John Kavanagh (born June 5, 1950) is an American politician who has served in both houses of the Arizona State Legislature since 2007. He is currently representing the 3rd legislative district in the Arizona Senate since 2023.
Kavanagh represented District 23 in the Arizona House of Representatives representing from 2013 to 2015, District 8 from 2007 to 2013, and District 23 from 2019 to 2023. He was a police officer with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and retired as a detective sergeant, after 20 years of service. He is currently a professor of criminal justice at Scottsdale Community College (AZ), where he is Program Director of the Administration of Justice Studies and Forensic Science Programs.
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Education and early life
The grandson of Irish and German immigrants who came to Ellis Island in the early 20th century, he was born in Queens, New York.
John Kavanagh earned his BA in liberal arts from New York University, his MA in government from St. John's University, and his PhD in criminal justice from Rutgers University.
Kavanagh was a Port Authority Police Officer for 20 years and retired as a detective sergeant. He served at Kennedy Airport, where he was also on the crash crew, the Port Authority Bus Terminal in the Times Square area of New York City and also taught in the police academy. Upon retiring from the Port Authority Police, Kavanagh moved to Fountain Hills, Arizona and taught as an adjunct and later full-time instructor at Arizona State University for several years and then was a professor of criminal justice and program director at Scottsdale Community for 15 years. He retired from SCC in 2017 but teaches there as an adjunct.
Elections
2014 Elected to the Arizona State Senate in District 23, defeating Democrat Paula Pennypacker, and replacing Sen. Michele Reagan, who was elevated to Secretary of State in the same election.
2012 Redistricted to District 23 alongside incumbent Representative Michelle Ugenti, and with incumbent Republican Representatives John Fillmore running for Arizona Senate and Frank Pratt redistricted to District 8, Kavanagh ran alongside Representative Ugenti in the three-way August 28, 2012 Republican Primary; Kavanagh placed first with 20,922 votes and Representative Ugenti placed second; they were unopposed for the November 6, 2012 General election, where Representative Ugenti took the first seat and Kavanagh took the second seat with 68,827 votes.
2010 With Representative Reagan running for Arizona Senate and leaving a District 8 seat open, Kavanagh ran in the six-way August 24, 2010 Republican Primary and placed first with 18,081 votes; in the three-way November 2, 2010 General election Kavanagh took the first seat with 43,867 votes and fellow Republican nominee Michelle Ugenti took the second seat ahead of Democratic nominee John Kriekard.
2008 Kavanagh and Representative Reagan were unopposed for the September 2, 2008 Republican Primary; Representative Reagan placed first and Kavanagh placed second with 14,532 votes; in the three-way November 2, 2010 General election, Representative Reagan took the first seat and Kavanagh took the second seat with 50,507 votes ahead of Democratic nominee Stephanie Rimmer.
2006 When incumbent Republican Representative Colette Rosati ran for Arizona Senate and left a District 8 seat open, Kavanagh ran in the five-way September 12, 2006 Republican Primary, taking second place with 7,979 votes; in the four-way November 7, 2006 General election, Representative Michele Reagan took the first seat and Kavanagh took the second seat with 35,260 ahead of Democratic nominees Stephanie Rimmer and H. William Sandberg.
2000-2006 Was appointed to fill an open two-year term on the Fountain Hills Town Council and then was elected to another four-year term.
Tenure in the legislature
In February 2019, Kavanagh belittled a humanist invocation made by Representative Athena Salman, an atheist legislator, on the floor of the Arizona House of Representatives. In the invocation, Salman asked legislators to consider the "wonders of the universe" and the diversity of life on an "insignificant planet in an insignificant galaxy" and made reference to a deity. Kavanagh responded by mocking Salman's statement, prompting Salman and fellow Democrats to lodge a protest against Kavanagh and state that he had exhibited "behavior unbecoming of a member" in violation of the chamber's rules. Kavanaugh contended that Salman had "hijacking of the prayer and turning it into a secular commercial" and acted "to restore God to the prayer."
Kavanagh sponsored legislation to limit disability access lawsuits against businesses based on the Arizonans with Disabilities Act. The bill, in its amended form, gave businesses a "cure period" during which they can correct violations and avoid litigation. Disability rights groups opposed the legislation.
Kavanagh sponsored legislation granting immunity from civil liability to people who break into locked vehicles to rescue children and pets from overheating on hot days; the bill passed the Senate on a 35–20 vote, and then a 20–7 vote, before being approved by the governor.
In 2022, Kavanagh was awarded with the Legislator of the Year award from the Arizona Department of the American Legion for his commitment to veterans. Kavanagh has been lauded for his sponsorship and work to pass House Bill 2320, a new law providing a property tax exemption benefitting veterans’ service organizations. HB 2320 allows property and buildings leased to, or owned by, a veterans’ service organization to qualify for property tax exemption as long the property is used primarily for veterans-related operations and the economic benefit is passed on entirely to the organization. HB 2320 was signed into law by Gov. Doug Ducey on May 27. “We all owe a great debt of gratitude to America’s veterans, without whom our nation could not be free,” said Kavanagh. “This tax savings for veterans is well earned and well deserved.”
Kavanagh was also awarded in 2022 with the Humane Legislator Award For Commitment To Animal Protection from the Humane Society in recognition of animal protection legislation he sponsored that year. It was the third time he had been presented with the honor. HB2324 protects children from attending illegal animal fights. The bill received wide bipartisan support from legislators and was signed into law by the governor on April 14. “Animal fighting is a viscous act,” said Representative Kavanagh. “It’s bad enough for adults watch these fights, but it can be scarring to a child and could groom attitudes of a new generation to view such gruesome behavior as acceptable.” HB2626 requires dogs and cats to be scanned for microchip identification and to make reasonable effort to contact the animal’s owner. The bill received strong bipartisan support from legislators and was signed into law by the governor on April 29. “This law will help reunite dogs and cats with their owners,” Kavanagh said. “With this one small act to scan lost, stray, or deceased animals for a microchip, we can reduce the number of animals who would otherwise be sent to local shelters or anonymously cremated.”