Distributed by C O M M O N  S E N S E , in Arizona

Maricopa County manager David Smith proposing to settle million dollar lawsuits of cronies       Greedy county officials should be forced to litigate their claims fully to reveal how worthless they are, instead of receiving million dollar settlements

Maricopa County manager David Smith, the hatchet man for the County Supervisors, is proposing that the county settle the million dollar lawsuits filed by the Supervisors’ cronies against Maricopa County and its taxpayers for amounts of several hundred thousand dollars up to $15 million each. This is a bad, bad idea that will end up very costly to taxpayers. The greedy county bureacrats, who are suing the county over nothing more than “stress” from being prosecuted by Sheriff Arpaio and former County Attorney Andrew Thomas, should be forced to plead their cases in a court of law, so taxpayers can see how sketchy their lawsuits are. The Supervisors better do the right thing and not award their cronies million dollar settlements. Two of the lawsuits are from their fellow Supervisors Mary Rose Wilcox and Don Stapley! This is a blatant conflict of interest for them to award them huge amounts of money. The Supervisors have already paid Judge Fields $100,000 of your taxpayer dollars for his lawsuit against the county. He received that money for his claims that he was stressed over Arpaio and Thomas attempting to prosecute him. That prosecution went nowhere since he was able to thwart it.  None of his assertions of stress were ever heard and tried in a court of law, the county simply $100,000 at him in a settlement. Next, Judge Baca received a $100,00 settlement for her stress over being sued by Arpaio and Thomas. Stephen Wetzel, the county director of IT, received an undisclosed settlement amount. This is not right. These officials should be forced to go through the regular court system like the rest of us. They should not be awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars for “stress” based on their claims that they were wrongly prosecuted. We will never know if they were wrongly prosecuted, because they were able to successfully thwart Arpaio’s and Thomas’s attempts to prosecute them. It is despicable that they they are being awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars for successfully avoiding prosecution!!! David Smith claims that the county is saving money by settling the claims, but the claims are so groundless the county would end up not paying any money if they were fully litigated. He knows this but wants to guarantee his cronies are vindicated, which in turn vindicates his legal attacks against Arpaio and Thomas. This sets a bad, bad precedent for future bureaucrats down the road to sue over “stress” and receive millions of dollars too. If the greedy bureaucrats are awarded these lavish amounts of money, taxpayers will consider a citizens’ lawsuit against them. Tea Parties and organizations like the Goldwater Institute and Americans for Prosperity have grounds to sue them based on abuse of our tax dollars.  The Arizona Republic has coverage. ACTION ITEM: Contact the Supervisors who will be deciding whether or not to award these outrageous settlements and let them know that you disapprove of them awarding large settlements to the other two supervisors and their cronies. Tell them these speculative claims need to be heard in a court of law where they will inevitably be DISMISSED. Supervisor Andrew Kunasek (602) 506-7562 akunasek@mail.maricopa.gov Supervisor Max Wilson (602) 506-7642 mwwilson@mail.maricopa.gov Supervisor Fulton Brock (602) 506-1776 fbrock@mail.maricopa.gov

Dear Arizona Taxpayer,

Today in the Senate Government Reform Committee, the majority members voted in favor of four important bills that would reform powerful government-worker unions:

SB 1484 — Paycheck Protection for Government Employees — Prohibits government employers from taking money from employee’s paychecks for union activities without express annual authorization.

SB 1485 — Prohibition on Government Collective Bargaining — Prohibits government employers from engaging in collective bargaining (including “meet and confer”) with government unions.

SB 1486 — Prohibition on Government Union Release Time — Prohibits government employers from paying employees to do union activities on the taxpayer dime.

SB 1487 — Prohibition on Withholding of Dues for Government Unions — Prohibits government employers from withholding any portion of public employee wages to pay for labor organization dues.

To send quick thank-you emails to the members of the Committee, click here. For Goldwater Institute fact sheets on the above bills, click on the bold bill titles, above.

TAKE ACTION! 

Senate Bills 1484, 1485, 1486 and 1487 will be heading soon to floor votes in the full Senate. Please help us rein in Arizona’s powerful government unions by sending an email to your state Senator in support of these bills.

