Arizona's public schools are leading the way...in the race to the bottom

Earlier this week, the magazine Consumer Affairs published a study that ranked public education systems in each state, and Arizona came in dead last.

From AZFamily, written by staff and Sarah Robinson, dated 9/16 -

Report ranks Arizona worst in nation for public education

A new analysis claims that Arizona ranks the worst in the nation for public education, citing examples like average ACT scores, graduation rates, overall funding and higher education quality.

ConsumerAffairs, a consumer research firm and customer review platform, analyzed data from all 50 states and found that the Grand Canyon State falls short of delivering quality education.

Tom Horne, Arizona's Superintendent of Public Instruction, pooh-poohed the results.

From the same story -

“We are last in the country, I think, in our funding per pupil,” Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said.

[snip]

Arizona also has the fifth-lowest high school graduation rate.

Horne questioned the use of graduation rates as a key metric.

“You can increase your graduation rate just by lowering your standards. And you would be graduating kids who can’t read,” he said.

[snip]

“I don’t think this is an accurate study. I think some of the aspects are,” he said

From the study-

Of course, the low ranking for public ed didn't stop Horne from running ads that shamelessly tout school vouchers to take funding from public schools and give it to private schools.

Your tax money at work: Charter schools discriminate against English Language Learners

From AZFamily, written by David Baker -

Legacy Schools in Arizona discriminated against English learners

Changes are coming to 22 charter schools in Arizona after federal investigators say the network of schools discriminated against students who didn’t speak English.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced on Friday it has reached a deal with Legacy Traditional Schools after finding the violations.

Officials say the schools didn’t offer equitable learning opportunities to English language learners, failed to have qualified teachers and didn’t track their progress.

Legacy Traditional also didn’t tell parents about programs and activities in a language they could understand.

Some non-English speaking students were also given instruction in the cafeteria instead of the classroom

Republican Congressman Juan Ciscomani has even praiseed one of their locations.

Wonder if his opinion of Legacy will change because of USDOJ's announcement?

Legacy Schools hides behind a byzantine collection of LLCs (and I haven't unraveled them all), but one thing is obvious - Aaron Hale, touted by Legacy Traditional as the founder of Legacy Traditional, is still involved with them 

According to the letter from USDOJ to Legacy, contained in the article, Legacy schools are managed managed by Vertex Education.

Hale owns Vertex.

From a filing with the Arizona Corporation Commission -

Hale regularly gives money to Republican candidates (and wannabes) -

David Schweikert -

Kyrsten Sinema -

Karrin Taylor Robson -

There are others, but readers get the point.  It certainly appears the Hale has received a positive return on his investment.

Still looking for ties between Vertex, Legacy, et. al., and Tom Horne, a noted bigot.  He hates English Language Learners and may approve of what Legacy did while despising the the feds caught them at it.

Well, there is one area where Tucson outranks Phoenix

In early July, WalletHub published a study ranking America's most- and least-educated Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in 2024.  MSAs are federally-designated urban areas with a city at the center of it ("center" is NOT a geographic term).  The study only included the top 150 MSAs,  and in Arizona, only Phoenix and Tucson were ranked.

In a development that probably isn't a surprise to any who live here, AZ didn't do too well in the survey.

From the survey -

There are other MSAs in AZ, and I'm going to speculate on where they'd rank, with "above Tucson" or "below Phoenix" designation (as none of the other MSAs are in the top 150, the study didn't rank them, so this is just speculation on my part and may be incorrect).

The list of other MSAs in AZ, from the Eller College of Management at U of A -

• Flagstaff MSA (Coconino Co.) - probably higher than Phoenix, may be higher than Tucson.  Having NAU in the MSA doesn't hurt.

• Lake Havasu City-Kingman MSA (Mohave Co.) - lower than Phoenix.  There's nothing there other than dust.

• Prescott Valley-Prescott MSA (Yavapai Co.) - lower than Phoenix, but may be the highest ranked of the other MSAs (with the exception of Flagstaff), benefitting from the number of Phoenix residents who have moved there.

• Sierra-Vista MSA (Cochise Co.) - lower than Phoenix, but its ranking may benefit from its proximity to Tucson.

• Yuma MSA (Yuma Co.) - lower than Phoenix. possibly the lowest in AZ.  Yuma County is primarily agricultural and has the highest unemployment rate in AZ.

Bet that Tom Horne and the Republican caucus in the legislature think that the rankings of Phoenix and Tucson are too high and wish to reduce them, while Kate Gallego and Regina Romero, the mayors of Phoenix and Tucson, respectively, believe that the existing rankings should be increased upon.

