Archive for March, 2008
March 21st, 2008, 12:47 pm by Le Templar
Fred Phillis (Tribune file photo)
It won’t be long before someone working for the town of Gilbert asks Fred Phillis to reveal his DNA coding, his first crush and whether he really loves his mother.
Phillis, a Gilbert resident, is heading up a petition drive that seeks to force Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman into a recall election this year.
Tribune writer Beth Lucas has reported that Berman’s campaign filed a legal complaint against Phillis, claiming he bought a series of campaign signs to support the petition drive before he formally created the recall committee. Town officials decided anyone already on Gilbert’s payroll had a potential conflict-of-interest in checking out the complaint, which sort of makes sense since one of the main attacks against Berman is he wields too much power at Town Hall.
So Gilbert hired an outside lawyer to handle the investigation. That lawyer, David Pennartz, apparently didn’t accept Phillis’ initial explanation that he bought 10 signs for about $270, and donated them to the campaign once the committee was created.
So Pennartz has sent Phillis a sweeping list of questions that asking for detailed information about everyone Phillis might have talked to regarding the recall.
So far, Phillis is refusing to answer those questions and demanding to know Pennartz’s legal authority for asking them. Good for Phillis. This “inquiry” smacks of harassment and could easily discourage people from talking about political issues if they have to worry about investigators demanding later to know who they are and what they said.
Posted in: Gilbert • Uncategorized | 7 Comments »
March 20th, 2008, 10:00 am by Le Templar
State Treasurer Dean Martin (photo by Capitol Media Services)
The office of Arizona State Treasurer conjures up images of dull and endless number-crunching where financial analysts track billions of dollars held (usually) in safe investments. The person at the top, the elected treasurer, often is more figurehead than financial wizard, and certainly doesn’t get any credit for doing the job as voters expect. Only when a treasurer makes some kind of mistake does anyone seem to notice whose in office (ask David Petersen of Mesa).
The office of treasurer definitely never has been the place from which to launch a successful bid for governor or a similar office. But the current treasurer, Dean Martin, apparently will try to change that.
Martin managed to publicly irritate Gov. Janet Napolitano Wednesday when he went to the media to say the state is rapidly running out of cash and the Napolitano administration doesn’t appear to be slowing down on spending at all. The timing of Martin’s news conference was no coincidence – just 30 minutes before Napolitano’s traditional weekly sit-down with reporters in her Capitol office. As Martin had hoped, those pesky journalists put Napolitano on the defensive as they peppered her with questions using his budget numbers.
Napolitano might have a point that Martin doesn’t have the complete picture, given the complexity of government funding and spending. But Martin’s perspective is fairly easy for everyday people to understand: how much money do we have in the checking account and in savings? How much money comes in every month? And how much money is going out the door?
By Martin’s accounting, the state of Arizona will start bouncing checks by May 5, and he can’t touch the savings accounts to cover them until the governor and the Legislature take some kind of action on the budget.
I last wrote about Martin after he met with the Tribune Editorial Board to provide on an update on what his office does. From that meeting and other hints I see, it’s clear Martin is angling to elevate his public profile. And we know he’s keeping an eye on the governor’s office simply because he’s started to mention in his news releases that he’s third in the line of succession (behind Secretary of State Jan Brewer and Attorney General Terry Goddard).
Now, Martin has an issue that’s perfect fit with his persona as a conservative Republican and his job as treasurer. He can put pressure Napolitano from a different direction and aid his former colleagues in the Legislature who want to force deeper budget cuts on the governor.
Posted in: Arizona government • Governor | Post a Comment »
March 19th, 2008, 11:39 am by Le Templar
I have seen my first campaign signs for Congressional District 5; they belong to Republican candidate and state Rep. Mark Anderson of Mesa and have appeared on several street corners on the Tempe-Mesa border. The left half of the sign looks like a giant yellow Post-it note with a list of what I assume are central themes for Anderson’s campaign. There’s something about “civility in politics,” a stronger economy through lower taxes and securing the border. Sorry, I can’t give you more details because I’ve been too busy trying to stay focused on driving to actually read the Post-it note from beginning to end.
