Candidate Profile - Personal Information

Transcription

1 1. Candidate's Name: 2. Address: Candidate Profile - Personal Information Wayne Harris 4640 Scarlet Dr. East 3. City: Crestview Zip: Telephone Numbers: 5. Address: Home Cell Office wayne@votewayneharris.com 6. Highest Degree Earned: (from what Institution?) 7. Current Occupation: 8. Current Employer: 9. Notable Previous Employment: 10. Family Description: County Commissioner Okaloosa County 11. How are you involved in your community? BS Barry University 27 Year Air Force retiree, 15 years Crestview Chamber of Commerce CEO, Owned Several Small Businesses Married, 3 children, 5 grand children, 3 great grand children, Knights of Columbus, 3rd Degree Mason, Chamber Member Crestview Chamber, Greater Ft. Walton Beach, and Niceville Chamber. 12. What boards have you served on? YMCA, Okaloosa Youth Academy, Airport Authority, Workforce Development Board, Okaloosa County Economic Development Council Policy Board 13. Who are some people you admire most and why do you admire them? Ronald Reagan and Foy Shaw (my mentor, a community leader in Crestview). Both had strong moral and ethical standards and were were great men of courage and patriotism. 14. Who in your community would you go to for trusted advice? Representative Don Brown 15. Three Qualities Leaders Possess: Experienced Leadership in Government and Business Fiscally Conservative (private and public) Leadership Small Business Background and advocate 16. Office being sought: House District: 4 Senate District: 17. Party Affiliation: Republican Length of Time: Since What is your one guiding principle or core value? God, Country, and Family 19. Briefly describe your political involvement: Okaloosa County Commissioner, 2 terms. 20. Have you ever been a previous candidate for political office? (IF YES) What Office: Outcome of race: 21. Campaign Organization and Structure: Okaloosa County Commissioner Won both with over 60% of the vote. General Consultant: Front Line Strategies Yes

2 Manager: Campaign Web Address: Facebook Page Name: Treasurer: Destin Cobb, Carr Riggs & Ingram Media: Front Line Strategies Pollster: Front Line Strategies Advisors: Front Line Strategies /votewayneharris Campaign Budget Amount: $200, Why are you running for this office? I am compelled to serve and make a difference in my community, state, and country. 23. Why should the business community support your candidacy: I previously owned three small businesses and I know what government regulation does to slow job growth from the perspective of the small business owner. As a county commissioner I have been actively involved in passing ordinances and tax incentives that favor the business owner. As a chamber of commerce executive director I have literally hundreds of examples of meaningless regulations and arbitrary red tape that slows Florida's job creators. I can't wait to partner with the Florida Chamber to make this state the American standard bearer when it comes to a friendly business environment. 24. List by priority the top three (3) Legislative Committees you would like to be assigned: Committee 1: Veteran and Military Affairs Subcommittee Committee 2: Higher Education and Workforce Subcommittee Committee 3: Business and Professions Subcommittee 25. Are there any organizations which you would NOT accept donations from? If so, please list: Trial Bar and Any Unions 26. Opponents and the media research public records, police reports, credit information and do other background checks in an effort to discover tax liens, lawsuits, arrest records and other unfortunate things. Are there any issues your opponent could use against you that you should disclose to this group? 3 or 4 years ago we had our TDC Director steal money from the county and then unfortunately committed suicide. A local State Representative beat up the County Commission for allowing the theft on our watch, and made a fairly big deal out of it. I have subsequently been re-elected. II. Issue Questions Talent Supply & Education 27. What changes would you recommend to Florida's K-12 system of education? Please address school funding. We need a more diversified workforce and our k-12 schools need to identify students who are on a professional career path as well as those who would be stronger as tradesmen and tradeswomen. I helped create the CHOICE program in Okaloosa County, which stands for Career High Okaloosa Institute for Career Education. As far as funding goes, I believe that the dollar should follow the student, and in the specific situation of charter schools, I think the state should directly fund them rather than pass the money through the school boards. 28. As an extension of the school day and to help end "Generational Pverty" would you support funding affordable afterschool programs that provide assistance with homework, delinquency prevention, life skills and the development of good character for Florida's working families?