Short attention span musing

...Could someone please tell the Harris campaign to stay off the "send" button?  If they've got energy to burn, knock on a few doors, instead.

In the last three days, I've received 41 emails from one or another arms of the Harris campaign, which is about 35 more than necessary.

...Speaking of the Harris campaign, she's selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.

Two things:

1. Do I believe he'll be great VP?  Yes, unequivocally.

2. When I hear the name "Walz", I think of former NHL center "Wes Walz".  Wes is unrelated to Tim (as far as I can tell), but while Tim is the governor of Minnesota, Wes played for the Minnesota Wild.

It turns out that while Tim is from Nebraska, Wes is from Canada.  While, as a a Canadian, Wes can't be POTUS and probably shouldn't be in the line of succession to the presidency, this all made me think.

Wes Walz, or another former hockey player, should take a newly-created high sub-cabinet position with the state department in a Harris Administration.

Undersecretary of Hip Checks. :)

I expect that certain international negotiations will go very smoothly.

Of course, if Cheeto wins, the newly-created position would be "Undersecretary of Kissing Vlad's butt."

...Arizona has returned $29 million to the feds.  The funds were intended to aid underperforming schools but it was never used.so it had to be returned.  The current Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Horne, may have worked against the best interests of public schools and lost the money, but he attempted to blame his predecessor, Kathy Hoffman, for his own malfeasance in office.  Hoffman and others would have none of it.

From the linked story (italics from the story) -

[snip]

{From an emailed statement from Hoffman}“Tom Horne has had nearly two years of responsibility over the federal funds and this is his mistake to resolve. There were no issues with the school improvement grants during my administration. Schools should not have suddenly found out they had $29 million cut from their budgets just as the new school year is starting. My office prioritized transparent and frequent communication with our school leaders. Tom Horne does not seem to have continued that policy.”

[snip]

However, both the Arizona Education Association, the state’s largest teacher’s union, as well as the Arizona School Administrators Association say they’ve heard that communication has been lacking from Horne’s office.

“The fact that the superintendent wants to blame the former superintendent for what happened, it doesn't matter. The situation is what it is, and he should be doing everything he can to fix this and take accountability for it,” AEA President Marisol Garcia said. “This is a position where we elect people to lead us and it doesn't matter how it happened. We now have to deal with it.”

Governor Katie Hobbs also chimed in with a press release excoriating Horne.

Tom Horne: Something reeks

And I'm not talking about his personal hygiene.

From KPNX, written by Joe Dana

She ran Phoenix’s largest special needs clinic. Now she’s criminally indicted.

A high-profile Phoenix business owner who once ran the state’s largest children’s special needs therapy clinic is charged with stealing nearly $3 million in COVID small business relief funds.

A grand jury indicted Bridget O’Brien in August of 2023 on 17 counts of fraud and theft, though 12News just learned of the charges this week. O’Brien has pleaded not guilty and is due for a status conference in court next month.

[snip]

An attorney representing a civil plaintiff accused O’Brien of lying to a judge about having Cancer. Though O’Brien never showed actual medical proof of cancer treatment, a bankruptcy judge who oversaw the case ruled in O’Brien’s favor. In that case, O’Brien’s attorney was former Attorney General Tom Horne. Horne is now the state superintendent. He is also a longtime acquaintance of O’Brien. An email from Horne to 12News states he met O’Brien because her mother worked for him in the Attorney General’s Office.

Horne is still protecting her, though, even though the bankruptcy case seems to be over (confirming that requires a PACER login, and since those cost money, one is not in the blogging budget).

From the story -

 “Authorized ATP Tutoring Providers.” That means the company is eligible to receive more public funds.

12News asked Horne on Thursday whether he believes O’Brien should be disqualified as an authorized vendor, given her history of alleged Medicaid fraud, nonpayment of contractors, dog-napping, and alleged SBA loan fraud.

“Ms. O’Brien is entitled to her day in court,” Horne said in a written statement.

She, and her companies, has been sued multiple times for failure to pay employees and contractors, and, at least once, by a former business partner (Maricopa County Superior Court system case number CV2011-053078)

Yet Horne is insistent about keeping her on the public pad.

From the Arizona Department Education's list of authorized tutoring providers -

Someone named "Bridget O'Brien" has made lucrative donations to Horne in his quests to be Superintendent of Public Instruction and Attorney General.  From a report filed with the AZSOS -

Even though she reports her occupation as "housewife", the PO Box address matches up with the PO Box on one of her corporate entities, Jazi Kat LLC.

Speaking of corporate entities, the entity on ADE's website, Kiids A Therapy, has had 11 statutory agents during its existence.

Not a crime in and of itself, but a definite red flag.

