December 7, 1941

Pics courtesy the website of the National Park Service's USS Arizona Memorial.

The John Sydney McCain Memorial Crappie Award

This one was easy... :))

By now, most people in the Valley of the Sun have heard about how the Maricopa County Attorney successfully sought a 118-count indictment against Maricopa County Supervisor Don Stapley. The supes turned around and hired an outside attorney to seek an opinion on whether the prosecution of a county supervisor creates a conflict of interest with the County Attorney's office.

As could be expected, County Attorney Andrew Thomas immediately criticized the move, saying that the only attorney that the supes could consult on any issue is the County Attorney. He says that hiring outside attorneys is illegal.

Such concern for legal niceties (or even for responsible use of taxpayer money) is laudable.

Too bad such concerns are almost unheard-of from our County Attorney.

From the Phoenix New Times (June 15, 2006) -

Maricopa County paid more than $326,000 over the past year to a private law firm that employed Andrew Thomas immediately before his election as county attorney.

The county payments to Wilenchik & Bartness began in May 2005, four months after Thomas took office in January 2005, county records reveal.

Yes, Thomas is criticizing the supes for hiring outside counsel when he has spent hundreds of thousands on that exact thing.

As such, for this week's brazen exercise in the "do as I say, not as I do" flip-flopping strain of hypocrisy dressed up as public policy, Andrew Thomas reels in the latest John Sydney McCain Memorial Crappie Award.

...A couple of quick points - on this one, I *really* hope both sides lose - Thomas and his saddle partner, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, are prime examples of political bullies, but the supes aren't much better. They turned from being elected public servants into being elected enablers.

Also, I originally thought that Thomas did Stapley a favor by holding off on the indictment until after the election season. However, a growing possiblity is that Thomas is using the indictment to keep the other supes away from his and Arpaio's offices and budgets, especially during this period of dwindling county revenues.

Mail Call - MCDP reorg division

Next weekend (Saturday, December 13, to be precise) the Maricopa County Democrats will be holding their reorganization meeting for the next cycle. It will be held in the Multipurpose Room at the Royal Palm Middle School, 8520 N 19th Ave., Phoenix (Please park along Butler Dr.).

Mark Manoil, the current county chair, is not running for reelection so the politicking for the job has started in earnest.

Earlier today, Ann Wallack sent out an email asking folks for their support for her candidacy for county chair.

She's a businesswoman, wife, community activist, mom, and former candidate for state senate in LD11.

The text of her email (with [my name] edited out) -

Dear [your name here],

I am asking for you to support me as the next Chair of the Maricopa County Democratic Party. I want to serve you, work with you and represent you as we promote our Democratic values of education, healthcare and economic opportunities for all.

We are in a good position to achieve our over-riding goal of electing Democrats to public offices. There are more registered Democrats in Maricopa County than ever before. We have a huge number of new volunteers who were introduced to the political process in their enthusiasm to elect Barack Obama. And, we have a group of newly-elected District Chairs who are enthusiastic and ready to work.

My pledge to you is that I will work hard and use the experience and skills I've acquired from other organizations and apply them to our County Party in order to help us grow bigger and stronger. As your County Chair I would work with you to develop short and long term goals, ensure that our office staff is responsive to candidates, District Chairs and PC's, establish and achieve fundraising goals and make it easy and fun to register new voters.

I am asking for your vote at the Maricopa County Re-organization meeting on Saturday, December 13th. With your support we can all be ready for success in 2010!

Please call or email me if you have any questions!

Thank You,

Ann

Please note: This post is not an endorsement and should not be taken as one. I have never met Ann, nor do I know anything about her beside what is in her email and on her campaign website. If any other candidates for county or state party leadership positions email or otherwise contact PCs, those will be posted here, too.

Later!

Short Attention Span Musing

From the "who says I don't pick on Democrats when they deserve it" file...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) ignored his staff and spouted off about the fragrance of tourists visiting the Capitol.

From The Hill -

Reid’s comment came as he noted the long lines of tourists who come to visit the Capitol during the bitter cold of winter and sweltering heat of a Washington summer. By constructing the CVC, lawmakers hoped to provide a more comfortable and educational introduction to the Capitol with tighter security measures.

"Tourists line up in summer and winter," said Reid. "In the summertime, because of the high humidity and how hot it gets here, you could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol."

Like other high-profile Democratic senators before him (John Kerry, anyone?), Reid simply cannot tell a joke.

He *really* should have listened to his staff.

Of course, compared to Governor Ed Rendell's (D-Foot in Mouth Disease) gaffe, Reid was positively eloquent.

