Stone, Sam

Meet the Candidate

Running For:
City Council
District:
6
Political Affiliation:
Republican
Phone:
(140) 579-5614
Age:
46
Occupation:
Consultant / Radio Show Host
Education:
Lewis & Clark College
Biographical Info:

Sam moved to Arizona 30 years ago, and has been a resident of District 6 for the last 4. He is a small business owner, sports nut, and policy geek. For the last four and a half years, Sam served as current Councilman Sal DiCiccio’s chief-of-staff, helping craft and guide policy for the office – serving you and our residents to the best of his ability. Sam has previously served as the Director of the Civics Education Initiative at the Joe Foss Institute, and run a number of local and federal candidate campaigns. Currently, Sam is serving as Policy Director for Kari Lake’s gubernatorial campaign and is the co-host of the Breaking Battlegrounds radio show which airs Saturdays at 3PM on 960AM The Patriot, and associated podcast.

Statement:

I am a geek, a gamer, and I’m obsessed with public policy. Not talking points, policy: the stuff that really matters, and how it gets done. I have never wanted to run for public office, and I still don’t. But I am because I believe, after everything I’ve seen over the last few years, that Phoenix is at a tipping point. The sensible, forward-thinking politicians of the past have been replaced by reactionary ideologues who are more interested in advancing their careers than improving your lives. They are working hard every day to turn Phoenix into San Francisco; pushing the same massive array of failed but compassionate-sounding ideas that are ruining lives and driving hundreds of thousands of people to leave California, many to come here.

It doesn’t have to be like that. We can be compassionate, and protect our most vulnerable citizens, without destroying the lives of everyone else. We can have great public transportation, and great streets. We can take real steps to combat our rising temperatures, without gutting our economy. We can have the best of all worlds – and isn’t that the idea at the very heart of our city? Our city was raised from the dusty desert as a shining example of what could be, and still can.

I am committed to ensuring that every day our future shines just a bit brighter than our past.

Survey

Response Legend

  • SSupports
  • OOpposes
  • *Comment
  • Declined to respond
  • Declined to respond, Position based on citation

Question Response Comments/Notes
1. Denying government funding to "sanctuary cities" that do not comply with federal immigration laws S* Rule of Law is the paramount requirement of civil society. Sanctuary cities break down the rule of law and put citizens at risk from violent criminals. We cannot allow sanctuary policies, like those supported by the current Phoenix Mayor and Council majority, to continue to degrade respect for and support of law enforcement, or prevent officers from doing their job - all of it.
2. Allowing all parents to use tax credits, vouchers, or education savings accounts to enable children to attend any public, charter, private, homeschool, or online academy S* I support total school choice, and 100% backpack funding for all students. Let parents decide what the best option is for their children.
3. Expanding background checks to include guns purchased from private individuals O* The right to self defense is paramount, particularly in a society where our police are outnumbered and overwhelmed. I do not support any attempts to limit Second Amendment rights for law-abiding citizens. Criminals, by definition, do not obey laws, and the real-world effect of these types of proposals would only be to further endanger the lawful, while emboldening the lawless.
4. Using taxpayer funds to support any organization that provides, promotes, or provides referrals for abortion O* Taxpayer funds should not be given to any organization that performs abortions, for any purpose, or under any circumstances. Assurances by organizations like Planned Parenthood that public monies are "firewalled" from the abortions they perform are lies made possible only by creative accounting.
5. Prohibiting abortion except when it is necessary to prevent the death of the mother S* *I support prohibiting abortions except in cases where the life of the mother is at state, and early term abortions for victims of rape or incest
6. Providing tax breaks to certain industries over others O* Government should not choose winners or losers
7. Adding "sexual orientation," "gender identity," or "gender expression" to the protected classes of race, religion, age, sex, and ancestry in nondiscrimination ordinances O* Allowing biological boys to participate in girls sports isn't fair. Allowing them access to girls locker rooms is immoral. Adding sexual orientation and gender to non-discrimination ordinances will only kick off a wave of frivolous lawsuits by activists, while putting women and children at risk.
8. Protecting a parent's right to seek professional counseling for their minor child with same-sex attraction or gender identity issues to help them reach their desired outcome S* Parents have a right to guide children in every aspect of their mental, physical, and spiritual growth, and the state should never be allowed to come between a parent and child in any of these areas.
9. Setting minimum wage above the state minimum wage O* I worry about how someone who can't get a job at $10 or $12 per hour is supposed to get a job at $15 or $20 an hour. How is that person going to gain experience and develop their career? Minimum wage laws hurt the very people proponents claim to be trying to help.
10. Protecting individuals and businesses from being required to use their artistic expression in a manner that violates their conscience S* No one should ever be prevented from purchasing any off-the-shelf item in any store, but service providers, creators, and artists should also never be required to violate their beliefs in the production of their arts, goods, or services.
11. Requiring any government entity, including schools, to inform parents about their child’s physical, emotional, or mental health S* Parents must be involved in every single decision about their children's physical, mental, and emotional health. Government has zero right to insert itself between a parent and child in these decisions, ever.
12. Establishing electric retail competition to eliminate the current monopoly system for electric utilities O* Arizona has low cost, reliable energy. My priority will be keeping it that way and preventing cities like Phoenix from instituting green energy mandates that are unrealistic, expensive, and create an unreliable grid. We cannot, under any circumstances, risk the rolling blackouts that Californians have had to deal with in the middle of Arizona summers.