Name: Trent Humphries
Office seeking: LD26 Legislature
Party registration: Republican
Age (DOB): 35 (2/10/1973)
Occupation/employer: 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
Residence: Tucson
Education: Associate of science, Dixie State College; bachelor of art, Brigham Young University
People are also reading…
Offices held/run for: none
Civic activities/organizations: Eagle Scout, taught schoolchildren English in Russia, homeowners association president, organized numerous community volunteer events, church volunteer work.
Why are you running? Because Southern Arizona is losing influence on a statewide level, and our population is becoming more disconnected from the people that represent them. I feel that you can either watch and complain, or step forward and attempt to be transformative. Running for office is not easy for me nor my family, but we feel it is the right thing to do, and hopefully I can unite others who feel as strongly about the issues to support us in this endeavor.
The biggest issue facing my constituents (or potential constituents) is:
The issues that have been ignored in Southern Arizona for so long. 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.
Favorite local hangout: Anyplace where my children are welcomed, and the decibel level can accommodate our blending in.
NPR or Fox? Neither; I favor the printed press
How long have you lived in Arizona? 4 years
What kind of vehicle do you drive? Subaru Forester
What kind of mileage does it get? 29 mpg
If I could have dinner with any living person, I would choose: My wife. Are you available to baby-sit?
If I had my own reality show, it would be titled: Not sure, but the soundtrack would be terrific, and the plot would somewhat resemble "MacGyver," but with more children and computers.
First job: Landscaper. I was 14 years old.
Taxes: In general, do you see tax cuts as a good way to grow the economy during the economic downturn, or would you prefer to either raise them or see them stay the same to avoid cutting government programs?
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.
Education: What kinds of policy would you support to improve the standing of Arizona schools in comparison to the rest of the nation?
First, I would get rid of the AIMS test and replace it with MAPS (Measure of Academic Progress) testing, which allows us to identify potential learning roadblocks close to the time they are actually happening rather than at the end of the year. It would also allow us to recognize and reward the teachers who are overperforming in relationship to student growth.
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.
Educational greatness is found in our teachers, students, and their parents. Everything else should just play a supporting role.
Transportation: Do you support or oppose the proposed 1-cent sales tax increase to pay for new roads and public transit?
We have heard this song in Southern Arizona before. Take an extra-governmental panel, insulate it from legislative oversight, give it an unalterable and rich source of funding, then proceed to be as vague as possible on the bullet points and individual goals that the agency is set to accomplish.
Set aside that the economic conditions make a 12 percent sales tax increase (at the least) politically unpalatable, I'm going to go ahead and encourage my possible constituents to stop this poorly-thought-out idea.
Economy: The state's budget shortfall next year may be in the neighborhood of $2 billion. How would you balance the state's financial obligations with the constitutional requirement the Arizona have a balanced budget?
Obviously spending is going to have to be frozen or cut in specific areas. As I mentioned before, this is only possible when every receipt is allowed to be scrutinized by the general public in a manner somewhat resembling HCR 2040, but with just the transparency requirement. Fat is easy to trim when it is visible.
I do have to voice my extreme distaste for plans to drive more business to the lottery in order to "fix" the budget, especially coming from many who look askance at the payday-loan industry. I hope the irony is not lost on others.
Health care: Should the state expand government services to help those who lack health care? What other possible help could there be for Arizonans in the face of rising health-care costs, particular for those for are self-employed or run small businesses?
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 case, 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.
Part of that is changing the way insurance works and driving down the actual costs of care. This can be done by moving more people to medical savings accounts where they have a financial stake in the actual costs of their care and quality of preventive care. Citizens should be free to purchase specific plans that fit their needs from whatever state they choose, and these plans need to be made more portable and, where possible, freed from the employer-provider model.
Marriage: Do you believe that marriage is only between a man and a woman? If the answer is yes, do you support defining it that way in the Arizona Constitution?
Yes. Normally I do not care for ballot propositions, but in this case a constitutional amendment is the only way to guarantee that this issue, which many people feel very strongly about, will always be determined by a consensus of Arizona's population rather than a single judge. In order to avoid the possible divisiveness such a ruling would generate in this state, I believe this otherwise extreme measure is warranted.
Immigration: Several proposals have passed on the state level to deal with illegal immigration. In general, what should the state's role be when it comes to controlling immigration and mitigating its effects?
I would obviously be happy to leave the responsibility for securing the border and providing needed immigration law to the federal government, but, unfortunately, 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.
Environment: "The environment" follows "immigration" as the top concern of Arizonans in most public opinion polls. What policies, if any, can be passed at the state level to address these widespread concerns?
Better planning and the ability and strength to follow through with that planning. It seems that most of our environmental planning is done by threat of lawsuit. Which is entirely the wrong way to proceed as it shuts off discussion entirely. Arizona is a beautiful, scenic, and historic land, but growth and industry are a part of our story as well.
We should never be in a situation where we lose our concern for both. Once consensus is built, and prudent decisions made, we need to have the fortitude to see those decisions through, even when the special interests threaten.
I also will fight to make sure that all of the land placed into our children's educational trust serves the purpose for which it was intended. Just because the land will be used for this purpose does not mean that its beauty has to be lost forever, however.
Civility: What is one issue where you see the potential to work with members of the opposite political party on legislation? How would you build support?
I believe some common ground, at least for our Southern Arizona delegation, could be found in the sorry state of our trauma-care center.
It is laughable that we only have a handful of beds for 1 million-plus residents in Tucson, let alone what is available just south and east of us. I believe that putting a group together to bring this issue front and center in a bipartisan manner could easily be arranged just by arranging a visit to see the issue firsthand.
