Farley was born in Upland, California to two public school teachers. As a teenager, Farley heard stories of how administrators at his mother's school micromanaged teachers and exerted unnecessarily strong control over classrooms, so he went to the local papers attempting to expose the injustice in his school system. The reporter didn't feel like running with the story. He graduated from Williams College in 1985 with a degree in political science.
Career
Farley began his foray into politics as a citizen advocate for increased investment in public transportation, and aided in the approval of the comprehensive regional transportation system which created Pima County's Regional Transportation Authority. Farley was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2006, and became the assistant minority leader in 2010. In 2011, he proposed a controversial 300% tax hike on all medical marijuana sold in Arizona, but his bill did not become law. In 2012, he was elected to the Arizona Senate. Farley served on the Finance, Appropriations, and Joint Legislative Budget committees where he oversaw the $10 billion state budget. He has also served on the Ethics, Government and Environment, and Transportation committees. He was Senate Assistant Minority Leader and the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee. In 2012, Farley campaigned on issues like investing in new technologies and high-wage jobs, expanding health care for self-employed and small-business owners and making long-term care more affordable for middle-class seniors, in addition to his work in increasing the production of clean solar energy, outlawing driving while texting and protecting Tucson's sovereignty. Farley opposed the controversial Arizona SB 1070 and worked with Governor Jan Brewer to expand Medicaid, bringing healthcare to 400,000 Arizonans. During Farley's last term in the Arizona Senate, he was one of the key Democratic lawmakers who helped the Red4Ed movement gain steam and bring forth a $415 million increased investment in Arizona public schools and a 20% pay increase for teachers. During his time in the state legislature, Farley put out a weekly Farley Report to inform his constituents on the inner workings of state government. His lengthy blog posts helped explain obscure and complex policies and kept Arizonans up-to-date on state issues. On June 5, 2017, Farley announced his campaign for Governor of Arizona against incumbent Republican Governor Doug Ducey. Farley lost the Democratic primary to David Garcia. In the campaign, Farley played towards his comprehensive knowledge of the state budget and sold himself as a policy wonk. He proposed closing tax loopholes to secure greater funding for public education, saying "I know we have the money, we've just chosen to give it away," and criticized the Arizona economy for benefiting those at the top more than the average Arizonan. On January 10, 2019, Farley announced his candidacy for the 2019 Tucson mayoral election. He campaigned on a platform focused on economic development, environmental preparedness, and investment in education and public transportation. He has proposed creating a public healthcare option for Tucson residents, switching diesel engine buses to electrical engines powered by solar energy, creating a resiliency plan for extreme climate emergencies, and preparing Tucson's economy to be competitive in emerging industries. In the Democratic primary, Farley came in second place after incumbent mayor, Regina Romero.
Personal life
Farley is also a prominent artist, whose work appears throughout Tucson, including the iconic ceramic tile mural by the Broadway Underpass, at the eastern gateway to downtown Tucson. Farley developed a method for converting photographs to ceramic tiles, which has led to him working on several similar projects throughout the country. Farley is engaged to Kitt Leonard, an IT specialist at the Tucson Medical Center, and has two children.
