It may be early in the process for 2016 campaigns, but that’s not stopping political operatives from scurrying to suppress promising potential John McCain Senate seat challengers from pressing forward. Cue critics of Arizona State Senator Kelli Ward.
“Only the political elite would make listening to voter concerns a bad thing,” Ward told Breitbart News concerning attacks coming against her from political and media sources. Ward recently began an exploratory committee to challenge McCain, now seeking his sixth 6-year term, for election to the U.S. Senate.
The state Senator has faced unsubstantiated accusations of belief in the “chemtrails” theory solely on the basis of a constituent-requested public forum on environmental quality she held back in June of 2014. In the days leading up to the forum, the Havasu News reported Ward as saying, “I have gotten a lot of communications from people who are concerned and there has been a sense that no one has been doing anything for them to address those concerns.”
Representative Paul Gosar faced similar questions just days ago at a public meeting, questions from individuals professing the chemtrails theory. Gosar was thought to be a potential McCain challenger until he stated his intention to instead seek re-election to his current House seat.
However, in reviewing video of the meeting, Ward never endorsed the “chemtrails” theory. In fact, she simply addressed “relentless” constituent concerns in her capacity as a publicly elected official and reassured attendees that evidence of environmental testing showed normal soil tests, not abnormal.
“I was there to discuss the air, water and environmental quality of the area,” Ward told Breitbart in an exclusive interview.
Ward explained that the forum was organized in response to persistent prompting from a group of constituents in her district. Seeking to address the environmental concerns of any district residents, Ward held the public meeting in order to address any environmental quality questions.
State Senator Ward has had held many similar forums on issues including education, healthcare and water. Each, she explained, was convened to address constituent concerns.
During the environmental forum, the majority of questions and comments were exchanged between attendees and one of two representatives from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ).
Many of those present did express concern over personal blood tests and health concerns. Some in the area have asserted a connection between chemtrails and climate change, Havasu News reported in the days before the meeting. A number of those present at the meeting also expressed concern over air quality, claiming toxins are being released in the area in relation to the chemtrails theory. Another community member questioned how those blaming alleged released toxins could prove the allegedly released toxins and results from their blood tests would even be connected.
ADEQ administrative counsel Sherri Zendri, present at the request of Senator Ward, told the crowd that she was not aware of anyone ever dropping toxins from airplanes into Lake Havasu, in contrast to the suggestion of some attendees. She went on to state that, according to her compliance department, the air and water quality “meets all of the standards.”
Ward later reiterated the ADEQ representative’s statement, reassuring that where air, soil, and water samples taken by the ADEQ, all have shown results that fall within normal limits.
ADEQ representative Zendri also explained that Arizona does not regulate airplane emissions per the federal Clean Air Act. She provided direction as to where those who wished to lodge complaints to the EPA and FAA could do so. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was described as the authority in determining airplane emissions regulations, and the Federal Department of Transportation (DOT) through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) enforces those regulations.
Speaking with Breitbart, Ward stated that she brings in subject-matter experts to these public forums for district residents, and the environmental forum was no exception. “There were some abnormal medical lab results for some of the people in the area and that is being investigated. People need to know they are safe where we live.”
When asked about the chemtrails theory, Ward told Breitbart, “I don’t believe in that.” She went on to clarify, “I’m willing to address those concerns whether I believe it or not. The important voice is the voice of the voter and I try to listen to the voter whether I agree or not.”
Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana
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