By Howard Fischer | YourValley
PHOENIX – A fight over the future of the Arizona Commerce Authority is turning into a war of wills between Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and Queen Creek Sen. Jake Hoffman.
Hobbs wants state lawmakers to breathe new life into the quasi-public agency that is responsible for luring business to Arizona and doling out incentives to make that happen.
Hoffman says the agency is flawed, not just in its mission but how it carries it out. And Exhibit No. 1 was the slap the authority received from Attorney General Kris Mayes for spending millions in public dollars to entertain corporate big-wigs at sporting events.
Absent legislative action, the authority will cease to exist on July 1.
The state House, in a bipartisan vote last month, agreed to continue the agency for four additional years. That has the backing of not just Hobbs but the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
