Democrat

Age: 46. (10/29/65, Binghamton, NY).

Arizona since: 1992.

Occupation: CEO, owner, Vision Community Mgmt., since 2002.

Marital: Single.

Religious preference: Protestant.

Education: B.S., accounting, DeVry, 1996.

Political influence: It isn’t one person, but rather the nearly 65 employees of my businesses and their families I help support that have had the greatest affect. For a dozen years, they have caused me to remain acutely aware of the day-to-day impact of the actions or inactions of our state government and the very real consequences of its public policy decisions.

Job creation measures: We cannot have meaningful employment growth without transforming Arizona into a regional leader with a 21st century economy. We need to focus on core areas and facilitate new startups and relocations of businesses in the high-growth sectors of transportation, technology, telecommunication, financial services, energy, entertainment, and biomedicine. Creating this economy requires a superior workforce, which graduates from world-class public schools and universities. Arizona must commit to funding education, retrofitting or building new, technology-focused campuses, educating and employing the highest quality teachers and support professionals, and holding students, families, and schools equally accountable for the success of our educational system.

Top issues: Ultimately, everything flows from and through the budget in one form or another. My top priorities will be a focus on working to create and execute a new, forward-thinking approach to education from how we finance the public model, delivery methods of instruction which integrate technology, alternative certification programs to bring fresh ideas and concepts to the classrooms, and strengthening and encouraging continuing professional development for teachers and paraprofessional staff. Second would be a complete review and restructuring of Arizona’s piecemeal tax code in favor of a true tax policy to meet financing needs for the next 20+ years.

Prop 100 sales tax extension: I recognize the need for extending this increase due to an abdication of responsibility by the governor and the Legislature. This tax was designed to sunset in the spring of 2013 because our elected officials promised to craft and implement a long-term solution to our underfunded education systems and broken financing model as demanded by a majority of voters. Three years later and they have only succeeded in further gutting education funding and leaving us with a potential deficit in excess of $1 billion next fiscal year. This is neither fiscally responsible nor conservative behavior.

Illegal immigration: The Supreme Court has ruled that immigration policy, although flawed, is still the purview of the federal government. Arizona, as a stakeholder in this debate, has a vested interest in enforcement of immigration policy and seeing the border, its citizens, and property secure. Moving forward, what is needed is comprehensive reform, which accomplishes the enforcement goals of Arizona and its contiguous border states by recognizing the need for security and penalizing employers who knowingly utilize illegal labor. This is balanced and strengthened by acknowledging the economic need for policies such as the Dream Act, guest worker programs, and educational visas.

Background & experience: I am neither hyper-partisan nor an ideologue bent on political division. I focus daily on compromising and finding workable, common sense solutions that can gain a true consensus to move my clients forward. As a business owner, I live and operate in a world where these are not concepts to be denigrated and attacked but rather are celebrated and, most importantly, effective. Managing nearly 120 non-profit corporations, responsible to 400+ board members, and allocating tens of millions of dollars in operating budgets, I have honed operational, financial, and communication skill sets which translate well to the constitutional responsibility bestowed upon a legislator.

Pro-life / pro-choice: I believe a woman’s reproductive and family planning decisions are a matter for her personal conscience and should include her family, medical care providers, and personal and faith-based support structures as she deems appropriate. I respect the right of any woman to make deeply personal health care decisions free of governmental interference.

One last thing: We need policy driven debates that happen in the full light of day. Citizens should be convinced that their elected representatives are advancing Arizona’s priorities and not merely parroting special interest groups for financial gain. I will gladly champion legislation that restricts their influence, limits gifts to elected officials, requires full disclosure of financial and in-kind benefits, and creates not an illusion of transparency, but actual transparency and open government.

Campaign Finance: private.

Democrat

Age: 36. (11/04/75, Phoenix, AZ).

Arizona since: Birth..

Occupation: U.S. Army Reserve.

Marital: Single..

