The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will waste little time in finding a replacement for County Attorney Andrew Thomas, who announced his resignation yesterday so could run for state Attorney General.
The Board released a selection process timeline today with a tentative plan for naming a new county attorney as soon as April 16.
Supervisors will start with a meeting on Monday to accept Thomas' resignation and consider forming a committee to review applications and recommend the best person for the job. The aps will be taken in and looked at by the committee, which will then forward a report to the board.
If all goes according to schedule, the Supes will be ready to vote on a new county attorney on April 16.
That person will only serve for a few months, though -- unless voters choose the Supervisors' pick in the November 2 election.
Karen Osborne, county elections director, says candidates for the office should file their nominating petitions no later than May 26 at 5 p.m. Winners of the August 31 primary will then face off for the November 2 election.
The victor will be granted just two years in office -- to fill Thomas' remaining term -- rather than the typical four.
With such a short time frame for gathering petitions and gearing up a campaign for the late-August primary, whoever gets the thumbs-up from the Supervisors will enjoy a significant head tart.
Incumbents can spread their name far and wide in an election year by spending public funds, such as Thomas did in 2008 when he blew $215,000 on 600,000 pamplets that were distributed in local newspaper.
The board's selection process timeline follows:
Selection Process for Filling Maricopa County Attorney Vacancy
· 2 pm, Monday April 5: Board of Supervisors will meet in open session to consider acceptance of Andrew Peyton Thomas's resignation. Additionally, it is expected the Board will meet in executive session to discuss legal issues related to the Board's statutory obligations to fill the vacancy in the office of the county attorney. The Board will then convene in open session to consider adoption of a process to fill the vacancy, which may include the appointment of an advisory committee to review applications and recommend suitable candidates for appointment by the Board.
· By 5 pm, Monday April 5: An application will be available on-line at www.maricopa.gov
· 5 pm, Monday April 12: Deadline for applications to be received by the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, 301 West Jefferson, 10th Floor, Phoenix, Arizona 85003.
· Tuesday, April 13 thru Thursday, April 15 (noon): "Review Committee" will review applications.
· 12 pm, Thursday, April 15th: Committee will forward a report to the Board of Supervisors.
· Friday, April 16: Board will meet to discuss the Committee's report and to consider taking action on the appointment of a county attorney. Time is to be determined and it is unclear at this point whether an appointment will be made on this date.
