Nancy Young Wright

Nancy Young Wright

Young Wright, Nancy (Democrat)

Phone: (520) 742-7283

Email: nyoungwright@azleg.gov

Website: www.nancyyoungwright.com

1005 W. Wilkenson Dr., Oro Valley, AZ 85074
(Mail: PO Box 36348, Tucson, AZ 85740)

Age: 50 (11/10/59, Clovis, NM).

Arizona since: 1981.

Occupation: State representative, LD26, since 2008; program coordinator, Pima County Public Library, 2007-08; director, ArtsReach writing programs, 2004-07; full-time parent and community volunteer, 1983-04.

Marital: Married (Allen Wright).

Children: 2.

Religious preference: Methodist.

Education: M.F.A., creative writing, UofA, 1997; B.A., journalism, New Mexico State University, 1981.

Political experience: Amphitheater Unified School District, board member, 1996-07; campaigned for Town of Oro Valley mayor, 2006; field volunteer for numerous candidates, initiatives and referendums; AZ House since 2008 (appointed to House 1/22/08 to replace Rep. Saradnik who had resigned. Elected in 2008).

Memberships have included: Audubon Society; AZ Women’s Political Caucus; CDO Band Boosters; Friends of Pima County and Oro Valley Public Libraries; Harelson, Cross and CDO PTO’s; Rincon Chapter of the Sierra Club.

Interests: Reading, writing, green energy alternatives, animal welfare advocacy, hiking, antiquing.

Issues:

Political influence: My mother. My earliest political memory was of her volunteering on the Barry Goldwater for President campaign when I was 5 years old. She had a lot of energy for community projects. She always encouraged me to get involved and to stand up for issues.

Budget recommendations: The budget should be examined on all levels for waste. We need to modernize many of our functions by investing in better software and computer systems, for example, that would save us in operations costs. We should examine and address the root causes of social ills that cost us millions in things like prison costs later down the line. We should close loopholes in our tax code that benefit only the richest corporations and special interests. By making our tax code fairer, we can raise revenues while reducing tax burdens on hard working Arizonans. We need to modernize our tax code. From property tax to sales tax to income tax, our tax code is antiquated and inefficient. We need to update it to reflect our modern economy, increase fairness across the board for individuals and businesses, and create a more stable revenue base for the future.

Other concerns: Education is the top issue I’ll concentrate on because an educated community affects every facet of our lives, including our ability to attract the best companies. I’m concerned about our national ranking in K-12 public education funding. By most impartial sources, we rank 49th or 50th, and this sends out a negative and damaging message to businesses who might consider locating here. We also must support our community colleges and universities. Without the proper preparation, our citizens won’t be competitive in today’s global markets. Our students, parents, and teachers deserve respect and support; not the near daily budget and policy assaults they received during the last two legislative sessions. I’m also focused on learning about our state’s water issues and about sharing that information with others. I’ve worked on starting a bipartisan water issues study group at the Capitol to help legislators and staff learn more about water matters. Without a reliable supply of clean water, nothing else much matters in Arizona. Promoting renewable energy sources such as solar and wind are vital to our future.

Fiscal philosophy: I am a fiscal conservative who believes in fairness in our tax code and justice. It’s not fair that some businesses pay a lot less than their fair share in Arizona and that the burden is shifted to the middle class and small businesses.

Background & experience: During my 10 years on the Amphitheater School board, I learned a great deal about budgets, about conflicting interests, about working with parents and employees, and about education issues. All of these areas are applicable to evaluating the state budget, the bills, and the polices we review. My work as a community leader for parks, trails and conservation helped me learn about the public process. I have an understanding about the Planning and Zoning process, about development guidelines, and neighborhood concerns. I also approach legislative issues from the viewpoint of a parent, wife, sister and a daughter. I believe my life experiences with special needs family members, senior parents, veterans and children have given me a helpful perspective with which to view the issues facing Arizona.

Proposition 100 sales tax: I voted yes and will work hard beyond this ballot question to find solutions to our state’s fiscal problems. I feel we were backed into a corner on this tax due to the failure of the majority to accept other solutions they were offered by our caucus, university economists and community leaders.

Pro-life/pro-choice: Abortion should be safe, legal and rare. We need to work harder in AZ to prevent unplanned and unwanted pregnancies; particularly in our teen population. I do not favor the government intrusion into a woman’s life that has been featured in bills that were passed during the past two sessions.

One last thing: I work hard and I’m accustomed to working with people from all political backgrounds to solve problems. I truly enjoy serving in the Legislature and hope to return.

Campaign Finance: private.