Stacey Barchenger
Arizona Republic
Five months after Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs fired the entire board leading the Arizona-Mexico Commission, she has yet to name a single person to fill any of those vacancies.
The Governor’s Office insists progress is happening. Interviews of applicants for the board were completed Friday, according to Hobbs’ spokesperson Christian Slater, and “the governor will begin reviewing recommendations from the selection committee in the coming weeks.”
Slater said Hobbs has continued to build her own relationships with leaders in Sonora, the Mexican state that borders Arizona, and Mexico as a whole, citing numerous visits between officials in both countries in recent months.
But two former members of the commission board shared criticism about the time it has taken to put new people in place.
“It’s a missed opportunity for collaboration at the highest levels between the private sector and public sector members of the commission, and their public and private sector counterparts in Sonora, in Mexico City and other areas,” said Russell Jones, a former state representative from Yuma whose family business is freight logistics at the border. Jones served on the commission nearly four decades.
He said he reapplied for his post after his dismissal in February, but never heard from the Governor’s Office. An Arizona Republic reporter told him Monday interviews were completed. “At least now I know I can move on,” he said. “I wish them every success going forward.”