I think that’s a sign Anderson is trying to cram too much information on a campaign vehicle that works best to promote a candidate’s name recognition and a quick, unformed but positive impression.
Posted in: Congress • Election issues | Post a Comment »
March 13th, 2008, 5:19 pm by Le Templar
Barbara Barrett (U.S. State Department photo)
President Bush has nominated another Arizonan to be a U.S. ambassador, as
Paradise Valley resident Barbara Barrett has been nominated to represent our country in
Finland.
Sen. Jon Kyl announced the nomination Thursday, a likely sign that he suggested her to Bush in the first place.
Barrett is a business and aviation attorney, chairs the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, and is married to Intel chairman Craig Barrett. Her previous government posts include vice chairman of the United States Civil Aeronautics Board, and as the first woman deputy administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.
She already has gone through the Senate confirmation process three times, which should smooth the path for her to receive approval as ambassador.
Barrett also is an active donor to Republican candidates and unsuccessfully campaigned for the GOP nomination for Arizona governor in 1994.
Earlier this year, former state Republican Party chairman Robert Fannin was confirmed as U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republic.
Posted in: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
March 13th, 2008, 8:17 am by Le Templar
Debra Duvall (Mesa Public Schools)
Arizona’s top education official faced off Wednesday at the state Capitol with several school district superintendents over what public schools should be doing to educate students who don’t speak English as their first language, and how much should it cost to do the job right.State Sen. Paula Aboud, D-Tucson, arraigned for a two-hour debate between Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne and the local superintendents because school districts are complaining loudly that the Arizona Department of Education is pushing too quickly to change the approach for dealing with English language learners, and is dramatically underestimating how much the money is needed.In 2006, the Legislature moved to end a longstanding federal lawsuit by charging the Education Department and a separate task force to develop new methods for teaching ELL students, and to inform the Legislature how much tax money it would take to fund such changes. The biggest change would be every ELL student should be separated from regular classes for four hours a day for intensive instruction in English. Most of those students would be expected to return to regular classes full-time within two years.
Based on information gathered from the state’s various school districts, Horne estimates $40 million a year is needed to hire more teachers and to provide additional reading materials. But the school districts say they will need far more, as much as $300 million a year.
For much of Wednesday’s debate, both sides dissected obscure details related to Arizona’s complex formulas for education funding. But a compelling moment came when Debra Duvall, superintendent of the Mesa Unified School District, suggested the months-long process of research and negotiation between the Education Department and local schools had been a farce.
“I think there was a dollar figure in mind … that you thought the state could afford; that you had someplace in your budget or you could go to the Legislature and that maybe you could get $20 million or $30 million, or maybe it was $40 million.
“And then, you kind of backtracked. That now we are expected to insure the total comes up to (a pre-determined number). I can guarantee you that $40 million sounds like a whole lot of money. But when you talk about the youngsters that are in this state and the things that need to be done to effectively implement the models that were proscribed, $40 million isn’t going to cut it.”
The idea that Horne or his staff just arbitrarily picked a funding number and then fixed the books to match it would have enormously bad implications. Arizona is under a federal court order to calculate what it really should cost to properly educate about 138,000 ELL students, and then to come up with the money. The federal judge has twice found the state in contempt of court for failing to finish this task, and faces millions of dollars in fines if it doesn’t do so by April 15.
Duvall’s comments struck Horne and one of his deputies right between the eyes. John Stollar, associate state superintendent for accountability, responded fiercely during the debate.
“I didn’t like my integrity being impugned,” Stollar said. “My staff and I have worked on these figures from day one. Superintendent Horne was never part of any of our discussion. He would ask things like, ‘can you give me a rough number’. I would respond that we have to work through the system. … The bottom line is there was absolutely no suggestion to me and my staff, ‘Oh, you had better make this come in at $40 million.’ ”
Duvall said after the debate she came to the Capitol convinced there were underhanded manipulations afoot because of the wide discrepancies between the funding numbers reached by Horne’s agency and those calculated by her staff and other school districts. But once Duvall heard directly from Horne and his assistants, she accepted the differences probably aren’t driven by politics, but by honest disagreements about what school districts will need to carry out the state’s new mandates.