Filed under "Things that make you go 'hmmmm.' "

Short Attention Span Musing

The "what you get when you put crooks in charge" edition.

...Maybe they can put it next to Ben Carson's $31K dining table.

From AP via Yahoo! -

Scrutiny of Arkansas governor's $19,000 lectern deepens after new records are released

New public records have widened questions over when Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' office planned to use Republican Party funds to reimburse the state for a $19,000 lectern, which was bought in June using a government credit card.

The Arkansas GOP paid for the lectern in September, but the words “to be reimbursed” were only added later to the original invoice, records released this week show. The undated reimbursement note adds to weeks of scrutiny over the purchase, which has dominated political talk in Arkansas.

...If only the oft-charged Ken Paxton had a sense of irony.

From the Texas Tribune -

Ken Paxton to file criminal complaints against Texas House impeachment managers

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Monday he plans to file criminal complaints against the group of state representatives who led the impeachment against him for releasing his personal information.

“The impeachment managers clearly have a desire to threaten me with harm when they released this information last week,” he said in a statement. “I'm imploring their local prosecutors in each individual district to investigate the criminal offenses that have been committed.”

The 12 House representatives being targeted by Paxton led the impeachment trial in the Senate after the House overwhelmingly voted to impeach Paxton in May. Last month the Senate acquitted Paxton of 16 articles of impeachment that alleged corruption and bribery.

...Should we all pitch in to buy Steve Scalise a hair shirt?

From CNN -

Steve Scalise picked as GOP speaker nominee, but struggles to lock down votes to win the gavel

House Republicans picked Rep. Steve Scalise as their nominee for speaker on Wednesday, but the Louisiana Republican lacks the votes needed to win the gavel and it remains unclear whether he will be able to win over holdouts.

Republicans are now worried that Scalise is facing grim prospects of becoming speaker as he confronts opposition within the ranks, a situation that threatens to prolong the GOP’s leadership crisis following Kevin McCarthy’s historic ouster.

Do I believe that Scalise is a better human being than Gym Jordan?  Yes.  If only because he hasn't enabled and protected a sexual predator.

To the best of my knowledge, anyway.

On the other hand, he's still a lousy human being.

...Speaking of lousy human beings...

Does ignoring part of your job and actively working against the interests of your employers count as a voluntary resignation?

In his ads touting school vouchers to siphon money from public schools to private pockets., Arizona's Tom Horne refers to himself as the state's "superintendent of schools."  [edited] Actually, he campaigned for and won the office of "superintendent of public instruction".

Yes, I believe that elected office is a job like any other.

[Note - edited on 10/12 - I heard the spot again.  He said "schools", not "education", as I originally wrote.  Of course, "public" is still not part of his mindset.

The original text - 

]

Tom Horne has a bit of a credibility problem

AZ's Superintendent of Public Instruction been running TV and radio ads touting ESAs (Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, better known as school vouchers).  In them, he claims that AZ's education system is "excellent" but may not work for everyone, which he wants them to siphon funds away from public schools by using ESAs.

Some other folks may disagree with his use of "excellent" to describe AZ's public education system.

From US News and World Report -

From WalletHub -

From The Hill -

From Intelligent.com -

From the National Education Association is a .pdf that doesn't seem to provide an overall ranking for AZ, but most of the categories that AZ is ranked highly in are raw number categories where the number is based on size -

From BusinessInsider -

One group *does* agree with Horne and rates AZ's public education system highly.  Of course, the pro-corporate organization American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), like Horne, has credibility issues where societal concerns are involved.

I realize that members of a certain caucus in the Arizona legislature aren't going to ask me for advice, particularly where their bad behavior (willfully ignoring the stated will of the voters and supporting the expansion of the grift ESA program) is concerned, but if they ever do, I would advise them to hire defense attorneys and instruct them to make the best deal possible.

And then I would suggest that those lawyers advise their clients to cooperate their asses off.

Hope David Schweikert (R-Ethics Issues) isn't claustrophobic

'Cuz the field to unseat him is a crowded one.

There's a new entrant on the Democratic side of race - 

Ireland-born Wall Street guy Conor O'Callaghan.  Long-time Democratic activist Jeanne Lunn will serve as his committee's treasurer.

As of right now, Democrats O'Callaghan, Kurt Kroemer, Marlene Galan-Woods, Andrei Cherny, Amish Shah, and Andrew Horne are running for Schweikert's seat and I expect that they won't be the only entrants in the Democratic primary.

A list of statements of interest filed with the Arizona Secretary of State is here.

Plus, I expect that Schweikert will be challenged in the primary, from his party's right wing.

