Terry Goddard

Terry Goddard

Goddard, Terry (Democrat)

Phone: (602) 254-6342
Email: info@terrygoddard.com
Website: www.terrygoddard.com
PO Box 1792, Phoenix, AZ 85001

Age: 63 (1/21/47, Tucson, AZ).

Arizona since: Birth.

Occupation: Attorney General since 2003; mayor, Phoenix, 1984-90.

Marital: Married (Monica Lee).

Children: 1.

Religious preference: Protestant.

Education: J.D., ASU, 1976; B.A., American history, Harvard College, 1969.

Political experience: Attorney general since 2003; precinct committeeman since 1976; Central AZ Water Conservation District Board, 2000-02; mayor of Phoenix, 1984-90; ran for governor, 1990, 1994.

Memberships have included: Peace Officer Memorial Board; 100 Club; trustee, AZ Theater Company; board member, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco; trustee, AZ Preservation Foundation, National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Interests: Hiking, backpacking, gardening, photography, history.

Issues:

Political influence: My family is my inspiration and my guide.

Budget: We can save significant dollars by department consolidation. I will look to reduce program growth, eliminate duplicative services, and curb mandated program growth when possible under the law. The key to increasing state revenues is restoring lost jobs and getting Arizona working again. We must diversify Arizona’s economy, retain and expand existing businesses and attract new ones. I believe we can significantly increase revenues by closing tax loopholes. I would use that revenue to roll back the retail sales tax passed by voters in May and provide a more stable and diverse revenue base.

Other concerns: We need to create more jobs. As governor, I will work with everyone willing to build the state’s economic base through recruitment, job training and tax incentives. We also need stable education funding. Constant turmoil helps keep Arizona’s schools ranked at the bottom nationally. We must establish what our schools need, provide stable funding and stop the legislative micro-management.

Fiscal philosophy: Fiscal responsibility and quality of life go hand in hand. We must work together to sufficiently fund quality public education, law enforcement, health care and social priorities, eliminate the structural deficit, and keep our tax burden competitive. We must create long term budget solutions, not gimmicks and temporary fixes. Arizona cannot keep driving away tourist dollars, ignoring business opportunities and failing to support public schools. As governor, I will work with every willing Democrat, Republican and independent to restore our economy. We can get Arizona working again by first and foremost diversifying Arizona’s economy and investing in technology transfer, establish an organization to replace the Department of Commerce with professional advocacy and a ‘deal closing fund’ to help retain and expand existing businesses and attract new ones, restore job training programs and reform our tax structure to stimulate/attract basic industries.

Background & experience: Everything I have done in my 30-year career has helped prepare me for the job of governor. As a naval officer, I learned about management, and as mayor of one of America’s largest cities, I learned how to cut a public budget, how to find innovative solutions and how to represent my city in attracting new industry. As attorney general, I’ve worked hard every day to protect Arizona families, fight Mexican drug cartels, close shady mortgage companies and crack down on meth dealers even when the Legislature and the governor refused. As the lawyer for most state agencies, I gained an insider’s view of the broad range of state government. My experience and leadership skills will help restore jobs, educate our children better, and build a stronger and safer Arizona.

Voter Protection Act: The Voter Protection Act protects voter-approved initiatives from legislative tampering and diversion.

Underfunded agency: Most state programs and agencies are currently underfunded. Public safety has been reduced to the point that the public’s protection is imperiled. The Department of Financial Institutions has too few investigators to protect consumers. The Department of Water Resources has almost no staff and cannot adequately protect our precious water resources. The Land Department is incapable of getting the best price for state lands through long-range planning, rezoning and strategic management. Public education is suffering and our students are shortchanged. The Department of Tourism cannot adequately promote Arizona as a travel destination in this country and abroad.

Prop. 100 sales tax: I supported Prop. 100 reluctantly because our schools, our universities and public safety would be in even more desperate conditions without it. By voting to pass Prop. 100, voters clearly intended to support these specific purposes, not a massive corporate tax giveaway. Unfortunately, this sales tax is a Band-Aid, not a cure for our budget problems.

Campaign finance: public.