Sam Wercinski is the Commissioner of the Arizona Department of Real Estate. He was appointed by Governor Janet Napolitano to this post in January. I first started hearing good things about Sam by early February. Based on what I had heard I was already predisposed to liking him before I even met him. I had never liked the commissioner who immediately preceded him, as she was the worst kind of petty bureaucrat and mostly disrespectful of all Realtors. To be candid, Sam wouldn’t have needed to do much to beat her in the likability department.
I had posted this on BloodHoundBlog a few months ago, telling about an event June 21st, where he would speak and later there would be a top producer panel. There was a buffet lunch and just as I was finishing my sandwich Sam and his entourage arrived. Every single person who worked for him was “there”; which is to say they were, each one, intelligent, articulate and – more importantly, in my opinion – was a genuinely nice person. But when I met him what I witnessed was a truly likable, charismatic and energetic leader. In just a few short months he has dramatically changed the very nature of the department. He has reached out and gotten help and input (real help along with real input) from the Realtor community. The ADRE now has their emphasis on regulating only those licensees that actually need “regulating”. No matter what group of Realtors I am talking to, whenever the subject of the department or the commissioner comes up and I say how impressed I am, the response is typically a knowing nod, “yes, I saw that in him too”.
I have been meaning to post a “Thank You” to Sam ever since I met him at St. Barnabas in June. Instead HE SENT ME A THANK YOU! Correct. A government official meets me and then takes the time to handwrite a note telling me what a pleasure it was to meet me. Too good to be true? I speculated right after meeting him that he plans on doing the most bang up job anyone has ever done as Real Estate Commissioner – and then run for public office, having this HUGE base of licensees who think the world of him. I don’t know what office he may run for or who may wind up running against him but if his first six plus months is any indication of how his full tenure as Commissioner will go – he already has my vote.
Thank you Janet Napolitano for a wonderful gift to the Arizona Real Estate Industry. I appreciate it very much.
Jay Thompson says:
Nods knowingly and says, “yes, I saw that in him too”.”
I thought Richardson was a dolt. Apparently this guy did too.
The simple fact that the new administration reaches out and listens is an amazing improvement.
Wercinski is a graduate of the USAF Academy. Regardless of what someone might think about the Military, it’s difficult to deny the military academies turn out some pretty good leaders…
August 1, 2007 — 7:06 am