Mind Your JPs and Qs

That's further complicated the East Mesa JP race, because Johnson's opponent is Howard Jarrett. Jarrett's wife, Marilyn, is a legislator who earlier this year introduced a bill that would have made it easier for the JPs to oust Johnson as presiding judge. He wouldn't have lost his seat on the bench, just his administrative title and duties.

At the time, Marilyn Jarrett acknowledged that her husband planned to run against Johnson this fall. She said she didn't think it was a conflict to sponsor the anti-Johnson legislation.

"Talk about a conflict," Johnson says now. "It was an inappropriate conflict for her to sponsor that legislation."

For his part, Howard Jarrett doesn't want the race to focus on either his wife's legislation or the Hatch case. He says he's long wanted to be a JP but never had the opportunity to run before.

It's all good political theater, but the show is soon coming to a close. Of 17 JP races on this year's ballot, 14 of them--including the Scottsdale, Tempe and East Mesa races--will be decided in next week's primary. That's because the candidates are either unopposed or all in the same political party.

Contact Patti Epler at her online address: pepler@newtimes.com