3 Yes 29. What is your position regarding the ability of teachers unions and other public-sector unions to collectively bargain issues that are beyond the typical employment issues directly tied to hours worked and wages/benefits paid? I am anti-union and oppose the idea of collective bargaining. 30. How would you address the shortage of qualified talent to fill jobs in STEM-related fields? CHOICE like programs, and I would also incentivize businesses, teachers, and students who excel in STEM related areas. 31. What are your thoughts about having a series of benchmarks designed to create a minimum standard for Math and Language Arts throughout the United States? I believe the states should control education, not the federal government. There's no problem with standards and benchmarks, but it should be at the local or state level, the federal government has no business in our education system. 32. What changes would you support that improve workforce development in the state of Florida? More focus on vocational and technical career centers, recruiting businesses to meet our workforce strengths and develop new workforce strengths to recruit new business. 33. What changes should be made to Florida's higher education system? We have kids walking around Florida with degrees who haven't the first bit of walking around sense, but are $100,000+ in debt and have a piece of paper. The military gives college credits for military time. We should consider doing the same for a young mother who runs her household on a waitressing job, or a mechanic who learned what a catalytic converter was from his grandfather when he was 6, or a receptionist who is a walking excel spreadsheet when it comes to organizational skills. Do these people really need 4 years of higher education when they've spent time in the school of hard knocks? Innovation & Economic Development 34. What can the state do to continue to strengthen its position as a worldwide hub for trade? Cut Taxes, cut taxes, cut taxes. Then when we're done, cut fees and remove regulations. We need to invest more in our ports, and we must capitalize on the widening of the Panama Canal. If we can respond by improving our regulatory climate, Florida stands to benefit more financially than even Panama will. We can become the logistics hub of the world. 35. Please discuss any ideas you may have to enhance the growth and development of the following economic sectors. Manufactoring: Our country has lost the manufacturing edge that we had prior to the 60's. Unions, over taxation, and government regulations (environmental, payroll mandates, etc) have killed our free market. The more we do to reverse these free market hurdles, the better we'll be, especially in manufacturing. The margin that our manufacturing industry operates under is very thin. We need to be cognizant of what we do to them when we add a layer of government. Sometimes that can be the difference between 100 jobs and no jobs. If we get the reputation of being a best friend to manufacturing then it will certainly boost our trade capabilities as well. Agriculture:

4 Like Manufacturing, Agriculture has far too many layers of bureaucracy. As the second largest economic driver in the State of Florida, it's extremely important to our economy. We need to advertise areas of our state for their agricultural value. "Visit the Panhandle and try a peanut..." etc. We also need to be wary of the vector borne diseases that threaten the industry and provide our extension offices with the resources they need to stay ahead of diseases. Construction: Lawsuit reform, more reasonable workers comp laws, extend the moratorium on the blower door tests, and lessen the cost of construction (regulation) to attic trussed houses and bonus rooms. Hospitality/Tourism: Continue to follow the lead of industry innovators like our mouse friend in Orlando. Disney is the gold standard for how to attract tourists to Florida (or anywhere). We should look to the private industry's best practices and model them to devise a statewide strategy. Healthcare: Lower the costs of medical malpractice insurance by legislating the fraud out of the system. The way you do this is to penalize plaintiffs attorneys if they take med-mal cases and a judge deems it frivolous. Also, the more government inserts itself in the patient doctor relationship, the higher the costs become and the more the quality of care degrades. 36. What would you propose to diversify Florida's economy so that we better handle economic downturns? Invest in trade schools and diversify our industries in addition to our workforce (it's worked in Okaloosa). Infrastructure & Growth Leadership 37. When is it appropriate for the legislature to shift money from a dedicated state trust fund to pay for other services? NEVER EVER. That's why it's "dedicated." 38. There is a widening gap between infrastructure needs and infrastructure funding. Would you support private investment in public infrastructure projects in order to meet infrastructure needs? Yes How would you propose private investors be repaid? Bond dividends 39. Philosophically, when considering the following issues, do you think the authority to set or regulate these areas should be at the Federal, State, Local or Regional Government level? Wages Growth Management Wetlands Use Water Supply Environmental Permitting Business Permits & Licenses Local Government 40. What role should the state play in balancing the ability of electric utilities to provide safe, affordable and reliable electricity with the regulations of carbon emissions? The state should play the role of referee not the role of dictator. My beliefs are that the whole global warming hysteria is a false narrative and the only thing EPA standards do is tax and regulate under the guise of saving the planet. One thing we can investigate is the use of proven alternative energy sources, specifically natural gas.

