Allie Bones, friend to Katie Hobbs for decades, resigns as governor's chief of staff

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs' chief of staff, Allie Bones, resigned her post effective immediately on Thursday, a statement from the Governor's Office says.

Bones is the fourth of Hobbs' top advisers to leave the administration within the first six months, adding to instability at the highest level of government. Hobbs wished Bones, whom she has known for decades, "nothing but the best."

“Allie Bones exemplifies the true meaning of a public servant, and I am incredibly grateful for her leadership throughout the transition and this first legislative session of my Administration,” Hobbs said in a statement. “Her goal was to build a team that could work across the aisle to navigate divided government, and she accomplished that."

Hobbs touted Bones' leadership on the budget deal inked with Republican legislative leaders earlier this month, a $17.8 billion spending plan that had major investments in Hobbs' priorities such as public education and housing but that was brokered by buying GOP lawmakers' support with a share of the state's surplus.

But as the dust settled on the deal, no evidence emerged that Hobbs, with Bones at her right hand, had used their leverage for aims like getting cabinet nominees through a combative Senate committee, an omission some critics saw as a misstep. Just three of Hobbs' about three dozen picks to lead state agencies have been confirmed by the full Senate.

And in a span of three weeks in April and May, Hobbs — whose first months in office were characterized by verbal sparring with Republican legislative leaders — twice found herself at odds with Democratic lawmakers. Democrats critiqued the governor over the budget deal that did nothing to rein in the state's private school voucher program, and another volley of friendly fire came after Hobbs vetoed a bill that would have allowed more homemade foods, including tamales, to be sold commercially.

The Democratic governor's administration has seen several staffing changes in its first months. Hobbs asked her press secretary to resign in March after a controversial social media post that suggested the use of violence. Later that same week, Hobbs' director of communications was dismissed, and Bones announced a restructuring among Hobbs' top three advisers.

On the day in May when Hobbs' first budget became public, her key conduit to the Legislature announced her resignation. Rebecca Beebe, deputy director of public affairs and legislative director, had joined the administration before Hobbs took office.

Throughout, Hobbs juggled tensions between the desires of campaign staff that helped her get elected and the official staff working in the Governor's Office, many of whom had limited government work experience.

Bones made $205,000 as Hobbs' right hand, and the two had been friends for decades. Bones worked as assistant secretary of state while Hobbs was secretary of state from 2018 to 2022. Bones told the Arizona Agenda, a politics Substack, she and Hobbs met 20 years ago when both were in the social work field aiming to prevent domestic violence.

Hobbs worked in policy at the Sojourner Center, a shelter, and Bones did policy advocacy for the Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Bones did not immediately return a call for comment. The statement from the Governor's Office says Bones would "pursue new opportunities" and a new chief of staff would be named next week.

Asked if the governor sought Bones' resignation, Hobbs' spokesperson Christian Slater did not answer directly, saying Bones resigned and the governor accepted.

Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger at stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com or 480-416-5669. Follow her on Twitter @sbarchenger.