Religious preference: Christian.

Education: B.S., political science, ASU, 2007.

Political experience: Veterans outreach coordinator for former Congressman Harry Mitchell. Created Veteran Outreach plan for Mitchell Campaign. Ran for office in 2008 in LD20, but suspended my campaign due to deployment to Iraq.

Memberships: United Arizona Veterans; founding member and president elect, ASU Alumni Assn – Veterans Chapter; bd member, Madison Street Veterans Assn; Military Officers Assn; Veterans of Foreign Wars; American Legion; Youth Leadership Foundation; Pi Sigma Alpha (political science honors society); president, Young Democrats.

Issues: Did not respond.

Campaign finance: private.

Independent

Age: 59. (12/08/52, Louisville, KY).

Arizona since: 1983.

Occupation: Currently not working, semi-retired; field representative, U.S. Census Bureau, Denver Regional Office, July 2011-Nov 2011; crew leader/enumerator, U.S. Census Bureau, Phoenix, April 2010–Sept 2010; special projects research analyst, Office of Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, 2003-2005; publications/web editor, writer/research analyst, AZ Dept of Commerce and AZ Dept of Economic Security, research administration, 1988-2003, 2005-2009; technical writer/editor, Siemens Transmission Systems Inc., 1987-1988; owner/operator, Fine Print (desktop publishing business), 1986-1987; features editor, Daily News-Sun (Sun City, AZ), 1983-1986; sports editor, Desert Dispatch (Barstow, CA), 1980-1983.

Marital: Single.

Religious preference: Jewish.

Education: M.A., print journalism, University of Southern California, 1981; B.S., business (finance), University of Louisville, 1974.

Political experience: Wrote annual review of business, economic development, labor and occupational legislation introduced and enacted for Arizona Economic Trends, a quarterly publication of AZ Dept of Economic Security, Research Administration, 1990s-2002; worked on communications team for first gubernatorial campaign of Gov Janet Napolitano, March 2002-Nov 2002; testified before state and local legislative bodies on tax, public policy and zoning issues since the 1990s.

Memberships: President, University of Louisville Alumni Club of AZ, since 2006; member, AZ Consumers Council, late 1980s to early 1990s; founding member and former president and media relations director, AZ State Employees Assn, 1996 to early 2000s.

Interests: Walking and hiking, traveling and biking at local and national parks, photography, politics and history, investing and financial planning.

Political influence: John Dean, counsel to President Richard Nixon – a man of political courage who risked his career (and possibly his life) to testify and tell the truth about the Watergate cover-up during the Watergate Senate hearings, and who continues to speak out on current political topics in a non-partisan manner. This led to my interest in journalism and wanting to get to the truth in writing about news and current events.

Job creation measures: Increasing job training programs between businesses and universities/community colleges, such as Intel’s clean room training program at Chandler-Gilbert and Mesa community colleges; also promoting something similar to what UPS offers to part-time employees with local colleges in Louisville, KY (http://www.community.ups.com/Education/Employee+Education). Increasing public-private partnerships between universities and businesses, and government and research facilities (e.g. TGen) to develop start-up companies and other entrepreneurial opportunities.

Top Issues: Properly funding the School Facilities Board for construction of new schools and maintenance of existing schools, as required by the Students First law – currently the underfunding is causing increased costs at the local level. Creating a non-partisan commission to look at the state’s tax structure and determine what changes could be made to be business-friendly but also properly fund government functions. There has been too much ad-hoc changes (mostly cuts) to the tax system for the last 20 years without knowing the benefits (increased revenue/jobs) and problems (too many low-wage companies that offer little or no benefits moving to Arizona) created by those changes.

Prop 100 sales tax extension: Oppose. The voters were told it would last three years and if you attempt to pass another “temporary” sales tax a year before it expires, then how will the voter believe you in the future when you say the tax is “temporary.” In addition, I don’t believe the new initiative to extend the sales tax is the same as the first, in which all of the sales tax goes into the general fund. The state needs to determine its spending and revenue needs as part of a commission, then move forward with a plan to obtain it.

