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This section contains provides personal examples of poor governance by Maricopa County. In many of my interfaces with Maricopa County, I felt something was wrong with the way Maricopa County manages their affairs. From my business experience, I had a sense for good governance. In my opinion, Maricopa County's management practices were less than adequate.

I needed a standard to back up my opinions. Governance applies in the private and governmental sectors. However, governance practices aren't the same; there are similarities, but I needed a governance standard for a government entity. I found a suitable standard in the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) [https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-25-107721.pdf Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government,]which is normally called the "Green Book."

In "Jamie's Timeline" (below), key events during my search for accountability are retold for the purpose of showing acts of poor governance by comparing my experience to the Green Book as a standard. 

It is important to understand that Maricopa County <u>is not obligated</u> to comply with the Green Book's standards. The Green Book is required for Federal departments and agencies within the executive branch. However, the Green Book's standards may be applied to local governments based on the following statement:<blockquote>"The Green Book may also be adopted by federal entities outside the executive branch and by nonfederal entities, such as state, local, and quasi-governmental entities and nonprofit organizations, as a framework for an internal control system."</blockquote>I thought it fair to compare Maricopa methods of internal control (i.e., governance) to the ideal method, which is a Federal Standard. You may make your own comparisons. You may also have similar unpleasant experiences with Maricopa County or any other county in Arizona. Your frustration may very well be associated with poor governance; your county's management may not even know what good looks like. 

Jamie's Timeline (below) is a collection of short stories. 

== Jamie's Timeline ==

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