Eric Meyer

Democrat
Candidate for Arizona House in Legislative District 28
Phone: (480) 607-0660
Email: electericmeyer@gmail.com
7765 N Foothill Dr South, Paradise Valley, AZ 85253.

Age: 50. (08/12/61, Syracuse, NY).

Arizona since: 1968.

Occupation: Former director of Providence Hospital Emergency Dept (Portland, OR); bd member, Scottsdale School District Governing Bd, since 2004.

Marital: Married (Sarah Snell, physician).

Children: 2.

Education: M.D., UofA Medical School, 1988; B.A., economics, University of Southern California, 1983.

Political experience: Scottsdale School District Governing Bd.

Legis exp: House since 2009.

Memberships: Children’s Museum of Phoenix Bd of Dir; Scottsdale Unified School District, All-City Athlete Banquet Bd; previous PTO president, Arcadia Neighborhood Learning Center; previous legislative liaison, Scottsdale Parent Council; previous member, Scottsdale Unified School District Budget Committee.

Interests: Bicycling, sailing, reading.

Political influence: No single person has been the most influential. I turn to different people for political advice depending on the subject that I am interested in learning about. I know many people with varied backgrounds, such as educators, business leaders, and health care professionals with whom I can discuss important issues. Getting advice from different political points of view is very important in my decision making process.

Job creation measures: When it comes to creating jobs, the Legislature should work to create a stable environment in both a tax and regulatory sense. We should refrain from introducing bills that attack businesses in Arizona like those that undermined our solar and health care industries. Targeted tax credits and other incentives should be used to attract high paying knowledge-based jobs in the biosciences, technology and engineering industries to our state.

Top Issues: As a school board member in Scottsdale and a school advocate with children of my own, I believe education must be our single highest priority. I have witnessed, first hand, much of the damage that the Legislature has brought upon our public schools. Job creation is my second highest priority. I will be a voice at the Capitol seeking to bring some real life experience and common sense to the dialogue.

Prop 100 sales tax extension: I voted yes on Prop 100. The governor and the majority party have voted for the largest cuts to public education in the history of the state in the last four years. I voted, at the state level, against those cuts of over two billion dollars to K-12 funding. The magnitude of these cutbacks will continue to affect class size, programs and student performance in schools across the state. If no solution is found to deal with the expiration of Prop 100, our schools will face even deeper cuts.

Illegal immigration: Arizona has already taken smart steps to combat illegal immigration, from the employer sanctions measure to the crackdown on human smuggling. We must continue to explore ways to secure our border. We need to target the worst-of-the-worst, whether it is weapons dealers, human smugglers, or employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

Background & experience: The vast majority of what we do as legislators relates to the economy, education and health care. I have an undergraduate degree in economics and a medical degree. I have practiced emergency medicine and been director of a large emergency department. I am in my eighth year of service on the Scottsdale School Board. Each of these different life experiences has given me a knowledge base that guides me in making decisions as a legislator.

Pro-life / pro-choice: Fifty percent of pregnancies are unplanned. Our focus should be on preventing unwanted pregnancies. This would lead to a reduction in abortions. Ultimately, every individual woman should have a right to choose her reproductive path. We should not impose our values on others through legislation but should instead provide education and universal access to birth control.

One last thing: I’m honored to serve the constituents of District 11 and look forward to serving the new District 28. I will continue to work every day to make Arizona a better place to work, live, and raise a family.

Campaign finance: private.