He started his political careet on the Prescott City Council, serving a term as Mayor Pro-Tem, then was appointed to the Arizona State Board of Education serving as the President of the Board and was elected to the Arizona Senate in 1998 and served as president of the Arizona Senate from 2003 to 2007.  He was appointed to Secretary of State in 2009 by Governor Jan Brewer. 

Another project that Bennett has been working on is the WWII Memorial in Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza in front of the State Capitol Building.  He has recently procured the last remaining gun barrel from the USS Arizona and a gun barrel from the USS Missouri.  Both of these battleships were the flagships of the fleet during WWII, the Arizona at the beginning of the war and the Missouri at the end of the war.  An artist depiction shows steel uprights to resemble the superstructure of the ship with the gun barrels mounted on concrete bollards flanking each side of the steel uprights.  Brass plates will be engraved on the steel with the names of those serving from Arizona who lost their lives fighting for freedom in WWII.  That number is believed to be nearly 1800 names.

The new memorial is expected to be completed later this year.  The two gun barrels have just arrived this week on rail cars from the US Retired Shipyard in Virgina.  They need to be sandblasted and repainted before installing into the memorial.  The memorial is being built entirely with private donations and no tax dollars.

We are excited about Ken Bennett and will follow his activity.