Democrat – Legislative District 27 House

Phone: (602) 373-1159

Address: 6645 S Central Ave , Phoenix, AZ 85042

Occupation: President of Roosevelt School Board, board member since 1994; retired in 2009; previously worked at Maricopa County Justice Courts and Maricopa County Public Defender.

Marital: Married

Children: 5 children; 18 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren.

Education: Associates degree, public administration, Maricopa County Community Colleges.

Legis exp: Appointed March 24, 2014 to replace Ruben Gallego.

Two biggest issues: Education is definitely our biggest issue facing Arizona’s future. The Legislature hasn’t restored education since the financial crisis hit. Public education is being attacked by people who know nothing about education. Supplementing charters and giving money to parents for private education creates two different classes of children and does nothing to improve student achievement. I will restore much needed funding and give public schools the support needed to educate children to prepare them for the 21st century jobs. Attracting business enterprises to Arizona for economic growth and jobs [is another big issue facing Arizona]. We must be creative and find what businesses want and provide them with incentives to bring their jobs here. To do that we must stop wasting time writing bills that are discriminatory and that scare businesses away. I want to streamline the business entrepreneur opportunities. We must facilitate filing for a business license, permits etc. This will help build our small business opportunities.

Budget priorities: Restore funding to education (K-12), make child safety and senior safety priorities. I would move to increase revenues by first researching where we are putting money and how it is improving our economy. If it isn’t improving [our economy], we need to cut expenditures for those items. Also tax credits for large corporations need to be reviewed.

Fiscal philosophy: You need to invest dollars to make dollars.

Common Core: Yes, we must continue. Many school districts have invested a lot of time and money because of the adoption of these standards. No sooner does the governor adopt these standards for Arizona, when now we have those who want to remove them. This has been the problem with a lot of these standards and measurements; we don’t give them enough time to work and we don’t fund these “mandates.” Consistency and stability are key. You must give it time and fund it properly in order to make it work.

Gifts to elected officials: I don’t know too much about gifts given to elected officials to make a sound judgment. But I do believe that money corrupts even the most honest; so, we must put limits and make those receiving gifts accountable.

Transparency in government: I believe transparency in government is very important and necessary to gain trust and confidence from your constituency. I believe aside from private strategy caucus meetings, all meetings should be made public.

Pro-life / pro-choice: I have five children, 18 grandchildren and abortion is not something I would do or want anyone in my family to do. However, I also believe this is a very personal matter and a moral issue and should never have been made political. Then there is the issue of incest and rape, and I believe that abortion should be available with consent in those instances. But I believe very strongly in a woman’s right to choose.

Public policy advice: I sit with my son Jimmie Jr. and my husband for advice when I am debating an issue within myself. This helps very much since they both offer open-minded opinions and perspectives.

Munoz, Norma

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