Open door policy not being utilized
What lawmakers have met with Governor Hobbs? Not many it seems.
When Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, took office on the Ninth Floor she expressed to the Republican-led House and Senate that her door is always open, knowing she would need to extend an olive branch to the majority party as a show of bipartisanship.
Of course she did that also knowing most of the Republican legislators falsely believe she was not fairly elected and that Kari Lake is actually Arizona’s governor. This belief is detached from reality and those people should not be taken seriously.
Republicans from the fringe wing of the party have over and over again called out Hobbs for what they believe is a disingenuous open door policy despite the 31 and 16 Republicans sending her a budget without actually utilizing her office to negotiate. It earned a veto as expected and that will likely be a theme of the session.
Senate President Warren Petersen and many other Republicans have called her out either on Twitter or in floor speeches accusing her of not actually having an open door, but according to public records from the governor’s office, nobody is trying to meet with her.
Here’s Rep. David Livingston, a longtime lawmaker who served with Hobbs at the Arizona Legislature though in different chambers from 2013-2019, claiming he’s had no luck with the current Ninth Floor.
Records show that through January, only Rep. Jennifer Longdon had requested a meeting with Hobbs and met with her on Jan 23.
I requested a list of lawmakers who have requested a sit down meeting with the governor and whether a meeting took place.
The records also included the Phoenix Chamber legislative kick off on Jan 12, but nothing else from the remaining 89 lawmakers.
This does not include February and I am looking into the same set of records for the month
This also does not include if Hobbs reached out to the lawmakers, but the understanding of an “open door policy” is for others to show up and theoretically walk through the open door.
But that hasn’t stopped Republicans from complaining about the governor who is the first non Republican since 2009.
While Democrats of course blamed former Gov. Doug Ducey relentlessly for every decision that was made under his eight years (a lot of times rightfully so –– the governor does wield a lot of power) I can’t recall Ducey ever extending an olive branch to get Democrats involved in any policy, frankly because he never really needed their votes1 whereas Hobbs can't get anything done without Republican support.
Meanwhile, additional records from the Arizona Senate show Petersen has not communicated with Hobbs’ office through the first month of the year and session.
Outside of an introductory of sorts letter to all state employees on her first day as governor, the only communications records that showed up in my request were from the governor’s budget office inviting legislators and staff to a budget preview and an email sent from Hobbs’s assistant to set up a meeting with Petersen on Jan 12 to go over agency nominations.
According to records, it doesn’t appear that Petersen or his assistant responded.
Arizona gaming compact notwithstanding.