By Jeremy Duda |Arizona Capitol Times
Several months after attributing the defeat of a key piece of legislation to “special interests,” Gov. Doug Ducey ordered the termination of state entities’ contracts with outside lobbyists, a move that was both praised as a good-government reform and criticized as a political ploy.
An executive order signed by Ducey on June 29 ordered the cancelation of existing contracts between professional lobbyists and state agencies and other entities, while revoking procurement authority for such contracts in the future. Ducey called the practice a system of cronyism that benefits lobbyists and special interests at the expense of citizens.
Data provided by the Governor’s Office show that the contracts inked by 20 entities cost the state at least $800,000 over the course of fiscal years 2015 and 2016, and perhaps as much as $1 million. But the benefits go deeper than that, the Governor’s Office said.
