Elections 2014 Just another Arizona Capitol Times Election Coverage site
Republican – Governor
Phone: (480) 686-7762
Email: info@christinejones.com
Website: www.christinejones.com
Facebook: Christine Jones
Twitter: @jonesforgov
Age: 45. (08/17/68, Virginia Beach, VA).
Arizona since: 1997
Occupation: Former executive vice president and general counsel, Go Daddy; lawyer with Phoenix law firm focusing primarily on financial fraud and securities litigation; L.A. District Attorney’s Office, various departments, including stints in Compton, the Special Investigations Division, and the Hard Core Gang Division.
Marital: Married
Children: None.
Education: J.D., Whittier University, 1997; admitted to the State Bar of Arizona, 1997; CPA certificate, 1992; B.S., accounting, Auburn University, 1989.
Political experience: I am not a career politician; I’ve never run for political office before. I come at this with untethered ideas and no strings attached.
Interests: I am involved in many volunteer and charitable projects. I serve on the board of directors for my church as well as multiple non-profit organizations. I enjoy singing the National Anthem at military events and mentoring young women on a variety of subjects. But most of all, I enjoy spending time with my husband, Gary, a retired Air Force officer.
GOV – Two biggest issues: There are three significant issues facing the future of our state: advancing economic development, achieving excellence in education, and enforcing immigration laws including securing the border. In regards to economic development, we need to compete more aggressively to attract businesses from out of state, simplify our tax code, and shorten and streamline our regulatory approvals. For education, we need to establish state standards, implement them at the local level, and fund and repeat our top models of education. And finally, Arizona needs to lead the way in border security solutions by utilizing readily available technology solutions and enforcing the laws already on the books.
GOV – Budget priorities: My top priority is to focus on economic growth by maintaining a balanced and healthy budget. As governor, I will support a business-friendly economic environment to maximize our economic potential, grow the economy and the resource engines on which the state budget depends, and build a storyline that compels the attention and consideration of both established businesses and entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, many people have fallen prey to the idea that in order to increase revenues, we have to increase taxes, but that’s simply not true. We can increase revenues by creating jobs. New jobs bring forth new taxpayers, which leads to lower taxes for all.
GOV – Fiscal philosophy: I am fiscally conservative. As governor, my fiscal priorities will start with ensuring we balance the state’s budget annually, with a reasonable expectation for growth, and advance tax and regulatory policies that encourage business development in Arizona. Additionally, I am committed to keeping taxes low and lowering them further where possible. Self-reliance and personal responsibility are key tenants of my fiscal philosophy.
GOV – Job creation: Commit to keeping taxes low, lowering them further where possible and competitively intelligent to do so, and provide as friendly a regulatory environment as possible. Additionally, the governor needs to engage actively as the chief executive of the state and act as a compelling advocate for Arizona, its business climate and quality of life in order to bring new businesses and jobs to the state. I am ready to look CEOs in the eye and explain why Arizona is their best choice.
GOV – Common Core : Common Core is not the answer to solving our education problems. Standards should be established in the state and implemented at the local level. Even if the standards developed at the federal level are sound, they do not ensure sound execution and strong education at the local level. What they do ensure is a testing and assessment regime that could end up becoming its own nightmare for some excellent schools, depending on how it is administered across time. I don’t think we should have been asked to embrace the Common Core standards, and I will not support those particular standards as governor.
GOV – Medicaid expansion: I would not have signed the bill in its current form. I would have put absolute limits on the number of days able-bodied people could be on the benefit and have an absolute number of Arizonans who could draw down this benefit because we know the federal funds are going to start to gradually go away. We have a sunset provision that says we have to kick some people off the program and we know it’s really hard to take a benefit away once you give it, so I would have handled the situation a little bit differently.
GOV – Pro-life / Pro-choice: I am pro-life except in cases of rape, incest, and life of the mother.
ALL – Public policy advice: Someone once told me that in order to succeed in life, I should always surround myself with people who are smarter than me. I will be the first to admit that I am not an expert on every policy issue, but I have always taken that old advice seriously and have sought out the opinion of individuals with experience and records of demonstrated accomplishment in their respective fields. As governor, my approach won’t be any different.
