MoreyUnit

By Luis Ebratt, Director

Government Relations AZCPOA/AZCOPS

As our AZCPOA members are aware, from the outset, the Governor emphatically opposed straight privatization.

In all the meetings AZCPOA/AZCOPS had with the Governor's Office, we were assured on multiple occasions that Gov. Jan Brewer would not sign a privatization bill. Several key legislators in appropriations also said there were other alternatives to privatization.

Initially, the Governor held firm and AZCPOA/AZCOPS applauded her commitment following her veto. However, the news after the last budget round was not as good, to say the least.

All politicians involved buckled to meet deadlines and partisan pressure. It appears that a hybrid approach to privatization is the result. The prisons will be opened to vendor bids for operation and outright sale and lease-back of other facilities.

AZCPOA/AZCOPS will be trying to collaborate with DOC officials and will provide substantial oversight in the RFP process as it moves forward. This process is lengthy and cumbersome, and AZCPOA/AZCOPS Legal plans on making it even more so.

There is time. Privatization will not take place overnight. What our membership needs to do is stay involved in the political process. 2010 is an election year.

All of AZCPOA/AZCOPS needs to use its collective strength to fight this both legally and at the ballot box. Stay tuned for a subsequent Bulletin from AZCOPS Legal identifying strategy to support our AZCPOA members.