Andy Kunasek

Andy Kunasek, Maricopa County Supervisor, to be Paid $123,000 by County Because of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Andrew Thomas

Another day, another six-digit award by Maricopa County to a victim of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas. This time it's the chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Andy Kunasek, who was framed for a crime he didn't commit as part of an apparent plan to usurp power ... More >>

Deputy Tim Abrahamson, Accused Attacker of Man Who Cuckolded Him, was Key Figure in Sheriff Arpaio's Disgraced Anti-Corruption Team

Detective Tim Abrahamson, who played a lead role in some of the discredited MACE investigations that led to the disbarment of former County Attorney Andrew Thomas, drove to North Dakota in September and attacked his wife's ex-lover, police say. Abrahamson created a ruse to get close to the man, the ... More >>

Races for Maricopa County Supervisors, County Attorney, had No Surprises in End

Sheriff Joe Arpaio wasn't the only candidate who sailed to easy victory in Maricopa County on Tuesday. Up-and-coming right-wing icon Bill Montgomery creamed his Libertarian opponent, Michael Kielsky, by a 74-26 margin. No one really expected otherwise. The Democratic Party decided to save money thi ... More >>

Dave Hendershott, Lisa Aubuchon and Lawyer Ed Moriarity Face Large Sanctions in Failed Lawsuit Targeting County Officials and Others

Dave Hendershott, Lisa Aubuchon, and their lawyer, Ed Moriarity, face about $210,000 in sanctions and fees stemming from a failed lawsuit related to their long fight with the county. Hendershott and Aubuchon were key players in the fight against the county launched by their bosses, Sheriff Joe Arpai ... More >>

Steve Chucri, Denny Barney are Expected New Faces in Maricopa County Supervisors' Races

Changes are coming to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, a governing panel that has become better known in the last few years due to some serious scandals. The five-member Board currently consists of Republicans Don Stapley, Fulton Brock, Andy Kunasek and Max Wilson, and Democrat Mary Rose W ... More >>

Randy Parraz Wants Board of Supervisors to Ban Private Payments to MCSO

See Also: Joe Arpaio Denied Birther Donations, Randy Parraz Blasts Andy KunasekSee Also: Joe Arpaio's Birther Investigation Blasted by Randy ParrazActivist Randy Parraz demanded today that the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors start discussing a policy to stop all private funding into any crimina ... More >>

Tom Liddy, "Son of Watergate," Back in Spotlight for Sheriff Arpaio's Racial-Profiling Trial

See also: Tom Liddy was Andrew Kunasek's Deep Throat; County Supervisor Describes Tip on Arpaio/Thomas Plot to Overthrow Board See also: Maria Brandon, Fired Maricopa Civil Attorney, Says County Retaliated Against Her for Defending Sheriff Joe Arpaio Tom Liddy, the son of notorious Watergate crim ... More >>

Steven LaMar, Cave Creek Councilman, Dumped as Lawyer for Maricopa County Amid Criticism in Mary Rose Wilcox Claim

Maricopa County has dumped Cave Creek Councilman Steven LaMar following his failure to convince a federal judge that a $975,000 payment to Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox might need further authorization.LaMar was appointed to defend the county in late 2010 against the claims and subsequent lawsuits by ... More >>

David Smith, Maricopa County Manager, to Retire in April; Served During Legal Fights With Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Maricopa County Manager David Smith announced today that he'll retire on April 27 after 17 years on the job. Smith, 65, was at the helm during countless storms, guiding the county through severe fiscal crises and years of emotional legal battles with Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former County Attorney And ... More >>

Victims Wonder Why Arpaio Let Sex-Abuse Cases Languish

Loretta Barkell, Former Financial Officer Under Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Was Convinced Her Office Was Bugged

Image: Channel 12 News screen shotLoretta Barkell, seen here in a May interview with Channel 12 News, was convinced her superiors had bugged her office, newly released records show.​ Newly released records show a top Arpaio official was convinced her superiors had bugged her office.County obse ... More >>

Mary Rose Wilcox, Maricopa County Supervisor, to Announce Re-Election Plans on Monday

Mary Rose Wilcox​ Mary Rose Wilcox says she'll announce plans on Monday to run for re-election as Maricopa County's District 5 Supervisor.Name recognition shouldn't be a problem.When voters decide which Supervisors to elect in 2012, (all five seats are up for grabs), it's a safe bet they'll kn ... More >>

Board of Supervisors Will Let Joe Arpaio Use His Pricey Inmate Transport Bus

New TimesJoe Arpaio can finally start using an expensive inmate transport bus he broke rules to purchase nearly three years ago.​Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's expensive inmate transport bus can finally be put to use, the counties Board of Supervisors ruled this morning.Arpaio and the BOS ha ... More >>

