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Good morning, everyone. Wow! What a fantastic turnout. Thank you for inviting me to be here with you today. And
for those of you visiting, welcome to my fabulous, our fabu- lous, home state. Yes, they’ll never call me “Landslide Mayes,” having won by 280 votes, but I am the posterchild for the old maxim that every vote matters. So, as you go home, let’s think about that. Whether you’re Republican or Democrat or an Independent, vote, vote, vote and get involved in your elections back home.
You know, Arizona is known for many things: Our breathtak- ing, beautiful Red Rocks, the awe-inspiring Grand Canyon, our serene Sonoran Desert, which I hope you get to enjoy while you’re here, our twenty-two tribal communities, and so many unique cities and towns. And it should come as no surprise that rugged individualism reigns supreme in Arizona still today. And we have too many great leaders who embod- ied that spirit to list today.
But I do want to pause for us to honor the legacy and life of a woman who inspired me and so many others along the way, including, I should imagine, many in this room. A woman who was a trailblazer, a fierce fighter for the Rule of Law and justice, and who served as a role model for me throughout my life as a girl who grew up in rural Arizona, just as she did. Sandra Day O’Connor deeply understood individualism, but she embraced the need to pull everyone around a table to get things done. She was a true leader and a true inspiration for so many Americans.
In her words, “We don’t accomplish anything in the world alone and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one’s life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that create something." So, if you would join me, please, in a moment of silence to reflect on one of Arizo- na’s greatest daughters, Sandra Day O’Connor.
So, speaking of pulling everyone around a table to get things done, I’ve got to tell you, as the people’s lawyer and the very first mom attorney general in Arizona, it is a true honor in so many ways. As the top law enforcement officer in the state of Arizona, my days are never dull. We are busy on so many important fronts to protect the people and our environment while also prosecuting bad actors and getting dangerous drugs, especially fentanyl, off of our streets.
As a snapshot of just my past week, I held a water listening session in rural Cochise County last Friday. On Monday, I announced our joining of the FTC lawsuit pushing back on the Albertson’s Kroger grocery merger. On Tuesday, we set precedent for transparency in future arbitration agreements in assisted living facilities. On Wednesday, we sued major landlords for conspiring to fix and raise rents on Arizona. And yesterday, I announced a major fraud indictment in our state’s education voucher program with that investigation ongoing.
And that was just last week.
This morning, I have the pleasure of welcoming you and, quite frankly, I’m kind of jealous I’m not going to be able to join you for pickleball this afternoon in the perfect weather that we have to offer you. I want to thank you all for the very import- ant work that you do every single day in your careers in our courtrooms, in our communities, and understanding the dire need for civic participation for coming together as Americans for open and fair dialogue, and most of all, for protecting this precious democracy of ours. When we all work together for the greater good, we can get big things done.
And I can’t leave without saying this: For any of you looking to join us over here in the government sector and in public service, just give me a call; we’d love to have you here in Ar- izona. So, you can’t obviously beat the gorgeous, sunny days in Arizona on March 1. I hope you enjoy your day. Please enjoy each other and thank you for coming to the great state of Arizona. We appreciate you.
Michael J. O’Connor Phoenix, AZ
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