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Legislator Profile - Senator Steve Pierce There is little doubt that Pierce's reputation as a straight-shooting, no-nonsense, get-it-done leader figured largely in his election to the Senate's senior leadership post upon the departure of his predecessor. With a vocal minority and a caucus of independent-minded senators, Pierce constantly draws on a reserve of quiet strength to keep the Arizona Senate moving forward. Given the depth of his Arizona roots, Pierce's ancestors may as well have walked out of the sea and right into the desert Southwest. Instead, his grandfather came to Arizona from Missouri, rolling into the territory on a boxcar. He found work at O'Malley Lumber in Phoenix, from which he retired as a manager at about the time that Arizona became a state. Along the way, Grandfather Pierce acquired some 200 acres of farmland - at what is now 44th Street and Thomas Road in Phoenix. He reinvented himself as a rancher and began raising short-horn cattle in the middle of what was to become one of the country's largest metropolises. The future president of the Senate was born in St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix in 1950. He attended elementary schools in the northeast Valley until the time, in 1959, when urbanization took the Pierce family in a new direction. Developers acquired the Pierce farmland as the site for Thomas Mall. (Opened in 1963, and anchored by Montgomery Ward and Diamond's, this modern retail marvel - which was leveled in 1993 - featured colorful birds in giant cages, large aquaria and a "dancing waters" fountain for shoppers' enjoyment.) The family's legacy is memorialized in the form of Pierce Park, located on North 46th Street on a section of the former ranch that was dedicated to Phoenix. Families now swim, shoot hoops, picnic and play tennis on land where cattle once grazed. Also in the neighborhood is Pierce Plaza, a modest retail center. Long gone, however, are the cows and silos. With some money in their pocket and ranching in their blood, the Pierces moved to Las Vegas Ranch in the Prescott area. As far as young Steven was concerned, even though Prescott was a mere 100 miles away from Phoenix, it may as well have been on the other side of the moon. "On that first day I got off the school bus, I knew that everything was completely different," he recalls. "I found myself in a real melting pot, surrounded by kids of all types and ethnic backgrounds. I made friends immediately." He also went right to work on the ranch. He learned the value of a dollar, earning exactly one of them a day. And those dollars were more than hard-earned. "I helped cull the herd. I hoed thistles. Helped bale hay. Moved cattle. Drove tractors. I did whatever I was told." Following his graduation from Prescott High School, Pierce entered college at the University of Arizona, where he earned a degree in animal sciences. Of the 15 students who graduated from Pierce's program, he was the only one whose family owned a working ranch. A professor of meat science and academic mentor, John Marchello, persuaded Pierce to return home and put his knowledge to practical use. Marchello, a member of the UofA faculty since 1965, is still teaching meat science in Tucson. And Pierce is still working the Las Vegas Ranch. Pierce worked alongside his father, Delbert, on the ranch up until the latter died over three years ago. The elder Pierce passed away just 12 days after his wife did. The couple met in second grade. He lived to 91, and his younger bride to 90. Long before he passed, Delbert Pierce, who had himself served on the Scottsdale School Board, advised his son not to get into politics. "It's too hard on a family," he counseled. Pierce intended to heed this advice, but he found that he couldn't stand back and idly watch as his state senator "failed to represent the values of the conservative district" in which they both lived. Consequently, he took on the incumbent in the 2008 Republican primary and defeated him by 1,400 votes. He went on to crush his Democratic rival by a 22 percent margin of victory in the general election. As a legislator, Pierce examines issues through an intellectual prism crafted on an Arizona ranch. He emphatically notes, for example, that responsible ranchers are the state's true environmentalists. Stewards of the land they love, their activities contribute to forest health and a balanced ecosystem. Pierce is especially proud of the recognition that he and his father were awarded in 1983 by the Arizona Section of the Society for Range Management. They were jointly named "Range Managers of the Year." Pierce is also attentive to urban issues and works to stay connected to the incorporated municipalities in Arizona's first legislative district, located in Coconino and Yavapai Counties. Referring to his city and town constituents, he states: "They know I'll help them when I can and that my door is always open." Pierce doesn't appear to be very obsessed with a political career beyond the Senate. "Whatever happens, happens," he states with his trademark taciturnity. "There are plenty of things I could do… I only got to fish once all last year." During a recent meeting of the executive committee of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, Pierce talked about problem solving and compared his jobs as rancher and Senate president. "On the ranch, if you can't fix something one way, you get baling wire and fix it another way." Armed with the baling wire of common sense and resourcefulness, Pierce will remain plenty busy solving problems at the political ranch located at 1700 West Washington in Phoenix. |
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Legislative Bulletin is published by the League of Arizona Cities and Towns. Forward your comments or suggestions to league@azleague.org. |
