Bill Gates

Democrat
Candidate for Arizona Senate in Legislative District 17
Phone: (480) 883-7410
Email: billgatesforazsenate@gmail.com
Website: www.gatesforazsenate.com
Twitter: @BillGates4AZ
23617 S Desert Star Dr, Sun Lakes, AZ 85248.

Age: 68. (12/21/43, Glens Falls, NY).

Arizona since: 2003.

Occupation: Retired; former newspaper editor and small retail business owner.

Marital: Married (Dr. Roberta Reed, retired).

Children: 1.

Religious preference: Valley UU.

Education: B.A., history, Hartwick College, 1965.

Political experience: Elected to three two-year terms as a county legislator, Otsego County, NY, 1990-94. Elected to two two-year terms as Town Supervisor, Town of Otsego, New York, 2000-2003.

Memberships: Rotary, Kiwanis, American Legion, New Adventures in Learning (president, three years), New York State Associated Press Assn (president and director), New York State Society of Newspaper Editors (vice president and director).

Interests: Tennis, adult education (teaching and attending classes), trivia competition, reading, pickleball.

Political influence: High school social studies teacher Rowena Belding taught me (a) how to speak in public, (b) how to reason out political positions, (c) to always listen to and learn from other points of view, and (d) not to be scared of being in the minority if your idea is thoughtful and well-developed.

Job creation measures: First and foremost, business tax cuts and credits should be linked to creation of high-paying jobs. In 2011, the governor signed a huge (more than $500 million by 2018) reduction in business taxes and expansion of business tax credits. We must accurately assess the impact of these measures on job creation before any further cuts are made. Good jobs, not tax cuts, fuel a sound economy. I believe Arizona should work aggressively to ensure we have a highly educated workforce. A strong public education system is the single most important cog in a state’s job-creation tool chest.

Top Issues: The rush toward privatization of public services: this Tea Party, Republican Legislature slashed aid to public schools while finding new ways to shift money to private schools. Its response to the deadly Kingman prison break was to weaken oversight of private prisons. It set up a mechanism for toll roads just in case there is an opportunity to turn our highways over to a company. Lax ethical standards: despite bipartisan proposals, the Legislature resisted all efforts to tighten its own ethical rules in the wake of the Fiesta Bowl scandal. This “we’re special” attitude must end.

Prop 100 sales tax extension: Normally I would favor letting the temporary (three-year) sales tax increase expire. However, the Tea Party Republican majority broke faith with citizens. It did not adequately protect public education and other services during the recession. The proposed extension is a direct result of citizen distrust of the current legislative majority to protect important services such as public education. I support the ballot measure. As a state senator, I hope citizens will trust me enough to do the right thing for our children so that such initiatives are unnecessary.

Illegal immigration: Political candidates need to stop the incendiary rhetoric. Illegal immigration is down in Arizona and nationally because of the recession. The Arizona Accord is an excellent model and I would use it as a framework for policy development. Patterned after the Utah Compact, the Arizona Accord has been endorsed by a wide range of Arizona organizations.

Background & experience: As a newspaper reporter and editor, I learned to listen to people’s concerns and give voice to them. As a small business owner, I learned fiscal prudence and the direct impact public policies have on the economy. As an elected local official, I learned that what people want most is for leaders to be honest with them. Every time I’ve taken a job, I’ve tried to do the best I could. It has usually brought leadership responsibility — something I’ve never craved, but something I don’t shy away from either.

Pro-life / pro-choice: I oppose the current efforts by Gov Brewer and the Tea Party Republican legislative majorities in both houses to chip away at women’s reproductive rights by imposing medically unnecessary requirements that harass women and intrude on doctor-patient relationships. I believe abortion should be rare, safe and legal.

One last thing: The current Tea Party Republican legislative majority lionizes local rule, but its record is one of shifting costs and mandates to counties, school districts and municipalities while claiming to never increase state taxes. As a former local official, I know the burden this imposes. It’s dishonest. It breaks promises counties, school districts and other entities were counting on. As a state senator, I won’t vote for a mandate unless it’s funded. Finally, as a Vietnam veteran, I’d like voters to know I’ll bring the same dedication to duty that I did when I enlisted in 1967.

Campaign finance: public.