A Jewish woman will now hold powerful and prized job in Arizona politics

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

Allie Bones, the Jewish woman who is stepping into Arizona’s second most powerful job as the governor’s chief of staff, never thought that she would have to concern herself with the Arizona-Mexico border, school vouchers or the dangerously low level of the Colorado River — at least not as anything but a citizen of the state.

Since Jan. 2, when Gov. Katie Hobbs was sworn in, officially taking the reins from outgoing Gov. Doug Ducey, those are the types of things filling her days, and often her nights and weekends.

As Hobbs’ right hand, Bones will manage and oversee policy development, coordinate with state agencies and work closely with the governor to pass her agenda.

Arizona’s water concerns will be just one of several priorities given that Hobbs “has made it very clear that she does not intend to continue to kick this can down the road — it’s been kicked as far as it can be and we need to address it,” Bones told Jewish News.

“We’ll be bringing all the players together to try to tackle this from a holistic perspective and a statewide perspective,” she said, surmising that Hobbs’ collaborative leadership style could be the thing to bring people together and find solutions.

Bones respects that style of leadership, especially as it’s one she shares, something she developed over her long career in social work. That’s where she started — a far cry from where she is now.

Bones’ first boots-on-the-

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