Adam Driggs

Republican
Candidate for Arizona Senate in Legislative District 28
Phone: (602) 957-3761
Email: adam@driggslawgroup.com
Twitter: @AdamDriggs
4231 E Clarendon Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85018.

Age: 47. (04/22/65, Phoenix, AZ).

Arizona since: Birth.

Occupation: Driggs Law Group since 2004; Express One (shipping business) since 1997; Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, 1994-1997.

Marital: Married (Leonore).

Children: 4.

Religious preference: LDS.

Education: ASU Law School, 1993.

Political experience: Precinct committee since 2000; helped in several local elections.

Legis exp: Senate since 2011; House 2007-2010.

Memberships: State Bar of Arizona.

Interests: Spending time in the White Mountains, traveling and spending time with family, going to athletic events, reading.

Political influence: I have admired and looked up to Barry Goldwater since I was very young. He helped foster the great sense of pride I have in being an Arizonan. His advocacy of freedom, limited government, and personal responsibility still resonates with me. My father, John Driggs, has also been a great example to me. He defines public service. From his time as Mayor of Phoenix in the early 70s until today, he has worked tirelessly for the betterment of our community and has made a remarkable difference in the state of Arizona.

Job creation measures: To encourage job creation in Arizona, I support two primary elements that are interrelated: favorable business environment and quality institutions of higher learning. We need to promote a business environment that allows businesses to do what they do best. We must eliminate the regulatory burdens of government interference, which hamper efficient business practices. Additionally, businesses are reluctant to locate to an area that will not be able to provide quality workforce from its local universities. It is imperative that the state university system continue to improve and we must also create opportunities for additional private universities to come to Arizona.

Top Issues: The two key issues in moving the state forward are the economy and education. We must foster a business friendly environment in Arizona by creating sound public policy, which benefits existing employers while attracting new investment into our state. We must also promote policies in education to raise expectations, which will enable our children to be college ready when they graduate from high school. Additionally, we must also insure that our universities produce a quality workforce.

Prop 100 sales tax extension: I oppose the current initiative because of the unavoidable flaws of ballot-box budgeting. The voters are being asked to permanently direct tax proceeds to twelve different earmarks, most of which are new and unproven spending programs. The budget allocation to these programs will be on permanent autopilot, irrespective of their success or failure. The measure will not allow higher educational priorities to benefit from these additional tax revenues when the need arises. And it will not allow prioritized shifts in the funding formula 10, 20 or even 30 years from now. We are basically asking Arizona citizens to vote today for our state’s education budget decades from now. We need a process that can be responsive to the needs of our schools and students in the future.

Illegal immigration: Any action Arizona takes to address illegal immigration can only be successful if there is cooperation from the federal government. This is because the federal government has exclusive jurisdiction to prosecute and fully enforce immigration cases. As we have learned from SB1070, state legislation is a very small piece of the overall solution. We need Congress to act and address this issue and fix the problem, which has had such an impact on Arizona.

Background & experience: Our state needs strong leadership. My professional background has been extremely helpful, as I have tackled many of the challenges facing Arizona today. As a small business owner for the past fourteen years, I know the important role our state plays in creating a conducive atmosphere for economic growth. Immigration is one of the most controversial issues confronting our state today. I am a former Maricopa County prosecutor and also an expert in federal immigration law. I have incarcerated illegal immigrants and have worked with legal immigrants in my professional career. My expertise and practical knowledge in this key area has been a tremendous asset as I have worked with other legislators to create sound immigration policy.

Pro-life / pro-choice: Pro-life.

One last thing: I am a lifelong resident of Legislative District 28, which gives me a unique perspective as I represent the people of my district. I attended public schools in the area, and my children attend them now. I feel it is extremely important that legislators are familiar with the neighborhoods in their districts and are in tune with their constituents.

Campaign finance: private.