Governor Meets with SEIU Members

Growth is the Hot Topic

Governor Janet Napolitano recently dropped by SEIU Arizona’s Phoenix headquarters for an informal conversation with SEIU members about the challenges facing the state – and public service employees – as a result of Arizona’s rapid population growth.

Recognizing the need to maintain high quality services in the most efficient manner while searching for creative solutions to the problems inherent in rapid growth, Gov. Napolitano said, “We’ve got to be smarter and we need to be looking at every job we do and ask how we can do it more efficiently.”

Jesse Cuilty, a member of the SEIU State Organizing Committee, agreed, noting that state workers and the governor share common goals.  “We all work together – from the governor to department heads to the employee – to provide the best quality public services we can,” said the Civil Rights Investigator with the AG’s office.

Meeting with the governor is another part of a collaborative effort on the part of SEIU members to focus on the issues that impact the delivery of public services across Arizona.  The conversations state employees have today will lead to the new ideas and concrete solutions necessary to maintain quality public services in a quickly changing state.  And it will give public service employees the tools we need to be active participants in discussions on the state’s future.

By the end of the meeting, Jesse was pleased with what she heard.  “The thing that amazed me is how caring and concerned the governor is for the future of the state.” she said.  “She wants to enlist the help of state employees, citizens – every interested stakeholder – in the process of planning and creating that future.  It’s important to know that we’re all on the same page with our concerns.”