Senate committee votes to reject Mary Foote after nominee is a no-show

The Arizona Senate Committee on Director Nominations voted to recommend rejection of Mary Footeas director of the Office of Economic Opportunity after she did not appear for her scheduled confirmation hearing.

Committee members moved to reject Foote at the start of the hearing after the chair said the nominee failed to attend and did not engage with the committee. The motion was made by the vice chair and a roll call followed; the committee reported a recommendation to the full Senate to reject the nomination by a 3-2 tally.

Committee chair Jay Kaufman said the absence and apparent omissions on Foote's nomination paperwork warranted rejection and raised questions about her candor. "The nominee chose to avoid scrutiny altogether," the chair said during debate, asserting the committee's role in confirming nominees who will "faithfully execute the laws of the state of Arizona." The chair also said the committee had concerns about undisclosed service on the board of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona and said he would have asked for clarification about whether that affiliation was disclosed to the governor's office.

The committee did not hear testimony from the nominee. The chair characterized the omission on disclosure forms as a "lie by omission" and said it left the committee with serious doubts about whether Foote could separate personal political commitments from the responsibilities of public office.

The committee formally recorded its recommendation to the full Senate; the full Senate will decide whether to accept the committee's recommendation.