Marty Stephens

Also see Marty Stephens' answers to an April questionnaire on the top issues

Birthdate: 3/26/1954
Birthplace: Ogden, Utah
Current city of residence: Farr West City, Weber County
Family members: Wife- Carole – married 28 years, 6 children, 6 grandchildren
Education: Bachelors Degree, Business Administration, Management, Weber State University
Current occupation: Insurance and Real Estate
Hobbies/Interests: Love to read, biographies, history, science, religious – read over 52 books a year for last 8 years. Also enjoy basketball and backpacking.

Using 150 to 200 words, please state your reasons for running for governor. What compels you to take on this tremendous responsibility?

I am running for governor because I believe I have the skills and training this state needs today. I have served at all levels of government from the city council and mayor of our small community to the state legislature and as Speaker of the House while simultaneously holding down full time employment. I know what it means to make a payroll and to contend with the burdensome government regulations hindering the progress of out communities and citizens.

I have the knowledge and experience to work with citizens, business leaders, and other elected officials to create the kind of state government we always talk about, but elected officials seem disinterested in once elected.

As a candidate for governor, what are your key campaign messages?

I have a vision for the future of this state, which includes a significant improvement in four areas:

1. A more efficient economic development organization which will bring more high paying, quality jobs to our state.

2. A quality public education system that is accountable, adequately funded, and provides parents with choice and options to meet the needs of their children.

3. A more efficient state government which does not require the current levels of resources which are a drain on our citizens.

4. A state which understands and protects the basic freedoms of its people, such as the right to life, the right to keep and bear arms, private property rights and the rights of parents to determine how best to raise their children.

What do you consider to be the top three issues currently facing Utah?Please list them in order of priority to you and your candidacy and explain why they are important to you and to Utah.

The top three issues are:

1. Economic development
2. Education
3. The role of government in our lives

These three are all inter-related. We cannot have a quality education system without adequate funding and we cannot have adequate funding without a successful economic development program that brings high-paying, quality jobs to the state and broaden our tax base. We can neither attract new businesses nor help local businesses to grow, unless we see more downward pressure on taxes and regulations, thus creating a more business-friendly environment. These three issues must be worked on together and their interdependence cannot be understated.

What are your most important business or political accomplishments? How would those accomplishments help you be a more effective governor?

I started my public service in my hometown of Farr West City. I was elected to serve on the city council, then as mayor. During that time, I was elected chairman of the Weber Area Council of Governments by my fellow mayors and county commissioners. Subsequently, I was elected to the Utah House of Representatives, and for the past five years, my colleagues have elected me speaker of the House; making me the only lawmaker elected to three terms speaker in Utah history.

My fellow legislators nationwide elected me president of the National Republican Legislator’s Association as well as the President of the National Conference of State Legislatures - which represents over 7,000 state legislators nationwide. In addition, Secretary Tom Ridge appointed me as one of only 15 members nationwide - and one of only two legislators - to the National Homeland Security State and Local Advisory Committee.

I highlight these honors only to let you know that my peers on the local, state, and national levels entrust me with key leadership positions beneficial Utah and indicative of the confidence my colleagues have in my abilities, experience, and background.

What are your most important civic or community accomplishments or involvements? How would those accomplishments help you be a more effective governor?

I have received a number of unique and prestigious honors during my years as a public servant. Let me mention a few:

I was elected speaker of the Utah House of Representatives by my peers in November 1998 and re-elected in 2000 and 2002.  As Speaker, I substantially helped in the crafting of Utah’s 2003 budget, which has gone on to be recognized as the most “Fiscally Responsible” in America, by USA Today Newspaper.

The Deseret Morning News named me Utah’s “Most Effective State Representative” for four consecutive terms.

The Utah Taxpayers Association twice presented me the prestigious, “Taxpayers Advocate of the Year Award, making me the only two-time recipient of that honor.

The Society of Professional Journalists presented me the “Roy B. Gibson Freedom of Information Award.” T o date, I am the only elected official in received that honor.

I currently serve as president of the National Conference of State Legislatures, representing over 7,000 legislators nationwide and tasked with presenting states’ issues to lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

I am also a past President of the National Republican Legislators Association.

In October of 2003, I was appointed to the National Homeland Security Advisory Council’s State and Local Officials Senior Advisory Committee.I am one of only two legislators in America to sit on this committee.

These are but a sampling of the opportunities for service and the recognitions I have received, and I feel they validate my capacity to lead Utah into the future.

What skills, talents, and strengths do you have that enhance your ability to be an effective governor?

Let me mention two:

First, I have a very inclusive leadership style that involves people with a wide variety of opinions in the decision making process. I don’t claim to know all the answers, but I do know that working with the citizens of this state, as well as business and community leaders, we can build a bright future for Utah.

Second, I have a love for learning which helps me find new and balanced solutions to our most pressing problems. In 1996, I committed myself to a reading the equivalent of one book each week on a wide variety of subjects. This practice has provided me with a much broader understanding of the nature of challenges and innovative solutions to them. I have kept that goal, and for each of the past eight years have read at least 52 books.

Why do you belong to your political party? Why is your party the right one to lead Utah at this time?

I belong to the Republican Party because it is the party that seeks and emphasizes individual – as opposed to governmental – responsibility. The Republican philosophy protects our most fundamental rights as outlined in the Constitution. My party empowers the individual, by trusting people to make good decisions, and then holds responsible for those decisions. My party cares about the rights of the unborn and the aged, it cares about protecting the family as the basic unit of society, and it cares about protecting basic property rights and the rights of parents to determine what is best for their children. It values those enduring principles which society increasingly casts aside in the name of “progress.”

Utah needs a Republican leader who will govern based on the understanding our Founding Fathers had of the value of a limited and efficient government. Utah needs a leader who will value the ageless principles upon which this nation was founded.

Most importantly, Utah needs a leader who can help this state become a beacon of liberty to the rest of this great nation.

A Republican governor who has a basic understanding of the nature of freedom and accountability is exactly what this state needs.

I am that leader.