ARIZONA, USA — Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs' first nominee for director of the state's Department of Child Safety will no longer move forward with the position.
"As a social worker, I take the leadership of this agency very seriously, and while I thank Matthew Stewart for his work with the agency over the last month and a half, he will not be moving forward in the cabinet appointment process," Hobbs said in a statement Thursday morning.
Former Department of Economic Security Director Michael Wisehart will be the interim director.
Stewart was announced as the new director last December. Arizona Senate Republicans broke the news of the ousting Wednesday afternoon, calling Stewart's departure a "forced resignation."
"We're now learning that Katie Hobbs' newly appointed Director for the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) has been asked to provide a resignation letter by this Friday," state Republicans said in a tweet.
Senate Republicans allege Stewart's departure was caused by numerous incidents since he started leading the department, including:
- Firing non-appointed, openly gay employees of DCS who have filed complaints against him
- Four high-ranking employees separated from the agency
- Questionable decisions on consulting contracts
Hobbs has not clarified the exact reasons behind Stewart's departure.
Documents show that in May 2020, Stewart was reprimanded by DCS. A letter said he tried to work from home, but the department wouldn’t let him. Then, he stopped showing up to the office.
Stewart's letter of reprimand:
Stewart then filed a complaint saying the reprimand was unfair – that he should have been able to work from home. He said he had a doctor's order and that other non-black coworkers in a similar job could work remotely.
An independent investigation into his claims said there was insufficient evidence.
Stewart's complaint:
This is a developing story. Tune in to 12News for the latest information.
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