Unlike some of the Republic’s recent editorials hysterically denouncing any criminal prosecution of Supervisors Wilcox and Stapley (for no real reason other than the editorial board’s intense dislike of the principled conservatives Arpaio and Thomas), this article by columnist Laurie Roberts actually has a semblance of fairness.

While we’re all laughing, Joe/Andy may be onto something

Taking swipes at Sheriff Joe and his sidekick Andy Thomas has become standard operating procedure here in the greatest show on Earth,  a k a Maricopa County.

Today it was Polsinelli Shugart’s turn. The law firm, which employs Tom Irvine and Ed Novak, filed a motion today in federal court, asking that they be dismissed from the civil racketeering lawsuit filed earlier this month by Apaio and Thomas. It may as well have come with a laugh track, labeling the suit Joe/Andy’s thermonuclear device and a dud at that.

Basically, the law firm says that Joe/Andy lack standing to file such a suit in federal court and didn’t supply any facts to demonstrate that they’ve been harmed.

“They appear to have devoted far more thought and attention to the press release they issued when they filed this action than they did to their pleading,” the motion says, calling it “inconceivable” that the top two law enforcement officers in the county could be unaware of the “host of fatal defects” in their complaint.

Ouch.

Not being a lawyer, I have no idea whether they are right or not. That’s up to a federal judge.

I do, however, think that in between the circus acts — and there have been a bunch of them –  Thomas/Arpaio have raised some legitimate questions that should be answered. One of them involves county officials’ move to block Thomas from investigating their $340 million courthouse tower, on grounds that he had a conflict of interest.

It’s reasonable to wonder why Irvine, his partner Ed Novak and their law firm, Polsinelli Shughart, have collected nearly $1.2 million from the cash-strapped county over the past year or so to analyze designs and go to construction meetings about the courthouse.

It’s also reasonable to ask why Irvine, as the county’s lawyer on the project, was able to go to another of his own clients, Superior Court Judge Gary Donahoe, to stop Thomas from looking into why he got such a lucrative contract.  And why Donahoe would have even considered the request let alone acted to disqualify Thomas, given Irvine’s role as the Superior Court’s attorney in this matter.

Since when can you go to your own guy to stop an investigation into your own contract?

Talk about your conflicts of interest.

There are other questions that should be answered as well. There is the indictment alleging that Mary Rose Wilcox voted to give county money to Chicanos Por La Causa without disclosing that an arm of the non profit had loaned her and her husband more than $150,000 for their restaurant. I don’t know if that’s a criminal act. But it’s awfully cozy and it should raise eyebrows.

Then there is the latest indictment of Don Stapley, alleging among other things that he used campaign funds intended to get him elected as president of the National Association of Counties to buy himself some hair plugs, massages and a ski trip, among other niceties. The indictment also charges that he claimed an annual income of $15,000 from a land deal when he went to get a loan but somehow failed to mention the $15k on his tax return.

Bottom line: Joe/Andy have raised some legitimate questions.  The problem is, they’ve let loose with so much smoke over the last year that’s it’s difficult to see the fire that very well may exist.