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Democrat
Candidate for U.S. House in Congressional District 9
Phone: (602) 570-7217
Email: kyrsten@kyrstensinema.com
Website: www.kyrstensinema.com
Twitter: @kyrstensinema
3740 N 12th St, Phoenix, AZ 85014.
Name pronunciation: KEER-stuhn Cinema
Age: 35. (07/12/76, Tucson, AZ).
Arizona since: Birth.
Occupation: Adjunct professor, ASU School of Social Work, since 2003; instructor, Center for Progressive Leadership, since 2006.
Marital: Single.
Religious preference: Did not respond..
Education: Ph.D., justice studies, ASU, 2012; J.D., ASU, 2004; Master’s, social work, ASU, 1999.
Political experience: Chair, Protect Arizona’s Freedom (successfully defeated Ward Connerly initiative), 2008; chair, Arizona Together (successfully defeated same-sex marriage ban ballot initiative), 2006.
Legis exp: Senate 2011-Jan 2012 (resigned 1/3/12 to run for Congress in the newly created CD9); House 2005-2010; asst Democratic leader 2009-2010.
Memberships: Member, AZ Education Assn; Phoenix Women’s Commission since 2011; YWCA of Maricopa County Bd of Directors since 2008; Center for Progressive Leadership since 2006; TED Fellow, 2012; Young Elected Officials’ Network Steering Committee, 2006-2012; Aspen-Rodel Fellow in Leadership, 2008-2010; Harvard Kennedy School of Government – Women in Power, 2010; Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Senior Executives in State and Local Government, 2008; chair, Center for Policy Alternative Flemming Fellow, 2006.
Interests: Marathon running, road and mountain biking triathlon, hiking, published author.
Political influence: I have great admiration and respect for Sandra Day O’Connor. An Arizona native, she graduated as the first woman from her law school. Later, she served in the Arizona Senate and was known for her practical, common-sense approach to solving challenges. Later, as the first woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court, she paved a path for all women in our nation. Her approach represents the best of Arizona – pragmatic problem solving.
Top priority: The biggest priority for me in Congress is to work towards creating a stronger economy both nationally and here in Arizona. That means helping small businesses grow, protecting our middle class, and working across the aisle to build an economy that produces jobs.
Respected opponent: Sandra Day O’Connor is a trailblazer for women in politics. Her common sense approach in the Supreme Court is a positive example of what Arizona has to offer in the national scene. I’m optimistic that we will see more of this in the upcoming decade.
Job creation measures: I intend to support policies that strengthen our small businesses and enhance the ability for new entrepreneurs to access capital. After all, ninety percent of Arizona’s economic engine comes from small businesses. I will advocate for measures that keep federal and infrastructure projects local. This means priority should go to contractors that demonstrate local hiring practices and fair opportunity for smaller firms to compete.
Illegal immigration: I support a smart, fair immigration solution that works for workers, employers and our national security. We must ensure a safe and secure border while maintaining a market-based solution that meets the demand for skilled and unskilled labor in our country. We should work towards a tough but fair path to citizenship for people already here in the U.S. that requires them to get right with the law by paying back taxes, paying a fine and learning English as a condition of gaining citizenship. We need a Congress that will work together to pass common sense solutions like the DREAM Act. Children who grow up knowing no other country but ours, have served in uniform to defend it, are educated and ready for work deserve a legal path to citizenship.
Federal deficit: The solution to our country’s $15 billion deficit isn’t easy. We need to address this from a pragmatic, common-sense perspective. First, we need to address spending and reduce wasteful, unnecessary spending from the federal budget. Second, we must address revenue by allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire and closing loopholes in our tax code that ask everyone to pay their fair share. We can do this without asking middle class taxpayers to bear more of the burden they are already carrying and without sacrificing important federal security programs like Social Security and Medicare.
President Obama’s qualifications: The task for any presidential candidate will be to demonstrate an ability to put the nation’s recovery above harsh partisan divisions. I believe that President Obama will make this his priority.
