Continuation of:
The Merit System was a response and a solution to abusive hiring practices. I know this first hand; my agency - the Pima County Sheriff's Department - was formerly a hotbed of political cronyism and corruption. In 1970, before I became Sheriff, then-Sheriff Walden Burr was indicted for selling jobs and promotions. He was allowed to make hiring and firing decisions based on political and financial considerations. Absent the State Merit System protection for workers, politicians could be afforded this same ability to end the careers of valuable public servants and replace them with incompetent political hacks or unqualified family members.
Merit Systems provide protection and brings integrity to the practices of hiring, disciplining, and firing government workers. For thirty-two years, I have worked with merit systems and-while not always agreeing with their findings- have always been and will remain a staunch supporter of their objectivity
and independence. As an elected official, I do not have, nor do I want, the power to hire and fire personnel based on politics. I believe any leader, whether elected or appointed, who desires such authority is not working in the best interest of the State.
Eliminating Merit System protections for State workers is the first step toward eliminating merit system protection for all public servants. Elected officials and appointed leaders will be given the right to hire and fire on a whim, replacing the fairness of a merit system with favoritism and politics.
Arizona cannot afford the cost of this legislation; removing the protections of the Merit System will result in the loss of loyal, dependable public servants subject to replacement by political lackeys. Calling this legislation a solution is inaccurate; the loss of the Merit System will only return Arizona to the problem filled days of yesteryear.
President Garfield must be turning over in his grave. His assassination was the impetus for civil service reform. Generations have worked hard to insure fairness and equity in government employment. But Arizona's legislature wants to return to the days of rotten and corrupt administrations, replacing "Help Wanted" advertisements with signs reading "Jobs For Sale."
Merit Systems provide protection and brings integrity to the practices of hiring, disciplining, and firing government workers. For thirty-two years, I have worked with merit systems and-while not always agreeing with their findings- have always been and will remain a staunch supporter of their objectivity
and independence. As an elected official, I do not have, nor do I want, the power to hire and fire personnel based on politics. I believe any leader, whether elected or appointed, who desires such authority is not working in the best interest of the State.
Eliminating Merit System protections for State workers is the first step toward eliminating merit system protection for all public servants. Elected officials and appointed leaders will be given the right to hire and fire on a whim, replacing the fairness of a merit system with favoritism and politics.
Arizona cannot afford the cost of this legislation; removing the protections of the Merit System will result in the loss of loyal, dependable public servants subject to replacement by political lackeys. Calling this legislation a solution is inaccurate; the loss of the Merit System will only return Arizona to the problem filled days of yesteryear.
President Garfield must be turning over in his grave. His assassination was the impetus for civil service reform. Generations have worked hard to insure fairness and equity in government employment. But Arizona's legislature wants to return to the days of rotten and corrupt administrations, replacing "Help Wanted" advertisements with signs reading "Jobs For Sale."
