Thank you, Arizona, for the pleasure and privilege of serving as your Attorney General.
This has been the hardest job I have ever loved! I have to agree with Bill Clinton when he said being AG was “the best job I ever had. I didn’t have to appoint or disappoint, and if I ever had to do anything really unpopular, I could blame it on the Constitution.”
As I get ready to leave office Monday, I recall vivid moments both good and not so good. The legal victories were sweet, but my list includes unforgettable personal experiences – some funny, some poignant and many inspiring. They include:
— Swearing-in. I broke the State Capitol tradition and took the oath of office in my hometown of Tucson, across the street from where my dad, who attended the ceremony, had his law office in the 1950s. I spoke about the challenges ahead and quickly learned they would be tougher than expected.
— Supreme Court curveball. Shortly after taking office, I defended Arizona’s school tax credit law before the U.S. Supreme Court. Appearing before the Court had been a seemingly unattainable dream. I was excited and more than a little nervous. Just seconds into my argument, Justice Ginsburg interrupted with a terse question: Did a case heard by the Court the week earlier weaken my argument? I swallowed hard, tried not to panic and admitted I had no idea what she was talking about. I had just been mugged by a 90-pound grandmother!
— Consumer education. Much of my most productive work never made headlines. Our consumer education efforts put more than 200,000 miles on our ancient Fraud Fighter vans and increased the number of volunteer-staffed satellite offices from a half-dozen to over 50. I filed scores of fraud cases, recovering millions for Arizona consumers, but in the long run our preventive education probably did the most good.
— Fighting meth. Methamphetamine use was soaring across the country eight years ago. Arizona was especially hard hit. The gaunt faces and vacant eyes of kids on meth still haunt me. When the Arizona Legislature refused to pass laws to move pseudoephedrine (the key ingredient in making meth) behind pharmacy counters, I started a city-by-city campaign to do it by ordinance. More than 45 cities and towns took action to stop the meth plague. Together we drove teenage meth use in our state down 65 percent.
— Protecting children in Colorado City. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and I agreed on a joint effort to fight child abuse in the polygamous communities of Colorado City and Hildale. We went to those FLDS strongholds to make clear we were not trying to change their religion or even their lifestyle, but to stop the abuse of children and women. One former FLDS leader who came to my office startled me by saying, “I can’t believe I’m here. A week ago I was praying for your death.”
— Combating mortgage fraud. Countless Arizona homeowners have been victims of loan modification scams, deceptive foreclosure practices and other frauds. The Arizona Legislature was little help, so I took action against dozens of fraudulent operators and sought to persuade lenders to treat their borrowers more fairly. Not all did, and I filed a lawsuit against Bank of America, citing its callous disregard for how its mortgage modification practices were hurting borrowers struggling to stay in their homes.
— Combating border crimes. Mexican drug cartels present a huge problem for Arizona and our nation. I worked on many fronts to fight the cartels, primarily by going after what matters most to them: money. My Office played a leading role in breaking up many human-trafficking and drug-smuggling operations. But I’m most proud of the $94 million settlement with Western Union. After intense negotiations, we reached an agreement that gave law enforcement vital access to money transfer data and set up a $50-million fund for crime fighting along the entire Mexican border.
— Record environmental settlement. Short-sighted development has done major damage to Arizona’s natural resources. One development company illegally bulldozed State Trust Lands, destroyed portions of seven Hohokam archeological sites and introduced a disease that killed at least 21 rare bighorn sheep. I will never forget the raw scars from the bulldozers or the video of blinded bighorns falling to injury and death. We coordinated five state agencies and put together a solid case. The defendants settled for a record $12 million.
— Election night. The Nov. 2 election returns quickly made it clear I wouldn’t be the next governor. I told supporters that night I was glad that after eight years of total immersion in a job I loved, I finally could go camping with my 11-year-old son. The next day at breakfast, Kevin asked, “Dad, about these camping trips. Exactly where are we going?”
It has been an honor to serve as your Attorney General. My thanks to the terrific professionals at the AG’s Office, to the law enforcement officers who do so much for us, and, most of all, to the citizens of Arizona for giving me this privilege. Now, on to camping!
