NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday July 2, 2009
Brewer's Failed Leadership Delivers a Budget Mess
After nearly a full six months in office, and even though the Legislature is controlled by members of her own party, Governor Jan Brewer couldn’t pull it off. As a result of her astounding lack of leadership, Arizona now has an even bigger mess on its hands – an incomplete budget, with absolutely no vision or timeline for a resolution.
This marks the opening of a disappointing chapter in Arizona’s history. Education funding remains in serious jeopardy; there is no long-term plan for public safety; we don’t even know how much longer state parks will be able to operate.
The Governor ’s decision to veto multiple budget bills – apparently so she and the Legislature can enjoy a long holiday weekend while the state’s business goes unfinished – is a gross abdication of her responsibility. In a statement today, Brewer attempted to lay blame on the Legislature, but it is merely an attempt to pass the responsibility which lies squarely on her shoulders as the executive.
The seeds of the Governor’s failure were planted early, and continued inaction made them grow to insurmountable heights as budget negotiations approached their final hours.
Brewer has known since last December that she would ascend to the Office of Governor. In the time that has passed since then, she has repeatedly demonstrated her inadequate leadership, which has led her to irrelevance, and has led our state into a quagmire never seen in our 97-year history.
***1994 – According to Brewer in an Arizona Republic op-ed, the duties of Arizona secretary of state “do little to prepare that officeholder for the statewide leadership role required of a governor.”
December – According to the East Valley Tribune, “Brewer said she has no answer yet for how she intends to balance the budget.” (EV Tribune, 12/6/08) She would continue to have no concrete answer for another six months.
January – Brewer delivers promise of her own stimulus program. No details were offered. (AZ Daily Star, 1/22/09) Arizona’s unemployment rate now stands at 8.2%. The Governor had no plan to revive our economy then, and the same still holds today, no solutions.
February – Brewer promises a budget – “We’re working in that direction to have a proposal and I hope that it will be developed in the near future and be presented sometime quickly,” said Brewer. (AP, 2/7/09) ‘No Plan Jan’ would continue to not deliver on this pledge.
March – Brewer presents her much hyped “5-point plan”, which of course was not a detailed plan that provided any solutions. According to the Arizona Capitol Times the plan was, “outlined in a purposefully vague fashion.” (AZ Capitol Times, 3/6/09) The “Spinning Wheels Tour” was then launched – Brewer attended scores of meaningless town halls and appearances to present a plan with no details.
April – Brewer again promises more details on her plans, “I almost believe at this point in time that we are going to probably work a little bit more … diligently to try to come up with more specific plans to present to them,” said Brewer. (AZ Capitol Times, 4/9/09) It would take yet another 7 weeks until her budget was released.
May – Brewer declares that she “governs”, and is not responsible for policymaking, “They are responsible for bringing a budget to me,” she said. “They are the policymakers. I govern.” (EV Tribune, 5/1/09)
June 1st – Brewer, at last, presents a budget, but only 30 days remain until the end of the fiscal year. Even worse, her “plan” would shortchange education and health care priorities, and give away millions in corporate tax breaks. Her plan gains no traction, leading her to consider tax cuts for the wealthy, as a last ditch effort to pass her unpopular plan.
June 9th – The Governor wasted a full day on a hastily organized, clearly scripted parade of political allies to tout her proposal to raise taxes on the middle class. There was no public comment, and an opportunity to negotiate was squandered.
June 23rd – Brewer’s plan is clearly failing to gain traction. She yet again decided to set aside negotiations and file a lawsuit that wasted both time and money. Brewer “declared victory,” which is what one should declare if they accomplish passing a budget, but Brewer did not. (AZ Daily Star, 6/24/09)
June 30th – With hours remaining and her plan falling apart, Brewer meekly asks individual Democrats, whom she has excluded from budget negotiations for months, to support her budget that does not remotely reflect Democratic values. The attempts fail, and Brewer attempts to sneak out of the Legislature via a stairwell, but is pursued by reporters. (watch )
Even with a partial budget, it is unknown whether all critical services will be met without a complete budget. Governor Brewer is steering the state dangerously close to a government shutdown, all in the name of raising taxes on the middle-class.
“Governor Brewer’s failed leadership has led us into a tenuous situation that could jeopardize our safety, and impact the lives of Arizonans who simply want a functioning government,” said Arizona Democratic Party spokesman Jeff Stapleton. “Brewer is haplessly trying to say the state will be in good hands over the next few days. Average Arizonans are not fooled, they understand the terms, ‘balanced budget’ and ‘on-time’, neither of which the Governor could deliver. Democrats should be brought to the table immediately for serious budget discussions to end this embarrassment. Democratic Lawmakers have stood ready with solutions all session, they can deliver if given the opportunity,” said Stapleton.