Republican

Age: 53. (07/22/58, Chicago, IL).

Arizona since: 1962.

Occupation: Legislator; homemaker.

Marital: Married (Joe).

Children: 3 and 2 grandchildren.

Religious preference: Christian.

Education: ASU and ASU West: studied vocal performance and elementary education; Arcadia High School.

Political experience: District chairman; family policy advocate.

Legis exp: Senate since 2011; House 2006-2010 (appointed to House in 2006 to replace David Burnell Smith).

Memberships: Bd of Interdisciplinary Health Policy Institute at NAU; Project 127 (supporting foster and adoptive parents); Maricopa County Justice Commission for the Seriously Mentally Ill; Tobacco Revenue Use, Spending & Tracking Commission.

Interests: Hiking, travel and music.

Political influence: My Dad. Rarely did a dinner conversation occur when there wasn’t some discussion about the political happenings in the world, and his views on free enterprise and the threat of socialism.

Job creation measures: First, continued efforts to lower business property taxes and personal income taxes. Second, eliminate capital gains taxes to encourage investment.

Top Issues: Promoting health care and insurance reforms that lower costs and increase consumer options, including health care cost transparency, tort reform, innovative alternatives to Medicaid and insurance options offering fewer mandates. Second, policies protecting and strengthening families.

Prop 100 sales tax extension: No, I oppose extending the sales tax increase for two main reasons: Arizona’s sales taxes are near the highest in the country. Plus, the tax is regressive, hurting those most in need and who can least afford it. Second, the Legislature planned ahead for the sales tax’s expiration in several important ways: by encouraging a better business environment through business tax reform, reducing regulations and by putting $450 million in the rainy day fund rather than unwisely committing all current one-time revenues to ongoing general fund spending we cannot afford.

Illegal immigration: If the main provisions of SB 1070 are upheld, Arizona local law enforcement will have the necessary tools at their disposal to deal with criminal activity stemming from illegal immigration, allowing officers appropriate authority and discretion when reasonable suspicion exists that a person is in the state illegally. But the fact remains that the border is still largely unsecured and more cooperation from the federal government will be crucial to stem the tide of illegal activity, especially when the economy recovers fully. Continuing to press for more resources at the border is key, as well as adequate enforcement funding.

Background & experience: Raising a family prepares one for many ways to serve the community, having spent many years volunteering in our childrens’ schools and activities. I also served as chairman of District 7 before being appointed to the Legislature – providing ample opportunity to become familiar with a host of issues of concern to the state, big and small. Family life is like that. There are both the mundane and the big issues to address. Some issues take one session to fix while others are a long-term project.

Pro-life / pro-choice: All human life deserves protection in law. I believe our Constitution supports the right to life for every human being from conception to natural death.

One last thing: My husband and I have lived in Arizona most of our lives. We raised our children here and now are watching our grandchildren grow up here. Our concern for their future is what motivates us to be involved at this level because we recognize that laws intricately impact our lives. We believe the laws in Arizona should support the Constitution – allowing citizens to exercise their right to live their lives and run their businesses as free of government interference as the Constitution prescribes. We are far from this ideal, but I hope to help move us closer to the goal.

Campaign finance: private.

Arizona since: 1978.

Occupation: Owner and president, GDS Associates, Inc., since 1995; previous experience as sales manager for Data Communications Test & Measurement companies.

Marital: Married (Sandra).

Children: 2 daughters; 5 grandchildren.

Religious preference: Christian.

Education: Graduate work, transportation law & accounting, Wayne State University 1964-1965; B.S., economics & business, Western Michigan University, 1963.

Political experience: None.

Memberships: AZ-NM Telecommunications Assn, Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers.

Interests: Outdoor recreation, fishing, camping & boating.

Political influence: My political philosophy evolved over the years through working relationships, studying the works of top economist and understanding that personal responsibility is the key to success. With that being said, the one person that introduced me to the Libertarian Party was John Buttrick, Arizona Superior Court Judge. Watching him in a gubernatorial debate and the way he dominated the other candidates through common sense and logic got me thinking about the Libertarian Party. After studying their platform and talking with several Libertarians, I joined the party and have been a member for the better part of a decade.

Job creation measures: I would eliminate the income tax in favor of a usage fee program. Corporate taxes should be reduced to a minimum, which would encourage out of state companies to relocate here and allow existing Arizona companies to free up money for expansion.

Top Issues: Actually, it is the top three issues: jobs, immigration and education. I have outlined on my website how I would address each. Our unemployment rate is higher than the national average, our schools rank in the lower half on achievement scoring and the way we have addressed immigration issues has created more problems than it has solved.

Prop 100 sales tax extension: I oppose extending the tax increase in 2013. A report out in February of 2012 lists Tuba City tops for sales tax in the country, and the town, in turn, is in the state with the second highest combined sales tax burden in the nation. Government can and should be reduced so that our tax burden is reduced.

Illegal immigration: Again, I would refer you to my website. There I have outlined an approach through existing departments that provide an avenue for immigrants to enter our state with proper documentation. As our economy picks up, we need the ability to meet the needs of employment for uninterrupted production.

Background & experience: Probably the best answer that I can give is that I am not a politician. My background is one of an entrepreneur working to develop and bring about satisfactory results requiring forethought and the understanding of what it takes to provide proper resolutions to key issues.

Pro-life / pro-choice: I think most people agree that they are responsible for their own personal well being, so whether I am for or against is unimportant. Each individual will make their own decision and should not force their beliefs on others. With that being said, the issue of financial responsibility is of importance to each individual, and the bottom line is that if we are responsible for our own well being then we should be personally responsible when it comes to insuring our needs. The taxpayer should not be responsible to pay for others.

One last thing: Like many Arizonans, I have had my ups and downs over the years; more ups than downs, and I am now at the point where I see a need to get involved. All too often, we tend to let our legislators do as they see fit and not what is best for their constituents. Through either special interest groups or party loyalty, we end up with legislation that hinders our growth. It is time that we bypass the two party voting and vote for the individual that is in line with our individual interest. I would appreciate consideration and please feel free to contact me by telephone or on my website.

Campaign finance: private.