Interesting Agenda Update - Maricopa County Board of Supervisors

In a post earlier this week about the schedule of political activity, I opined that the most interesting item on the agenda for Wednesday's meeting of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors would be the one where they approved the hiring of private lawyers to serve as Andrew Thomas' personal hitters special prosecutors targeting the Supes themselves, in particular Don Stapley.

Well, that has changed somewhat.

The item in question, #11 on the formal meeting's agenda, has been pulled, and placed on the agenda of a special meeting scheduled to take place immediately before the regularly scheduled meeting.

Hmmm...

As it turns out, the supes found a way to not approve the hiring of the lawyers.

From AZCentral.com -

Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas' plans to appoint outside attorneys as special prosecutors to investigate charges against Supervisor Don Stapley hit another stumbling block this morning, as the county Board of Supervisors withdrew from its agenda the item that would have sought approval for the appointments.

{snip}

[In a letter] County Manager David Smith outlined reasons the item had been withdrawn from the agenda for Wednesday's formal meeting:

1. The services of these attorneys were not properly procured. Procurement is required for the expenditure of any county or state funds, including RICO monies.

2. Two of the attorneys are not residents of Maricopa County, as required by applicable statute, including the person proposed to be in charge of all aspects of the matters.

3. The substantive matters set forth in the appointments have been previously assigned to the Yavapai County Attorney and cannot be reassigned by the County Attorney.

4. The three individuals cannot commence work or use court processes until the Board approves their appointments.

5. Your office refuses to provide a cost estimate for the proposed work and now appears to admit that the RICO fund does not contain sufficient funds to cover the costs (see attached MacDonnell memo, which states that Diversion Fund monies may be used). There may be an unknown substantial impact on the County Attorney's budget or the County's general fund if the previously planned uses of these funds have to be funded from other sources."

Essentially, the man who is the County's top lawyer and the one who wants to be Arizona's top lawyer either doesn't know the law (see items 2 - 4 in the above quote) or just doesn't think that the law should apply to him.

Either way, he isn't qualified for his current position or the one he aspires to.