Elections 2014 Just another Arizona Capitol Times Election Coverage site
Republican – Legislative District 11 House
Phone: (520) 808-7340
Email: info@votefinchem.com
Website: www.votefinchem.com
Facebook: Mark Finchem
Twitter: @VoteFinchem2014
Address: 12849 N Bloomington Loop , Oro Valley, AZ 85755
Age: 57. (04/24/57, Detroit, MI).
Arizona since: 1999
Occupation: Managing partner, ReadMyRear.com, since 2008;
associate broker, Long Realty Company, since 2008.
Marital: Married
Children: 4
Education: Six Sigma (Green Belt) Management, Intuit Management School, 2006; A.A.S. (with honors), criminal justice, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, 1984; SW Regional Police Academy (2nd in Class), Dean’s List, 1982; paramedic licensure, Grand Valley State College Extension, 1978; bio-sciences, Alma College, 1977.
Political experience: Candidate, Oro Valley Town Council, 2010 (an unsuccessful bid); supporter of multiple fiscally conservative candidates; supporter of effort to quash Medicaid expansion.
Interests: U.S. Constitution and the Federalist Papers, family, gardening, local travel, Young Life
Compassion International.
Two biggest issues: Protecting state sovereignty (the co-equal relationship of state and federal governments): Regular and vigorous assertion of Arizona sovereignty in opposition to federal government overreach of enumerated powers. This affects education, economic development, infrastructure and the quality of life that Arizonans enjoy. Overreach by the federal government is a root cause of many of the challenges we face today. Protection of private property rights against government overreach at all levels. Truth in taxation, regulatory schemes designed to limit the use of private property and attempts to use tools like eminent domain as justification to take private property and property rights is a serious threat to Arizona’s prosperity.
Budget priorities: Locally controlled education is a high priority for me. Growing the capability for Arizona to increase tax revenue is important. That is why I support the work of the American Lands Council and why I believe Arizona should work with Utah, New Mexico, Nevada and other western states to receive extinguished title for our lands. Arizona is often compared to other states that have control of as much as 97% of the land in their state, while Arizona has control (and by association taxable opportunity) over no more than 17% of the lands within our state. Gaining title to the promised lands of our state from Congress as promised in our 1912 Enabling Act is critical to funding education and economic growth. Our infrastructure is in serious need of updating and repair. We must stop the practice of HURF sweeping and properly fund infrastructure maintenance. High-end job creators look at the basic responsibilities of state government and infrastructure as relocation criteria.
Fiscal philosophy: Fiscal conservative. We will always have more priorities than resources, doing what government must do comes first.
Common Core: Common Core violates at least three federal statutes and is in direct violation of the 10th Amendment. Education is not an enumerated power that the people or the state gave to the federal government. This is a responsibility of the local school boards. Common Core was not a creation of the states as we have been told, but of the federal government and big business education lobby.
Gifts to elected officials: I think gifts to elected officials are inappropriate. I am not familiar with this issue and will have to examine it before making further comment.
Transparency in government: The constitutional republic form of government we have must demonstrate true transparency at all levels. We no longer have a truly transparent government from the county to the state to the federal government. When legislators at every level vote on bills they have not read or had time to digest, we lose transparency. When we have taxation schemes that hide taxes that the consumer pays, we lose transparency. Adequate notice to all and oversight is essential to keep special interests at bay and protect the tax payers.
Pro-life / pro-choice: I am in the camp of the framers of our Constitution. In the preamble of our U.S. Constitution, the framers were succinct, “…to secure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves [those of us who are already born] and our Posterity [those of yet to come]”. Our nation has endured state sanctioned genocide for long enough. We must support and promote life from conception to natural death to be a truly civil society.
Public policy advice: Subject matter authorities from multiple sides on the various issues.
