District 14 Candidates for Arizona Legislature Provide Statements

District 14 Candidates for Arizona Legislature

Patricia Fleming

Party: Democrat
Campaign Funding: Participating
Web: www.patflemingaz.com

Rural Arizona is suffering a crisis of leadership. Our current legislators, including the incumbent State Senator, march in lock step with special interest lobbyists and their party leadership, while not addressing the issues that matter to most of us – creating jobs, providing quality public education which will prepare children for the future’s jobs, and seeking affordable health care solutions for families.

Instead, the incumbent Senator supports legislation creating nuclear waste dumps in rural Arizona, putting government bureaucrats in charge of personal healthcare choices, and providing tax breaks that enrich big and foreign corporations, while increasing taxes on homeowners and middle class taxpayers.

My legislative track record reveals a fight for all of rural Arizona, not just moneyed special interests. I’m committed to being a full time Senator for Legislative District 14. I will focus on common sense solutions that address the challenges of our communities and families. While rural Arizonans have many different political views,we all agree that we want honest and dependable representation of OUR interests in the State Legislature.

I am committed to providing that representation to ALL of District 14, regardless of party affiliation. I request respectfully ask for your vote and promise to serve you faithfully.

Gail Griffin

Party: Republican
Campaign Funding: Traditional

JOBS! JOBS! JOBS! The priority at the Capital is for our economy to fully recovery and to get people back to work. We have balanced the budget and the economy is turning around. We still have work that needs to be done.

I am the Chairman of the Senate “Water, Land Use and Rural Development Committee” and I am committed to continue to fight for your PROPERTY and WATER RIGHTS. I BELIEVE IN LIMITED GOVERNMENT, LOWER TAXES, PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY and the FREE ENTERPRISE SYSTEM.

I believe we have a duty and responsibility to SECURE THE BORDER and enforce our existing laws and protect the citizens of this state. BORDER SECURITY IS NATIONAL SECURITY. I AM A STRONG PROPONENT OF EDUCATION EXCELLENCE, ensuring taxpayers’ dollars get to the classroom to help students and teachers improve academic achievement.

I am PRO-LIFE, PRO-TAXPAYER, PRO-VETERANS and I SUPPORT OUR CONSTITUTION. I am a Real Estate Broker, former Chairman of the Cochise County Republican Committee, member of the Arizona Cattle Growers and Arizona Farm Bureau. I have been involved in local, state and national issues for many years and promise to continue to WORK FOR YOU. I ask for your vote! Thank you.

David Gowan

Party: Republican
Campaign Funding: Traditional
Web: www.gowanforaz.com

It is hard to believe how far we have come in the last four years, but since you first elected me in 2008 we have turned a $3 Billion deficit into a $600 Million surplus, passed a Jobs Bill to attract new employers to the state, and we have begun to refill the Rainy Day Fund that Janet Napolitano drained. We even added $120 Million to education spending this year. We passed SB1070 to crack down on illegal immigration and passed Constitutional Carry, making Arizona one of the best states in the country in 2nd Amendment freedoms.

I now serve as Chairman of the House Military Affairs and Public Safety Committee where I can look after the needs of our fighting men and women, our first responders, and our military bases. I’m proud to represent Southern Arizona at the Legislature and hope that you will contact me if there is ever an issue that you need assistance with. God bless and thank you for trusting me with your vote!

Robert Leach

Party: Democrat
Campaign Funding: Participating
Web: www.Leach4OurHouse.com

When I retired from the Army I didn’t like the direction that state was going. Our state legislators declared war on all public employees, women and our small businesses. I am running to fix these errors, and put our state on track.

I want Arizona to be a place businesses will want to open up shop with high paying jobs. Our teachers are some of the worst paid employees in this country. The cuts to our educational foundation push businesses away from us. I want to increase spending on this foundation in order to create a critical mass of highly skilled employees that will draw Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) businesses to Southern Arizona.

By getting privately owned education facilities off tax payer dollars we can increase revenue to our public schools. I would like to see tax exemption status extended to include the spouses of active duty military. This opportunity to thank our military families is overdue. In contrast, my opponents (Stevens and Gowan) voted to end the tax exemption from our active duty military and they voted to end the Veterans tax credit. Our military communities deserves better!

David Stevens

Party: Republican
Campaign Funding: Traditional
Web: www.stevensforhouse.com

It has been my distinct honor to have served southern Arizona for the past four years. In those four years we have taken the worse possible situation any state has faced and have turned it around. Reduced spending and cut the state deficit by billions of dollars. Balanced the books and actually saved for the future.

A future that needs to be carefully watched as major financial pitfalls exists. I currently serve as the Chairman of the House Technology and Infrastructure committee where I have found ways that will save the state hundreds of millions of dollars a year and provide state services more efficiently. I strongly believe that we still need to secure our border, that the life of the unborn needs to be protected, provide tax relief for all of the people, and maintain the best possible healthcare. I ask for your support and your vote.

Mark Stonebraker

Party: Democrat
Campaign Funding: Participating

All people must have an equal opportunity to realize their God given gifts and to prosper. Government, by the people, is key to enabling this. The unchecked radical supermajority in the House has been irresponsible. They are the puppets of out of state lobbying organizations. The incumbent radicals have run up the state debt, destroyed jobs, and attacked our education system and our rights. With a more balanced legislature we can put aside bipartisan bickering and find honest and civil solutions to Southeastern Arizona’s problems.

I will seek to balance the budget 1) build Arizona infrastructure and give Arizona companies priority in contracts, 2) restore education, put 6000 fired teachers back to work, expand curriculums and lower class size, 3) protect healthcare, 4) and our military bases, 5) not turn down federal grants and matching funds. I will keep government out of your personal matters like the decision to use contraception.

I’ve contributed to Southern Arizona for over 21 years. My 3 daughters and 5 granddaughters live in Arizona. I have a bachelor degree in Mathematics, Economics and the course work for a master in Computer Science. Return government to the will of people. It’s time all Arizonan’s are heard.

Courtesy of the Citizens’ Clean Elections Commission.

More on the 2012 Arizona Candidates here.