Posted in: Arizona Legislature • Arizona government • Schools | Post a Comment »
March 7th, 2008, 12:55 pm by Le Templar
Update:
Gilbert Police Sgt. Mark Marino called me to make it clear that steps were taken by his department and the administration at Coronado Elementary School to prevent students from witnessing the arrest of a teacher for writing bad checks. Marino said the teacher was escorted from her classroom by a school official and was taken to an isolated area of campus to meet the arresting police officers.
Marino also repeated his earlier statement there were attempts to catch up with the teacher outside of school. But he said couldn’t disclose yet what attempts were, and that information might not be available until the police report is released to the public.
I respect the Gilbert police for showing some concern for how tramatic arresting a teacher in front of students can be. But given what I know at this point, I still believe the police should tried harder to avoid coming to the school to make the arrest.
Original post:
Tribune writer David Biscobing has updated information about the Thursday morning arrest of a Higley teacher at Coronado Elementary School in Gilbert. As the arrest took place on campus during class time, the school felt it had to rush a letter home to parents to try to explain what was going on. No real details were available Thursday, but the school said the arrest had nothing to do with the teacher’s job or her interaction with students.
Now we know the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office had issued a misdemeanor warrant for writing bad checks. That makes me wonder why the Gilbert Police Department had scare some Higley children by arresting a teacher at 10:45 a.m. This is a relatively minor offense. The teacher had shown up to work, so it doesn’t appear there was an immediate danger that she would flee.
Gilbert Police Sgt. Mark Marino said the teacher had been avoiding police, so the department decided to pick her at her work place when it was clear she would be there, Biscobing tells me. I have to wonder just how hard the police were trying if the teacher still was doing her job like there was nothing wrong. But surely, the police could have arrested the teacher before school started or waited until the end of the day. There was no reason for the police to inject this extra drama at the school, with the implication that the teacher had done something so bad that she had be arrested right away.
I’m not trying to excuse bad check-writing. But sometimes people in bad financial straits just make mistakes with no ill-intent, and then those mistakes snowball into misdemeanor charges when they fail to deal with the bounced checks. (Yes, I have accidentally bounced a couple of checks in my life. But I paid off the amounts and associated penalties promptly and law enforcement never got involved.)
Gilbert police should have shown some compassion for the students and the school, if not for the teacher herself, and found a better time to make this arrest.
Posted in: Gilbert • Schools | 9 Comments »
March 7th, 2008, 11:56 am by Le Templar
Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal
I’m a native of Wyoming. So I enjoyed a long story Friday morning on National Public Radio about the oddities of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama campaigning in Wyoming, one of the most Republican-oriented states in the Union. Wyoming Democrats are holding their caucuses on Saturday, and the Clinton-Obama race is so close that they are stumping in person for the 12 delegates that Wyoming will award.
NPR made a big deal of the fact that a Democrat, Gov. Dave Freudenthal, is in his second term, implying that Democrats are on the rise in the Equality State. Uhhh, no.Wyoming Democrats can fare well in local and state politics because they are only a slightly lighter shade of Republican red and their politics wouldn’t even be recognized by most Arizona Democrats.
And Wyoming Democrats have always been competitive for the governor’s office, for some reason. Two Democrats held the office for 20 years from the 1970s to 1990s and the Democratic governor of my childhood, Ed Herschler, might still be the most popular one in Wyoming history.
But Wyoming voters tend to ignore the candidate and focus solely on the party label when it comes to races with national implications. The state hasn’t voted for a Democrat for president in a general election since 1964, and only eight times since 1892, according to 270towin.com. (Three of those times were for Franklin D. Roosevelt.)