While, like most R electeds, he has ethics "issues," he doesn't seem to be quite as bigoted as fellow R Paul Gosar.

Caveat1 - This is my district now, but I have *not* decided who to vote for, and I won't make that decision until I have a ballot in hand.

Caveat2 - Forming a committee or filing a statement is no guarantee that someone will be on a ballot, nor is such required before being on a ballot.

Tom Horne should NOT withdraw from the AG's race

Tom Horne, Arizona's Attorney General, is a transcendentally unethical man -

- Before becoming a lawyer, the SEC permanently banned Horne from securities trading for many reasons, not least of which was fraud

- Failed to report a bankruptcy when required

- After becoming AZAG, hired an alleged girlfriend to a taxpayer-funded position for which she was considered, ummm..."underqualified"

- During his campaign for AZAG in 2010, allegedly violated campaign finance laws by coordinating activities with an independent PAC; he denied wrongdoing, but after becoming AZAG, he hired the head of the PAC to a taxpayer-funded job with his office (the case is still ongoing)

- Committed a hit-and-run accident while leaving an alleged nooner at his alleged girlfriend's home.  We know this because the FBI had him under surveillance at the time as part of the investigation into his alleged campaign violations

- Per a complaint, and a lawsuit, from a now-former staffer, has required employees of the AG's office to work on his reelection campaign while on state time


In short, he's the most ethically-challenged attorney general in Arizona's history (so far as I can find).


In 2010, I thought that Democratic nominee Felecia Rotellini was far more qualified for the job, and Horne has done absolutely nothing in the years since to alter that opinion.

IMO, he wasn't qualified for the job to begin with, should have resigned when his bad behavior brought disgrace to the office, and shouldn't have sought reelection even if he adamantly refused to resign.


Now, some big-name Republicans are on board with the "should not run for reelection" part.

- Congressman Matt Salmon personally asked Horne to drop his reelection bid.

- US Senator Jeff Flake has publicly called on Horne to withdraw from the race.

- Even former state legislator Frank "Don't Make Me Mad" Antenori, not exactly the epitome of professionalism when he was in office, is calling on Horne to step aside -

Of course, these Rs (and others) aren't bothered by cheating to win an office, or by the misuse and corruption of the office once in it.

Nope, their problem with Horne is that they believe that if he wins the Republican nomination, he probably will lose to Felecia Rotellini in the general election.

In that regard they are correct, of course. 

In 2010, a horrible year for Democratic candidates, no matter how well-qualified, Rotellini stood out.

Intelligent, accomplished, dedicated, and with a long and documented history of public service; more than one voter, including some Republicans, told me that while they voted for Horne in the end, Rotellini thoroughly impressed them.

In spite of the Republican tidal wave in 2010, Rotellini nearly defeated Horne, and 2014 isn't shaping up to be a "wave" year, for either major party.

Now, my first response when the big-name Rs started calling for Horne to step aside "Finally!  Even the Rs have had enough of Tom Horne!".

Then I started thinking about it.

People like Flake, Salmon, and Antenori are always wrong on any significant issue.

The facts that they are always wrong and yet agree with me suggest that perhaps I should reevaluate my position.

So I have.

Horne should NOT withdraw from the race, but his opponent in the Republican primary, Mark Brnovich, should.

The reasons for this are simple.

1.  Horne has thoroughly "poisoned the waters" in the race for Republican candidates.  While he has rendered himself all but un-reelectable, his presence casts a deep shadow over any other R who might win the nomination.  While another R will have a better chance of defeating Rotellini, he/she will still face some major electoral headwinds.

2.  If Brnovich stays in the race and loses the general election, or worse, the primary, he will be seen as "damaged goods".  If he withdraws now, he can come back in 2018 as a stronger candidate

The reality in AZ politics is that a Democrat can lose a significant race and come back stronger (witness: Rotellini).

A Republican?  Not so much (witness: JD Hayworth).

Just a few thoughts...

AZ AG Tom Horne declares that AZ voters will be subject to a 21st Century version of "Separate But Equal"

One of the darkest parts, if not *the* darkest part, of US history, was the enslavement of Africans here from the inception of the country (during the colonial period) through the end of the Civil war (mid to late 19th Century).

One can argue about choosing the next darkest part (the genocide of Native Americans could go here), but any credible short list must include the post-slavery period that lasted from the end of the Civil War until the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

That era was defined by the doctrine of "separate but equal".  That doctrine so institutionalized discrimination against African Americans that, in practical terms, they were "free" without having the freedom to fully participate in, and benefit from, society.

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne is doing his best "Back to the Future" move, trying to bring the "good ol' boy" days back to Arizona.

