Powers for the People
Powers for the People on Substack is the next step in my 17 year blogging career.
I’m retired Arizona Rep. Pamela Powers. Long before I was in the Arizona House, I was a political blogger.
Since 2006, I have published more than 1200 posts on multiple progressive websites Including: Tucson Progressive (2009-2019), Powers for the People (2015-present), Arizonans for a New Economy (2014-2020), Blog for Arizona (2010-present), Tucson Citizen, the Huffington Post and Muse Views. Since 2010, I have been publishing videos on my original YouTube Channel and the channel I created when I began my political career and continued through my years in office.
That is a lot of content. My plan is to make Powers for the People on Substack not only a home for new writing but also a place to collect and archive my writing, photography and video since 2006. This will be a process, obviously. The first big dump of blog posts and videos from Tucson Progressive — 700 posts from 2009-2015 — took place at the end of May 2023. These posts include Occupy Tucson, early struggles over homeless camping in downtown Tucson, Fight for $15, closing galleries on Congress, protests over cuts to education funding, and a lot more. Paid subscribers will get access to this archival content and a lot of Tucson history.
A little bit more about me …
I earned a BA in journalism from The Ohio State University and had a long career in corporate communications. For several years, I owned her own freelance writing, photography and design business, Powers/Queen Associates. After earning a Masters in Public Health from The University of Arizona, I focused my career on public health and communication efforts to encourage disease prevention and healthy living. In my 14 years with the University of Arizona, I worked in multiple capacities. Lastly, I was the Program Director for the Arizona Smokers Helpline and related services and a consultant for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the area of media and behavior change.
In 2004, I left the University and became managing editor of The American Journal of Medicine, one of the most influential internal medicine journals in the world. I stepped down as managing editor on December 31, 2015 to run for the Arizona House to represent Legislative District 9 in Tucson, Arizona.
I ran as a Clean Elections candidate and an unabashed Progressive — “The Bernie Sanders of Tucson with Hillary Clinton’s gender issues.” I was not backed by the local power elites or the local Democratic Party. I was not supposed to win, but I did.
In 2016, many were surprised that a firebrand Progressive blogger easily beat a moderate Democratic incumbent in the primary and a conservative Republican in the general election. Although I was targeted in the 2018 and 2020 elections, I stuck to my Clean Elections Progressive brand and outspoken style in the Legislature and easily won reelection.
During my six years in the Arizona House, I was somewhat of an “embedded reporter” in the Legislature. My blogging played a big role in my long-shot win in 2016. Why stop? I told people I would be their voice in the Legislature; I was also their ears and eyes. As a Legislator, I published hundreds of Legislative Update videos on social media, in-depth blog posts on Powers for the People and my podcast A View from the Left Side.
On the Powers for the People Substack you’ll find new writing and podcast episodes, as well as archived posts dating back to 2009.
Please consider subscribing!
Why subscribe?
Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter, website and hundreds of archived posts and videos. Never miss an update.
Stay up-to-date
You won’t have to worry about missing anything. Every new edition of the newsletter goes directly to your inbox.
Join the crew
Be part of a community of people who share your interests.
To find out more about the company that provides the tech for this newsletter, visit Substack.com.
