‘NOT HEALTHY’

Arizona Emergency Chief Quits in Middle of Pandemic

She said Gov. Doug Ducey’s team had usurped her role.

Arizona’s emergency management chief quit this weekend, saying she had been sidelined by Gov. Doug Ducey during the coronavirus crisis. In her resignation letter, Wendy Smith-Reeve said Ducey’s staff and the state health department had usurped her role. “This is not healthy for the Team who are working tirelessly on this event,” she wrote, also citing a “lack of communication and transparency.” Smith-Reeve told ABC15 that resigning was “not what I wanted” but that since she is still a state employee until March 31 she could not speak more freely. Ducey’s office, however, said Smith-Reeve’s exit did not reflect a disagreement over health policies.