To take action, simply REPLY to this email and click SEND. It will automatically send an email to your State Senator! You can also customize your message and take action by clicking here. 

To learn more about AFP-Arizona’s 2012 Legislative Agenda, click here.

Please forward this alert to your friends and family members!

For Liberty,

Tom Jenney
Arizona Director
Americans for Prosperity

Distributed by C O M M O N S E N S E , in Arizona

Saturday, January 28, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Arizona 2012 Project Unanimously Endorses the Candidacy of Bill Montgomery for Maricopa County Attorney, through its Political Action Committee, “Saving Arizonas Future.” Phoenix, AZ – Jan. 24, 2012 – Officers and the Steering Committee of The Arizona 2012 Project voted yesterday to wholeheartely support the efforts of current Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery and to endorse his candidacy for re-election. Mr. Montgomery exemplifies the dedication to the Law and to the citizens of Maricopa county that the position demands. We find his actions to be consistent with the principles enunciated in our Federal and State Constitutions and trust him to continue as our County Attorney. Contact: Ron Ludders lemonsplash1@gmail.com 602.677.1496

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 24, 2012
CONTACT: Chad Willems

PHOENIX, AZ – The Re-Elect Joe Arpaio 2012 campaign committee released the following statement today:

“The first Democrat to file and announce his campaign for Maricopa County Sheriff, Paul Penzone, stumbled out of the gates this morning with an announcement that is riddled with errors about Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s record of service,” stated Arpaio campaign manager Chad Willems.

Penzone states in his online video that “on Sheriff Joe’s watch, more than 400 reports of sexual abuse against women and children were never investigated.”

The fact of the matter is this: the mishandling of these cases was brought to the Sheriff’s attention over four years ago, in 2007. Arpaio immediately ordered the cases re-opened and investigated. They have been brought to a conclusion.

Meanwhile, the Phoenix Police Department has nearly 3,000 cases involving sex crimes and molestation that were mishandled. The PPD’s neglect in pursuing these cases surfaced only months ago, yet Penzone fails to mention his own department’s failures in these cases.

Penzone also states that the MCSO has failed to serve more than 40,000 felony warrants across the county. The fact of the matter is the vast majority of those are the responsibility of Penzone’s Phoenix Police Department.

Penzone’s tenure with the Phoenix Police Department as a sergeant offers him no experience in financial management and no decision-making power over the department’s budget.

“Penzone seemingly is a willing victim of believing the rhetoric from fringe groups that want to see Arpaio out of office. As a former spokesperson for the Phoenix Police Department, Penzone should know to check his facts before making public statements. Before he gets too far down the campaign trail he might want to review the facts before he further embarrasses himself,” Willems concluded.

###

Pima County businessman and Republican leader Mike Hellon officially filed his candidacy today for Pima County Supervisor District 1, vowing to focus his priorities on economic development, fiscal responsibility and quality of life issues for the residents of District 1.

“This is not a decision I made lightly,” Hellon said. “I have been persuaded that strong leadership is needed on the board of supervisors from District 1 and I believe I have the background and experience to meet that challenge.”

In recent weeks, a number of business and political leaders have expressed concerns about a vacuum developing in district 1 with the retirement of incumbent Supervisor Ann Day.  Hellon was offered support if he would consider replacing her.

“Their priorities match mine,” he said. “They want accountability and transparency in their government. They want lower taxes through increased efficiency, not through reduced services. They want a balance between a robust economy and protecting our unique quality of life in Pima County. They want infrastructure, public safety and our roads fixed, not excuses or rhetoric. I have the political experience and leadership skills to effectively pursue those goals.”

Hellon is a decorated Vietnam veteran who has successfully operated his own small business for 34 years. A lifelong Republican, Hellon was the Arizona campaign manager for Ronald Reagan in 1980. He was elected to the Republican National Committee in 1992 and served as chairman of the Arizona Republican Party from 1997 to 1999.

