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Republican – Legislative District 16 Senate
Phone: (480) 495-0272
Email: tmcarthuraz@gmail.com
Website: TaylorMcArthur.com
Facebook: Taylor McArthur
Twitter: @tmcarthuraz
Address: 7754 E Boise St , Mesa, AZ 85207
Age: 24. (08/25/89, Mesa, AZ).
Arizona since: Birth
Occupation: Director of events, Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, since 2013; press aide and office manager, Office of U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, 2011-13.
Marital: Married
Education: B.A., journalism & mass communications, summa cum laude, The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communications, ASU, 2012; Higley H.S., 2008.
Political experience: Worked for both Senator John Kyl and Congressman Paul A. Gosar.
Interests: One of my all-time favorite things to do is go to the movies. I love all different types of films, and Lindsey and I are frequent moviegoers at our neighborhood Harkins Theater. I also enjoy reading – mostly history and biographies – writing, cooking, swimming and music.
Two biggest issues: If Arizona is to have the bright future that I know it can, we have to improve our education system as well as continue to strengthen our economy and attract new employers to our state. With the right policies and leadership, our state has the potential to lead the nation in innovation, entrepreneurship, education and job creation. We can achieve these goals by creating an environment of success. To create such an environment we should continue to expand choice in Arizona’s education system including public, private, charter, home school, etc. I know that parents, when given the opportunity to choose between many high quality options, know what is best for their children’s education. We should also implement sound tax policies, continue to eliminate unnecessary regulations, and encourage innovation and entrepreneurship in our state. All of these actions will continue to make Arizona a great place to get an education, raise a family, or start a business.
Budget priorities: The primary role of the Legislature is to produce a balanced budget for the governor to sign. I believe that first and foremost the budget should be fiscally responsible and adequately fund essential services. It should maintain an accessible and stable state government that encourages free enterprise and personal responsibility. The Legislature should work to ensure that dedicated funds are used for their planned purposes and nothing else and constantly be wary of the expansion of government programs that could have long-term adverse effects on the budget. I will work to have a truly balanced budget that is transparent and limits the uncontrolled growth of government.
Fiscal philosophy: I am a fiscal conservative and as such I will always be careful when dealing with taxpayer money at the Legislature. I will work to make sure that we adequately fund essential services, and I believe that we must invest in infrastructure and education in order to ensure that we leave our state better than we found it for future generations.
Common Core: Having an excellent education system is essential to Arizona’s future economic growth. We need to stay the course and support higher standards that will help ensure that our schools are preparing students for college and the workforce. I believe that we must preserve local control in education and allow teachers and administrators to adapt to their specific environment when teaching children. Standards are one important part of reforming our schools, but they are not the only reform necessary. We need to increase choice for parents, find a new and better way to fund our schools, as well as have merit pay for teachers among other things.
Transparency in government: As someone who studied journalism and mass communication in college, I am certainly an advocate for more transparency in government. We should be posting all public information online in an easy-to-use and understand system. That way, taxpayers can clearly see how their elected officials are spending tax money and then hold them accountable for their actions.
Pro-life / pro-choice: I am personally opposed to abortion except in cases when a competent medical professional has determined that the life or health of the mother is at risk or if the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest.
Public policy advice: I am extremely fortunate to have many experienced and thoughtful mentors and friends that I can turn to for advice on the issues facing our state now and in the future. I look to people such as Speaker Andy Tobin, Rep. J.D. Mesnard, Rep. T.J. Shope and Rep. Frank Pratt as well as Senate President Andy Biggs and Sen. Adam Driggs. It is important to have good advice when making tough decisions. However, in the end I will make the final decision and cast the vote based on the facts and what I believe is best for the state of Arizona.
