By Howard Fischer
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/knau/local-knau-910695.mp3
Phoenix, AZ – Voters aren't going to get a chance to kill photo radar cameras,
at least not this year. Arizona Public Radio's Howard Fischer
explains.
Shawn Dow, organizer of Citizens Against Photo Radar, admitted
his group came up far short of the more than 153,000 signatures
needed to put the question on the November ballot.
"It is very difficult for an all volunteer... We have to work on
the weekends. All of our events to gather signatures were
scheduled on weekends. We have jobs we have to go to. I'll tell
you it is very, it is impossible for a volunteer, an all-
volunteer organization to get something on the ballot."
But Dow said the petitions won't go to waste.
"We're going to go up to the governor's office and we're going to
put them on her desk and ask her to let the citizens vote. This
petition wasn't to ban photo radar. It was to give Arizona
citizens the first chance to vote on whether they wanted it or
not."
The governor actually doesn't have that power. All she can do is
ask the Legislature to put it on the 2012 ballot. Brewer earlier
this year did direct DPS to let the existing contract for photo
radar cameras on state roads expire later this month. But she has
never taken a position on whether cities and counties should be
able to operate the cameras to catch speeders and red-light
runners.