Napolitano just doesn’t get it right
By Randy Pullen
Like all scandals, the question becomes who knew what when. According to Governor Napolitano, she knew nothing about the conditions at the Arizona State Veteran’s Home before March 23, 2007. Based on emails between her immediate staff including Alan Stephens and Jeanine L’Ecuyer, it is clear they knew about the situation at least as early as February 10, 2007, six weeks before the Governor acknowledged being informed of the problems. This is, of course, egregious on the part of her staff and the director of DHS to not notify her of the seriousness of the situation. She must have been too busy planning her 50th birthday celebration trip to Italy.
Of course, this is not the first time the Governor has not been informed of the seriousness of a situation until after it became obvious to the general public. One only has to look back to July of 2003, when the Kinder Morgan gasoline pipeline broke. A disaster was in the making. By August 17th, Arizonans were waiting in long lines for gas, while the Governor was rafting down the Colorado River. Her response: she was misinformed.
If you need another example of her apparent inability to get it right when it matters, try the 15-day hostage situation at the Lewis Prison Complex; the longest prison standoff in U.S. history. In January 2004, the Governor’s blue ribbon panel exonerated her actions and blamed it on the Corrections Department’s “institutional complacency and a collective lack of situation awareness.” As usual, she was just an observer and not the commander in chief.
Another example of the Governor’s inability to get it right is the current illegal immigration problem in Arizona. This is not a new problem. It existed when she entered office in 2003. It took her three years to acknowledge that there was a problem. She opposed Proposition 200 in 2004 and has yet to implement the benefits portion of the people’s initiative. During this time, she has vetoed numerous bills passed by the legislature to address illegal immigration. Many of which were passed in 2006 overwhelming by the voters as propositions. Her excuse for not dealing with this problem: it’s a federal issue, not a state issue.
The point of it all is that our Governor is not a leader. Quite frankly, she is not even a good manager as she doesn’t seem to be able to do things right. She has refused again and again to take responsibility for tough situations and looks for a scapegoat or a fall person (e.g., the Piestua Peak fiasco), or a blue ribbon commission to exonerate her actions. As Winston Churchill once said, “the price of greatness is responsibility.” Obviously, Governor Napolitano does not want to accept the responsibility that comes with leadership.
Paid for by the Arizona Republican Party
Not authorized by any campaign or campaign committee
Brett Mecum
Communications Director
Arizona Republican Party
602.957.7770 (w)
602.448.9883 (c)
bmecum@azgop.org
www.azgop.org
By Randy Pullen
Like all scandals, the question becomes who knew what when. According to Governor Napolitano, she knew nothing about the conditions at the Arizona State Veteran’s Home before March 23, 2007. Based on emails between her immediate staff including Alan Stephens and Jeanine L’Ecuyer, it is clear they knew about the situation at least as early as February 10, 2007, six weeks before the Governor acknowledged being informed of the problems. This is, of course, egregious on the part of her staff and the director of DHS to not notify her of the seriousness of the situation. She must have been too busy planning her 50th birthday celebration trip to Italy.
Of course, this is not the first time the Governor has not been informed of the seriousness of a situation until after it became obvious to the general public. One only has to look back to July of 2003, when the Kinder Morgan gasoline pipeline broke. A disaster was in the making. By August 17th, Arizonans were waiting in long lines for gas, while the Governor was rafting down the Colorado River. Her response: she was misinformed.
If you need another example of her apparent inability to get it right when it matters, try the 15-day hostage situation at the Lewis Prison Complex; the longest prison standoff in U.S. history. In January 2004, the Governor’s blue ribbon panel exonerated her actions and blamed it on the Corrections Department’s “institutional complacency and a collective lack of situation awareness.” As usual, she was just an observer and not the commander in chief.
Another example of the Governor’s inability to get it right is the current illegal immigration problem in Arizona. This is not a new problem. It existed when she entered office in 2003. It took her three years to acknowledge that there was a problem. She opposed Proposition 200 in 2004 and has yet to implement the benefits portion of the people’s initiative. During this time, she has vetoed numerous bills passed by the legislature to address illegal immigration. Many of which were passed in 2006 overwhelming by the voters as propositions. Her excuse for not dealing with this problem: it’s a federal issue, not a state issue.
The point of it all is that our Governor is not a leader. Quite frankly, she is not even a good manager as she doesn’t seem to be able to do things right. She has refused again and again to take responsibility for tough situations and looks for a scapegoat or a fall person (e.g., the Piestua Peak fiasco), or a blue ribbon commission to exonerate her actions. As Winston Churchill once said, “the price of greatness is responsibility.” Obviously, Governor Napolitano does not want to accept the responsibility that comes with leadership.
Paid for by the Arizona Republican Party
Not authorized by any campaign or campaign committee
Brett Mecum
Communications Director
Arizona Republican Party
602.957.7770 (w)
602.448.9883 (c)
bmecum@azgop.org
www.azgop.org
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