5 41. What can the legislature do to address Florida's water quality and quantity needs? The Federal Government attempted to mandate Numeric Nutrient Count standards that were so onerous that prehistoric water supplies would have failed, so our water quality isn't that bad, that said, there is a quantity issue. We're blessed in Okaloosa County to have the Florida-Alabama-Georgia aquifer, but the rest of the state faces potential shortages. One path we might take is to copy the technology that our military uses on forward operating bases in the way of portable desalinization plants. When possible, we should use gray water for irrigation. Business Climate/Competitiveness 42. What are the three most important things the state legislature could do to improve Florida's business climate? 1: Cut Regulations 2: Cut taxes such as the business rent tax 3: Provide more incentives for expansion and diversity 43. Florida does not currently have a sales tax on services. Several attempts have been made over the past decade to create a new tax on services in the state Constitution. Would you support creating a sales tax on services?ness testimony standards? No Explain: Services by their nature should not be taxed the same as products. The service provider already pays significant taxes on his or her income. 44. What is your position on collecting sales and use tax on transactions from out of state and online retailers? Support 45. What is your general philosophy on state and local taxes? Okaloosa County has the lowest millage rate in the State of Florida, and its been that way for the 7 plus years I've been on the commission. Taxes should only fund infrastructure, public safety/ security, and essential services. Anything else is fluff. If state or local taxes are being raised to fund anything else, that's a travesty and a threat to our marketplace. 46. Are there any taxes that should be increased? No. I actually spent some time honestly thinking about this and I can't think of any. 47. Do you believe hotels should or should not be required to include resort fees in the daily room rate to allow guests to comparison shop before they book a room? Should not be required Explain: I don't know anybody who doesn't understand that the price a hotel advertises is not the price we're going to pay. When we travel, we look for the cheapest basic rate, but we know full well that there will be charges added to it. If consumers gets sick of resort fees, then the consumers will use their freedom of choice to pick a hotel that doesn't conceal resort fees. 48. What are your thoughts on the number of lawsuits files in Florida? Should the state intervene to make it easier or more difficult to file a lawsuit? Explain: There are too many frivolous lawsuits filed, period. The legislature should actively pursue ways to mitigate frivolous lawsuits, one way to do this is by requiring mediation before an injury case goes to trial. 49. Would you support legislation that limits recovery for future medical care in personal injury lawsuits to what is "usually and customarily" paid to other medical providers in the community? Why? Yes, absolutely. It doesn't make sense to pay arbitrary amounts just because plaintiffs attorneys want more money.