Illegal immigration: Strengthen the state’s law that requires employers to use E-verify (reports of only 15% of companies using it) and include subpoena power and tougher sanctions on employers that hire illegal immigrants. South Carolina enacted a law that is superior to Arizona’s because the law allows the state to subpoena employment records and hand out heavy financial penalties to employers that break the law.

Background & experience: Twenty-five years as a writer/journalist covering public policy issues in Arizona. Testifying numerous times before Arizona state and local legislative bodies on tax and public policy issues. Working for two years on Gov Napolitano’s Efficiency Review Commission, investigating ways to make government more effective and efficient. Working for two state agencies involved with collection of employment, wage and occupational data, and writing a yearly analysis of Arizona legislation proposed and enacted covering business, economic development and labor issues.

Pro-life / pro-choice: I consider myself “pro-life” in that if it was going to be my child, I wouldn’t want it aborted, but I believe that a woman has the right to make the ultimate decision, particularly in the case of rape, incest and the life of the mother. No government funding for abortion except for rape, incest and life of mother.

One last thing: As an independent, I can vote for my constituents and not how the party wants me to vote, and as a “Clean Elections” candidate, I can vote for my constituents and not what a lobbyist or other large donor pays me to propose or vote for special interest legislation. It’s time that the average voter has an equal say in how their legislator represents their district. One-third of the state’s voters are independent, but there has never been an independent elected to the state Legislature. It’s time to give independents a chance to represent the voters and end the partisan bickering with sensible solutions focusing on what’s important – the economy, schools, health and safety.

Campaign finance: public.

Age: 36. (04/04/76, Covina, CA).

Arizona since: 1998.

Occupation: Executive vice president, Dial Chemical, since 2003.

Marital: Single.

Religious preference: Christian.

Education: B.A., political science, ASU, 2004.

Political experience: State committeeman, Republican Party, since 2007; precinct committeeman since 2002; precinct captain, Republican Party, various years; candidate, State Representative LD 20, 2008 and 2004; volunteered or interned with over 30 local, statewide, congressional and presidential campaigns.

Legis exp: House since 2011.

Memberships: Mountain Park Community Church; Red Cross Disaster Action Team, East Valley; president, Marlborough Estates HOA; NRA; AZ Young Republicans; AZ Right to Life; Goldwater Institute; Center for AZ Policy; American Conservative Union; American Enterprise Institute.

Interests: Exploring the Arizona outdoors, hiking, mountain biking, golf, reading, movies, keeping up to date with current events, politics and volunteerism.

Issues: Did not respond.

Campaign finance: private.

Republican

Age: 56. (09/18/55, Brooklyn, NY).

Arizona since: 1980.

Occupation: Owns a Farmer’s Insurance agency; professor of practice, ASU School of Criminology & Criminal Justice.

Marital: Married (Dawna).

Children: 2.

Religious preference: Catholic.

Education: M.S., criminal justice, John Jay College, 1980; B.S., criminal justice, John Jay College, 1978.

Political experience: Vice mayor, Chandler, 2000; Chandler City Council; chair, Maricopa County Sports Commission, 2000; chair, AZ Automobile Theft Authority, 2000; Greater Phoenix Economic Council Strategic Policy Cmte; Chandler Planning & Zoning Commission, 1990-1992.

Legis exp: House since 2011; House 2001-2008; speaker pro tem 2003-2008.

Memberships: Kiwanis, past pres, past Lt. gov, past int’l cmte chairman of public relations; past chair, Chandler Salvation Army Advisory Bd; past chair, AZ Auto Theft Authority; past chair, Maricopa Sports Commission; past bd member, State Legislative Leaders Foundation (SLLF).

Interests: Family, watching my children play sports.

Issues: Did not respond.

Campaign finance: private.