In addition to his service to his country and the Republican Party, Hellon has served the community as a small claims hearing officer for the Pima County Justice Court, on the Pima County Board of Adjustment for District 1 and as a member of the Pima County Merit Commission. In 2004, he was appointed by the Arizona Supreme Court to the Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review and currently serves as the commission’s chairman. He is also a member of the Arizona Judicial Council by appointment of the Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court.

Hellon has served as a leader in numerous civic and charitable organizations including chambers of commerce, the Tucson Chapter of the American Diabetes Association and the Catalina Youth Soccer Club. He has two children and lives in Northwest Tucson.

Hellon’s campaign chairman is local businessman Bill Assenmacher. His treasurer is Valerie Samoy, staff assistant to Supervisor Ann Day. The balance of the campaign organization is still being developed.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 5, 2012
CONTACT: Chad Willems

$6,000,000 Raised for Re-Election Campaign

PHOENIX, AZ – Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio formally announced his campaign today for another term as Sheriff of Maricopa County.

Through December 31st of last year, the campaign has raised a record $6 million for a sixth four-year term as Sheriff of Arizona’s most populous county. The campaign committee will continue to actively fundraise between now and the November election.

Arpaio stated, “It is an honor and a privilege to serve as Sheriff of Maricopa County. I am running for a sixth term and will continue to protect the citizens of Maricopa County by enforcing all the laws.”

The Sheriff had considered seeking another office, such as the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Senator Jon Kyl, but determined there was still much work to be done as Sheriff.

Despite recent criticism and brazen political stunts carried out by his perennial detractors, Arpaio remains committed to serving as Sheriff by unapologetically enforcing the rule of law and being tough on crime.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 21, 2011
CONTACT: Jerry Cobb

PHOENIX, AZ (December 21, 2011) – Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery announced the conclusion of an 8-month criminal investigation into whether public officials illegally accepted or failed to report gifts from members of the Fiesta Bowl organization and its representatives. While the investigation did not find evidence leading to criminal liability for those investigated, it did identify areas where Arizona law does not meet legitimate public expectations for transparency in disclosure of the receipt of gifts.

“Despite the public’s legitimate expectations that current laws ensure a reasonable degree of open and honest government, Arizona’s statutes governing receipt of gifts and reporting requirements fall short of meeting those expectations,” Montgomery said. “A combination of inconsistent laws, vague reporting requirements, and a ‘knowing’ standard of conduct created significant hurdles for our investigation in establishing the required mental state to prove criminal liability,” he added.

As a consequence of the difficulties encountered in conducting the investigation, the County Attorney will make the following recommendations to both houses in the State Legislature:

• Create a single reference point in law for lobbyists and legislators that clarifies what, if any, types of gifts are permissible, and establishes consistent definitions of gifts and items that require disclosure.
• Establish an outright ban on gifts, or a minimum value threshold above which reporting and disclosure is mandatory for anything received above the set value (e.g. $25).
• Establish an increased frequency of reporting, no less than quarterly, to eliminate record-keeping, memory and accuracy issues that can arise with annual reporting requirements. A web-based reporting system is also recommended to facilitate the public’s ability to review officials’ disclosures.
• Adjust penalties for violations of reporting requirements, making “knowing and intentional” violations a felony offense instead of a misdemeanor.
• Establish a “reckless” standard that carries misdemeanor or civil penalties that are significant enough to encourage accurate and timely reporting.
• Remove legislative staff attorneys from the role of providing campaign finance disclosure recommendations, training and advice in order to preclude any claim of attorney-client privilege on these matters.
• Amend lobbying disclosure forms to include a certification of having read the instructions, as required on campaign finance disclosure statements. Add an expenditure reporting category for Principals/Public Bodies to the Principal/Public Body Annual Report of Lobbying Expenditures.

“I trust that members of the legislature sharing my concern for upholding the integrity of our respective offices will address these recommendations in an appropriate manner,” Montgomery said.

The County Attorney’s Office began its investigation in April 2011, after receiving the case from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office which had declared a conflict of interest in the matter. Over the course of the investigation, a team of experienced prosecutors and investigators from the County Attorney’s Office reviewed thousands of pages of documents and conducted interviews with multiple legislators, lobbyists and Fiesta Bowl employees. The investigation looked at 28 legislators and 3 non-legislator elected office holders. The Attorney General also declared a conflict on two Fiesta Bowl-related cases involving three lobbyists, which also became part of the County Attorney’s investigation.