From the Arizona Republic, written by Mary Jo Pitzl -

Arizona will have a two-track voting system for the 2014 election, under a new state policy underpinned by an opinion from the state attorney general.

Arizonans who registered to vote using a federal form will only be allowed to vote in federal races next year. People who registered to vote using Arizona’s state form — which requires proof of citizenship — will be able to vote as usual, casting ballots in everything from local races to state contests to congressional races.

Attorney General Tom Horne’s opinion comes in the wake of a June U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down part of state voter-approved law that required proof of U.S. citizenship as a pre-condition to voting.

In his official opinion (available at the link contained in the quoted text), he also declares that voters who register with the federal form aren't allowed to sign petitions, either. 

Countdown to the next lawsuit that Arizona will lose (and Arizona's taxpayers will pay for) in 3...2...1...

The 2014 Republican Dream Team is assembling...

...well, "Dream" by my standards; probably not so much by the GOP's...

The Republican fields for the various statewide offices that are up for election next year are becoming clearer, to the point that in many of the races, there are favorites.

As in, candidates who people who are not Republicans hope emerge victorious in the Republican primary.

Under the theory that many of candidates have weaknesses that are so overwhelming that they should be easy to defeat in the general election.


...The team "Cap'n" of the Dream Team is, of course, candidate for governor "Atomic" Al Melvin.

Currently a state senator, he's part of the "Bay at the Moon" caucus at the state lege.  In fact he's one of the leaders.

When he isn't trying to turn Arizona into a nuclear waste dump or pushing to expand slave prison labor here, he is spouting off, like with his recent assertion that trees cause drought conditions.

He's looking to pull off the same play that the notorious Ev Mecham pulled off more than a quarter century ago.  If he does gain the office, he has the potential to embarrass and even damage the state even more than Mecham.  However, his presence at the top of the ticket will serve as an anchor on the rest of the ticket.


...The Dream Team's candidate for Cap'n in Waiting, aka "Secretary of State", is State Senator Michele Reagan.  She's nowhere near as colorful as Melvin.  Never a true "moderate", she was known as someone who would do the right thing for her district and state.  However, her political hard right turn over the last few years, perhaps in preparation for a statewide run, has her firmly ensconced in the heart (such as it is) of the Republican establishment.  Even though she is running for Secretary of State, the state's chief elections officer, she pushed nearly every anti-voter bill that was heard by the Arizona legislature this year.  The provisions of most of those bills were rolled into the blanket non-Republican voter suppression package known as HB2305.

However, none of the above is the reason she is on this list.

Nope.  It's simple statistics.

Over the past 20 years, literally dozens of sitting Republican legislators have sought higher office* while still in the lege.  Two have succeeded - Matt Salmon ran for Congress in 1994 and John Huppenthal ran for State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2010.

And Salmon did it during a period that held the legislature in somewhat higher esteem than it is now.

To be sure, in AZ, many statewide and federal electeds are former legislators.  However, other than the two exceptions, all had at least one term away from the legislature before gaining the higher office.

* = Federal or statewide office.  County and municipal offices in AZ are steps up in esteem level (or at least reductions in notoriety level), but steps down in influence level.


...The Dream Team's candidate for enforcer, aka "Attorney General", is the incumbent, Tom Horne.

Possibly the weakest candidate of a weak bunch, an almost unheard-of description of an incumbent.

However, any state attorney general with a resume that includes a federal investigation over campaign finance violations, charges stemming from a hit-and-run accident while leaving a nooner at his girlfriend's home, and giving that girlfriend a highly-paid taxpayer-funded job probably should be looking for a new job.

However, Horne is looking for another term as AG.  It will be up to the voters to tell him that it's time to leave.

...The Dream Team's candidate for Mr. Moneybags, aka "State Treasurer", is Randy Pullen, former chair of the AZGOP and treasurer of the Republican National Committee.  On Thursday, he announced his "exploration" of a run for treasurer (source: Channel 12's Brahm Resnik).

A candidate for state treasurer who's known more for his divisiveness and his poor judgement (note: those are three sources that I never even imagined that I'd link to :) ) in handling others' money than for his financial acumen?

That would be a gift...to whoever else is on the ballot for that office.


...The Dream Team's candidate for Minister of Propaganda, aka "Superintendent of Public Instruction", is the incumbent, John Huppenthal.

Hates public education in a state where the vast majority of parents can't afford private schools and he hates Hispanic people in a state where the Hispanic population is growing both in size and political influence.

That combination is more ripe for a political Darwin award than it is for re-election.


