Heather Carter

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Carter, Heather (Republican)

Phone: (602) 697-9777

Email: heathercarter@me.com

Website: www.voteheathercarter.com

36202 N. 36th St., Cave Creek, AZ 85331

Age: 41 (3/01/69, Newport News, VA).

Arizona since: 1988.

Occupation: Clinical associate professor and director of community engagement and special projects, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, ASU, since 2002; teacher, English/social studies, Greenway Middle School, Paradise Valley Unified School District, 5 years; real estate agent, 2 years; pharmaceutical sale representative, Wallace Labs, 1.5 years; account executive, Phoenix Suns, 1.5 years.

Marital: Married (Jay, Realtor ).

Children: 1.

Religious preference: Methodist.

Education: Ed.D., educational leadership, NAU, 2006; M.E.D., educational technology, ASU, 2002; B.S., communication-rhetoric, ASU, 1992.

Political experience: I served on the Arizona Department of Education Alternative Teaching Certification Task Force. I served on the Institutional Review Committee for teacher and administrator program evaluations. I served on the NCLB working group for ADE.

Memberships have included: Multiple professional associations related to employment.

Interests: All of my free time is spent with my family. We enjoy a number of outdoor activities including hiking and biking. I also ride and show registered quarter horses. I have a passion for animals and have three dogs, two cats, three horses, and a fish.

Issues:

Political influence: My personal political development comes from a deep family passion for politics. Specifically, my mother has been the single most influential political person in my life. Not to disparage my dad who is equally influential in terms of instilling a diligent work ethic, but mom was always the person talking to me about politics for as long as I can remember. Growing up in the suburbs of Washington, DC, we regularly traveled downtown to the historical museums and sights. This is part of my very fiber. I could list a number of academics and others I have worked with, but the reason I resonate with these people stem from my personal, family foundation.

Budget recommendations: In terms of increasing revenue, we need to craft a comprehensive economic development plan, one that positions Arizona for the 21st century. The plan needs to include tax incentives/cuts, regulatory reform, job training programs, transportation/transit/infrastructure investments, and support for a world-class education system. One way to cut expenditures is to look for efficiencies of scale, where multiple entities are doing the same jobs and bring those functions together. From my research in this area, Arizona tends to loosen economies of scale by fractioning efforts across too many entities. If we can create consortiums to bring groups and bureaucracies together, we can get a job done more efficiently and affordably. This framework would shape my initial decisions on where we could cut expenditures. I would move beyond this as the legislature explores the structural deficits but details are too complicated for this short answer.

Other concerns: My top two top issues are creating a strong education system and strong economic climate for Arizona. I believe we need to focus all of our legislative efforts on positioning Arizona for the 21st Century. These two issues do just that.

Fiscal philosophy: I am fiscally conservative. I believe the tax system exists to support necessary government functions and that we need to limit government to those basic duties. Background & experience: Being that over half of the general fund goes to support education, both K-12 and higher education, I believe that my years of service to public education in Arizona uniquely positions me to deeply understand our state system. I am the clear education candidate, and yet I hold fiscally conservative values. This is a novel combination. In my current role, I champion education entrepreneurial ideas, ones that challenge the status quo and look to innovative solutions and partnerships to solve problems. I am pro-business, and believe that my years prior to education in various successful sales and business positions have helped me deeply understand market-based economies. I use this framework in education. I would like to bring this perspective to the legislature to help solve the complex problems of Arizona.

Prop. 100 sales tax: As for Prop. 100, that single vote inspired me to fast-track my goal of running for office. I was planning on doing this a few years from now, and I believe if I don’t get involved immediately, things are going to deteriorate for my own daughter and I can’t let that happen. I felt compelled to get involved now, not later. As a Republican educator, I had a very difficult decision to make. on first glance, I was against Prop. 100, but then I researched the issue and determined that we needed this ‘band-aid’ fix immediately. I know what would have happened if we hadn’t passed that, from both a University and K-12 perspective. So, rather than just vote ‘yes’ and let the status quo continue to spend more than we have, which is what got us to this place in the first place, I decided I could not in good conscious vote ‘yes’ without running for office and bringing a fiscally, conservative perspective to the legislature and a deep understanding of Arizona education. The majority of Arizona voters supported this temporary sales tax.

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

One last thing: I have a three-point plan, should the voters elect me to the Legislature. First, my primary responsibility would be to balance the budget, period. This is the first job, and should be the primary focus of all efforts. Next, we need to craft a comprehensive economic development plan so we can generate additional revenue for our state. If we are successful on these two issues, I would like to champion my two agenda items: strong schools and a strong economy. I think with a laser focus, success is in our reach for Arizona.

Campaign Finance: private.