PHOENIX

Legislative District 15 in Phoenix has competitive races

Betty Reid
The Republic | azcentral.com
Politics
  • Legislative District covers northwest%2C north and northeast Phoenix
  • The Republican-leaning district has about about 128%2C494 registered voters
  • Early voting starts July 31 for the primary

Arizona's Legislative District 15 covers areas in northwest, north and northeast Phoenix.

The Republican-leaning district has about 130,000 registered voters.

Voters will choose their representative and senator during the Tuesday, Aug. 26, primary since there are no Democratic or Independent candidates.

Three Republican candidates, John Allen, Heather Carter and David Burnell Smith, are in a race for the two House seats.

Two candidates, Nancy Barto and David Ryan, are vying for the Senate seat.

Early voting started Thursday, July 31, for the primary.

The candidates answered several questions for The Arizona Republic's Voter Guide, azvotes.azcentral.com, on topics ranging from abortion and state spending to Common Core educational standards. We are providing answers here to three of the questions. (Some responses were edited for length.)

Question: Why are you the best person for the job?

HOUSE CANDIDATES

John Allen

Allen: I'm excited about putting forward an agenda that reflects the conservative values of District 15. I am a low-tax, pro-life, private-property-rights conservative that believes state government should do the things it must, like foster care and policing, the best we can, with the resources available. I have a voting record that has been recognized by groups like the Goldwater Institute, Center for Arizona Policy and the Arizona Federation of Taxpayers for being both consistent and conservative.

Carter: I am proud to be your current state representative from LD 15. I am running for re-election to continue to provide experienced, Republican leadership for our district. I strive to be the best representative I can be by listening to my constituent needs and focusing on priorities that matter — jobs, the economy and a balanced state budget. We have made many great strides in these areas, but our work is not done. Currently, I am the House Health chairwoman and serve as the ranking Republican on the House Education Committee. I focus on legislation that solves real problems for my constituents and makes Arizona the best place to live.

Smith: Two years ago, I served in the Arizona House of Representatives. When I was there, I won awards from pro-family, pro-taxpayer groups because I put taxpayers first. I campaigned as a conservative because I am one. Sadly, these days every Republican campaign is a conservative, even if it isn't true. Our state representative voted for the "Obamacare" Medicaid expansion and is a big supporter of Common Core. Voting for bigger government, higher taxes isn't conservative no matter how much money outside groups spend on your behalf. So, I decided to run again, to make sure voters of this district had a conservative alternative.

SENATE CANDIDATES

Nancy Barto

Barto: When elected to office, my constituents voted for someone who would work for limited accountable government, a business-friendly tax and regulatory environment and for education choice, excellence and accountability. They expected me to preserve the right to bear arms and who would protect the most vulnerable — especially the elderly, the unborn and disabled. I have faithfully sponsored and supported legislation to accomplish these ends. I also worked to protect and promote price transparency in health care, health-care freedom and alternatives to government-controlled health care. I believe voters received more than what they expected.

Ryan: I am running for office because I believe that Arizona has the potential to return to a respected leadership role in the U.S. by creating a highly educated competitive workforce, a high quality of life for citizens at all stages of life, and continuing a tradition of providing an excellent experience for visitors to our state. We'll do this through a pro-business economic climate, embracing a strong mix of public and private schools at every level, transparent and fiscally sound budgets, safe communities, and in partnership with the federal government, we will create a secure national border while promoting economic development through trade.

Question:Is K-12 public education underfunded? If so, where would you get the money to increase funding?

HOUSE CANDIDATES

Allen: No, we spend way too much outside the classroom. The state Legislature should not run every aspect of the local school. We need people on school boards who don't just point fingers at others but actually spend their funds wisely. Also the state needs to cut the red tape that keeps school districts from making their own good choices. Every year, the state and federal government interfere with local school boards' decision-making authority because we do not trust parents, teachers, and local taxpayers to do the right thing. The more centralized our schools have become, the poorer the outcomes.

Heather Carter

Carter: The Arizona K-12 public education system has endured dramatic funding cuts which took place during the difficult recession. Our public schools, both district and charter, have made heroic strides to continue to provide quality education to Arizona students during this difficult time. As a state, the Arizona voters passed a temporary sales tax in 2010, which has now expired. We also solved our health-care fiscal crisis last year which enabled us to pass a budget with additional funding for education. Moving forward, we need to continue to look at fiscally responsible ways to address the budget shortfalls.