More Hypocrisy From Thomas: "Very Unusual" for a Judge to Attach Newspaper Article to Complaint -- Yet Two of Thomas' "Anti-Corruption" Cases Began That Way

Image: Court pool photoAndrew Thomas continues his testimony on Wednesday in the State Bar disciplinary proceeding against him.​Part Two of the morning testimony by former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas brought out even more of Thomas' apparently hypocritical thought processes.We say hypoc ... More >>

Tom Liddy was Andrew Kunasek's Deep Throat; County Supervisor Describes Tip on Arpaio/Thomas Plot to Overthrow Board

Image: www.ij.orgTom Liddy, a Maricopa deputy county attorney and son of G. Gordon Liddy, tipped off County Supervisor Andy Kunasek to a plot to "destabilize" county government, Kunasek testified yesterday.​Tom Liddy, a deputy prosecutor who also happens to be son of infamous Watergate villain G. ... More >>

Three Maricopa County Employees Heading to Mediation on Monday for Possible Settlement of Multi-Million-Dollar Claims Vs. Sheriff Arpaio and Andrew Thomas

Sandi Wilson, Maricopa County deputy county manager, is among three county employees attending mediation for their claims in lawsuits against Sheriff Arpaio and former County Attorney Andy Thomas.​Three Maricopa County employees are heading to mediation talks on Monday with the possibility of sett ... More >>

The Feds Have Evidence That Joe Arpaio Broke the Law -- When Will The Indictments Come?

MCSO Commanders Dave Hendershott and Paul Chagolla Threatened Reporter for Doing Her Job, Says Report; Joe Arpaio's Response Unclear

Deputy Chief Paul Chagolla is alleged to have threatened a reporter with arrest, and put her baby in CPS custody, all because she did her job.​ Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio won't say whether one of his deputy chiefs, Paul Chagolla, deserves to be investigated for allegedly threatening ... More >>

Will the $100 Million Hole Joe Arpaio Dug Kill Him in the 2012 Election?

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Returns Control of Civil Ligitation to County Attorney's Office, Makes Nice With New Guy

Bill Montgomery -- a "good, ethical man" who won't bite the hand that feeds him.​With the enemies of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on the defensive, responsibility for the county's civil lawsuits has been returned to the County Attorney's Office.The Supes had essentially fired for ... More >>

Maricopa County Supervisor Fulton Brock Passes on Chairmanship. Cites Family Matters as Reason

Maricopa County Supervisor Fulton Brock will not seek chairmanship.​Maricopa County Supervisor Fulton Brock, whose wife and daughter each face charges for having sexual relationships with the same underage boy, announced yesterday he is withdrawing his name from the running to become the next chai ... More >>

Kenneth Feinberg Too Busy With BP to Handle Maricopa County Claims Resolution; Well-Known Mediator was to Add "Trust" To Questionable Process

Image: WikipediaKenneth Feinberg, the country's pre-eminent dispute mediator, is too busy with the BP oil-spill claims to handle ​ Nationally recognized mediator Kenneth Feinberg won't handle the politically delicate claims by Maricopa County officials against the county after all. ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Spying on County Lawyers? Would Anyone Be Surprised?

Morten OddvikThe new sign over the door of MCSO offices? Seems appropriate...What's one to make of the recent back and forth between Maricopa County and sheriff's office lawyers regarding allegations of spying by the MCSO?The claims came to light in a recent item by Arizona Republic reporter Yvonne ... More >>

Andy Kunasek: Andrew Thomas' Lackeys Offered Political Deal in Criminal Probe

Andy Kunasek says prosecutors working for former Maricopa County Andrew Thomas used the threat of bogus criminal charges to extort a political favor from him​ Maricopa County Supervisor Andy Kunasek says in a letter released today that prosecutors working for former County Attorney Andrew Thom ... More >>

Andy Kunasek Releases One Page From Transcript of Talk With Lisa Aubuchon Related to Alleged

  County Supervisor Andy Kunasek accuses deputy county attorney Lisa Aubuchon, (above), of offering to resolve a trumped-up investigation in return for a political favor. ​Andy Kunasek released one page of a transcript to New Times today that he believes shows the attemp ... More >>

David Hendershott's Investigation Into County Sweep for Bugs Looked, in True Paranoid Fashion, at RepublicReporter's Actions

  Image: azcentral.com When Yvonne Wingett, who covers Maricopa County for the Arizona Republic, called county officials about a Sheriff's Office investigation, detectives reportedly assumed she was acting like some sort of gang lookout.The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has imp ... More >>

Arpaio-Thomas Feud had Nothing to do With Sweep for Bugs, County Manager Says

County Manager David Smith says last year's sweep for bugs in county offices had nothing to do with its problems with Arpaio and Thomas.​Last year's sweep of Maricopa County offices for hidden bugs had nothing to do with the feud between county officials and the tag-team of Sheriff Joe Arpa ... More >>