From AZCentral.com -

Rendell made the comment Tuesday at a meeting of the National Governors Association in Philadelphia that featured President-elect Barack Obama.

Rendell said Napolitano is "perfect for that job. Because for that job, you have to have no life. Janet has no family. Perfect. She can devote, literally, 19-20 hours a day to it."

He has since apologized (sort of) for his comment that disparaged Napolitano's single status, but the damage has been done. He has ticked off single people (and many married ones) all across the country.

...From the "PleasepleasepleasepleasePUHLEEZE" department...

There are some rumors going around that John McCain will face a primary challenge in 2010 from none other than everybody's favorite loudmouthed nativist, JD Hayworth (Paul Giblin at the EV Tribune).

The idea has AZ's rightwing blogosphere all breathlessly aflutter at the thought of their darling Hayworth taking on McCain, but like Tedski at R-Cubed, I don't think it will happen. McCain has earned respect from all over AZ (misplaced though I may think that respect may be, it does exist) while Hayworth doesn't have any respect from anybody outside of his own nativist wing of the Republican Party.

That demographic fits a slot on radio, not in the senior chamber of Congress.

On the other hand, if Hayworth does go for it, maybe we can talk Harry Mitchell into running for the Senate seat.

Just for the sheer joy of watching JD's head explode at the mere possiblity of losing to Mitchell yet again. :)

For the record, I don't think Mitchell would be even remotely interested in a Senate run, even if Hayworth does run. For that matter, if it looks like a pure ideologue such as Hayworth will end up as the Rep nominee, Democrats from all over AZ will be elbowing each other hard for a shot at the seat.

...And from the "can we root for both of them to lose" department...

From AP -

WASHINGTON (AP) — Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison on Thursday took the first step toward a run for governor, setting the stage for a contentious challenge in 2010 against fellow Republican Rick Perry, the longest-serving leader in state history.

Let's see...Rick Perry is best known for his perfectly-coiffed hair (Molly Ivins nicknamed him "Governor Goodhair") and Hutchinson is best known as a Bush cheerleader of Kyl-esque proportions.

Maybe Kinky Friedman can run again. He's not perfect, but he's more interesting than either of those two.

Later!

False reporting - maybe the Reps hold training sessions on it or something

First Don Stapley's indictment was announced yesterday, and now this.

From The Hill -

Nevada Republicans suffered a serious blow Wednesday when their first announced challenger to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was indicted on four counts of misappropriation and falsification of public records.

The charges, handed down by a Clark County grand jury, accuse Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki of committing the crimes when he he was state treasurer. Krolicki's then-chief of staff, Kathryn Besser, was also indicted in the case.

Desert Beacon's take on the indictment here; Las Vegas Gleaner has a pithy report here.

Congratulations to the new leadership team in LD8

On Tuesday evening, the torch of leadership of north Scottsdale's (and Fountain Hills') Democrats was passed from outgoing chair (but she's still going to be *very* active) Margaret Hogan to new chair (and current vice-chair) Laura Copple.

The meeting started with Margaret Hogan thanking a number of people for their efforts during this year's campaign. She also took a moment to reminisce about Joel Sinclaire, the candidate for county supervisor who passed away suddenly.

After that, and before she chair the part of the meeting where her successor was elected, she received a standing ovation from the assembled PCs in gratitude for her years of hard work and leadership (she also got a kick-ass cake, but don't tell Doug Mings, the outgoing chair of D17 chair. He'll get jealous. :)) ).

By the time the meeting ended, the LD 8 Democrats had elected Laura Copple as Chair, Chris Brown and Stephanie Rimmer as 1st and 2nd Vice Chairs, respectively, Jeff Jameson as Secretary, and Eddie Lopez as Treasurer.

They also elected 15 representatives to the Democratic State Committee, but I couldn't take notes fast enough to get all of the names down. :)

Again, thanks go out to the outgoing officers - Margaret Hogan, Jerry Gettinger, Tim Ackley, and Susan Fletcher - and congratulations go out the incoming officers.

Have a good night...

Republican County Supervisor Don Stapley Indicted...

...on 118 counts of perjury, forgery, and a variety of financial disclosure violations.

From the AZ Republic -

Maricopa County Supervisor Don Stapley has been indicted on 118 counts of failure to disclose to the public his involvement in a wide variety of land deals, business associations and business assets. The felonies and misdemeanors span more than a decade and involve at least one convicted felon.

The indictment was returned Nov. 20.

