Dan Saban 

   Opinion writers at the Tribune were informally discussing Wednesday the story about Gov. Janet Napolitano taking $1.6 million in funding that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been using for illegal immigration enforcement. One question I had: Where is Dan Saban, the alleged Democratic challenger to Arpaio’s fifth term as sheriff?
Saban has been remarkably quiet as a candidate, given that he has been working for more than five years to defeat Arpaio, a Republican, at the ballot box.
   I don’t see Saban standing next to Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon or Guadalupe Mayor Rebecca Jimenez when they complain about Arpaio’s illegal immigrant sweeps. I don’t see Saban standing next to Phoenix attorney Michael Manning when he claims the county jails are so poorly run that inmates are routinely dying in Arpaio’s custody. In fact, I don’t see Saban much of anywhere, other than occasional quotes in the Phoenix New Times, which has a full-fledged mission to drive Arpaio out of office.
   If Saban isn’t prepared to instantly react to these legitimate controversies, then what exactly is Saban’s campaign up to? In fact, why isn’t Saban, who has decades of service in Valley law enforcement, among the first to tackle those issues that Arpaio’s critics believe should bring the sheriff down?
   In other words, is Saban a serious candidate or is he wasting everyone’s time including Joe Arpaio’s?
   So it was interesting to find in my email shortly after that meeting a guest column from Saban talking about who should serve criminal warrants, the issue that underlies this week’s feud between Arpaio and Napolitano. Now, I happen to disagree with Saban that Arpaio and other Arizona sheriffs have any unique responsibility for serving warrants and tracking down fugitives. Given the mobility of American society, and our proximity to the Mexican border, this task belongs to every law enforcement agency and should be addressed through broad alliances and task forces. (Just like Napolitano has now ordered the Department of Public Safety to do.) But I respect that Saban is actually speaking out on how he would manage the sheriff’s office differently than Arpaio.
   Today, Saban followed up with an early notice to the media that he will be turning in his signature petitions on Friday to formally qualify for the September primary ballot.
   Maricopa County voters deserve a robust debate about Arpaio’s 16 years in office and whether he should have another term. Perhaps Saban is finally starting to fully engage in that debate.

Posted in: Election issues • Maricopa County sheriff |

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