Republican – Legislative District 21 House

Phone: (623) 340-8091

Address: 9521 W Cedar Hill Cir, Sun City, AZ 85351

Age: 63. (01/16/51, Omaha, NE).

Arizona since: 2006

Occupation: Owner, Acacia Plumbing, Inc., since 2006; owner, RG Plumbing, 1999–2006; manager, Micro Plumbing, 2001–03; division leader, Trinity Church Interdenominational, 1998–99; owner, Midwest Plumbing & Drain Cleaning, Inc.

Marital: Married

Children: 4

Education: M.A., organizational leadership, Crown College, in process; B.S., organizational leadership and biblical studies (dual major), Grace University, 2000; A.A.S., business management, Metro Community College, 1993; certificate in teacher training, Metro Community College, 1992.

Political experience: Precinct & state committeeman; 2nd vice chair, LD9; governmental chair, Sun City Homeowners Assn.

Legis exp: House since 2011.

Interests: Politics, reading, travel, exercise, guitar.

Two biggest issues: Economy and K-12 education. They are completely tied together because the portion of the general fund money for K-12 is dependent on our state revenues. As we look at the revenue sources available, we have a lot of potential, but we need to move strategically to be able to access those resources. I would also like the Legislature to look at where we want to see our state in 5-10 years and begin to evaluate what needs to be done legislatively to get there. This will help solve the issues we face now by dealing with them holistically, so instead of merely tweaking an issue, we solve the whole problem.

Budget priorities: Our budget is going to be very tight over the next few years unless we can access some of the resources we have as a state. I would prefer to avoid making additional cuts, but I don’t think we should look at tax increases as a source of revenue.

Fiscal philosophy: I would say I am a fiscal conservative. We have two ways to increase our state revenues. We can either raise taxes, which I oppose, or we can grow our economy by having an attractive business climate that draws new businesses to our state. I believe we’ve done a good job of that so far, which is why we’ve been ranked #1 for entrepreneurial activity by Fast Company and one of the top 10 Best Place for Business by Chief Executive. But we need to continue the work of making Arizona the best state to start or own a business.

Common Core: I am still looking into this issue. I can see a lot of reasons for concern, but I am a strong believer in having all the facts to be able to make the best decision possible. I also believe we need to get all sides together to look at everyone’s concerns. From those types of discussions, I believe we will come up with the best strategy possible for our children’s education.

Gifts to elected officials: I am in my fourth year at the Legislature, and I have not seen anything I would consider inappropriate. This is definitely a topic that should be discussed, especially if there is some kind of evidence of impropriety, but I think it has been used more as a way to make headlines to sell newspapers. Of course, we do have the Fiesta Bowl situation, but that was before I got into the Legislature and I haven’t heard of anything like that since then. If people really think a lunch on the lawn is going to change their representative’s vote they should look for another representative to elect. I have personally been the deciding vote to kill a bill in committee that was being pushed by a lobbyist that I’ve been to dinner with and consider a friend. Neither his friendship nor his dinner changed my view of the bill, which is why I voted against it.

Transparency in government: Government is here to serve the people and there should be full transparency in what is done.

Pro-life / pro-choice: I believe the child in the womb is just as much of a person as a child outside of the womb. I have no expectation of seeing a reversal of Roe vs. Wade so we will continue to have the availability of abortions, but we should still understand the value of a life.

Public policy advice: I look for people who have expertise on the issue at hand and try to make sure I get opinions from people on both sides. I know that lobbyists are usually portrayed as vile, self-serving mercenaries for their clients, but they provide expertise on issues and play a critical part in the legislative process. There are some very honest lobbyists who have a lot of expertise and are not only willing to share their position, but also what their opposition has to say on the issue, too. And, again, I never settle for one person’s opinion. I try to get as many viewpoints as possible so I can make the most informed decision with the information available. I also look to fellow members who have more expertise on an area than I do because of their background or their committee involvement.

Gray, Rick

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