Reagan stays impartial, or does she?
Gift-wrapped a victory ... Secretary of State Michele Reagan appeared to be making a clear bipartisan statement: She wore a purple blazer as she presided over the meeting of Arizona’s presidential electors on Monday as they cast official ballots for President-elect Donald Trump.
But her opening comments rankled the few Democrats who were able to squeeze into the back of the packed room.
“Are you ready to tie this entire election season up with a big red bow?” Reagan asked.
She might have been referring to holiday gift wrapping. But coming from the person who oversees Arizona’s election, the “red” reference had a distinctly partisan tone for some.
“That was really very troublesome,” said Jodi Sherman, a Democratic voter who attended.
Unlike her predecessors, Reagan did not take sides in the presidential race. While serving as secretary of state, Ken Bennett was co-chairman of Mitt Romney’s Arizona campaign in 2012. During her tenure as SOS, Jan
Brewer was co-chair of the Arizona campaigns of both George W. Bush and John McCain.
Thanks, but no thanks ... As alluring as an ambassador appointment to some Caribbean island nation may sound, former Gov. Jan Brewer is waving off that possibility in a Trump administration.
“I don’t want to move,” Brewer said while attending the meeting of Arizona’s electoral-college voters.
Brewer, who met her term limit as governor in January 2015, has long talked about an ambassadorial appointment when asked about her postgovernor life. Preferably some place warm; Trinidad and Tobago was mentioned a few times.
With Donald Trump’s election as president, the possibility of that dream becoming reality seems attainable.
But Brewer said she’s not interested (no indication that she’s been asked by the Trumpster). Something under the tree for bureaucrats and lawyers ... A bill to allow government officials to deny any public record request they chose by arguing it is “unduly burdensome” or “harassing” is back for a second year in a row.
Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, introduced Senate Bill 1019. It’s identical to the bill he proposed last year.
The Senate last year passed Senate Bill 1282 but the House overwhelmingly voted it down.
Kavanagh last year said the bill was not meant to limit media or public access to information, but to curb abuse. He said he introduced it at the request of cities that say there are a handful gadflies who make an extraordinary number of very broad requests for records, requiring significant work from city staff, and then don’t even look at the results.
Last year, both Republicans and Democrats opposed the bill, saying it was too broad and could allow a city employee to decide any request is unreasonable, including from the media.
This year it’s a new Legislature, but not so new — all 40 House members who voted down the bill last year are still around.
Quote of the week
“The court must consider the hardship that will be visited upon employees at the bottom of the income scale by a delay in the implementation of the Act ... many of whom struggle on a daily basis to make ends meet,” — Judge Daniel Kiley, denying efforts by various business organizations to halt the Proposition 206 minimum wage increase from taking effect on Jan 1. The groups appealed Kiley’s decision.
Compiled by Republic reporters Mary Jo Pitzl and Alia Beard Rau. Get the latest at politics.azcentral.com.