Legislators investigated:

• Paula Aboud
• Chad Campbell
• Linda Lopez
• Russell Pearce
• Kirk Adams
• Rich Crandall
• David Lujan
• Gary Pierce
• Linda Aguirre
• Sam Crump
• Lucy Mason
• Michelle Reagan
• Ken Bennett
• Adam Driggs
• John McComish
• Pete Rios
• Robert Blendu
• Steve Gallardo
• Robert Meza
• Andrew Tobin
• David Bradley
• Laurin Hendrix
• John Nelson
• Steve Tully
• Bob Burns
• John Kavanagh
• Ward Nichols
• Thayer Verschoor

Non-legislator elected officials investigated:

• Joe Arpaio
• Ben Arrendondo
• Elaine Scruggs

Lobbyists investigated:

• Charles Coughlin and Doug Cole as part of the lobbying firm, “HighGround”
• Kevin Demenna

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 17, 2011
CONTACT: Dean Miller

On Dec. 13, 2011, Pima County Board of Supervisors handed down a decision to appeal Raytheon property tax valuation as determined by the AZ State Board of Equalization. “This is yet another example of the short sighted and irresponsible behavior by the members of this board” stated Ally Miller, a candidate for District 1 Board of Supervisors in attendance at the meeting.

Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 to appeal the decision approved by the AZ State board of equalization to lower the assessed value of properties owned by Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson. Supervisor Richard Elias was absent.

The appeal submitted by Raytheon, based on the valuation of similar properties was approved by the State board of equalization and resulted in valuations lowered from approximately $46.4 mil to $25.6 Mil for 2011 on 19 parcels identified on the board agenda. The 2011 change in valuation would result in a loss of approximately $571 thousand in tax revenue.

Raytheon reportedly pays $130 million in state and local taxes annually.

“Workers in this community are desperate for jobs yet the Board of Supervisors continues with their anti-business practices spending taxpayer money on litigation which could potentially alienate the largest private employer in our community.” Miller added.

“Did the members of the Pima County Board of Supervisors forget about the recent move by Raytheon to build a facility and locate approximately 300 high paying jobs to Huntsville, Alabama?” asked Miller.

After a trip to Huntsville earlier this year it was reported Supervisor Bronson determined tax incentives and fast tracking the development process were among the reasons Raytheon decided to build this facility in Huntsville versus Tucson.

For more information, contact Ally Miller campaign office or visit the campaign website at www.allyforsupervisor.com

###

Distributed by C O M M O N  S E N S E , in Arizona

Sheriff Arpaio and County Attorney Thomas “were on to something with all their talk of county corruption”       Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts changes her mind on county corruption by the Supervisors

We were pleasantly surprised to see that Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts has finally seen the light and realizes that yes, there was corruption going on at the county under the Supervisors and in the construction of the Taj Mahal court tower. Contractors were giving employees kickbacks in exchange for favorable treatment getting contracts to work on the court tower. 11 employees have now been fired or suspended. We’ve known all along there was something funny about a $347 million  court tower being build in the middle of a recession, paid for immediately with CASH from us taxpayers, not bonding, with some of the priciest materials on the market – travertine, porcelain, wooden floors, penthouse quarters for the judges with private robing rooms. We wonder how far up the chain the corruption goes. County Supervisor Don “The Don” Stapley spent $70,000 received in campaign contributions for a race where he had no opponent on personal luxury items for himself and his family, including three family vacations, massages, and $4000 in expensive stereo equipment. Would not surprise us if he received some pretty sweet kickbacks. Some excerpts from Roberts’ article, entitled County is proving corruption to be true: After reading the report on how things work in the county’s Facilities Management Department, I’m thinking maybe Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his sidekick, former County Attorney Andrew Thomas, were on to something with all their talk of county corruption. Eleven county employees have now been put on paid leave, the result of an internal investigation that started when one of the workers began having second thoughts about taking freebies after seeing so many of his concert-going colleagues in the skybox of a company that makes millions off its county contracts. Meanwhile, Assistant City Manager Kenny Harris, who oversees Facilities, was fired this week. Though Harris was reportedly fired over an unrelated matter, the investigation found that he played in several golf tournaments as the guest of county vendors, including both the project manager and the builder of the county’s $340 million court tower — a construction project that he was supervising. Yeah, that would be the court-tower construction project that Arpaio and Thomas were nosing around. The investigative report outlines a culture in which freebies were routinely handed out to county employees who thought nothing of settling themselves into the luxury suites of the companies whose contracts they played a role in overseeing. The king of the freebies was Dick Carr, who manages county construction projects. According to the report, Carr was treated to roughly 20 concerts over three years and a $4,000 trip in which he was helicoptered in to British Columbia, courtesy of a vendor. No doubt he was the biggest catch of the trip. What they should do is simply outlaw all gifts to public employees. Period. Nobody would be happier than the lobbyists, who tell me they are routinely hit up for freebies. At the Capitol and, apparently, at the county. Where just a few months ago, we were scoffing at the idea of corruption. Arizona Republic article

