Bookmark this page or copy and paste URL to Email message Arizona State Legislature, Members' Papers, Carl Kunasek, RG 97 SG 6, 1983-2008RG 97 SG 6Historical NoteCarl Kunasek moved to Arizona in 1961 and received his B.S. in Pharmacy in 1955 from Creighton University in Omaha. He owned and operated three pharmacies in Mesa between 1966 and 1983. In 1972, Kunasek was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives and was re-elected another four times, serving until 1982. In 1983, he was elected to the Arizona State Senate and served until 1989. From 1987 to 1989 Kunasek was the Senate President and oversaw the Court of Impeachment against Evan Mecham. After leaving the State Senate, United States President George W. Bush appointed Kunasek Commissioner of the Navajo and Hopi Relocation Commission from 1990 to 1994. In 1994, he returned to Arizona government when he was elected an Arizona Corporation Commissioner and held that position until 2001. Scope and Content NoteThis collection contains Carl Kunasek's papers from his time in the Arizona State Legislature and Arizona Corporation Commission. The majority of the legislative papers are from his tenure in the Senate and focus on Evan Mecham's impeachment, healthcare, and Arizona's bid to get a superconductiong super collider. His Arizona Corporation Commission papers deal with the invesitagation into fellow Commissioner Jim Irvin. Series ListSeries 1: Legislative Files Series One encompasses materials relating to Kunasek's time in the Legislature. In Sub-series One, the legislative correspondence primarily contains his interactions with constituents but there are some materials dealing with state matters. Kunasek's separated his correspondence with Governor Mecham from the rest of his correspondence. There is also one file that contains correspondence and news releases from the Republican Party. Kunasek's healthcare files in Sub-series Two focus around the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCS) and pharmaceutical matters. Researchers may find Kunasek's own history of AHCCCS to be useful. Sub-series Three has a variety of materials dealing with Evan Mecham's recall and impeachment. There are copies of Kunasek press and news releases, promissory notes, and an overview of Mecham's staff. The bulk of this sub-series addresses setting up the Senate Court of Impeachment, filings from the trial and correspondence both for and against Governor Mecham. Sub-Series Four contains correspondence related to the State's efforts to have a superconducting super collider built here and there are several proposals from different companies related to this effort. Sub-series Five contains materials relating to smaller legislative projects and Kunasek's appointment books. Kunasek served on the Board of Directors for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and these records are in Sub-series Six.Series Two encompasses files related to the racketeering investigation into fellow Arizona Corporation Commissioner Jim Irvin and the lawsuit between Southern Union and Southwest Gas over the attempted merger between Southwest Gas and Oneok. This series has copies of the Arizona House of Representatives investigation into Jim Irvin, Jack D. Rose's deposition, Kunasek's deposition in the federal case and partial court transcripts.Series Three contains a small amount of Kunasek's personal correspondence as well as materials relating to his election runs.Sub-series 1 – Legislative Correspondence (.25 linear ft) Sub-series 2 – Healthcare (.5 linear ft) Sub-series 3 – Governor Mecham Recall and Impeachment (1.5 linear ft) Sub-series 4 – Superconducting Super Collider (.25 linear ft) Sub-series 5 – General Legislative files (.25 linear ft) Sub-series 6 – American Legislative Exchange Council (.25) Series 2: Arizona Corporation Commission (.75 linear ft) Series 3: Personal (.25 linear ft) Sub-series 1 – Correspondence Sub-series 2 - Elections RestrictionsAccess RestrictionsAll photocopies of original materials are made by staff. We reserve the right to refuse copy services based on physical condition and possible damage to the materials. For preservation purposes, if microfilm copies are available, patrons will use the microfilm first. Under Arizona Revised Statute 39-141, public records used for commercial purposes have additional requirements. Please contact the Arizona State Archives for further information. CopyrightIt is the researcher’s responsibility to determine the copyright status of materials he or she uses. The Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records is not legally or financially responsible for any copyright infringement by researchers. Many documents held by the Arizona State Archives come under the Public Record law (ARS 41-1350). Documents created by the government are not copyrighted. The United States of America Copyright Law (P.L. 94-553, effective Jan. 1, 1978) extends statutory rights of authority to unpublished works which were previously protected by literary property rights under common law. Such works do not have to be registered with the Copyright Office to receive protection under the law. Related MaterialFor additional materials in the Arizona State Archives please consult the following collections: Office of the Governor RG 1, and State Legislature RG 97. The State Archives also has an oral history interview with Carl Kunasek in its Legislative Oral History collection. Access TermsPersonal Name(s) Kunasek, Carl James. Mecham, Evan. Corporate Name(s) Arizona Corporation Commission. Geographic Name(s) Arizona. Subject(s) Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. Mecham, Evan-Impeachment. Accession NumberA-2008-21, A-2010-14. Administrative InformationCredit LineBibliographic citations must cite the title of the record group(s), the box or volume number, the History and Archives Division and the name of the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records in full. Please use the following example: Governor George W.P. Hunt to Ely Sims, November 21, 1919, Box 14, Office of the Governor, RG 1, History and Archives Division, Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records. Processing InformationThe majority of materials from Kunasek's legislative career were in titled folders and Archives staff retained those titles when re-housing the collection. Archives staff noted that in some instances folder titles did not completely reflect the materials within them. In the finding aid, staff identified the varying materials that could be found in those folders while retaining their original titles. There is an overlap between Kunasek's personal and professional correspondence and Archives staff decided not to disrupt their original order. Researchers are encouraged to look through both types of correspondence. Container List
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