Deborah Howard

Deborah Howard was born in Long Beach, California. She earned a high school diploma from Costa Mesa High School and a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1982. Her career experience includes working as a public policy advocate.[1]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My career has spanned public policy at the federal, state and local levels on a diverse range of issues and government, non-profit and corporate employers. I've advocated for good jobs, quality healthcare, great public schools, and securing and expanding freedom at through the ballot box.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

On Abortion: The majority of Arizonans believe women should have access to legal abortion.. Passing the Arizonans for Abortion Access initiative is a foundation for this adding abortion access to the state constitution. But it is inadequate on its own. When Arizonans pass the Arizona Abortion Access Initiative and elect a pro-choice majority to the state legislature we will secure abortion access and reproductive freedoms.On Education: We must reverse the devastating impacts of more than 20 years of systemic underfunding of public education. We must reverse this movement. Access to a quality public education should be the birthright of every Arizona child. We can make it so with a pro-public education majority in the legislature. This means Arizona will no longer compete for last place in per pupil spending, teacher pay, and teacher retention.On Housing: Since 2020, housing costs in the district I seek to represent have skyrocketed. Part of problem is that we are 270,000 housing units below the ideal in the state. We need to work together with our cities and coounties to support the building of more housing and work to reign in out of control rent increases.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education

Voting Rights

Healthcare

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Jeane Kirkpatrick, Professor and Diplomat

Ambassador Kirkpatrick stood by her strong anti-communist, pro-democracy values even as the party she associated with changed. In doing so, she advocated the cause of freedom and democracy at home and abroad becoming the first female U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. I believe she would be proud of the current Democratic Party and its commitment to democracy at home and abroad.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Business and Public Policy, edited by John Dunlop

This is a series of essays by scholars I read as a student years ago. My key takeaway, then and now, is that there is a natural and inherent tension between government and business. Reconciling and balancing that tension in constructive ways to protect workers, consumers, and other public stakeholders is the fundamental job of government.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, inclusion, and transparency.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

By nature I am a facilitator and love working with teams that are tasked with doing hard things and determined to do them well. My experience at the federal, state, and local levels working with government, non-profit, and business interests in the policy making sphere has both improved my skills and affirmed its value.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Listen to voters (even those who don’t vote for you or disagree with your policy perspectives), serve the public interest, cultivate compromise to address complex issues.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I hope to make our LD27 community and the entire state of Arizona a better place, with affordable housing, world-class public education at every level, clear skies and secure sources of affordable clean water and energy, and record-breaking, awe-inspiring civic participation - an updated and revitalized Arizona version of the American dream.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Having a “Cuba Closet'' in the hallway and the assassination and funeral of President Kennedy. My second grade teacher, Miss Paxton, came back from recess/break and was tearful. She announced to the class that the President had been shot. Days later, my father, a WWII veteran, called me into the house to witness and pay respect to the President during the televised funeral. It was the first time I saw him cry.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked at the bakery counter at Kaplan’s Deli in South Coast Plaza.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Indigo The Color that Changed the World, by Catherine Legrand

Why? First because blue is my favorite color and the book is beautiful with hundreds of photos of textiles and prints, people and processes of turning a plant common throughout the world into dye. Second, the book tells the historic cultural, social, economic and political role of the plant, indigo, to change the world. Seriously.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Wonder Woman.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Usually a Christmas carol…

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Using fewer words…

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

I believe that there needs to be a collaborative relationship between the executive branch and the legislature. Fundamentally we must work together to achieve the promise of an Arizona that fully funds public education, supports housing opportunities and choices for every pocketbook, meets the clean water and energy demands of a growing population, supports strong, new and emerging business environments, and protects our natural environment for ourselves and future generations.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Re-establishing trust between the legislature and government in general with the public. Without public trust the government will not be able to make tough decisions that address long-term challenges. Without public trust the state government will be constrained to small, last minute, emergency fixes - always pushing the hard decisions to the next session, kicking the proverbial can down the road.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I’ve spent four decades as a public affairs professional in the intersection of communications, advocacy, and outreach. That’s long enough to know it isn’t brain surgery - it’s a learnable skill. AND it’s best approached by thoughtful people with a serious interest in serving the public, not their personal interests.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

no

Tell us your favorite joke.

Like dreams, I rarely remember them.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Arizona List, SIerra Club, Maricopa Area Labor Federation, Arizona Education Association, Save Our Schools, Emily's List, AFSCME, FundHer, HerBoldMove, SMART, AZ NOW

What committees interest you?

Budget

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Some ideas that come to mind to improve government accountability and financial transparency include strengthening open meeting laws, improving access to public records, increasing opportunities for public participation and better communications including “explainers”. Making a 500 page document public might be transparent, but it isn’t really informative. Synthesizing that information and providing a “public summary” WITH the 500 page document is a more meaningful communication, and more transparent. These actions are not particularly challenging. The real challenge is establishing the mindset that the general public is the central stakeholder and necessary partner in the work of government.

Note: Howard submitted the above survey responses to [the profile publisher] on July 10, 2024.