Distributed by C O M M O N  S E N S E , in Arizona

Suspicious circumstances surrounding firing of high-level Assistant County Manager      What does the terminated employee know about the court tower?

The Arizona Republic reported today that Kenny Harris, a top engineer and assistant county manager assigned to supervising the court tower project, has been fired by the Supervisors’ hatchet man, county manager David Smith. The circumstances surrounding the firing are extremely suspicious. Harris was fired over using county funds to pay membership dues to his fraternity. Harris’s finance manager had APPROVED the payments, and his previous employers had paid the dues. When Smith told Harris he disapproved of the county paying the dues, Harris reimbursed the county for the full cost. Smith still went and fired Harris, didn’t even offer him a suspension or lesser penalty. Harris was not one of the employees disciplined for accepting expensive gifts from contractors working on the court tower. However, he likely knows what really went on since his name shows up in reports. Harris is now filing a lawsuit against the county for wrongful termination. Sources tell us that he will expose a lot of the corruption that took place within the court tower construction. We’ve also heard that there may have been some racism involved, which wouldn’t be surprising since his punishment was so draconian. We also hear that anyone who does not bow down to hatchet man David Smith risks losing their job. It’s about time this all comes out. The Supervisors have been able to stop Sheriff Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas from investigating their corruption. It is unfair what has been done to this man in order to protect the corrupt Supervisors. How much do county taxpayers have to shell out to pay for the Supervisors fighting everyone in order to protect themselves from investigation? Arizona Republic article

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 13, 2011
CONTACT: Chad Willems

PHOENIX, AZ – The Re-Elect Joe Arpaio 2012 campaign committee released the following statement today:

“Elected Democrat officials in Arizona are breathlessly calling for the immediate resignation of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio based on a four-year-old story involving sex crime investigations, which were reviewed and investigated by his office four years ago. These Arpaio detractors are also breathless in their insistence that none of this has to do with politics or partisanship.

The actions and words of Ruben Gallego, Randy Parraz, Steve Gallardo, Kyrsten Sinema, Congress members Ed Pastor and Raul Grijalva, and other elected Democrats, reek of political opportunism and partisanship. After all, these are the same Democrats that have been opposed to the Sheriff’s enforcement of illegal immigration laws for years.

The fact of the matter is this: the mishandling of these cases was brought to the Sheriff’s attention in 2007. Arpaio immediately ordered the cases re-opened and investigated. They have been brought to a conclusion. Further, the Sheriff is hiring an expert in the area of sex crimes investigations to train staff for future cases and will offer that service to other law enforcement agencies.

Meanwhile, the City of Phoenix has nearly 2,500 cases involving sex crimes and molestation currently under review. Many of these were never pursued or were mishandled. These cases surfaced only months ago, yet there is a deafening silence from these elected officials in calling for elected Mayor Phil Gordon, a Democrat ally, to immediately resign.

Why would they remain silent about Phil Gordon? Mayor Gordon was responsible for going to Washington several times to request that the Justice Department investigate Arpaio’s enforcement of state and federal immigration laws.

