Elections 2014 Just another Arizona Capitol Times Election Coverage site
Democrat – Legislative District 18 House
Phone: (480) 704-4624
Email: Mitzi@MitziEpstein.com
Website: www.MitziEpstein.com
Facebook: Mitzi Epstein
Twitter: @MitziEpstein
Address: 733 E Stacey Ln , Tempe, AZ 85284
Age: 53. (05/24/61, Evergreen Park, IL).
Arizona since: 1996
Occupation: Owner, Custom Language Training, since 2007; stay-at-home mom, since 1987; computer consultant, Aerovox, Inc., 1994-98; sr. application analyst, Citicorp Mortgage, 1986-88; MIS programmer-analyst, Olin Corp, 1982-86.
Marital: Married
Children: 2
Education: Courses towards MBA, Washington University (St. Louis, MO), 1987; B.S. (cum laude), computer science, Bradley University, 1983.
Political experience: Town meeting member, Dartmouth, MA, 1994-96; Kyrene Elementary School District Governing Board, 2004-08; chair, Yes Public Ed PAC; volunteer for various campaigns.
Interests: One of my most enduring hobbies has been to encourage parents and the entire school community to learn more about public education and school finance, and to communicate with their legislators regularly. I enjoy live musical theater, especially performances by our resident companies. Bike riding and hiking are my most frequent outdoor pursuits. I love soccer, but I’m one very slow soccer player!
Two biggest issues: Jobs and schools are the two most important issues for Arizona and they are integrally correlated. A strong economy demands a prepared workforce. We need high-quality jobs that pay well and provide for career advancement. Traditionally, manufacturing businesses have provided a solid base and created positive economic ripple effects. I will use my proven skills in building coalitions to bring together people with expertise in innovative manufacturing entrepreneurship and leaders in innovative education. In public education, I will work across the aisle to support school choice, while assuring the success of truly public education because it is the foundation of our economy and our democracy. For every school that uses funding from taxpayers, I will work to assure three imperatives: Children are safe, and their safety is guarded by statutes that include appropriate enforcement. Children should not have to give up their rights in order to attend the school of their choice, when that school accepts funding from taxpayers. As a key part of my work as a legislator, I will restore respect for teachers. We have enacted many changes to education in the past several years. We need to evaluate what is working before overwhelming professional educators with even more regulations. In education and in the economy, we need to look to the data to determine what works. If the evidence shows that it provides the outcomes we want, we should invest in it, and if not, we should fix it.
Budget priorities: We need to support economic development through education, workforce development, and investment in innovation. We want to encourage new businesses to locate in Arizona and current employers to expand in Arizona because we have a reliable infrastructure of education, transportation, and broadband. As Arizona recovers from the recession, we can invest in choices that will provide a return on investment for our economy. We can increase revenue by growing our economy, and by closing loopholes that benefit only a few special interests. We can cut expenditures by examining what is working and what is not working and by investing in productivity tools. Currently, our antiquated data systems are wasting money and creating inaccuracies that have to be fixed manually, when newer systems should provide better information and save money in the long run.
Fiscal philosophy: I am fiscally experienced, highly accountable and responsible. If the evidence shows that a program provides the outcomes we need or want, we should invest in it. If not, we should eliminate it or fix it. I go with the data. I am a long-term planner. We must plan for the future and set goals to implement our plan. We must stop budgeting for the short term causing costs to increase in the long term. A dime invested today can save a dollar down the road.
Common Core: We should continue to implement ACCRS. Generally, they are rigorous standards that follow a logical progression and are highly regarded as a good foundation to provide students with 21st century skills. Many child development experts have advised that the standards for kindergarten through third grade need to be adjusted. That does not mean we should throw out the standards. We should work to evaluate them and plan for the next phase of the standards.
Gifts to elected officials: There is a difference between the benefit that lobbyists provide to lawmakers in terms of sharing their expertise in their fields, and flat-out bribes in exchange for unfair influence. A hoagie sandwich on the Capitol lawn in broad daylight for a lunch with lobbyists to learn about their concerns is plausibly a benefit for all the people of Arizona. On the other hand, junkets out of state, or lavish meals, liquor, and extravagant gifts to lawmakers do not benefit the people of Arizona in any way. I favor a ban on gifts to lawmakers for travel, hotel, and tickets or registrations to special events and conferences. A state ethics commission should be established to enforce the rules better than is currently being done and to provide legislators with ongoing communications to remind them of the rules. Lawmakers are elected by the people of their communities to represent them and should live up to a high standard of ethics.
Transparency in government: I have built my legislative, business, and education career on full transparency. As a school board member, constituents thanked me for “opening doors.” As I have done in the past and will continue, I will work to assure that information is provided to be able to report to taxpayers, “This shows how your tax dollars have been used. Furthermore, here is the return on your investment,” for every program, budget, policy, and legislative activity. While we do not want to spend money on extra accounting that is not used, we do want to audit the uses of tax dollars to assure an optimal return is generated and to assure that the door is not open to corruption. We cannot know if a program is working or not if we do not audit the books from time to time. Public notice is one of the few ways we can assure that bills are properly vetted before they become laws. The system of committees was designed to ensure that people who care and know about the pertinent issues of a bill will give it careful consideration. When the spirit of that consideration is respected, the process can be transparent and the greater good will prevail over special interests. Allowing too many striker amendments and other procedural shortcuts does harm to our state.
Pro-life / pro-choice: The right to choose is a fundamental right that deserves protection just as any right does. I want a world in which there are no abortions because there is no need for abortions. But until we have the supports in place for that sort of utopia, we need to protect women’s rights. In our imperfect world, our government should not make this intensely personal decision.
Public policy advice: For me, the only way to develop a strong solution is to bring a wide gamut of stakeholders to the table for all phases of the project. For example, if I were to listen to arguments from the Goldwater Institute on an education issue, I would also seek out corresponding information from the National Education Policy Center. I have made it a habit that when I ask advice of a partisan elected official to also ask an official from the other party.