Two-term Gov. Mike Sullivan was still well-liked when he left office in 1994 to run for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat. He was sounded defeated by then-Rep. Craig Thomas.
So Wyoming Democrats definitely should enjoy their moment in the sun today and Saturday. Republican presidential candidate John McCain will receive a far warmer welcome than the eventual Democrat nominee from Wyoming voters in November.
Posted in: Presidential campaign | 1 Comment »
March 5th, 2008, 9:31 am by Le Templar
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (left) and Sen. John McCain (as posted on washingtonpost.com)
After wrapping up the Republican nomination for president Tuesday, Sen. John McCain can get to work picking his running mate. In the past, political reporters and partisan pundits probably have overestimated the effect of vice presidential candidates on the outcome of presidential elections. But with the power that Dick Cheney has wielded in President Bush’s administration, it’s a fair guess that voters will pay a lot more attention this year to the second spot on the ticket for both parties.
Sen. Hillary Clinton made the first official mention Wednesday morning of the possible pairing with Sen. Barack Obama for a blockbuster one-two punch that many Democrats are dreaming about.
To counter that, McCain’s ideal running mate would be a Joe-Lieberman type: a nonRepublican who’s generally respected among many GOP activists and would help McCain appeal to independents and “soft” Democrats.
But such a choice would be viewed as an insult by many conservative Republicans, particularly by evangelicals and others on the social right. They want the GOP vice presidential candidate to come from their ranks as confirmation that McCain’s respects their role in the Republican base.
McCain would be comfortable with Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., a former military lawyer with proud social conservative credentials. But McCain might want a governor or former governor as a partner, to provide some executive experience to the Republican ticket that a Obama-Clinton pairing would lack.
My shot-in-the-guess for McCain’s running mate is Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. He comes from a critical swing state, wouldn’t offend social conservatives but also isn’t an immediate lightning rod for independents who are leery of the right’s influence on the Republican Party. Crist’s support definitely helped McCain win Florida, which was the victory that set up McCain to do so well on Super Tuesday in early February.
Posted in: Presidential campaign | Post a Comment »
March 4th, 2008, 4:44 pm by Le Templar
Gila Bend, Ariz., calls itself The Crossroads of the Southwest. Well, the crossroads were closed to hundreds of travelers Saturday as the town of 2,055 launched a parade as part of its annual celebration for the long-forgotten stagecoach days.
I was on a quick road trip to Mexico Saturday heading south on state Route 85 when I approached Gila Bend. This is a popular route for Valley residents to reach Ajo and Rocky Point, Mexico, or to jump on Interstate 8 to head west to San Diego. The state highway was closed just as we entered town, and all traffic was detoured to streets south and west of the residential areas. We came out again just west of the Love’s convenience store and McDonald’s restaurant, which was just fine for those heading to I-8 but the wrong location if you need to continue south on Route 85. That connection is just east of the McDonald’s.
The traffic lines got pretty long as motorists drove through the detours, and one person working traffic control did his best to stop us from reaching the Love’s store or continuing south on Route 85, even though it turned out those areas weren’t officially part of the closure.
I was stunned Gila Bend, with an economy that depends heavily on tourists reaching those stores and restaurants on the main street, would close the road to all traffic and create such a disruption. Parades can be held any street, after all, but state highways are are funded by taxpayers everywhere to keep traffic moving.
A spokeswoman for the Arizona Department of Transportation told me her agency did issue a state permit to Gila Bend for a 90-minute closure as part of the Butterfield Stage Days celebration, which is held on the first weekend in March. She said ADOT relies on local communities to minimize traffic disruptions and to offer alternative traffic routes. I do know the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office was on hand, as deputy vehicles were used in several locations to block Route 85. But those directing traffic appeared to be either town employees or volunteers, as they wore regular clothing and orange plastic vests. I have a phone call in Gila Bend Town Manager Lynn Farmer, and I’ll update this post with any details I might learn about why Gila Bend created this unnecessary headache for travelers.
Posted in: Uncategorized | Post a Comment »
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