A Maricopa County grand jury accused Stapley of perjury, forgery, false swearing and filing an incomplete or false financial disclosure statement for offenses between 1994 and 2008.

As is the norm in such things, Stapley has proclaimed that he is innocent of all charges and that he is "shocked and disappointed" about the indictment.

So...should I post a poll on how many readers think that Republican County Attorney Andrew Thomas delayed the investigation's culmination until after the election so that if Stapley has to leave office, the other supes get to appoint another Republican in his place? Or that he will tank the case now that it has been brought forward?

Or should the poll just be on whether I have too much cynicism, not enough cynicism, or just the right amount?

Oh, and the really disappointing part of all this? I was scooped by the Republican blog Sonoran Alliance on this one.

That's what I get for not being leashed to my computer. :))

AZFamily.com has a press release about the indictment from the Maricopa County Attorney's office here.

More updates as they become available...

D17's Rep. Ed Ableser quoted in the Washington Post

Too bad it was about some sad news.

From the WaPo article about possible replacements from New York for Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate (and, obviously, ramifications of Obama's other cabinet appointments in other states) -

In Arizona, Gov. Janet Napolitano, nominee for secretary of homeland security, will be replaced by Secretary of State Jan Brewer (R). Arizona has no lieutenant governor.

Arizona state Rep. Ed Ableser (D) said losing a Democratic governor to a Republican one will change politics considerably, given the overwhelmingly GOP legislature. He compared it to a hockey team losing its goalie.

"It's somewhat frustrating that we're already hearing talk about cutting education, health care and vital programs to the needy," Ableser said. "It's sad knowing Governor Napolitano won't be there to help us with these fights."

Later!

Scottsdale TCE update - permit renewal? for General Dynamics

Earlier today, I took a walk near my home in south Scottsdale. During that walk, I happened to pass by a post with an 8 1/2 by 11 piece of paper attached to it. Curious, I approached it.

Turns out it was a public notice of a permit/permit renewal (it's not really made clear in the notice) for the emission of "Volatile Organic Compounds, Products of Combustion" at the General Dynamics facility at 8201 E. McDowell Rd. in Scottsdale (south side of McDowell between Hayden and Granite Reef).

TCE is a 'Volatile Organic Compound' and in fact, TCE contamination in the groundwater of south Scottsdale emanating from the GD (formerly Motorola) site is the main reason the that North Indian Bend Superfund site exists.

This notice is not an exact copy of the one posted, but the information is basically the same.

The notice calls for public comment due within 30 days of the first day of publication of the notice, which is either November 6th (the date at the top of the linked notice) or November 12th (listed as the "Public Notice Start Date").

I don't have enough information at this time to support or oppose the permit/permit renewal, so I'll contact the Maricopa County Air Quality Department tomorrow to gather more info.

However, what I found interesting was the apparent attempt to low-profile this - not only was the so-called "public posting" almost inconspicuous (I've driven by that spot dozens of times over the past few weeks and never seen the notice), the legal notice of this permit process was published in two outlets that most people in the affected area don't read, The Record Reporter (page 26 here) and the Arizona Business Gazette (couldn't locate the notice in their online archive). In addition, I haven't seen any neighborhood outreach (door hangers, etc.) from the applicant (General Dynamics) or the County on this matter.

In addition to contacting the County tomorrow and doing some research on whether or not other, more locally-oriented, community activists were aware of the permit, I'll upload some pics of the posted public notice that so piqued my interest.

This may be much ado about nothing, but one would think that in an area that is already a Superfund site, both the County and GD would show a little more concern for keeping the residents in the area more "in the loop" instead of trying to sneak this past people while they are preoccupied with the aftermath of the November elections and preparations for the holiday season.

After all, it's only been a year since the contentious meeting of the NIBW's Community Involvement Group when attendees were informed of a failure at one of the treatment facilities (which upset people) and that Arizona American Water took a month to start telling people about it (which really pissed off people).

More tomorrow...

Edit on 12/2 to add pics...

The pic at the top of the post is a close up of the public notice. Click on it to make it readable.

These pics illustrate why I thought the notice was almost totally inconspicuous.

From a few feet away at normal magnification, this is the notice at the SE corner of McDowell and 82nd Pl. in Scottsdale.

The above pic was taken at 4X mag, from the SW corner of the intersection.

This pic is of a City of Scottsdale public notice situation on the NW corner of the same intersection, taken from the SW corner at 4X magnification.

After speaking to a couple of people at the Maricopa County Air Quality Department, it seems that the posting of the public notice of the permit renewal/revision is well within the rules.

Legal, but borderline useless.

