The Arizona State Senate turned down Gov. Katie Hobbs’s nomination for the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) Director, Dr. Theresa Ann Cullen, in a vote Tuesday. Following the rejection, freshman State Sen. Justine Wadsack (R-Tucson) celebrated her vote against Cullen as a push for her constituents.
“When I decided to run for the Senate and represent Legislative District 17, I had one objective in mind: to improve and ease the lives of my constituents while protecting their constitutional right to freedom,” said Wadsack. “The consequences of Dr. Cullen’s decisions fell primarily on my constituents. I am so profoundly disappointed in Governor Hobbs.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Senator @Wadsack4Arizona Continues to Fight for Southern Arizona
Full press release⤵️ pic.twitter.com/yRhQyMya86
— AZSenateRepublicans (@AZSenateGOP) February 15, 2023
As reported by The Arizona sun Times, Cullen came under fire during a scathing three-hour interview in the recent Senate Committee on Director Nominations hearing. This committee, chaired by State Senator Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek), was established early in February to review executive appointments Hobbs had made without Senate confirmation. During the interview, Hoffman and other committee members grilled Cullen on her policies and public statements made while serving as the Pima County Public Health (PCPH) Director.
Cullen began the job in 2020, and the state senators blasted her for promoting a county website shaming local businesses for remaining open, supporting schools closing, and other “extreme” actions. The committee ultimately voted 3-2 to recommend Cullen not be confirmed to the position. However, the committee unanimously approved Angie Rodgers to direct the Department of Economic Security.
The Senate floor then moved to vote on Tuesday; however, another issue arose as Hobbs had released a statement saying she was withdrawing her nomination of Cullen for the position. Hobbs shared that Cullen had requested to withdraw following the committee meeting and accused Republican lawmakers of playing politics by ambushing and harassing Cullen in the committee and not fairly looking at all her qualifications.
Because of the withdrawal, Senate Minority Leader Raquel Terán (D-Phoenix) said there was no reason to vote on Cullen’s appointment anymore. However, Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Mesa) stated that the Senate did not receive the notice of withdrawal, so the motion continued, and Cullen’s nomination received a majority nay vote. The Senate made no vote regarding Rodgers’s appointment, reportedly because some Republican members still have questions regarding her past work.
“We now hope that the Governor takes a more pragmatic approach to this process and appoints individuals in the mainstream, without a political agenda, and who are ready to answer questions from the public,” said Petersen following the vote.
Hobbs is required to submit a new nomination to the Senate, although she has yet to state who the next nomination will be.
The Sun Times reached out to the governor’s office for additional information but did not hear back before publishing time.
However, Cullen will be able to retain her previous position as PCPH Director, according to a statement released by the county. Pima County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Adelita Grijalva (D) said Cullen’s return is the “state’s loss and Pima County’s gain” and stated she was proud of the county’s COVID-19 response.
In response, Wadsack shared concerns that Cullen is retaining a position of authority given her past actions.
“This is so dangerous, as Dr. Cullen has a history of failures, such as imposing curfews that cost thousands of Arizonans their jobs, while she received a taxpayer-funded salary of $200,000. Dr. Cullen is not qualified to hold such critical positions like these,” said Wadsack.
Yet, despite Wadsack’s disappointment in Hobbs’s appointment of Cullen, she did say her “office door is always open” to collaborate on future nominations.
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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Justine Wadsack” by Justine Wadsack. Background Photo “Arizona Capitol” by Wars. CC BY-SA 3.0.