6 50. Accuracy in Damages: Would you support legislation that limits the amount of money recoverable for medical care in personal injury lawsuits to the amount actually paid for the medical care versus the amount charged by the provider of the medical care? Why? Yes. We all know that hospitals charge more to someone who has insurance than those who are paying cash. And there's no reason to allow the courts to ask for the amount that the hospital bills the insurance company, rather the plaintiff should collect the amount that they paid out. I'm all for making a plaintiff whole again, but when you gouge businesses and insurance companies all consumers pay the price. 51. In the context of a personal injury lawsuit, do you believe that it is reasonable to require an injured person seeking money from a liability insurance company to give the insurance company a (1) written notice of the claim and (2) a minimum of 45 days to investigate the claim and offer to pay the policy limits of the policy? Agree Why? If we continue to allow the trial bar to artificially manufacture bad faith claims, then we will continue to see the rising costs of insurance and medical care for all consumers. It's time we set a standard in Florida that frivolous lawsuits won't be tolerated, then hopefully that's the first step towards fixing the issue. Governance & Civic Systems 52. What is the proper role of state agencies in regulating prices for insurance companies, banks, medical providers and other regulated industries? Explain: Government shouldn't regulate any prices. The market and competition will dictate the prices. 53. Government regulations continue to be the top concern for Florida's small business. What areas would you recommend reducing regulation and red tape? Limit Concurrency impact fees, limit environmental mandates that have little bearing on the business, do away with the business rent tax, provide incentives for new businesses that wish to expand. 54. Both the Florida Retirement System Pension plan and Local Government-administered pension plan programs are experiencing a growing unfunded actuarial liability that is currently in excess of $31 billion. How do you propose to fill the funding gap in these guaranteed pension plans? By either charging the employee more for their retirement or by shifting retirement plans (going forward) from defined benefit plans to defined contribution plans. 55. Should there be term limits for: Circuit/County Judges? Yes Appellate Judges? Yes Supreme Court Judges? Yes Why? They get too complacent in their jobs and rely too heavily on tenure. Empires are built on the fact that leaders stay in office for life. Quality of Life & Quality Places 56. Should the state of Florida be able to mandate that health insurance providers cover specific health conditions or benefits even if the mandates increase the cost of health insurance for employees and employers? Explain: No, that should be up to the free market. If the insured has a condition, then they should be ready to pay higher fees for that condition.

7 57. Rising health care cost is a concern for Florida businesses and consumers. What would you propose that could help alleviate that burden? First and foremost we should repeal Obamacare. Open up competition across state lines. Use more Health Care Savings Plans, and Create healthier living environments. Put more personal responsibility on the patient. 58. What is your position on Medicaid expansion? While it is a result of Obamacare, the one good thing that medicaid expansion would do is cover the cost shifts from hospitals to patients. I understand that is a large burden, but I'm not convinced it's worth expanding medicaid to get there. 59. What is your position on whether the state should prohibit balanced billing in emergency situations? Broader Arena? The Governor just signed a bill into law this week that addressed that issue. I would lean towards supporting the governor's position. 60. What is your suggestion to address the current workforce shortage of physicians and nurses in the state? Create a STEM friendly environment all levels of education, especially k-12, and put medical schools close to the areas where you can draw a broader base of students. Crestview's pharmacy and the future physicians assistant schools are good examples of this. Many of these students wouldn't have ever gone to school if we didn't bring the school to them. We're really missing a tremendous group of folks who don't have the time to go to the colleges and universities across the state. I would also encourage the incentivizing of students that would be willing to take on healthcare professions as a career. 61. What is your position on the expansion of gambling in Florida? I'm categorically opposed to the expansion of gambling in the State of Florida. Obvious exceptions should continue to be granted to our American Indian Tribes. 62. Do you believe gambling should ever be expanded or current permitted gambling changed without an affirmative statewide vote of the people? No. I think the people should make the decision on an issue of that magnitude. FINAL THOUGHTS I am a 27 year veteran of the United States Air Force, I've owned three of my own businesses, I have 15 years of experience in chamber management and business advocacy, and I've spent the last 8 years in County government where I championed making life easier for small businesses in our community via the removal of the obstacles that slow the speed of commerce and business expansion. If anyone have the perspective of understanding the government, the chamber, and business, it's me.