Also according to those same folks, the requested revisions to the permit are minor, and based on what was described to me over the phone, they are minor. However, I will probably be in downtown Phoenix on Wednesday, and if I have time, I'll stop by their office and look at the actual docs. I'll have to if I want a look - the docs aren't online. :((

More tomorrow!

End edit...

Governor Napolitano's message on her appointment to Obama's cabinet

Courtesy an email -

Monday, December 1, 2008

Dear Friends,

Today, I have accepted President-elect Barack Obama’s offer to join his administration as the Secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security. I am humbled by the invitation, and proud to accept it, but it was by no means an easy decision.

Over the past six years, together, we have accomplished a great deal in Arizona. We moved our state in a new direction, strengthening our schools with voluntary full-day kindergarten, higher teacher pay and higher standards for our students. We expanded access to children’s health insurance and saved Arizonans millions of dollars with one of the largest free prescription drug discount programs in the country. And we’re rebuilding Arizona’s economy with a focus on high-wage, high-tech jobs of the future.

Yet, I believe that when called upon to serve in a new way – particularly at such a critical time in the history of our country – it is my duty as a citizen to step forward and say, “Yes.”

Arizona also faces a time of challenge, and I intend to carry forward with my most important responsibilities as the leader of this state. In just a few weeks, I will deliver my State of the State address, and shortly thereafter, I will present to the Arizona Legislature a balanced budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2010.

In the weeks that follow, upon my confirmation as Secretary by the U.S. Senate, I will tender my resignation as Governor of Arizona. Secretary of State Jan Brewer will then take over. In the meantime, specific members of my staff will be designated to oversee the Arizona transition, to ensure that power and responsibility are transferred seamlessly.

So, while our work here at the Governor’s office is not over, I want to take this opportunity to say, “thank you.” You entrusted me to run this state to the best of my ability, and I have tried with all my being to do so. I will continue to work toward what is best for Arizona and Arizonans, but from a different place and with a different charge.

In my first inaugural speech, I said, “Our strength lies in our diversity and it lies in our heritage. And we must draw on both of these gifts in the days ahead.” Those words are still true and still useful today. We will face change together, and continue to stand together as “One Arizona.”

Yours very truly,

Janet Napolitano
Governor

Tedski at R-Cubed has a couple of takes on today's developments here and here; legislator-elect Daniel Patterson has his take here.

The Republican blogosphere is, in a word, *giddy* about today's announcement - Sonoran Alliance here, Mesa Issues here.

Later...

Hilllary Clinton: Expected to fail as Secretary of State...

...not because she is unqualified or even simply a bad person, but because of something totally out of her control.

Rush Limbaugh likes her selection as USSOS.

From Newsweek -

Rush Limbaugh has seldom been a fan of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. But the conservative radio pundit has given his blessing to her selection as the next secretary of state.

He calls it "a brilliant stroke" by President-elect Barack Obama, who opposed Clinton for the Democratic nomination.

Rush Limbaugh applauding an appointment/nomination by a Democratic president is like me applauding a free agent signing by the New York Yankees.

As a lifelong Red Sox fan, I only applaud moves by the Yankees that I thnk make them weaker. Something tells me that Limbaugh has a similar (or harsher!) attitude toward Democrats.

Later!

Individual privacy rights get another hearing...

Earlier this week, the Arizona Court of Appeals reinstated a lawsuit initiated by the Havasupai Tribe over some blood samples that had been misused by scientific researchers. The samples had been gathered under the guise of diabetes research, but were later used for a variety of other purposes, and used without the permission of the donors or the tribe.

Much of the impetus for the tribe's lawsuit stemmed from the fact that some of the additional research ran counter to the tribe's cultural beliefs, which doesn't generate a lot of sympathy from people who aren't members of the tribe, many of whom may see it as a "backward" tribe standing in the way of scientific progress.

However, everybody should pay attention to this case - it goes straight to medical privacy rights and the right to control what happens when we allow access to our bodies and medical histories.

These researchers specifically told the tribe members that the blood samples in question would be used from only one purpose, even though evidence suggests that the researchers knew all along that the samples were intended for other purposes.

From the AZ Republic's coverage (emphasis mine) -

According to court records, in 1989, tribal leaders asked ASU anthropologist John Martin to initiate a study into the prevalence of diabetes among tribal members. Martin enlisted ASU geneticist Therese Markow.

Markow was interested in schizophrenia and she obtained a grant to study it among the Havasupai, even though, according to court records, Martin told her the tribe would not approve. She pursued the study anyway, courts records show.

