Sat 21 Nov 2009
Dowling vindicated in Supervisors’ witchhunt against her
Posted by Chewie Shofir under County Government , Crime and Punishment , Education , Government , Spending[3] Comments
Even the liberal Arizona Republic editorial board agreed that the investigation of former County Schools Superintendent, urged by the County Supervisors and initiated by Attorney General Terry Goddard, was groundless. In a stunning defeat for the Supervisors, who hounded Dowling with lawsuits the last couple of years she was in office, fighting to drastically reduce funding to her agency the way they have done to other county agencies and keep it for themselves instead, the court awarded Dowling $25,000 in legal fees.
From yesterday’s editorial:
Compared with what came before – furious claims against Dowling of criminal theft and gross incompetence; declarations by prosecutors that Dowling’s actions in office constituted a “sad and serious breach of trust” – this conclusion is strangely anticlimactic. Surely, it seemed, someone’s head should roll.
At least it will not be the head of Dowling. The former Marine – the woman whose sole “crime” may have been that she was too devoted to the education of homeless kids in Maricopa County – can walk away from these years of conflict with her head held high.
But as the case unfolded, the central charge against Dowling – that she stole $1.8 million from the Pappas schools for homeless children – disintegrated. The crime is that more of us did not see sooner the political vengeance in the eyes of her attackers.
Rumors abound that Dowling is planning on running for County Supervisor against Max Wilson, who currently represents the West Valley.
November 21st, 2009 at 10:21 am
I’m surprised Dowling did as well as she did considering the Supervisors have bought off the judges with their Taj Mundell courthouse. How long are the Supervisors going to get away with decimating other county agencies like they did to Dowling and taking all the taxpayers’ money for themselves to build a little dynasty? They’ve now started their own shadow county attorney’s office with around 20 brand-new employees (hiring them during a recession and hiring freeze!), but still aren’t satisfied, they continue to take other county agencies to court regularly to take even more money from them since they refuse to cut their own budget during the recession. I hear they’ve bought off the Arizona Republic reporters like Yvonne Wingett too, so the newspapers won’t even give this fair coverage. Meanwhile, the Supervisors are able to destroy the lives of anyone like Dowling who get in their quest for power. Pretty greedy individuals, who obviously don’t care about the taxpayers.
November 21st, 2009 at 11:47 am
And look for them to utilize the talents of Ms. Wingnutt to further their goals of creating a “Sanctuary County”
November 21st, 2009 at 8:49 pm
She should of hung in my opinion. She hired her son. Any politician that hires their children or husbands on government dimes are traitors and should be shot on sight.