Arpaio has stated he will not criticize Valley law enforcement agencies that currently have the same problem his office experienced four years ago. However, for these elected officials and other activists to use these investigations, which have received extensive coverage media coverage through the years, as a pure political tool is disgusting.

Many of these Democrat politicians calling for Arpaio’s resignation are the same ones that have called upon the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate his office. But they have curiously remained silent on any calls for resignation from (Democrat) Attorney General Eric Holder and his role in the “Fast and Furious” scandal that resulted in the death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent.

The political left in this state feels emboldened by their recent success in removing Senator Russell Pearce from office. The leader of that effort, Randy Parraz, has publicly stated that his next target is Arpaio.

Tomorrow this group will attend and surely disrupt the Maricopa County Board of Supervisor’s meeting in a futile attempt to have Arpaio removed from office.

The transparent political stunt to resurrect a four-year-old story after steps have been taken to resolve the issue is shameful, desperate and again, disgusting.

The voters in Maricopa County will see this for what it is and reject this partisan witch hunt.”

Next month, Arpaio will announce plans for his political future.

# # #

Distributed by C O M M O N  S E N S E , in Arizona

County employees suspended and terminated over illegal activity     Arpaio and Thomas gradually being vindicated for investigation of corrupt Court Tower project

The Arizona Republic is reporting that 11 Maricopa County employees have been caught accepting bribes from county contractors in exchange for sweet contracting deals. Employees who gave business to contractors like Evans Overhead Door received expensive gifts like concert and sports event tickets in return. It got so bad that Rob Evans, a partner with Evans Overhead Door, said county employees would pressure him for gifts. “Once they knew you were in possession of a suite … they would come and ask you for tickets — that’s the way it’s always been,” he said. “You feel like you’re put on the spot. You almost feel like you’re obligated to do it because they hire you to work. They’d run into you, call you. You feel like you get taken advantage of. It’s kind of a catch-22. In your mind, you feel if you don’t, there are so many politics downtown, you’re always trying to do the right thing so people don’t get upset.” The Republic writes this about the Court Tower bribe, “In another, an employee accepted gratuities from companies that were awarded tens of millions of dollars in public money for construction of the new court tower in downtown Phoenix.” We wonder how far up the chain this will go. Knowing the long history of unethical behavior by the Supervisors and their hatchet man County Manager David Smith, we suspect they have received free tickets too. At a minimum, how could they have let this corruption go on for years? They squelched the Court Tower investigation and are now trying to disbar Andrew Thomas over his attempt to investigate it. We smell a rat. We will keep you updated. Full Arizona Republic article

Distributed by C O M M O N  S E N S E , in Arizona

Supervisors, their employees and judges filed large lawsuits against county over Arpaio, Thomas    Supervisors are in charge of defending against those same lawsuits; award more generous settlements to their cronies

County IT Director Stephen Wetzel This is so unethical it is unbelievable. The corrupt Maricopa County Supervisors, their high-level employees, and several judges have filed million dollar lawsuits against the county. Over what? Being investigated and prosecuted by Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas. We all know what they were prosecuted for, things they have gotten away with years since they threaten anyone who stands in their way of corruption. Maricopa County has become another Cook County. Incredulously, the Supervisors control these lawsuits and those of their employees and judges. First they awarded $100,000 to Judge Fields on September 3. For what? Stress over being investigated and prosecuted. Fields was a retired liberal judge that former presiding Superior Court judge Barbara Mundell would handpick out of retirement to handle political cases to ensure a liberal resolution, such as cases involving Sheriff Arpaio. This past week the Supervisors awarded more generous settlements to their cronies. Their handpicked head of county IT, Stephen Wetzel, settled his multimillion dollar lawsuit for an undisclosed sum. Arpaio had investigated him for his assistance helping the Supervisors do a sweep for bugs in order to thwart Arpaio from criminally investigating them. Judge Baca’s $4.75 million dollar lawsuit against the county was settled for $100,000. Baca was one of the defendants in the racketeering case Arpaio and Thomas filed. It comes as no surprise why these million dollar lawsuits are all being settled. The Supervisors know they wouldn’t stand a chance in court. Taxpayers want to know: why are the defendants in charge of these lawsuits? An independent adjudicator should have been appointed. It is like the fox guarding the henhouse. It is appalling that that the Arizona Republic will not report the full story. Taxpayers are paying for this expensive cronyism.

