A m e r i c a n P o s t – G a z e t t e
Distributed by C O M M O N S E N S E , in Arizona
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Every now and then, even the AZ Republic gets something right. This is one of those times. The very last line of the article tells you all you need to know. We’ll put it first.
“Through the darkest hours Maricopa County has ever known, Andy Kunasek kept his head, emerging with integrity well intact. That alone qualifies him for another term.”
October 03, 2012 |
Re-elect Andy Kunasek
Considering the years-long turmoil that Andy Kunasek has weathered as a Maricopa County Supervisor, it would be a cruelty to conclude he does not deserve re-election.
Of course he does.
Kunasek has been a consistent defender of the taxpayer’s interest, advocating for solid services at a fair price
His leadership is a major reason Maricopa County now boasts a $400 million surplus just a few years after the county endured a perfect storm of financial near-collapse and political turmoil of operatic proportions.
The Arizona Republic recommends that voters return Kunasek to office in District 3.
A Republican, Kunasek is opposed by Democrat Lilia Alvarez, an attorney and a founding member of Citizens for a Better Arizona, the protest group highly critical of the board for not taking a stronger stance in opposition to Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s anti-illegal immigration policies.
Led by Alvarez’s husband, Randy Parraz, the group also played a critical role in ousting former Senate President Russell Pearce from the Legislature.
Passionate, well-prepared and with a sound organization backing her, Alvarez is a credible candidate. But it is difficult to discern where her activism ends and her professed dedication to representing a diverse county district begins.
In short, it is unclear to what degree Alvarez would consider foiling Joe Arpaio’s interests to be Job One.
It is especially befuddling that she has opted to run against Kunasek, who for months braved the furious abuses of police power directed his way by Arpaio’s former Chief Deputy David Hendershott and others.
Through the darkest hours Maricopa County has ever known, Andy Kunasek kept his head, emerging with integrity well intact. That alone qualifies him for another term
Andy made a promise to the voters to get the county out of debt and keep it out of debt. He and Jan Brewer, when she was on the Board, started that journey, and by 2006, they got Maricopa County DEBT FREE of ALL LONG TERM DEBT. Today, unlike other jurisdictions, Maricopa County has NO BOND DEBT, keeping that off our tax bills. He has been critical in a variety of other areas.
His opponent is getting out of state union money. She is running around telling people that she will get collective bargaining for county employees. One problem, the Arizona Constitution prohibits collective bargaining for public employees. Period – but Miss Lilia is telling her out of state friends another story to get them to send cash.
I heard her speak the other evening in a candidate forum. She bragged about her masters degree in public health and a law degree. Her resume shows NO VIABLE WORK EXPERIENCE using any of those degrees, outside of maybe being an intern.
She fails to tell folks that she is related to a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the county.
So, let me get this straight – she wants to be a county supervisor but she could benefit from a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the county costing all of us more money. Don’t we have a county supervisor like that already?
Andy Kunasek – he kept his promise – he deserves our vote and support.
Well said Jon. We don’t need Mary Rose part II.
Kunasek will also provide some continuity for our new guys Barney and Chucri as they deStapleyfy the board. With David Smith gone, there have already been huge improvements.
I heard Ron Harders is running against Wilcox. It hard to run in a district that supports corruption, but I wish him all the best. Anyone in the district should try to help. Long shot, but still a shot. Make her spend her money for a change.
I agree with you 100% If Wilcox got the boot, it would be a clean sweep and a fresh start, but getting her out of office isn’t going to be easy. She is heavily supported in her district. At one point it sounded as if she was going to take the high road and not run again after collecting her windfall settlement. Stapley and Brock both had the insight to withdraw, and she should have, too.
The stink of the county political infighting will not ever truly be dispelled until both Wilcox and Arpaio are out of the picture. We really need to get rid of old baggage.
I was unsure about voting Mr. Kunasek in for another term. While he survived the gale force winds that blew from the MCSO and MCAO for years, he seemed to waver on his convictions at times. However, when he recently stated publicly that he was disappointed that the Department of Justice closed its investigation into Arpaio without bringing charges, I decided he gets my vote. It’s about time the politicians we elect to represent us have the guts to speak up about Sheriff Joe and his misdeeds.