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Legislator profile - Representative Chad Campbell Canoeing. Rock climbing. Boating. Gliding. Fishing. Snowboarding. Backpacking. Mountain bike riding. Camping. If a pursuit takes place outside and involves physical and mental challenge, then Campbell is good to give it a go. His love of the outdoors, reflecting an insatiable passion for life, is palpable. No wonder, then, that the newlywed lawmaker tied the knot last year in Kauai, a Hawaiian island of rugged and beauteous adventure. "I was on the island in 2009," Campbell explains, "and I flew along the Na Pali coastline in a one-wing power glider." He later learned that, within a year of this geste, the guide who took him gliding crashed and died. Happily, everyone who participated in his recent wedding at a beach house in Poipu survived to tell the tale. A first-generation native Arizonan, Campbell describes his own youth as "simple" and "normal". An only child whose parents both worked outside the home, Campbell enjoyed playing team sports, especially football (as a strong safety) and baseball (as a left fielder). He did well in school, developed a robust work ethic and stayed out of trouble. He entered the part-time workforce at age 14 and kept occupied throughout school in a number of jobs in the service, retail and restaurant industries. By the time he graduated from high school, Campbell had become interested in biology and environmental sciences. Fortuitously, he earned a scholarship to Northern Arizona University, which offered a program combining the two disciplines. "I loved Flagstaff and NAU," Campbell fondly recalls. "I embraced the cold weather and the fantastic outdoor opportunities." Having endured four surgeries on his left knee as a consequence of a skiing accident, however, he has retired from the slopes. Regardless, his attraction to all-weather sports has not abated. Campbell has always been interested in politics and has ever appreciated the impact that public policy has on people's lives. His father and most of his family were staunch conservatives, dedicated to principles championed by Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. Over time, he asserts, the Republican Party drifted away from those principles. So it was that, during college, he volunteered for the congressional campaign of former U.S. Representative Karan English (D-Ariz.). It was a heady experience and resulted in his infection with the political bug. Later, working for an environmental engineering firm, Campbell was exposed to the enormous day-to-day impacts of public policy decisions rendered by political figures. Whether the issue at hand involved site cleanup, the disposal of mining wastes, or project remediation, government was deeply involved. Often, the government's role was problematic, resulting in burdensome regulation and bureaucratic make-work. Campbell knew that government-designed processes could and should be streamlined. It was against this backdrop that Campbell ran for Phoenix City Council in 2005. Though he lost to an incumbent, he was proud of his campaign and his message. Moreover, he earned a great deal of respect and name recognition, both of which served him well one year later when then-Rep. Bill Brotherton decided not to seek re-election to his District 14 House seat. Campbell was persuaded to run for the central Phoenix district in 2006, and he won handily, repeating the feat in 2008 and 2010. Campbell affirmatively decries legislative interference with city business. As a matter of course, he opposes the imposition of state mandates on cities and towns. "It's hypocritical for the conservative majority to so fiercely oppose federal mandates," he asserts, "and then impose one-size-fits-all mandates on municipalities." He continues: "Legislators are trying to micromanage all aspects of city government from the Capitol: traffic management, contracting, elections and anything else they can think of. It has to stop." Though he has been approached by others to consider a congressional run, Campbell does not seem particularly interested in leaving Arizona for the marbled corridors of the United States Capitol. "Washington, D.C. is the political version of Las Vegas," he opines. "Besides," he continues, "we need native Arizonans who know this state and are committed to this state to help run this state." Accordingly, he does not rule out the possibility of a future statewide campaign. In any event, Campbell's future is as bright as his energy level is high and his enthusiasm is infectious. With his thirst for adventure and his drive to conquer new challenges, it is manifest that Campbell has many more mountains to climb, rapids to run, and canyons to cross - both metaphorically inside the Legislature and literally (and preferably) outside. |
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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. |
