Republican – Legislative District 22 House

Phone: (623) 218-6616

Address: 7197 W Mariposa Grande Ln, Peoria, AZ 85383

Age: 45. (02/10/69, Akron, OH).

Arizona since: 1996

Occupation: Sales, HotelHuddle.com; previous regional director of franchise development, InterContinental Hotels Group and Cendant Hotels.

Marital: Married

Children: 3

Education: M.S., political science, Baylor University, 1992; B.A., journalism, Ohio University, 1991.

Political experience: Campaign manager, congressional aide.

Legis exp: House since Feb. 21, 2012. Appointed to replace Judy Burges.

Two biggest issues: The two biggest issues facing Arizona are the economy and education. The national economy has been stagnant for six years. Arizona has enacted various tax cuts and regulation reductions to get our state economy moving forward. We need to continue looking at additional tax cuts/restructuring to ensure the state is in the best economic position possible to compete against other states. Enacting policies to help small businesses grow and bring in large corporations will be a key economic goal. Education touches everyone in the state from student to taxpayer. We all have a stake in the success of our education system. We need to ensure our students are getting the best possible education and also make sure the taxpayers are getting their money’s worth. Creating a stable funding system that ensures our schools’ basic needs are met and also takes the burden off local taxpayers needs to be a key point in any education reform.

Budget priorities: I believe the budget priorities should be a) passing a budget that focuses on long-term strategic planning so we do not have to go through large cuts to core programs as happened in the economic downturn and b) paying down more state debt. I do not believe it’s good economic policy for the state to be saddled with debt for the foreseeable future. I do not support tax increases. I also do not support across the board percentage cuts to programs. I think a better plan would be to target cuts to specific programs.

Fiscal philosophy: Conservative. I do not support tax increases.

Common Core: I support higher standards and testing for students. As the father of three young children, I want to know that they understand basic concepts and are at least performing at their appropriate grade level. I believe testing can be an important guide to parents to make sure their children are getting the best education possible. I also think that using out-of-the-box critical thinking may work well for some students rather than traditional ways of learning. My concern with Common Core and why I would not support it is because of the federal government’s involvement. Education has traditionally been a matter of local and state concern. The federal government has been using Race to the Top funds to coerce states into going along with Common Core. I see no reason why Arizona cannot take the ideas of community leaders, parents, employers and taxpayers and mold a curriculum and test specific to the educational needs of this state.

Gifts to elected officials: I think we can be more transparent particularly in regards to gifts and meals. A website that easily shows who and what has been given to legislators would provide transparency to the public.

Transparency in government: The public has a right to know what their elected officials are doing, who is trying to influence them and how their money is being spent. I think it is a good idea to televise committee hearing and floor action. I also believe state government can make it easier for the public to access documents and information regarding gifts and meals given to legislators.

Pro-life / pro-choice: Pro-life.

Public policy advice: No particular person. I consider a variety of viewpoints and turn to policy experts in a particular field if I have specific questions on legislation.

Lovas, Phil

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