Midnight Hissy Fits, and the Governor Woke up Early: The Budget Battle Wages On

Governor Jan Brewer woke up extra early Friday to try to save her potentially doomed budget plan.Brewer met with Senate Majority Whip Pamela Gorman about 7 a.m., in a last-ditch effort to persuade the Governor's political foe to sign on to her budget deal, which includes a sales tax increase that...

By James King

July 31, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

Governor Jan Brewer woke up extra early Friday to try to save her potentially doomed budget plan.

Brewer met with Senate Majority Whip Pamela Gorman about 7 a.m., in a last-ditch effort to persuade the Governor's political foe to sign on to her budget deal, which includes a sales tax increase that Gorman has been vehemently trying to squash for the last few weeks.

"I'm over here speaking with some members and trying to get this tentative agreement resolved and get the votes out," Brewer tells reporters after she left Gorman's office.

The governor's plan passed in the House about 3 a.m. Friday, but the Senate is a different, temper tantrum-filled story.

The Arizona Guardian reports that as the battle heated up in the Senate chamber early Friday morning, Senator Sylvia Allen, a Snowflake Republican, sniveled her way off the floor after fellow GOP Senator Jay Tibshraeny refused to support one of the governor's proposals.

"Support the governor," Allen whined to the entire Senate, before stomping her feet and sulking out of the room.

Meetings at dawn and early-morning hissy fits are good, though; hey, at least legislators are working.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.