Smith: No, we need to increase school funding and let parents decide the education choices for their children.

SENATE CANDIDATES

Barto: The education system is not underfunded, but it does require simplification and to be organized in such a way that we fund schools for success and not failure or the status quo.

David Ryan

Ryan: Yes. Economic development and education are inseparable. We are last in teacher funding and our education system is ranked poorly on the national scene so it should be no surprise that we find ourselves in last place in the U.S. for economic growth. Unless we invest in our public education, raise the standards, provide hope through access to education for those left behind, and provide a level playing field for all educational choices, we will continue to be bypassed by the knowledge economy, and our talented young will continue to leave and there will not be a reason to return. Money is available through investment in technology and removing duplication. The corporate world has been saving money through information technology for decades.

Question: What is the greatest threat to Arizona's future, and how would you address it?

HOUSE CANDIDATES

Allen: The lack of political balance in this paper.

Carter: The greatest threat to Arizona's future is the ability (or lack of ability) to focus on the priorities of our great state. We need to prioritize our work at the Capitol to ensure that we are spending our time on issues that matter most, and not on issues that simply grab headlines. We need to focus on jobs and the economy, creating a plan for the future to ensure we are fiscally stable while funding core government functions like education, public safety and infrastructure. A stable, predictable state government provides the environment for prosperity.

David Burnell Smith

Smith: A lack of accountability and lack of transparency in government agencies. Arizona must spend only what not our revenues actually bring in and projected.

SENATE CANDIDATES

Barto: Loss of our freedoms through governmental regulations and overreach is systemic at all levels of government, discouraging entrepreneurship and thwarting the ability to meet the needs of our fellow citizens through the private sector. It must be addressed by large and surgical reforms wherever they can be promoted. One example: health-care professionals who find it easy to provide free medical care to those in need in foreign countries, but face regulatory barriers to do the same within the U.S.

Ryan: As reflected at the world, national and state level, we are rapidly moving down the path of a two-tier system. Those with immense wealth — and everyone else. My greatest concern is that we as a people will not figure out a path where a strong middle class can regenerate in our society and provide hope. Without hope we will be vulnerable to the manipulation of those with a message of scarcity and fear creating an environment of us and them and those with great wealth will make the rules. As our society in Arizona moves from a White-dominated populace to a White-minority populace, it becomes ever more important to develop leaders that know how to work together with shared vision for an Arizona that we all want.

LD 15 House candidates

John Allen

Occupation: Former small-business owner.

Age: 51.

Family: Married 29 years. Three sons, one daughter-in-law and one grandson.

Website: azallen.com.

Campaign phone: 602-494-1723.

Heather Carter

Occupation: Clinical associate professor, ASU Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College.

Age: 45.

Family: Married 20 years. Daughter, 12 years old.

Website: voteheathercarter.com.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ RepHeatherCarter

Twitter: @HeatherCarterAz

Campaign phone: 602-697-9777.

David Burnell Smith

Occupation: Lawyer.

Age: 73.

Family: Rita Smith.

Website: electdavidburnellsmith.com.

Campaign phone: 480-990-7500.

LD 15 Senate candidates

Nancy Barto

Occupation: Legislator.

Age: 56.

Family: Married to Joe. Three married daughters, two grandchildren.

Website: NancyBarto.com.

Campaign phone: 480-513-3750.

David Ryan

Occupation: Business consultant.

Age: 56.

Family: Fran, married 33 years. Matthew, 31, and Julianna, 28.

Website: votedaveryan.com.

Facebook: https://www.face book.com/DaveRyanAZLD15 Senate2014.

Campaign phone: 602-247-0684.

LD 15 boundaries

The district's eastern boundary is Scottsdale Road. The southern boundary is Shea Boulevard and zigzags up to Loop 101, jogs down to Bell Road and runs west to 51st Avenue. The western boundary stretches north from 51st Avenue to Pinnacle Peak Road, darts west to about 67th Avenue and north to the Carefree Highway. The northern boundary stretches from Carefree Highway to about Interstate 17, darts south to the Loop 303 and jogs east on Sonoran Desert Drive and north to Cave Creek Road.