Tue 9 Jun 2009
Stapley sells out his Mesa constituents for $347 million court tower
Posted by Chewie Shofir under County Government , Crime and Punishment , Spending , State Economy , Taxation[7] Comments
Maricopa County Supervisor Don Stapley, currently under indictment on 118 counts of financial fraud, represents part of the East Valley, including Mesa. As part of the deal to build the pricey $347 million court tower, he had to agree to eliminate the East Valley court complex, forcing everyone there to move downtown to the new court tower. Since the East Valley has grown exponentially in size, this kind of move forces a hardship on everyone living in the East Valley who must now work or drive downtown. Mesa Mayor Scott Smith has vocally opposed the move. It is peculiar that Stapley doesn’t seem to care about the needs of his constituents. We wonder how many contractors who won bids on the tower contributed to his reelection campaign? The arrogance of the county supervisors about the tower has been astonishing. Supervisor Max Wilson said, “There’s not anything more important than building that courthouse.” Oh really? What about the 40 Superior Court employees who lost their jobs last month so the tower could be built? Or the other employees around the county who are losing their jobs due to you requiring other county agencies to cut 15% of their budgets? What about the fact we’re in a recession and people are losing their homes and every other area in the economy is being forced to make drastic cuts? Obviously, the supervisors don’t represent their constituents, they represent the contractors who bought their elections. Let’s hope the legislature responds to the County Treasurer’s request to investigate this boondoggle, and put this project on hold until it can be pared down and the county is in a better financial position.
June 9th, 2009 at 8:59 am
ABC15 is doing and excellent job of exposing this corruption. Thank you Sonoran Alliance for following this boondoggle too. The County Attorney has also asked for an investigation. There is a serious problem when $347 million tax dollars are spent with no accountability or oversight. Government loves its study’s. Where is the one justifying the Taj? They put working class families out on the street during a recession and say “this is the most important” thing the County is doing. I say we take them at their word. The BOS believes getting their name on a building is more important than families, health care, roads and education. Maybe it is time to get a new BOS with more appropriate priorities.
A great example of how the project is handled is the “materials cost analysis. I would like to see someone post it online so everyone can see. There is not one single dollar amount on the whole page. That’s the kind of analysis the Board likes. Their spin doctors are working overtime trying to mislead, misdirect and outlast the spotlight. Sounds like Survivor Maricopa, doesn’t it? We tax payers must demand full and complete transparency in government. Support SB1142 which requires it. The BOS is against it. I wonder why. Turn on the lights and watch the cockroaches run and hide like the attorney did when ABC15 confronted him.
June 9th, 2009 at 11:41 am
It is even worse than the criminal tower because years before the tower is even done criminal is being removed from the Mesa courthouse. This will result in much which justice for east valley residents. Now east valley police agencies cases go through Mesa. This allows prosecutors to develop relationships with detectives that results in much better trial practice. Under the new master calendar system there will be no geographic division of criminal assignments. This mean prosecutors and defense attorney will no longer know the police officers involved. Both sides will be driving to all over the valley to conduct interviews and visit crime sites. This will make cases either go slower or proceed to trial with less preparation. It seems that Judge Mundell only cares about speed and actually has feels that forcing cases to go faster results in the State having to dismiss a number of cases. Mundell should care more about just results and less about settling personal beefs she has with Thomas.
June 9th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
We shouldn’t be so harsh on Don Stapley.
He’s got his reasons for the new court house.
118 of them to be sure.
He’ll be one of the firt defendants, if he can just delay his trial(s) long enough.
And, he thought he’d get Sandra Dowling. Way to go, Don.
June 9th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Max Wilson did an op/ed in the Repug today that was stupid beyond words. First he said we haven’t built a courthouse in 30 years. I guess since he cannot see Mesa, Surprise or Northeast from his window they don’t exist. he also cited the escape a few months ago. This is why they are crowding 25% more cases by moving all criminal downtown 3 years before the Taj Majal is ready. This will make the public much less safe and be a huge inconvience for victims, police officers, jurors, attorneys and a lot of other people. They spent the money to buy up land around the Mesa court as well as property in Avondale but instead of building much cheaper courts in the communities they serve they are concentrating everything downtown. Stapley and Brock do nothing to protect their voters and Max Wilson just keeps saying stupid things like there is nothing more important to Maricopa county than the Taj Majal. So public safety, the economy, the problem the BOS has with Correctional health, firing employess are all less important to him.
June 9th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Hey Craig and Billbo, take your canned MCSO/MCAO crap elsewhere. Just because you live in Mesa and work for the courts and now have to drive to downtown Phoenix doesn’t mean the rest of the County should give you a big hug and dry your tears. The Jails are in Phoenix you dummies. Why truck defendants to Mesa just so you can work close to your homes? The facts are on the side of the County on this one, and you only have half truths, misconceptions, deceptions and outright lies. The main justice campus is in Phoenix, the jails are in Phoenix, the courthouse has been planned for Phoenix for a decade, MCSO is in Phoenix. Phoenix will let you keep a couple of Justice Courts, but go get yourself a gas friendly car, cuz you are going to be driving to Phoenix to work you whiners.
June 9th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
I have no problem going to Phoenix when the Tower is built. The truth is not in moving Mesa criminal downtown three years early. Tell me how cramming 25% more inmates in the old building is smart or safe. The MSCO will still bring a bus to Mesa everyday instead of the current two buses. The truth is not with Mundell about moving criminal downtown 3 years early. I have not said one thing that isn’t true and I don’t work for MCAO or MSCO and the move will not affect me at all. I think it makes more sense to have regional courts and look at all other large counties Los Angeles doesn’t do all criminal in one location. And if there is nothing to hide why is the court not releasing documents to ABC 15. An argument can be made to move criminal downtown if they had a building is built there is no intelligent argument to move criminal downtown before then and your immature name calling cannot change the facts.
June 10th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Oswald your statement that Phoenix will let the East Valley shows complete disdain for most of Maricopa County. If building the Courthouse by the jails is the goal than it should have been built at the Durango Complex where the vast majority of inmates are housed. Inmates will still have to take the bus to court every morning. Adults can discuss issues without name calling and using your logic than you must be employed by Barbara Mundell because you share her outlook that Maricopa county really only exists to serve Central Phoenix. You also ignore the courts that were planned outside of Central Phoenix but had to be canceled even though they had been planned for years and are every bit as needed.