...Note: I am not including the office of State Mine Inspector because it is too low-profile.  Most people in AZ don't know the office exists; most that do cannot name the officeholder.  Perhaps at the founding of AZ, it was a necessary position, but these days it just a place for former rural legislators to pad their pensions and a chance to hobknob with mining industry lobbyists.


Predictions: If the Rs were to nominate this slate, I would be very happy...and very surprised.

...Melvin doesn't seem likely to emerge from the primary, but neither did Ev Mecham in 1986.  At least by the standards of the AZGOP,  being "bay at the moon crazy" doesn't disqualify someone from being their candidate.

...Reagan is the "establishment" candidate, in a party that is being wracked by paroxysms of anti-"establishment" fervor.  Probably the favorite, for now, but not a prohibitive one.

...Horne should be toast.  Someone who's even a little more polished should have little trouble dispatching him in the primary.  If no one does, however, Felecia Rotellini, the presumptive Democratic nominee for the job, will thoroughly kick his ass in the general election.  Which is the main reason that Horne will face a primary challenger.

...Pullen may very well win the nomination, but he has so many enemies within the AZGOP that it won't be easy for him.

...Huppenthal, well, many people (me among them), have written his political epitaph before.  And we've been wrong each time.  He is utterly unqualified for elected office or any position of public trust.  Having said that, no smack talk until it's proven that he can be defeated.

AG Tom Horne and AZ state government: Do as we say, not as we do

But at least they're consistent about it - no matter what their angle of attack, they are always looking to protect well-connected and deep-pocketed corporate interests to the detriment of public interests.

Last week, Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne (R-Disbarment waiting to happen) joined a group of red state AGs in a lawsuit against the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Among other things, they are demanding that the EPA release some emails and other documents to them.

From the Chicago Sun-Times, written by Tim Talley (emphasis added) -

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt and the attorneys general of 11 other states sued the Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday demanding that the agency turn over documents the states allege will show a pattern of cooperation and collaboration with environmental organizations.

{snip}

The states’ lawsuit seeks to enforce federal Freedom of Information Act guidelines involving the states’ request for letters, emails and any other correspondence between the EPA and environmental organizations before they sue the agency. The attorney generals want to analyze the documents to determine the nature of EPA’s legal strategy concerning environmental groups.

In one instance, the lawsuit says the states made a FOIA request to EPA in February seeking records about the agency’s negotiations with environmental groups that led to binding consent decrees concerning state implementation plans for the EPA’s regional haze guidelines under the Clean Air Act.

Horne has even taken to bragging about it on the AZAG's official Twitter account -

 Sounds, well, not "good" (at least, not if you like breathing), but at least "straightforward".

Straightforward, that is, until you hear about the story broken by John Dougherty of InvestigativeMEDIA (emphasis added).

From the story - 

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is refusing to release more than a dozen emails with the governor’s office concerning the issuance of the air pollution permit for the proposed Rosemont copper mine.

Most of the withheld emails are between Kevin Kinsall, Gov. Jan Brewer’s policy advisor for natural resources, and Eric Massey, director of the ADEQ’s Air Quality Division. Kinsall and Massey exchanged a dozen emails between last Aug. 1- 8, 2012, during a crucial period when the state took control of Rosemont’s air pollution permit from Pima County.

The ADEQ announced last Aug. 3 that it was asserting authority over the review and issuance of Rosemont Copper Company’s application for the pollution permit for its massive open pit copper mine planned for the Santa Rita Mountains southeast of Tucson. ADEQ stated it was assuming oversight of the permit to “ensure regulatory certainty and enhanced environmental protection.”

So, let me get this straight -

Tom Horne is suing the federal EPA to force the release of emails and other records while (apparently) turning a blind eye to the state's version of the EPA and its non-release of emails and other documents?

How long will it take for this to become the symbol of the Arizona Attorney General's Office?

Pic courtesy http://batman.wikia.com/wiki/Two-Face

Republican strategy for controlling the redistricting process: misinformation, lies, and outright intimidation

Once it became clear that the current edition of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) was actually *independent*, unlike the first version set up after the 2000 census, Arizona Republicans have pulled out all the stops in a desperate attempt to gain control the independent redistricting process.

A good summary of recent events from the NY Times' Marc Lacey is here.

Over the summer, they tried to flood AIRC meetings with "grassroots" tea party types who blustered and shouted and whined and threatened and more in an effort to bully the AIRC into submission.  Just about all that the effort accomplished was to inspire an increased law enforcement presence at the AIRC's meetings and hearings.

As summer turns into fall (though fall in AZ is hotter than the hottest part of summer pretty much anywhere else in the US), the Republicans are turning to less subtle schemes (not that mobs of tea party types are exactly "subtle" ).

