Richard Hubbard has left the No. 2 spot at the state Land Department to become head of Valley Partnership, a nonprofit group that bills itself as an advocate for responsible development.
Mr. Hubbard stepped down as deputy state land commissioner June 30, after 3-1/2 years on the job. Governor Napolitano appointed him January 2003, along with Land Commissioner Mark Winkleman.
Before that, Mr. Hubbard was an attorney with the Scottsdale firm of Norling Kolsrud Sifferman & Davis.
Mr. Hubbard says his experience at the Land Department will serve him well in his new roles as president and chief executive officer at Valley Partnership.
At the Land Department, he says: “We dealt with developers and the brokers and all the real estate professionals.”
The Land Department also works closely with Valley Partnership, as Land Commissioner Winkleman sits on Valley’s board of directors, alongside representatives from the city of Phoenix, Arizona Public Service as well as developers and professionals in real estate, law, finance and engineering.
In leading the partnership, Mr. Hubbard says he will work with governments local and statewide.
“What we want to do is promote our goals of responsible development at a much higher level, including the state Legislature,” Mr. Hubbard says.
He will lobby the Legislature on Valley Partnership’s behalf, as he did for the Land Department, he says.
At the local level, he adds: “We monitor all of the local community ordinances and changes to those ordinances.”
As for the upcoming election, the partnership supports the “Conserving Arizona’s Future” ballot measure (Prop. 106), Mr. Hubbard says. The proposed amendment to the Arizona Constitution would set aside 690,000 acres of state trust land for conservation.
Under Mr. Hubbard’s tenure, the state Land Department broke records for state trust-land auctions as developers snapped up parcels offered in and around Phoenix, with sales totaling $1 billion, according to a Valley Partnership bio on Mr. Hubbard.
The Land Department’s sale of prime real estate continues.
At Valley Partnership, Mr. Hubbard replaces Maria Baier, who left to run for public office. No replacement for Mr. Hubbard at the Land Department has been announced. Mr. Hubbard’s salary was $106,650 a year.