Sheriff Arpaio Gets Help in Rooting Out County Corruption
FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY BOB BARR TO ASSIST IN FIGHTING BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ACTION TO MEDIATE CLAIMS
(Phoenix, AZ.) Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, while at the forefront of the national illegal immigration debate, is now having to taking aim at an equally tough challenge: rooting out what may end up being one of the worst and most bizarre public corruption cases in Arizona. In a press conference today, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former County Attorney Andrew Thomas introduced the man they believe can help sort it all out: Bob Barr has agreed to be an expert witness in matters pertaining to the Board of Supervisors. Barr, former U.S. Attorney, Congressman, and chief federal prosecutor in the impeachment trial of Bill Clinton, has been retained as an expert witness in matters facing both Thomas and Sheriff Arpaio. Not only has Barr directed a number of high profile public corruption investigations, he also chaired the Public Corruption Subcommittee of the U.S. Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of United State Attorneys. He is a registered arbitrator and mediator.
Pima County Superior Court Judge John Leonardo, who was appointed to hear the case, said Thomas faced a conflict of interest in prosecuting Mary Rose Wilcox and ruled that the conflict violated Wilcox’s rights when Thomas’ office presented allegations against her to a grand jury in January.
“Because the defendant has no representative to watch out for his or her interests before the grand jury, the prosecutor has a duty (to) not take advantage of this role to unfairly influence the grand jury,” Leonardo wrote.
Wilcox, 60, was accused of voting on contracts involving a Hispanic advocacy group that had given her loans and never filing conflict-of-interest statements. She had pleaded not guilty to felony charges of conflict of interest, perjury, forgery and false swearing.
Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas’ pursuit of a spate of lawsuits and indictments against county leaders and judges won’t rob any other criminal defendants of their right to a fair trial, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Judge Wallace Hoggatt of Cochise County Superior Court ruled against more than 40 criminal defendants who sought to disqualify the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office from their cases on claims the office had a conflict of interest and appearance of impropriety in representing the state.
Thomas also got indictments against Stapley and County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, and he filed a criminal complaint against Judge Gary Donahoe.
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Maricopa County officials are waiting for County Attorney Andrew Thomas to resign to run for state attorney general because they believe it gives them carte blanche to appoint his successor.
However, in a letter to the county Board of Supervisors Thursday, Thomas pointed out that if he leaves office before the mandated May 26 deadline, state statutes call for a special election so the general electorate can choose his replacement.
Under that scenario, the supervisors would choose an interim county attorney who serves until the results of the November general election are final.
Reporting from Washington – First there was the “tea party” protester. Now, meet the Tea-publican.
Conservative activists who once protested the political establishment are now flooding the lowest level of the Republican Party apparatus hoping to take over the party they once scorned — one precinct at a time.
Across the country, tea party groups that had focused on planning rallies are now educating members on how to run for local GOP precinct representative positions. The representatives help elect county party leaders, who write the platform and, in some places, determine endorsements.
“That’s where it all starts. That’s where the process of picking candidates begins. It’s not from [GOP leader] Michael Steele’s office down. It’s from the ground up,” said Philip Glass, whose National Precinct Alliance is among the groups advocating the strategy. “The party is over for the old guard.”
In Arizona and Ohio, Republican Party officials report an increase in candidates running for precinct positions, which often sit open due to lack of interest. In South Carolina, a coalition of tea party groups has made a formal agreement with the state GOP to urge its members to get engaged at the precinct level. In Nevada, a group of “constitutional conservatives” working under the tea party banner has already taken control of the Republican Party in the Las Vegas area, gaining enough strength to elect six of the seven members of the county executive committee.
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By Linda Bentley | February 10, 2010
PHOENIX – On Monday, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (BOS) appointed David Braswell to represent District 6 in the Arizona Senate, filling the post vacated by Republican Pamela Gorman, who resigned to run for the U.S. House of Representatives following Rep. John Shadegg’s announcement that he would not be seeking reelection.
In a press release issued Monday morning announcing the selection of Braswell, Supervisor Andy Kunasek stated, “We had three excellent candidates sent to us by the District 6 precinct committeemen. Any one of them would have served the state well, but I felt Mr. Braswell, as a small business owner, was the best pick for our state at this time.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Jim Waring, R-Dist. 7, who will be termed-out in the Senate and was running for state treasurer prior to Shadegg’s announcement, decided he would scrap his plans for treasurer and he too would run for Shadegg’s seat in Arizona’s third congressional district.
That meant LD7 also needed to elect three Republican candidates so the BOS could select one to fill the balance of Waring’s term.
LD7 held a special meeting on Feb. 4 for that purpose.
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors is inviting all citizens to participate in the process of updating the strategic plan for the County by providing input on the strategic directions and priorities of the County over the next five years. This is your community, and the Board of Supervisors is offering everyone an opportunity to help shape the future of County government. Click here for the survey.
RINO -at-large (Republican In Name Only), Bill Konopnicki, has officially come out of the closet. He has for some time worked “in the basement” with the Democratic Minority to overrule the conservative Republican leadership. Janet Napolitano was all too happy to sign the spend us into oblivion budget.
