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The Ducey hiring train keeps on chugging
Ducey’s transition team today (Dec. 19) announced another batch of senior staffers. Three of the hires were expected – Mike Liburdi as general counsel, Daniel Scarpinato as deputy chief of staff for communications and JP Twist as a senior advisor – but one caught some observers off guard: Victor Riches, who will be the deputy chief of staff for policy and budget.
They need the space for these guys
Ducey made some long-awaited staffing announcements today, including the hotly anticipated decision on what role Danny Seiden will have in the new administration. Seiden will serve as Ducey’s deputy chief of staff for external affairs and policy development.
Small groups don’t cut it
In an interview yesterday afternoon, Dial laid out his ideas for bringing back approps subcommittees. The likeliest path is legislation, with intent language describing how the subcommittees would operate as a part of the budget process, that would require leadership in each chamber to re-establish the subcommittees via the Senate president’s and speaker’s rule-making process.
Rah-rah for subcommittees
Brophy McGee gave a resounding endorsement of Dial’s plan to restore the subcommittee process in crafting a budget, saying her colleague is “right on the money” with the idea. “The budget process has become much more the purview of leadership, and members are left out in a sense and given a package to vote on.
All signs are created equal, endowed by their creator…
J Allen is taking aim at Robson with H2002 (political signs; removal), which he introduced today. The bill removes the language in ARS 16-1019 that makes it a misdemeanor to remove, alter or deface a political sign “of any candidate for public office” and instead defines a political sign as “a sign that is intended to influence the outcome of an election.”
Brewer a victim of ‘political vanity’
Republic columnist Robert Robb dished out a harsh critique of Brewer today (Dec. 10), writing that she has failed in her most important task – balancing the budget and putting the state on a stable fiscal footing.“
Hard hats required on the second floor
The House has assigned offices to the incoming 52nd Legislature, and the floor plan provided by chamber staff shows there was some reconfiguration made to allow more legislators to have offices on the second floor.
Sources: Brno set to name solicitor general
Brnovich has picked a former colleague from the US Attorney’s Office to be his solicitor general. According to sources, Assistant US Attorney John R Lopez, who currently serves as executive assistant to US Attorney John Leonardo, will be named solicitor general later this week.
All your congressmen are belong to us
Letters from congressmen to federal regulators questioning the business practices of rooftop solar companies aren’t just for Democrats. Now, Franks, Gosar and Salmon have sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission that is similar to the one Kirkpatrick, Barber, Sinema and Gene Green (D-TX) sent to the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Nov. 19.
Sources: OSPB head Arnold lands new gig
OSPB Director John Arnold will move over to the Bd of Regents once Brewer leaves office, several sources with knowledge of the situation told our reporter today (Dec. 4). One railbird said Arnold will become ABOR’s budget chief.
Don’t get your hopes up
The Republic’s Joanna Allhands suggested in her column today that Biggs is willing to talk tax increases. Allhands said Biggs told the paper’s editorial board yesterday that policymakers must have a deep and transparent discussion about what government does and how its operations are funded.
Recount challenge filed over ‘insecure pieces of crap’
A group of voters from CD2 sued Bennett late yesterday, claiming that the recount process in the Barber-McSally race is being conducted in violation of state law, but the court this afternoon rejected the request.
