Elections 2014 Just another Arizona Capitol Times Election Coverage site
Democrat – Legislative District 25 Senate
Phone: (480) 406-7788
Email: attyz@msn.com
Address: 4136 E Greenway Cir , Mesa, AZ 85205
Age: 56. (04/24/58, St. Paul, MN).
Arizona since: 2002
Occupation: Owner and managing attorney, Zachary Law Group, since 2012; managing attorney, Brauer Law Offices, 2007-12; general counsel, DSUSA, 2006-07; attorney and representative, AFGE, 2005-06; corporate counsel, Green Tree Financial, Conseco Finance and GE, 1999-2004; governor’s appointee, State of Minnesota, 1992-99.
Marital: Married
Children: 7
Education: Studied biblical leadership, Phoenix Seminary, 2004-08; J.D., University of Minnesota, 1984; Bachelor’s degree, Minnesota State University – Mankato.
Political experience: Ran for Arizona Senate in 2006; advisor to the governor of Minnesota and state executives for six years; helped with campaigns for Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson.
Interests: I like to write. I have self-published three books. I preach at churches around the valley, other states and internationally.
Two biggest issues: The biggest issue affecting Arizona is the continued refusal to make education a priority. When I worked for the governor of Minnesota we did a study and learned that one of the main reasons why a corporation will locate or stay in an area is the commitment to education. Arizona needs to make a commitment to lifelong learning and becoming a center for intellectual thought. Once that happens, businesses with begin to locate to Arizona, which will relieve the state of its tenuous economic situation and forecast. The state needs to overcome its image of being a place of exclusion and bigotry. That will not happen with the current leadership that feels it is necessary to pass laws to promote that type of policy.
Budget priorities: When I ran for state Senate in 2006, I said that Mesa (the district that I will be representing) should be known as the international center for illnesses affecting the elderly. Also, I felt that what Mesa should be known for is its impact on aerospace. (Had the state listened to me in 2006, Goodyear would have likely not lost the jobs it did this year.) Arizona should focus and market itself as the state for energy efficient solar manufacturing and attempt to bring in manufacturing jobs that are currently in cold weather states that have high energy consumption.
Fiscal philosophy: I believe it is reasonably prudent. While working for the state of Minnesota, I learned how to grow revenue and prioritize expenses without sacrificing the state’s future. When the administration I worked with took office there was a state deficit. When the governor I worked for left, the state had a surplus.
Common Core: My wife is a teacher, so I asked her about these standards. She enlightened me to one of the challenges facing public schools. There are so many children who are mobile (moving from city to city and state to state) that there needs to be a consistent baseline of proficiency that all students should have for the grade that they are in. Having said that, if the state endorses my policy of making Arizona a center for intellectual thought and one committed to lifelong learning, the baseline standard will be higher than what Common Core requires.
Gifts to elected officials: As the state senator, I would not accept any gifts as part of my job. I believe the appearance of impropriety is damaging to the integrity of the office. That is one of the reasons why I am a strong proponent of the Clean Elections system.
Transparency in government: One thing that I will remember when I become senator is that we have a government by the people and for the people. There is nothing that I expect to do that I would not want the citizens of Arizona to know about. Open government leads to accountability and citizen involvement.
Pro-life / pro-choice: From a legal standpoint, these laws are governed by the U.S. Supreme Court decisions and thus are a federal issue. When states use precious resources to defend legislation that is unconstitutional it siphons the state of its limited resources. This issue was very well discussed while I was in my law school constitutional law class. Three of the seven U.S. Supreme Court justices on the court, when the 1973 decision came out, had ties to Minnesota. As I interpreted the dilemma they had, the issue was that when life begins and ends was not universally determined. Within the past 40 years, and the advancement of medicine during that time, it seems that issue should have been decided. From a personal standpoint, I am a licensed Christian minister. I am personally not in favor of abortion. But, as a state senator, I will remember that I will be a representative of all the people in my district and in Arizona. In my legal practice, I represent people whose life or actions I don’t agree with but, it is my responsibility to do what is in their best interest.
Public policy advice: One of the things I learned when I worked for the governor of Minnesota was that you have to get a cross-section of input, information and contribution. Too often our elected officials refuse to talk with those who they don’t agree with. That leads to myopic views and policies that lack global views. I have worked in government, for labor unions, Fortune 500 corporations, and I am currently a small business owner. I can draw upon all those experiences and friends that I have who still work in those environments.
