Secretary of state in line to replace Napolitano

Republican Jan Brewer, who reveled in her reputation as being tightfisted with taxpayer money when she was in the Legislature, would drastically change the political dynamics in Arizona if she is elevated to governor through the anticipated departure of Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano.

The 64-year-old Glendale resident would ascend from secretary of state to the governorship if Napolitano is tapped by President-elect Barack Obama as head of Homeland Security, as has been widely reported. During her 14 years as a state legislator, Brewer was a frequent critic of the size and growth of government.

For example, Brewer objected strenuously to the adoption of the budget in 1992. She called it "reeking and squealing with pork.''

More to the point, Brewer specifically objected to a maneuver to balance the budget by raiding a host of special funds, exactly the same maneuver used this year in the budget pushed by Napolitano. Brewer said that amounted to tapping these dedicated accounts to create a "general-revenue grab bag.''

A year later, as the Senate majority leader, she blasted efforts to expand coverage under the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state's Medicaid program.

"It just eats us for more money,'' she said of the program, which currently consumes about $1 billion a year of state funds.

Brewer would not agree to an interview and was not available Thursday. She issued a statement saying she would not comment on Napolitano's potential appointment to the Obama administration.

"At this time, I have not heard from the governor," Brewer said in the statement, adding that she is focused on her duties as secretary of state. "Until such time that I hear from the governor, I will have no further comment."

Napolitano downplayed the reports Thursday. She told her staff to ignore all the news reports and to keep working like nothing is changing, according to gubernatorial press aide Jeanine L'Ecuyer.

L'Ecuyer would not confirm nor deny that her boss would take the job if offered. In fact, she said, the governor is not even providing any hints to those who work for her.

"What she said to staff is ... basically, the president-elect will make his decisions and will announce his decisions when he's ready,'' L'Ecuyer said.

No official word has come from Obama's offices.

During her time in the Legislature, Brewer had a reputation among Democrats for being fiercely partisan as a legislator.

But former Senate President John Greene, a Republican like Brewer, said he didn't see it that way.

"A lot of people mistake her intensity and her passion for partisanship,'' he said. "I always viewed her as someone who was focused on getting things done.''

Brewer worked closely with then-Gov. Fife Symington to control the overall size of the budget in the 1990s, even trying to drum up support for a plan by the governor to veto the budgets of the state universities, which he had called "bloated and inefficient.'' In the end, though, both the Republican governor and Brewer found themselves outvoted, even though both chambers of the Legislature were controlled by the GOP.

Brewer also sponsored various bills to reduce taxes during her time in the Legislature.

In her biography, Brewer also takes credit for her time as a Maricopa County supervisor in dealing with a budget crunch similar to - but smaller than - the one now facing the state, saying she fixed the problem while lowering taxes. But one of her foes in the 2002 race for secretary of state said that while tax rates went down, the county actually took in a lot more money because of rising property values, which translated into higher tax bills.

As a legislator, Brewer also took on causes unrelated to money. For example, she backed a proposal to scrap the current "merit selection'' of judges in Maricopa and Pima counties, where applicants are screened by a special panel and the governor has to choose from that list. The system also means judges stand for reelection only on a retain/reject basis and do not face competitors.

Brewer also opposed efforts in 1996 to allow doctors to prescribe lethal doses of medicine to dying patients.

"America is a civilized, ethical and Christian nation,'' she said. "I don't think that we, as citizens, can determine who lives and who dies.''

She also has backed new restrictions on abortion, gaining the endorsement of Arizona Right to Life when she ran for secretary of state in 2002.

More recently, Brewer sought to use her current position to craft ballot language for Proposition 102, which was favored by those who wanted to amend the Arizona Constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

Brewer also is on record as wanting more power for the state's chief executive, sponsoring legislation sought by Symington to let him fire various appointees who otherwise would serve fixed terms, such as members of the Board or Regents. Brewer said that the governor should be able to get rid of people who no longer support his policies.

The idea of Brewer as governor drew praise from Symington. "She's very direct and told you how she felt,'' he said. "People appreciate her candor and strength.''

But Brewer certainly did have her partisan moments.

She praised former President Clinton after he pardoned Symington of federal charges of fraud, eliminating the possibility that the former governor would have to be retried after the first guilty verdict was overturned. But she did it in her own way.

"That's the first thing Clinton has done that's been right,'' she said of the departing president. "That (prosecution) was a witch hunt."