Andy Tobin
Sedona AZ (August 23, 2010) – “The economy and jobs in Arizona are most important right now,” Arizona Legislative District One (AZ LD1) House of Representatives incumbent Republican Andy Tobin said. “I have been pushing for a jobs bill in the session and pushing for it since we got out. If we get Arizona back to work the economy will be better because people will be able to buy homes and buy cars. The next thing is that you have got to pay for basic public safety services which is why I am endorsed by the Professional Firefighters of Arizona, the Fraternal Order of Police, and the State Highway Patrol Officers, as well by Yavapai County Schools Superintendent.”
Tobin serves as the Arizona House Majority Whip. The incumbent Republican believes the critical point of the jobs bill is to make Arizona more competitive. In his opinion “we are not competitive with other states in the southwest.”
Tobin added, “Our business and personal property taxes are way too high. We have to have tax reform. My jobs bill will do that over a seven year period. We eliminate the corporate income tax and still generate funds that will be used to provide job training. Businesses like stability. They are very nervous about unstable states. They are nervous that they could be seriously affected by the budget crisis Arizona is in. We need to get the jobs bills done and get jobs back here and keep old ones.”
Tobin pointed out that he didn’t create the jobs bill on his own, that it isn’t “just out of my back pocket.” Elliott Pollack, Arizona’s premiere economist, was hired over a year and a half ago to do a nationwide and statewide study to determine the best way to generate jobs in Arizona, and the incumbent candidate claims his jobs bill is based on that study.
As for the State Parks closures that have had such an adverse impact on the Verde Valley, Tobin “had a plan to save the parks.” He wanted to transfer $40 million from the $100 million “Growing Smarter” fund which is a voter approved initiative to buy open space land. The LD1 representative wanted to use the money to fund the parks for two years, then extend the Growing Smarter Fund which was due to expire for two additional years.
The Growing Smarter Funds allow the State to pay matching fees to cities and counties that want to preserve open space. As Tobin pointed out, “There really aren’t any cities or counties in a position to purchase open lands at the moment in any case, so now the money just won’t be used at all. This would have saved the parks without any tax increases at all.”
Water is a big issue for Republican Tobin, so he created the Statewide Water Commission which for the first time in Arizona water history will put rural and urban stakeholders in a room together. As Tobin explained, “The idea is to have us all come together, decide how much water we need for the next 25, 50 and 100 years and identify the top three solutions to get t it. Then focus on the top three solutions and build the water grid for the next century, rather than suing each other across the mountains all the time. We need to find a way to meet the needs, decide how to do it, how much will it cost and how we will pay for it.”
“If we find these needs are true and they exist, today is the day to look at that and find out how to finance it. Interest rates and the cost of land are low right now. And that project, in and of itself, will create jobs.”
As for SB1070, the Republican candidate standing for re-election added, ““I helped mold SB1070 and I voted for it and support it. The Supreme Court will affirm the bill.”
Incumbent LD1 Representative Andy Tobin has won a few awards in the past but he doesn’t like to talk about them. Reluctantly he admitted to Arizona Chamber of Commerce Legislator of the Year for 2009; Arizona School Board Association Legislator of the Year for 2008, and Arizona Rural School Superintendents Legislator of the Year 2009.
Tobin has been married to Jennifer Tobin for twenty-five years and they have five children.
For more information go to www.andytobin.com
Article written by Joni Dahlstrom, SedonaEye.com Staff Writer at JoniD@eSedona.net for Sedona Times Publishing Election Central c2010
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