Between 1990 and 1992, more than 200 blood samples were drawn. An assistant to Markow actually slept in the Supai medical clinic while gathering the samples. At night, he clandestinely examined the clinic's records, looking for reports of schizophrenia among tribe members, according to court records.

In some instances, there might be an overriding public interest (emergencies, etc.) that allows for medical information gathered for one purpose to be used for another without the explicit permission of the patient(s) involved. However, scientific research is *not* an emergency situation, and the behavior of the researchers in this case (as illustrated above) proves that they lied in order to gain access to private information that they would not otherwise have received permission to access.

I have a lot of respect for scientific research, but am not a fan of the sort of deliberate deception masked as "scientific inquiry" exhibited in this case.

In this case, because of the researchers' obviously planned lies ("deception aforethought"??), the tribe (and through them, all of us) should prevail in the lawsuit.

A loss here would only engender further erosion of individual privacy rights, and that is something that is *not* in the public interest.

Note: basic case information from the lawsuits are available at the links - Coconino County court here; Maricopa County court here.

Later!

Memorial Service for Joel Sinclaire

Info courtesy an email from Jeanne Lunn, forwarding info from Joel's family -

















As most of you have heard, our dear friend Joel Sinclaire passed away in his home on November 23, 2008.

In addition to being a true professional and first-class business mind, Joel was a ceaseless advocate for positive change. While he was those things and more, he would always say his most important role was that of husband, son, and friend.

His memory lives on with his wife Doreen, his mother Claire Sisenwein, his brother Adam Sisenwein, and with the countless friends who were touched by his good humor and sharp mind.

Memorial services are to be held Sunday, November 30, 2008 at 2 P.M. at the Mt. Sinai Jewish Cemetery located at 24210 N. 68th St., Phoenix, AZ 85054

A notice of the Memorial Services can be found by clicking here.

Please consider making a donation to one of the following charities in
remembrance of Joel:

Toys for Tots

Jewish National Fund

Sierra Club

Directions to Mt. Sinai -

24210 North 68th Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85054
(480) 585-6060

Mt. Sinai is located just north of Pinnacle Peak Road, two miles east of Tatum Boulevard and half a mile west of Scottsdale Road.

From the west:
Take I-17 or the 51 to the 101 and head east. Take the Tatum exit and turn north on Tatum. Make a right onto Pinnacle Peak Road, headed east. Go 2 miles, just past the power station on the left, to 68th Street. Make a left onto 68th Street and proceed north to Mt. Sinai.

From the east:
Take Scottsdale Road to Pinnacle Peak Road. Make a left onto Pinnacle Peak, going west. Proceed a half mile to 68th Street, and make a right. Go north to Mt. Sinai.

From the south:
Take the 101 North to Scottsdale Road. Turn north on Scottsdale Road to Pinnacle Peak Road. Make a left onto Pinnacle Peak, going West. Proceed a half mile to 68th Street, and make a right. Go north to Mt. Sinai.

America's priorities suck

From AP -

Wal-Mart worker dies after shoppers knock him down

A worker died after being trampled by a throng of unruly shoppers when a suburban Wal-Mart opened for the holiday sales rush Friday, authorities said.

At least three other people were injured.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., in Bentonville, Ark., would not confirm the reports of a stampede but said a "medical emergency" had caused the company to close the store, which is in Valley Stream on Long Island.

One of the other people injured in the melee was a pregnant woman who has apparently had a miscarriage.

Ending lives in order to save a few dollars? That's where we are now?

Good freakin' God...

Goldwater Institute Lauds Burton-Cahill, Ableser, and Schapira*

* OK, not really. :))

The anti-government "think tank" has issued its report card for the 2008 session of the Arizona Legislature, and all three of D17's legislators earned grades of "F."

With a final grade of 31 (F), Senator Meg Burton-Cahill tied for the lowest grade in the State Senate with Senators Debbie McCune-Davis and Rebecca Rios.

Over in the House, State Representatives Ed Ableser and David Schapira slacked off the pace set by their colleague in the Senate and earned a grade of only 36. Still an "F" by Goldwater Institute standards, but one that leaves room for improvement.

On that note, two of the highest..errr..."lowest" scoring legislators, Theresa Ullmer and Tom Prezelski, are not returning to the lege next year, so there will be an opportunity for the D17 contingent to move up down in the Institute's rankings. :)

And before you ask about the title of this post, any time an anti-government group such as the Goldwater Institute doesn't like certain elected representatives, it probably just means that those representatives are doing the jobs that they were hired to do.

Later!