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(R) Eddie Farnsworth

~Endorsed by the GSBA~

Video Interview:

Question #1: Describe your management style and what do you believe are the strengths and weaknesses of that style?

Question #2: What is small business to you, and if elected as a legislator, what value can you add to small business today?

Question #3: What do you do in your personal life to support small business?

Question #4: What do you see as your primary function as a state representative, and how does this job allow you to impact small business?

Question #5: What legislative inequities do you see between large and small businesses, and what role should government play in the competition between large and small businesses?

Question #6: If elected, what measures would you advocate to lessen the time and expense that small businesses spend complying with important government regulations?

Question #7: Many businesses view politicians as an obstacle to creating or implementing innovative technologies, products or procedures. What will you do to get government out of the way?

Question #8: Have you ever held a transaction privilege tax license and made the monthly tax filings?

Extra Questions

Candidate Questionnaire:

1.     Have you ever owned or operated a small business?

Yes. I started my first successful business at the age of 20 and have been involved in business ever since. I have been the President of Benjamin Franklin Charter School for fifteen years.

2.     Small business provides the economic lifeblood of many communities.  How will your agenda assist and encourage small businesses in supporting their communities?

I will work to reduce the burden of regulation and taxation on all of our businesses. We must implement conservative and reasonable fiscal policies and budgets at the state level to reduce the burden placed upon business from excessive government spending.

I will work to create a friendlier business environment to attract new businesses to the state. This means we must recognize the critical role business plays in our economy and we must invite new businesses to come to Arizona by reducing the barriers to entry and the burden of regulation and taxation.

I will continue to be the leading advocate in defending private property rights. Businesses must be confident that their property rights are secure. This means we must fight against improper use of eminent domain and other improper takings of property.

3.     What will you do specifically to help the government reduce its spending?

First, I will advocate moving to a zero-based budget process. Instead of basing next years spending on this year’s budget, every agency will start with a budget of zero. Each agency will have to justify their existence and funding levels. Agencies and programs that are constitutionally mandated (such as public safety and education) will be given top priority. We will fund in order of priority and programs that hold a lower priority will either be reduced in funding or eliminated.

Second, I will continue to support and promote legislation that discourages illegal immigration. A recent study states that illegal aliens burden Arizona taxpayers by 2.5 Billion dollars annually in education, welfare and prison costs. By strongly supporting the rule of law we can reduce the illegal alien population and reduce the ongoing associated costs.

Third, I will work to reduce welfare entitlement spending. The number of entitlement programs is staggering. AHCCCS is the poster child of government entitlement programs boasting more people on the AHCCCS roles than in K-12 education.

4.     Jobs are a huge issue for families in Arizona.  What can the Arizona legislature do to encourage job creation and job retention?

The legislature should reduce corporate and personal taxes. This reduction in the taxation rates will make Arizona more competitive with other states and allow earners to retain more of their money. This retention of earnings will act as a “true stimulus” package. If businesses have the benefit of retaining more of their earnings, they will have the money to expand and hire new employees. The reduced taxes will attract new businesses to the state that will employ more Arizonans. The personal tax reductions will allow people to invest in their families, homes, etc. having a stimulating effect on the economy. As the economy grows, more jobs are created.

The legislature should reduce the regulatory burdens on business. Compliance with government regulation saps time, energy and financial resources. The Lighter the regulatory burden, the more resources available for businesses to operate and expand.

The legislature should set and maintain a high standard for academics in the public school system. Students must be prepared for the sophisticated nature of today’s work environment and it is only through a well-educated population that we can attract and maintain jobs in the base industries of high tech, manufacturing and research and development.

5.     “Creating green jobs” is a popular thought today.   What does this mean to you?

I think as individuals we all should be responsible stewards of the environment. But the government’s and environmentalist’s promotion of “green jobs” is, simply put, governments intrusion into the private sector and the free market. Additional burdens placed upon businesses by the so-called “green movement” will be detrimental to the job creation and economic recovery we are working towards.

6.     What government regulations do you believe are unnecessarily imposed on small businesses and should be changed or eliminated?

The list of regulations that should be repealed is voluminous. I will give just a few examples.

At the local level, the process for licensing is onerous, intrusive and excessive. The detailed minutiae required of prospective and current business owners, including business design, property layout and development, fees, reviews, signage, operations etc. is a huge barrier to entry and discourages those who want to open a business. It unnecessarily burdens existing businesses and has a deleterious effect on job growth.

At the state level, they regulate everything from boilers to barbers and all things in between.

-If someone has a negative experience, the legislature decides there needs to be additional licensing and regulation. An example, a legislator had a constituent that complained about a sick puppy that had been purchased in a non-store setting and this resulted in a new law prohibiting such sales.

-The number of acts that are classified as class 6 felonies has grown at a steady rate making felons of everyone.

-The unconstitutional redistribution of wealth is enormous. Entitlement programs must be reduced and reformed.

At the federal level, government is unconstitutionally involved in such issues as education and health care. The health care mandates on business will be the single greatest increase in government intrusion and burdening of the private sector in recent history. The appetite for spending is insatiable and the taxation is excessive and growing.

This is but a miniscule list of the burdens government has placed upon business. These, and many others, should be reduced or eliminated.

Eddie Farnsworth Bio

Eddie Farnsworth and his wife, Janet, are natives of Arizona. Both were born in Mesa and raised in Chandler and have lived in Gilbert for 13 years. They have 7 daughters, 4 sons-in-law and 11 grandchildren.

Eddie Farnsworth has been a leader in education reform and is the President and Executive Director of the very successful Benjamin Franklin Charter Schools. He is a former board member and past president of the Arizona Charter Schools Association. He served as Vice President and in-house counsel for twelve years for a local manufacturing company and has served on numerous corporate boards.

Eddie served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2001-2008. He served as the House Majority Leader from 2003-2004. In addition to his tenure as majority leader, he has served on various committees and in several committee leadership positions including, as a freshman legislator, Vice Chairman of the Education Committee and Vice Chairman of the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee. He served as the House Judiciary Chairman from 2005 through 2008.

During his tenure in the legislature, Eddie was a leading fiscal conservative who warned that if excessive government spending wasn’t reigned in, a budget crisis was imminent. Eddie quickly gained a reputation for being a strong defender of the constitution and promoter of conservative principles. He is a leading advocate for limited government, private property rights, 2^nd amendment rights, business, law enforcement, education, and enforcement of immigration laws.

Eddie holds a bachelor degree in economics (from the University of Arizona), an MBA with a specialty in finance and investments, and a Juris Doctor (both from the George Washington University, Washington, D.C.). During his time in Washington D.C., he served as an intern to Senator Orrin Hatch, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

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