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Education
Rio Salado College
Online Instructors Health Care
CATALINA POINTE ARTHRITIS RHEUMATOLOGY
LPN/MA Retail
TOTAL WINE & MORE
WINE TEAM MEMBERS, CASHIER & STOCK MEMEBERS Trades/Construction
Mechanical Systems, Inc.
Plumbing Suprintendent General
SMALL WORLD
TEACHERS, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Health Care
Godwin Corp
Physician Assistant Services
Post Office

Age: 35

Occupation: Self-employed computer consultant

Family: Wife and three children (ages 6, 4 and 8 months)

Religion: LDS

Income: (n/a) My family cuts coupons and counts every penny in order to make ends meet

Education: Associate of science, Dixie State College; bachelor of art, Brigham Young University

Political experience: None

What is the biggest issue facing your district?

Humphries: The deteriorating state of our health-care availability, the lack of planning for growth and job creation, the inability to even keep that which has made us great in the past and the refusal of much of the governing class to accept any measure of responsibility for all of the above.

Williams: The No. 1 concern that has been brought up to me time and time again as I have walked to over 6,000 homes in LD26 is illegal immigration.

Zerull: The biggest issue facing Arizonans is our huge budget deficit that is stifling our economic growth.

Should taxes be cut or kept at current or higher levels to avoid cutting government programs?

Humphries: It is insanity to continue to grow spending during an economic downturn. Spending does need to be at least frozen while the economy catches up. Unfortunately there are large sections of the budget and line-item spending that have been obscured. Cutting generally is far harder than cutting specifics. In order to best address spending cuts, every item and receipt must be placed in a position to be reviewed by the general public. While I may not want to cut educational spending, I might find it within reason to nix the newer coffee machine in the teachers lounge for a year or two.

Williams: I support reducing taxation for individuals and businesses. However, the term "tax cuts" rings hollow unless such cuts are coupled with meaningful actions such as fiscally responsible governmental spending.

Zerull: Tax cuts are a good idea anytime during the economic cycle. Tax cuts (or at least not raising them) encourages growth and success in the business community and eases the financial burden on family households.

What would you do to improve Arizona's schools?

Humphries: First, I would get rid of the AIMS test and replace it with MAPS (Measure of Academic Progress) testing. Additionally, I want to make sure that the majority of our educational dollars are being spent at the classroom level rather than for administration, which is the situation we find ourselves in now.

Williams: Arizona must work to fund teachers' pay to be at or above the national average. We must look to ensure that we have limited classroom sizes from K-fourth grade.

Zerull: I would like to see education funding be directed to the schools themselves to benefit the students and teachers in the classroom. I feel much of our dollars are wasted on administrative bureaucracy at the highest levels. I would advocate pay increases for our teachers.

Should the state expand services to help those who lack health care?

Humphries: There are many reasons that people lack health insurance. Not all of them should be equal in terms of government response. There are people that are uninsurable. In these cases, it may be more incumbent upon government to help where applicable. In other cases, full insurance may be far beyond the means of a family; in those cases, government may play a partial role in securing coverage and filling in gaps until their financial situation can be improved. In cases where one can afford to be insured but chooses not to, they need to bear a greater burden when and if substantial medical costs accrue.

Williams: I will work to have higher access to health care and develop methods such that more Arizonans have high-quality health coverage. Additionally, I will work to use technology as a means of reducing the currently excessive costs. I will also use my time in the Legislature to develop an environment that encourages medical professionals to practice in Arizona and avoid legislation that discourages more doctors from coming to Arizona.

Zerull: I support free-market health-care reforms to reduce the number of uninsured Arizonans and increase the quality of medical care. Health-care coverage should remain in the hands of the private sector. Arizona currently has the highest malpractice-insurance rates in the country. This is why we are losing so many of our specialty physicians and why our medical costs are so high. We need tort reform.

What should the state's role be when it comes to controlling immigration and mitigating its effects?

Humphries: The feds have not always been as attentive as they need to be and have caused an undue burden to fall upon the border states. I support the rights of the state Legislature to redress those issues that constitutionally fall within their purview to redress these deficiencies. I much prefer, however, that these be done by statute, whenever possible, rather than by proposition except in extreme cases where a ballot proposition is absolutely needed.

Williams: Arizona must continue to develop and enforce effective illegal-immigration laws, since our federal government refuses to take any formative actions regarding this matter. Arizona should now look to develop funding mechanisms for these new statutes with the belief that the dollars spent on enforcement will lessen the impact on our overburdened educational and health services and law-enforcement entities. Arizona should work to develop a state-based guest-worker program that ensures protection for both the workers and the employers. Arizona must work to ensure that whatever laws we develop are racially neutral and are enforced without bias.

Zerull: The recently passed employer-sanctions bill was a good start. We also need to prohibit the issuing of Arizona driver's licenses to illegals. They should not receive government assistance, educational privileges or free medical services except in the cases of extreme emergencies. And those caught crossing our borders illegally should be detained and made to clean up the trash that has defaced and polluted our desert.

Do you believe marriage is only between a man and a woman?

Humphries: Yes.

Williams: Yes.

Zerull: Yes.

What should be done at the state level to address environmental concerns?

Humphries: Better planning and the ability and strength to follow through with that planning.

Williams: The Legislature should play a role to ensure that our general economic development and current industry are harmonious with our environment.

Zerull: We need to protect our CAP rights and utilize all available water. We need to encourage conservation of our resources at all levels. We should discourage "urban sprawl" by carefully planning our communities, slowing the rate of development while providing "open space" for our wildlife.

Age: 45

Occupation: Business owner

Family: One son, Trevor, 6

Religion: Catholic

Income: Insufficient

Education: GED/Some college

Political experience: Treasurer, Pima County Republican Party, 2006-2008

Age: 59

Occupation: Homemaker

Family: Married to Lynn Zerull for 35 years; 2 sons, Matt and Eric

Religion: Mormon

Income: No answer given.

Education: Four years college, North Dakota State University, medical technology

Political experience: Elected precinct committee member