Distributed by C O M M O N  S E N S E , in Arizona

We were pretty disgusted to see how much the Maricopa County Supervisors are paying their favorite county employees. While other county agencies are laying off employees and haven’t given out raises in years, the County Supervisors continue to give their overpaid pet employees raises. YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK! You know what to do, vote them OUT in 2012 when they are all up for reelection. David Smith, the Supervisors’ hired gun who is behind a lot of the Supervisors’ attacks on Sheriff Arpaio and other county agencies, is THE HIGHEST PAID EMPLOYEE IN THE COUNTY. We are paying this skunk an exorbitant salary during a recession to go after Sheriff Arpaio??? Wade Swanson is a young attorney the Supervisors appointed to take over civil legal work when they stole the County Attorney’s Office away from Andrew Thomas. The Supervisors were ordered by the court to return it. Why is Wade Swanson still employed? And why is his salary higher than the County Attorney, who only makes $123,678? He also makes more than a Superior Court judge. Several of the other highest-paid attorneys, below, were lured away from the County Attorney’s Office to the Supervisors by offering them higher salaries. Why are they still there? They make more than almost every single employee at the County Attorney’s Office. It is brutally unfair to the hard working attorneys at the County Attorney’s Office that they are paid less money than those Supervisor cronies listed below. All of the following employees are under the Supervisors and were put there by them and report directly or indirectly to them. These are some of the top paid employees in the county: David Smith, County Manager $227,198 Stephen Wetzel, Director of Office of Enterprise Tech $194,480 Sandy Wilson, Deputy County Manager $193,440 Welton Harris, Assistant County Manager $175,240 Wade Swanson, Director of General Litigation $174,990 Augustin Alvarez, IT Consultant $138,694 Maria Brandon, Special Litigation $134,243 Christopher Bradley, Deputy Director of Budget $131,789 Brian Hushek, Deputy Director of Budget $131,144 Richard Stewart, Special Litigation $130,000 Thomas Gendron, IT consultant $129,501 Mary Cronin, General Litigation $124,821 Sherle Flaggman, General Litigation $124,821 Randall Garczynski, General Litigation $124,821 Brad Keogh, General Litigation $124,821 The Supervisors know how to pay off their cronies for loyalty using YOUR tax dollars. Remember this when election time rolls around next year!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 18, 2011
CONTACT: West Kenyon

I support the Utah and the proposed Arizona Compacts, in that they reaffirm my beliefs in the rule of law and the constitutional enforcement of the laws and statutes passed by the legislature. These declarations also reaffirm the community’s trust in the discretion of their law enforcement officers in the performance of their duties.

In addition, I have determined that the “tent city” facility does not adhere to the best practices and professional standards of the American criminal justice system. The inhumane treatment of inmates and the lack of rehabilitative services at this facility should be a cause of concern for all citizens.

Under my direction, the “tent city” facility in its present form will cease to exist. As Sheriff I will replace this facility with a self-sufficient work farm for first time and low risk inmates to learn skills, attend rehabilitation programs and provide food and services to the rest of the county jail system.

The inmates at this proposed work farm, who legally reside in the United States, will have the opportunity to participate in a new type of work release program. I will partner with local Maricopa County businesses to interview and hire qualified inmates for work in their businesses. The inmates will be paid by the business to a county audited fund to help defray the costs of administering the work farm and the work release program. The remainder of the inmates pay check, after taxes, will be placed in a trust fund for the inmate, which the inmate will have access to upon their release. The inmates will have earned these funds and a job. Upon their release, they will have the means to provide for themselves and their families as they transition back in to our community. This will have a positive impact on the recidivism rate, as the former inmate will have skills and the ability to make positive choices.

As Sheriff, I will seek to partner with other agencies within the criminal justice system and private enterprises to craft a humane and effective set of programs that will provide realistic treatment and choices for the inmates to become productive citizens upon their release back into society.