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Arizona Office of Administrative Hearings AZ.gov Arizona's Official Web Site
Arizona Office of Administrative Hearings


"Recognition of Excellence"

by Cliff J. Vanell, Director Vol. 11 April 1999

The Department of Administration, because of its direct impact on so many governmental operations, is a popular target for criticism. After all, it has limited resources and virtually unlimited responsibility. And everyone understandably considers his or her project the most important. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the excellence of the Department of Administration in the recent relocation of the Office of Administrative Hearings.

On February 19, 1999, at 9:00 a.m., I stood in the lobby of the newly relocated Office of Administrative Hearings at 1400 West Washington. I watched as parties were escorted to newly constructed, comfortable and attractive hearing rooms, completely unaware of the herculean efforts that were behind that accomplishment. I suppose it should be taken for granted that there should never be disruption in government services. On the other hand, it must be said that what it takes to deliver those services often requires a degree of commitment and skill that can too often be taken for granted. Being a government "of the people" means, at the very minimum, that it is composed of "people", not machines, not personnel classifications or assignments. Without personal commitment, the "fire in the belly" to do a good job, government does not work any better than any other human institution.

The critical task was to move the newly created School Facilities Board into space occupied by the Office of Administrative Hearings in the Capitol Tower at 1700 West Washington, where the Board would have the necessary support for its important mission. Accomplishing the move of the OAH to nearby 1400 West Washington, a central location necessary to its mission, required the relocation of a large section of the Department of Health Services (DHS). The task of finding appropriate space for an operation the size of DHS normally would have taken 90-120 days. It was accomplished in 30 days. The task of planning and moving people, furniture and equipment that ordinarily would have taken 60-90 days again took less than 30 days. Planning, designing and reconfiguring 25,000 square feet of office space was completed in 45 days. For the first time ever, DHS's state telephone prefixes were relocated off the capitol mall so its office would not be disrupted.

On March 5, 1999, I received a letter signed by J. Elliott Hibbs, Director of the Department of Administration, Robert Teel, Assistant Director of DOA General Services Division, and Tim Brand, General Manager of the General Services Division. This letter commended the efforts of representatives of the affected agencies as well as each and every person, from supervisors to crew, who contributed to the success of the construction and move.

During contruction I noticed that prisoners were used to extend the capabilities of the Department of Administration construction crew. These prisoners are no-risk detainees, generally held for DUI offenses. While helping with routine chores, such as hauling construction materials, they are taught building codes and other skills to make them more useful to the projects. Several former inmates have used their 90 day stints with the Department of Administration as references and have therefore been able to find employment when they are released.

The Office of Administrative Hearings has made excellence in government its goal. We would be remiss in not recognizing it when we come across it. The Department of Administration is to be commended for its willingness to understand the OAH mission in order to better design our space, for the commitment of the construction crew to make everything perfect, for its prisoner program to extend its crew's capabilities, and for recognizing by name the contributions of everyone involved. Below are the names of all of those recognized by the Department of Administration in its March 5, 1999 letter. To them I add my personal thanks and that of the entire staff of the Office of Administrative Hearings. Many of these people gave up nights and weekends to make it happen. *

Department of Administration - General Services Division
Roger Berna Richard Moreno Emerson Stiles Bruce Lesnansky Hector Ramirez Bob Patterson Harold Stewart Al Marquez Marlena Caruso Kyle Temple Bill Carter Michael Dunbar Ubaldina Juaregui Paul Kurtz Richard Estrada Dan Montgomery

Department of Administration - Information Services Division
Ward Anglum Vic McPherson Joanne Brewer Morris Hermanson Dick Miller Mike Trevas Evans Davis Tim Scott Pete Melton Mark Herberg

Department of Health Services
Norm Peterson Dave Mowry Richard Porter Ken Matus Charlie Green

Governor's Office of Strategic Planning & Budget
Tom Betlach

School Facilities Board
Bob Lockwood Marilyn Gooden

Office of Administrative Hearings
Randy Niles Shea Ruhl

* Our thanks also to Mary Fleet, Robert Odom, and Jesse Hinton


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