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Rush and retreat: The unmaking of the Douglas surge
Douglas blinked first in her showdown with the Board of Education. Rather than defiance, she met the board’s deadline to allow its executive director and assistant executive director back to work.
Hands off my party!
Some activists and local GOP leaders are decrying S Allen’s S1309 (party organization; precinct committeemen; meetings), which some see as an attempt to rein in the rampant use of proxies at Republican intraparty elections, as unnecessarily overreaching.
Burning a bridge sounds fun – until you need to cross it
A day after accusing Ducey of usurping her authority and getting widely panned for it, Douglas stood before the media to de-escalate her conflict with the governor, effectively backing down and seeking to rebuild bridges.
This Royal Rumble only happens once every few years
Ducey’s reversal today of Douglas’s firing of the top two Board of Education staffers resulted in a no-holds-barred reaction from the superintendent, who promptly accused the governor of usurping her powers and a host of other sins.
Douglas fires top Education Board staffers…illegally?
Shortly before our deadline, news broke that Douglas’ top aide had fired the top two administrators for the State Board of Education today (Feb. 11), setting up a legal showdown between the board and the Dept of Education.
McKay’s unlikely route to the top
McKay played a key role in creating DCS. As an OCWI officer, he uncovered and blew the whistle on the now infamous “not investigated” label on thousands of cases of abuse and neglect.
The doctor is in, and she wants McCain out
Ward confirmed this morning that she’s considering taking on McCain in 2016. “Nothing set in stone – just exploring the possibilities,” she said in a text message to our reporter.
Strunk and White would be satisfied
State Elections Director Eric Spencer today told our reporter that the secretary of state’s office will be pushing for a change in the definition of “political committee” following a federal court ruling last year that the current one is unconstitutional because it is vague and overbroad.
District spox: Programs will end, schools will shudder
Desegregation school districts are balking at a proposal championed by the Arizona Tax Research Assn to take away their funding source, a revenue stream that is intended to remedy racial discrimination in schools.
The era of good feelings begins
Ducey and Brnovich’s ascensions as governor and state attorney, respectively, are heralding a new era of cooperation between the Ninth Floor and the AG’s office. Brnovich said he “absolutely” believes he and Ducey will have a better relationship than recent governors and AGs have had.
Open up the goodie bag
State officials yesterday (Feb. 2) announced a major business coup – Apple is building a $2 billion command Center in Mesa. But Apple is getting something in return.
Try a flash mob next time
Efforts to court Christine Jones to run for Phoenix mayor are in full swing. Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio said he’ll do whatever he can to help Jones get elected if she jumps into this year’s mayoral race.
