Maricopa County Manager Joy Rich will retire in April after more than six years of service and more than 30 years of public service.
“The rewards of serving your community and making a real difference in people’s lives never get old,” Rich wrote in a letter to county officials. The reason is.”
During her tenure, she served as CEO of the fourth largest county in the United States. The county employs about 13,000 people and has an annual budget of her $4.5 billion.
Rich is the county’s first female manager and has led the county through numerous headwinds, including the COVID-19 pandemic and controversy surrounding county elections.
She also introduced new approaches to employee hiring, recruitment and retention, expanded parental leave and encouraged competitive salaries to attract new talent. And she saw the fast-growing county face new challenges, including a shortage of affordable housing.
County officials said her resignation was left to fill big shoes.
“She called me … and she said, ‘I’m going to let you know, I’ll tell my staff tomorrow — I’m retiring,'” said the chairman of the supervisory board. Clint Hickman said, “My direct quote was ‘Aw s—‘.”
Rich had an amazing ability to lead staff and work with the city government and other outside organizations, Hickman said. She also ran a “tight and financially conservative” vessel.
“She is someone who always goes head-on, solves problems, and guides the people below her,” he said. “She is the perfect brand of leader.”
County supervisors will conduct a nationwide search to replace her.
Hickman and other supervisors have yet to divulge details about who might lead the county in the interim after Rich leaves, or what the hiring schedule for the position will look like.
However, Hickman suggested the situation could be similar to the situation following the resignation of Rich’s predecessor, former county manager Tom Manos. appointed an assistant county manager who was not running for office, and ultimately selected Rich from a pool of internal and external candidates.
“We’re going to put the feelers there,” Hickman said, adding that he’s not rushing the process. .”
what does the mayor do?
The county manager is responsible for overseeing staff operations and ensuring that work is done in line with the priorities communicated by the board.
“Most of my job is to be a shock absorber between ongoing politics and policy and staff work,” Rich said. policy and coordinate staff to make it happen.”
In Maricopa County, the mayor oversees more than 40 departments. Most are internal departments, such as county budget and finance departments. Other departments, such as animal care and management and public health, interact frequently with the public.
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Rich said the job was rewarding, but it was also stressful and, at times, exhausting. As a mother of her three children, she has had to balance her work and her family.
“These jobs can be pretty intense,” she said. “They become a lifestyle.”
decades of public service
Rich, 58, became county mayor after many years in local government.
A native of Phoenix, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geography and a Master’s degree in Public Service from Arizona State University. She started her career as a planner in the city of Phoenix in 1988.
After working as a planner and neighborhood partnership manager in the City of Glendale, she returned to Phoenix, where she remained until 1997 when she joined Maricopa County as a planning manager.
There, she held various roles, including planning and development director, assistant county manager, and deputy county manager before pushing out three other finalists to become county manager in 2016.
“I’ve been county mayor for a little over six and a half years, and I think that’s a good result,” Rich said. The time will come.”
Better working conditions, more efficient government
Rich was known to keep a low profile among staff — both in public board meetings, where she rarely spoke at length, and in internal written correspondence to staff, which she usually kept short. so.
Hickman said he found he sometimes forgot to ask Rich for an update at the end of formal board meetings.
“She doesn’t do the grandstand,” he said. “In public, she doesn’t want to talk about all the great things she does.”
Behind the scenes, she was an integral part of the county’s day-to-day operations. said to be tied to
This included adding an ombudsman program to help the public navigate the county government and rebranding county departments to increase awareness of their services.
“I always want the government not to be seen as a barrier,” Rich said. “If one of your loved ones is in the coroner’s care, you want to make sure they are being treated with respect and get answers to what’s going on. Rent or utilities. If you can’t pay your bills and you’re heading out to town with your family, I want to know that someone is there to serve you.”
Rich also established a new attitude to hiring and promotion, focusing on qualifications and performance rather than the traditional civil service merit system.
In the process, she expanded benefits for county employees. Most recently, there was a pay raise last year of up to 10% based on performance and the addition of a child care center for parent staff.
“We want to attract and promote the most qualified people,” Rich said. “But to do that, you have to treat your employees right. If you don’t get the civil service protections you’ve heard, you need to be the employer of choice and support your employees.”
Looking back on her legacy, Rich believes her tenure in the county was good. She wants to make up for lost time with her family.
She said a well-trained staff and great opportunities await whoever takes over her position.
“Thank you for the opportunity you gave me. I am forever grateful.”
Sasha Hupka covers regional affairs for Maricopa County, Pinal County, and the Republic of Arizona.Any tips for county government or county services? Contact her sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.comFollow her on Twitter. @SashaHupka.