This past week, AZ Attorney General, Republican Tom Horne filed a motion in Maricopa County Superior Court to compel the Independent chair and the two Democratic members of the AIRC to cooperate with his "investigation" of the commission.

Horne has touted the testimony of the two Republican members of the commission as the basis of his investigation.

This past week, he made an appearance on PBS' Horizon program and began to make the rounds of Republican clubs and organizations to publicize his part in the attacks on the AIRC.  His move to publicly assail the AIRC seem calculated to both intimidate the AIRC and to bolster his 2014 bid for governor.

Thursday night, Horne "briefed" the LD8 Republicans at their monthly meeting in the auditorium of the Civic Center branch of the Scottsdale Public Library.

Not having met my BS quota for the week even after watching the R presidential debate Wednesday, I decided to attend the meeting.

State Sen. Michele Reagan at the LD8 Republican meeting, September 8, 2011

 Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne at the meeting of the LD8 Republicans, September 8, 2011

Quota met, and not just from Horne.

When Horne wasn't dog whistling for his base (trashing the Tucson school district's ethnic studies program or repeatedly justifying non-enforcement of civil rights laws with "it's not a crime to not speak Spanish!"), he was puffing up himself on the basis of his use of his office to distract and undermine the AIRC.

His talk was basically a rehash of the talking points he spouted on Horizon ("Terry Goddard is trying to intimidate me!"), but state Sen. Michelle Reagan (R-LD8) was a revelation.

She looked her constituents straight in the eye and lied to them about the redistricting process.

She stated that the recently released grid maps were crafted to create competitive districts, when in fact, they were designed solely based on population.

She stated that the AIRC "was out to destroy" LD8 because it is so overwhelmingly Republican, when in fact, I've never heard the AIRC say anything about any current individual district.

She stated that the Democrats were "giddy" and "in cahoots" with the AIRC, when in fact...oh wait - she used the word "cahoots"?  Is Reagan a 21st century elected official, or an extra from a 1940s B Western?

She then used the lies as the foundation of her appeal to the audience.  She wanted them to submit comments to the AIRC in support of protecting "communities of interest."

For some reason, I don't think she is interested in protecting south Phoenix or Guadalupe. :)

Then on Friday, Republican blogger/custom press release writer Greg Patterson put up a post at his blog, Espresso Pundit.  While the post is one that, on the surface, appears to criticize

There aren't many lies of commission in it, but it's loaded with misinformation and lies of omission.

Among the things that he states is that the current districts were drawn by the first incarnation of the AIRC, which is true.

As far as it goes.

What he doesn't say (the "lie of omission" part) is that the first AIRC wasn't truly independent.  The "independent" chair was widely known to be a Republican in everything but registration and one of the Democratic members was there solely to protect then-state senator Jack Brown in the northeastern part of the state.  Once that goal was met, that particular member went along with pretty much anything the Republicans wanted.

There it is - the grand Republican scheme for gaining control of the redistricting process.

The most dangerous part of the scheme is Horne's use of his office for partisan gain.

The thing is, it doesn't just endanger the AIRC or the state.

Tom Horne is basing his "investigation" on the testimony of one of the Republican members of the AIRC who has some serious problems when it comes to telling "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."

Between things like that and his blatant misuse of the office, he could be setting himself up to be the first AG in Arizona history to be disbarred while in office.

One other observation from Thursday's meeting:

Horne boasted about how he promised to "strictly enforce all laws" during his campaign for Attorney General last year and that he has done so. 

However, he made no mention of an investigation into the AIRC application of Rick Stertz, the truth-averse appointee of Senate President Russell Pearce.

In Horne's defense, perhaps what he really meant to promise was to strictly enforce all laws against non-whites, non-rich, and/or non-politically connected Arizonans.

Terry Goddard and Paul Johnson tell Tom Horne: Enough already

Former Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard and former mayor of Phoenix Paul Johnson wrote an op-ed published in Saturday's edition of the Arizona Republic.

In it, they criticize Arizona's current AG, Tom Horne for using his office to bolster the efforts by his fellow Republicans to intimidate the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC).

Some choice quotes from the piece (and you really should read all of it) -

...Attorney General Tom Horne recently announced an investigation of the commission - breaking a longstanding attorney general protocol of never discussing pending investigations before a lawsuit is filed or a grand jury has returned an indictment.

...The power of the Attorney General's Office must not be or appear to be subverted for partisan purposes.


Members of this commission are volunteers who have stepped forward to serve the people of Arizona. They deserve our thanks, not constant attacks. But more important, it was Arizona voters who took redistricting out of the hands of politicians when they approved Prop. 106. Voters went to great lengths to ensure this commission was truly independent, insulated from pressure from politicians who care most about staying in office.

