Governor Elect Doug Ducey announced his transition team chairs and a few other important committee chairs this week.
U.S. Senator Jon Kyl was named chairman of the transition committee soon after the election, and last week two more co-chairs to the transition committee were announced, former House Speaker Kirk Adams and Arizona Board of Regents President, Eileen Klein.
According to legislative budget staff, Arizona faces a possible $520 million budget shortfall this fiscal year and a $1 billion shortfall next fiscal year. State law requires the governor to present a budget proposal to the Legislature by Jan. 16.
During the campaign, Ducey made clear his intentions to go through the budget line by line in order to ensure Arizona lives within its means and invests in priorities for the state such as economic growth and education. The following team members have been appointed to a Budget Study Committee to study the budget from their various perspectives on our state finances.
- John Arnold, Director of Arizona Governor's Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting
- Jennifer Stielow, Vice President of the Arizona Tax Research Association
- Michael Hunter, Governor Brewer's Director of Policy and Special Advisor on Tax Policy & Reform
- Tom Manos, Maricopa County Manager
- J. Cole, CEO of CCMC
- Alan Maguire, President & Principal Economist of The Maguire Company
- Norman Stout, former Director & Chairman of the Board of Directors of EF Johnson Technologies
Other Committees and chairs named this week following transition subcommittees and co-chairs were formed to research and make recommendations about issues important to our state were also appointed.
The current committees and their co-chairs include:
Economic Development, Entrepreneurship and International Trade Committee
- Lea Márquez-Peterson, President & CEO of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- Glenn Hamer, President & CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
A news release from Ducey's office said the committee will help improve the state's business climate and attract more employers. “Arizona is a great place to live, work, play, raise a family and retire, and I want Arizona to be considered the best place in the country to do business,” Ducey said in a statement on his website. “I’m excited to work with officials across the state to recruit businesses to Arizona in an effort to grow the economy and create jobs. Glenn and Lea will help me accomplish this mission and I’m proud to have them on my team.”
Education Committee
- Lisa Graham Keegan, former Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Matthew Ladner, Senior Advisor for Policy and Research at the Foundation for Excellence in Education
- Erik Twist, Vice President of Archway Advancement at Great Hearts Academies
More committees are expected to be formed through the end of next week.
Ducey said, since being elected, “I’ve reached out to leaders across the state because Arizona has big challenges ahead. We all must work together to grow the economy, create jobs and put money in the classroom to help teachers teach and students learn.” He’s had substantive conversations with:
- Governor Jan Brewer
- Senator John McCain
- Senator Jeff Flake
- Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton
- Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild
- Senate President Andy Biggs
- House Speaker David Gowan
RGA and NGA Conferences:
This past weekend and throughout this week, Ducey attended the National Governors Association (NGA) and Republican Governors Association (RGA) conferences. “I met with fellow governors from across the country to exchange ideas of how to protect our borders, grow the economy, produce an environment that encourages job creation and improve Arizona schools,” Ducey said. The governors he met with include:
- Arizona Governor Jan Brewer
- Texas Governor-elect Greg Abbott
- Indiana Governor Mike Pence
- Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker
- Florida Governor Rick Scott
- Michigan Governor Rick Synder
Serving Arizona
“Monday, I spent some time at The Society of St. Vincent de Paul preparing and serving food as I launched my newest initiative, Serving Arizona. The initiative is an effort to promote charitable service and giving during the holiday season and throughout the year,” Ducey said.
New Website
“To be as transparent as possible and to find the best people to work in my administration. Through my website, you can apply for a position in my administration, catch up on the latest news and see who has donated to the transition committee,” according to Governor-Elect Ducey.
To learn more, the transition website is at www.2015azgtc.com.