Show past responsesHide past responses

June 18 submission

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I have worked for over four decades in public policy at the federal, state, and local levels and know what it takes to make real improvements in the lives of Arizonans. I have worked tirelessly in both a professional capacity and through advocacy on issues like affordable quality healthcare – especially women’s reproductive care and abortion access – voting rights and making sure our kids have quality educational options. As your State House Representative, I will listen to you and work with anyone, no matter their political affiliation, to make sure your voice is heard.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

•

On Abortion: Most Arizonans believe women should have access to legal abortion- abortion that is accessible, affordable, and destigmatized. We must qualify and pass the Arizona Abortion Access initiative to embed this right in our state constitution. But this is inadequate on its own as MAGA-Republicans in leadership have repeatedly undermined and ignored voters’ decisions at the ballot box. Universal ESA vouchers expansion and rewriting the tax-code to avoid implementing Prop 209 to fund public schools are two examples. Only when Arizonans pass the Arizona Abortion Access Initiative and elect a pro-choice majority to the state legislature, we will abortion access and reproductive freedoms be secure.•

On Education: Access to a quality public education should be the birthright of every child in Arizona. We must reverse the devastating impacts of more than 20 years of systemic underfunding of public education. Economic conditions and anti-public school ideology have provided a cloak for complicit MAGA-Republicans to advance policies to defund, discredit, and dismantle public education. We must reverse this movement. We can make it so with a pro-public education majority in the legislature. This means Arizona will no longer compete for last place in student achievement, per pupil spending, teacher pay, teacher retention and other markers of an educational system under attack.•

In General: I am running to advance an economic agenda that prioritizes the health and safety of workers; clean air, clean water, and renewable energy; and affordable housing. All of which help create and sustain safe and secure communities for children, families, students, workers, and retirees. These same policies also support and sustain business opportunities and growth. The political forces that oppose such priorities are mired in failed political and economic ideologies that will not permit them to objectively respond to current challenges and opportunities.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

•

I am running to strengthen public education for every child in the state. And every teacher, school counselor, bus driver, cafeteria worker and others who serve the education community. Classrooms are rightfully the centerpiece of the education environment - but by itself is by no means complete. A healthy education environment teaches more than facts - it provides a way for students to discover their own passions and interests, explore the world around them, find their place in it, and ultimately learn how to make their way in it. Keeping in mind, strong public schools and a strong economy goes hand-in-hand. A world-class public education system develops a strong and skilled workforce - which in turn attracts world-class businesses.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Jeane Kirpatrick. A Democrat turned Republican and first woman to serve as Ambassador to the United Nations, I admired her academic and political discipline to be consistent in her political ideology, over party identification. I think she would be quite at home in the anti-MAGA movement.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Truthfulness, respect for voters, willingness to put the common good ahead of personal interest.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a woman of strength, determination and persistence. I am a woman of empathy. And I am a woman of my word. And I am a leader who beleives leadership is doing whatever is possible to allow others to succeed. I have learned when to face controversy directly, and how to speak truth to power when call for.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core job is to represent the common interests of residents of this district and the state as a whole as we act to address real issues that impact real lives for the common good. My understanding of the title "Representative" calls for inclusivity over exclusion. As one of 60 representatives, I will have a duty certainly to hear from those in this district, as well as others and stakeholders throughout the state, regardless of neighborhood, income, employment status, age or race. And to be honest and truthful in those conversations; to be informed by these conversations in my decision making. And to be regularly available for these conversations in formal and informal settings. And in the end to be completely transparent so that I can be held openly accountable for my votes.

What legacy would you like to leave?

That Arizona is a fairer and more just place for all people to call home regardless of theis race, birthplace, or income.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Having a “Cuba Closet” in the hallway and the assassination and funeral of President Kennedy. My second grade teacher came back from recess/break and was tearful. She announced to the class that the President had been shot. My father, a WWII veteran, called me into the house to witness and pay respect to the President during the televised funeral. It was the first time I saw tears in his eyes.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked at the bakery counter at Kaplan's Deli in South Coast Plaza. I worked there only through the summer vacation in high school.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Of course. Collaboration is fundamental to every healthy, effective organization. Part of being an effective leader is being able to reconcile differences in order to achieve shared goals. That's hard to do if there isn't a foundation of trust.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

I am not.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

As abortion access is so front-of-mind for voters, I hear stories almost every day from women whose personal stories are heart-wrenching. Women who are currently pregnant and fear their ability to obtain standard of care should something go wrong. Women whose previous failed preganancies would not have been treated medically until they were near death. Mothers whose adult daughters are struggling to start families. Others who are postponing starting a family because current legal environment is so uncertain. The bottom line: the attack on legal abortion and women's reproductive freedoms is putting the lives of real women at risk. It breaks my heart and should be a wake up call to all of us that there are people who will take away our freedoms if we allow it.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

AZ Now, Climate Cabinet, Maricopa Area Labor Federation,, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I beleive the more transparent and accountable the government is, the stronger and more responsive government can be in meeting the needs and expectations of stakeholders - voters certainly, but also those served by every function of government from issuing drivers licenses, to classroom funding, to health care access and affordability.

We must rebuild trust and confidence in government and the only way I know to do that is to make government more transparent and accountable.