...In all this furor, one thing is certain: If the commission does its job right, neither Republicans nor Democrats are going to be completely happy - exactly what Arizona voters wanted when they passed Prop. 106.

...We call on Attorney General Horne to end his part in the intimidation campaign and allow the commission to focus on the important duties entrusted to it by Arizona voters.

Goddard and Johnson were far more eloquent and tactful than I would be if I was sitting across a table from Horne.

My take, or what I would say to him in such a situation:

Mr. Horne, you are a man who wants to be governor of a state that's ever more purple (note: outside of Maricopa County, Arizona voter registration leans slightly D, and even more importantly, there have been major increases in Independent voter registration levels in all parts of the state) and most residents, even some partisans, are thoroughly disgusted with elected officials brazenly using their offices for personal and partisan gain.

Your bullying tactics may help you in the 2014 Republican gubernatorial primary, but they will hurt your chances of winning the general election, something that is open to *all* voters, not just Republicans.

To sum up - cut the crap, quit worrying about your next job, and just do your current job right.  Doing that will increase your chances at getting that next job.

Later...

BTW - Am I the only one who noticed that the Republic buried the Goddard/Johnson piece on Saturday, perhaps the lowest circulation day of the week?  Could it be they're quietly (quietly for now, anyway) siding with those who are working to undermine the independence of the "Independent" Redistricting Commission?

Interesting pattern to the sounds emanating from the state Attorney General's office

Tom Horne, Arizona's Republican Attorney General (and a likely candidate for governor in 2014) has established a rather interesting pattern when determining what matters are worthy of his office's attention -

- In response to Republican AZ Senate president Russell Pearce creating a "blacklist" barring certain political dissenters from the Capitol, infringing upon the rights of those individuals to express their opinions or even to meet with their own elected representatives - silence.

- In response proposed EPA rules regarding the emission of greenhouse gases, he ordered Arizona's withdrawal from a lawsuit supporting the new rules - “I am passionate about protecting the rights of individual states under the 10th Amendment. And I am equally passionate about limiting government intrusion into the ability of employers to reasonably operate their businesses."

- In response to Republican state senator Scott Bundgaard beating up his girlfriend by the side of a freeway in Phoenix, and using his position in the state senate to block his arrest by the police, instead watching as the now ex-girlfriend is hauled off in handcuffs (she was later released with no charges as more facts came to light) - the sound of crickets chirping.

- In response to public criticism of his own jihad against the ethnic studies program in Tucson - outrage.  He called his critics "thugs."

- In response to the growing evidence that his political ally Russell Pearce was heavily involved in the Fiesta Bowl ticket/gifts to legislators scandal - the sound of snakes slithering across the desert.

- In response to the widening criticisms of his non-investigation into the scandal - feigned outraged, calling the criticisms "partisan" (as if the fact that he is trying to make the scandal go away isn't rooted in partisanship), and passing the buck...errr..."investigation"... to someone else to not investigate the matter.

- In response to Republican John Huppenthal, Arizona's nativist Superintendent of Public Instruction, finding that Tucson's ethnic studies program violates state law in direct contradiction to an independent study commissioned by Huppenthal himself (possibly a violation of ARS 38-423 - no link due to the fact that the lege's website is unavailable for some reason) - nada.

- In response to Republican senator Lori Klein pointing a pistol at Arizona Republic writer Richard Ruelas in the members lounge of the State Senate building - the sound of cacti growing.

Even if Horne (and the rest of us) accept Klein's excuse/story that the incident was Ruelas' fault - she has claimed that she was just harmlessly pointing the weapon at a wall and Ruelas sat in front of her - the Republic article linked above was accompanied by a picture taken by Mark Henle of the Republic.

The pic clearly shows Klein possessing the weapon in a public building, specifically the building housing the Arizona State Senate.  That's a violation of state law, and no self-serving press releases (or combination of winks and nods) change that.

- In response to an elected official hiring an unqualified female "friend" to a highly paid position for which she is apparently utterly unqualified - bupkes.

To be fair to Horne, the elected official in question is Horne himself and the woman is a long-time "associate."  Nobody expects him to investigate himself; when there are questions about the integrity of a high-ranking law enforcement official, it usually falls upon someone further up the law enforcement org chart to handle those duties.

- In response to complaints from Republicans and their tea party associates that the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission might actually be "independent" - an investigation is immediately launched, looking for possible criminal activity. 

Hmmm...what's the pattern?  Oh yeah -

Apparently, in Tom Horne's Arizona anyway, everyone has to follow the law...except for him and his friends and allies...or when not following the law benefits him and his friends and allies.