Governor Napolitano has called on a former aide to help out with her State of the State address, which will be delivered to the Legislature Jan. 10.

Paul Allvin, the governor’s former communications director who now holds a similar position at the University of Arizona, has been reviewing drafts of the speech, he said.

Mr. Allvin, who wrote Ms. Napolitano’s speeches before he accepted a position as assistant vice president for strategic communications at UA, said the State of the State speech “wasn’t coming together,” and he volunteered to help.

“I guess I’ve gone from grunt writer to executive producer,” he said.

“He just can’t get away from it,” said Jeanine L’Ecuyer, Mr. Allvin’s replacement, adding, “He’s still a state employee.” She said, “There are many writers on this project [but] the governor is the primary author.”

Ms. Napolitano’s 2004 State of the State address was 4,800 words, including “Arizona must be more than a great state to grow old in. It must also be a great state to grow up in.” Mr. Allvin said those were his favorite lines in the speech. —