Thread: AZ: County Board Postpones Arpaio's immigraiton funds

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Arizona Politics

County board postpones Arpaio's immigration funds
by Yvonne Wingett - Apr. 1, 2009 12:52 PM

In a bipartisan front, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted to postpone the acceptance of $1.6 million from the state to help pay for illegal immigration enforcement by Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

The money comes from an agreement with the state Department of Public Safety and is meant to supplement Arpaio's immigration enforcement.

Arpaio told The Arizona Republic that he would not comment on the board's decision. The board, which must accept the funds before Arpaio can have them, will take up the issue in 30 days. Supervisors Fulton Brock, Don Stapley, Max Wilson and Mary Rose Wilcox postponed the vote; Andy Kunasek wanted to accept the money.

At a meeting Wednesday morning, the five supervisors heard more than an hour of testimony from Arpaio critics, and officials with the Sheriff's Office.

The parade of opponents argued that the board should suspend or refuse to accept the money given an investigation into his operations by the U.S. Department of Justice, a congressional hearing Thursday into complaints that deputies are discriminating against Latinos while enforcing immigration laws, and the re-writing of guidelines by Homeland Security that allow Arpaio and other local law enforce federal immigration laws.

The supervisors also expressed concern that the Sheriff's Office has refused to submit a detailed list that includes suggested cuts of 20 percent. The contract with the state for the $1.6 million requires the county to demonstrate that it has 15 percent of the grant - $240,000 - to participate in the program.

"He's done a magnificent job with a lot of different things," Chairman Max Wilson said. "It's easy for me to say we want the Sheriff to go out and get the bad guys - and we do - and that's the reason I've supported him. But what isn't OK is what if they aren't the bad guys? And how are they treated if they aren't the bad guys?"

An executive order signed by former Gov. Janet Napolitano last year stripped Arpaio of the $1.6 million and redirected it to a fugitive task force.

Republican Legislative leadership gave the money back to Arpaio in a budget package earlier this year, saying it compensates for funds that Napolitano removed last year.


Reach the reporter at yvonne.wingett@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4712.

Arpaio told The Arizona Republic that he would not comment on the board's decision. The board, which must accept the funds before Arpaio can have them, will take up the issue in 30 days. Supervisors Fulton Brock, Don Stapley, Max Wilson and Mary Rose Wilcox postponed the vote; Andy Kunasek wanted to accept the money.

I bet the Board would not postpone the acceptance of the $1.6 million in funds if it was intended to benefit illegal invaders! It would have been rubber stamped immediately. How many illegal invaders will be able to evade detection during these next thirty days because the Board has not released funds to Sheriff Joe in a timely manner!

I suspect Sheriff Joe will get the money in thirty days as this Board is simply delaying the distribution of these funds in an effort to appease the open borders, pro-illegal invader advocates.

Nonetheless, to play political games when Arizona is now the capital of drug kidnapping and many other crimes associated with illegal immigration is a disgrace!

It's clear who's interests the Board is looking to protect and it's not the American citizens who call Maricopa County home!

Someone needs to write a "steamy" letter to the Board...

Fulton Brock (R)
Maricopa County District 1 Supervisor
301 W. Jefferson, 10th Floor
Phoenix, Arizona 85003
(602) 506-1776
fbrock@mail.maricopa.gov

Eric Latto, Chief of Staff
(602) 506-1782
elatto@mail.maricopa.gov

Margaret Allen, Executive Assistant
(602) 506-1776
mallen@mail.maricopa.gov

Don Stapley (R)
Maricopa County District 2 Supervisor
301 W. Jefferson, 10th Floor
Phoenix, Arizona 85003
(602) 506-7431
dstapley@mail.maricopa.gov

James Candland, Chief of Staff
(602) 506-8599
candlandj@mail.maricopa.gov

Susan Schuerman, Executive Assistant
(602) 506-7431
sschuerm@mail.maricopa.gov

Andrew W. Kunasek (R)
Maricopa County District 3 Supervisor
301 W. Jefferson, 10th Floor
Phoenix, Arizona 85003
(602) 506-7562
akunasek@mail.maricopa.gov

Jim Bloom, Chief of Staff
(602) 506-7562
jbloom@mail.maricopa.gov

Nellie Hermes, Office Administrator
(602) 506-7349
nhermes@mail.maricopa.gov

Max W. Wilson (R)
Maricopa County District 4 Supervisor
301 W. Jefferson, 10th Floor
Phoenix, Arizona 85003
(602) 506-7642
mwwilson@mail.maricopa.gov

Scott Isham, Chief of Staff
(602) 506-7161
sisham@mail.maricopa.gov

Candace Steill, Office Administrator
(602) 506-7642
csteill@mail.maricopa.gov

MaryRose Wilcox (D)
Maricopa County District 5 Supervisor
301 W. Jefferson, 10th Floor
Phoenix, Arizona 85003
(602) 506-7092
mrwilcox@mail.maricopa.gov

Terri Leija, Chief of Staff
(602) 506-1368
tleija@mail.maricopa.gov

Molly Buchanan, Office Administrator
(602) 506-7092
mbuchana@mail.maricopa.gov

Thanks realbsball for the list. Sent my steamy letter to those supervisors. I hope many more ALIPACers do too. They must think there are only pro-illegal critics out there.

The SW zone is being kept under control by Sheriff Joe and thank you Joe for that.

Thank you for contacting the office of Maricopa County Supervisor Andrew Kunasek. Please be aware that all e-mail sent to this site is subject to state public information laws and may be accessed by the public and members of the media.

email response from Supervisor Kunasek's assistant:

Supervisor Kunasek supports the Sheriff's efforts with regards to illegal immigration enforcement. Mr. Kunasek did not vote to postpone today. He voted "no" on the postponement and stated that he wanted to accept the money.

Mary Rose Wilcox was one of the ladies who was in the Conyers press conference when he announced the investigations

County board postpones Arpaio's immigration funds

124 comments by Yvonne Wingett - Apr. 1, 2009 05:50 PM
The Arizona Republic

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday voted to postpone the acceptance of $1.6 million from the state to help pay for illegal immigration enforcement by Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

The Republican-majority board until now has consistently supported Arpaio and generally agreed philosophically with his viewpoint on illegal immigration.

Observers said the decision could signal that the board is concerned by federal inquires into Arpaio's practices and is another example of the toxic political environment between county government and the sheriff.

The money is meant to supplement Arpaio's immigration enforcement through an agreement with the state Department of Public Safety. The board, which must accept the funds before Arpaio can have them, will take up the issue in 30 days, hoping officials can negotiate cuts to the sheriff's budget.

Arpaio told The Arizona Republic that he would not comment on the board's decision. However, a sheriff's official said immigration enforcement would continue with or without the extra money.

“Ordinarily, the board, like any political body, has traditional viewpoints that are genuine, they have opinions, they act on them, and those opinions don't really change,â€