County to David Hendershott: "Put the Evidence on the Line" Concerning Andy Kunasek Accusation

Dave Hendershott​ A lawyer for Maricopa County Supervisor Andy Kunasek chides a sheriff's official to put up or shut up on a new, vague accusation of wrongdoing made last week. The letter by attorney David Derickson also implies that the allegation by Chief Deputy David Hendershott of a theft ... More >>

Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Poor Labor Practices Will Cost Maricopa County $2 Million

The Shurf just cost taxpayers another $2 million -- but there go his office's credit cards!​At a meeting this morning, county supervisors voted unanimously to curtail Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's access to county credit cards -- putting a $200 per-purchase limit on cards issued to th ... More >>

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has No Conflict in County Attorney Replacement Pick, Supes Say

Good to go: County Supervisors decide they have no conflict in deciding who will replace former County Attorney Andrew Thomas.​ We thought it was possible the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors had a conflict of interest in picking a new county attorney, with two of the five having be ... More >>

Don Stapley, Mary Rose Wilcox to Meet With Citizens' Group Tomorrow in Supervisors' Auditorium

Randy Parraz​Critics of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio will have the chance to air their grievances tomorrow before County Supervisors Don Stapley and Mary Rose Wilcox.Stapley and Wilcox, still fresh from their recent victories over attempts by Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas to ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Foes Score: Acquitted Activists Win Legal Fees from County Attorney

photo by Dennis GilmanShe shoots, she scores! ACORN's Monica Sandschafer and her activist pals have won in court againCall it the cost of clapping. Five anti-Arpaio activists were awarded legal fees Monday by Justice of the Peace C. Steven McMurry in a case that involved four of them being arrested ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's 287(g) Stalled: Board of Supervisors Says It'll Sign After Feds Sign

courtesy of Dennis Gilman/HumanLeague002 Supervisor Don Stapley, who backed Wilcox's move to table the sheriff's new MOA today The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors passed the buck back to the feds on Sheriff Joe's new 287(g) jails agreement this morning, authorizing Supes Chair Max Wilson ... More >>

County Supervisors Vote to Delay State Immigration Funds Intended for Arpaio

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted today to decline $1.6 million in state funding designed to help Sheriff Joe Arpaio target illegal immigrants.Of all the tit-for-tat power plays going on in recent weeks, this one is a real shot through the hull. Suddenly, Arpaio's immigration enforcemen ... More >>

Arizona Civil Rights Advisory Board Asks BOS to Terminate Joe Arpaio's 287(g) Agreement with ICE

Though I won't be holding my breath for a snappy response from the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, the Arizona Civil Rights Advisory Board -- which is made up of volunteers appointed by the Governor -- has written BOS Chairman Andy Kunasek, asking that the Supervisors consider the immediate re ... More >>

Live from the Banana Republic: Video of People Being Arrested for Applauding

Ever wanna see someone get arrested for clapping? Well, here you go. As a community service, I give you your government in action, folks: the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors allowing sheriff's deputies to arbitrarily arrest people for applauding at a public meeting. Tell you the truth, after ... More >>

Another Day in the Police State: Four Activists Arrested for Applauding at Supervisors Meeting

While the rest of the civilized world is preparing for Christmas, here in Maricopa County, the Board of Supervisors is in complete meltdown, and members of the public are being arrested for applauding. I kid you not. Following on the heels of Monday's arrest of several women in a peaceful ... More >>

Chuck Coughlin Reveals Jan Brewer's Transition Team

Deputy Secretary of State Kevin Tyne will be soon-to-be Governor Jan Brewer's chief of staff, and Brewer has named a Who's Who list of familiar names from previous GOP administrations to her transition team, which will be led by (gulp - for those with long memories) Chuck Coughlin. Here's the team: ... More >>

Meet the New County, Same as the Old County

Dennis Gilman YouTubes the revolution; Macehualli drama; Wednesday's BOS meeting; and the wacko nativists' secret picnic.

Money Shot

If Maricopa County supervisors wanted to go after Sheriff Joe Arpaio, they could. They could focus on his office's finances

Gutless Wonders

Here's an idea, county supes: Audit the freakin' sheriff's office for the first time ever!

County Connivers

Maricopa officials let the hospital system collapse financially, costing taxpayers $82 million-plus

Home for the Holidays

This PV pooch gives new meaning to the phrase "traveling companion"

Ticket to Raid

Their World Series tickets still unaccounted for, county supervisors try to shut out criticism

Suite and Low

United Way loses thousands as county pols snag its World Series seats

"This Has Wrecked My Career"

Jack Rose was a golden boy, a precocious businessman and political insider. Then he ran into a buzz saw at the Arizona Corporation Commission.

The Warehouse Tape

County supervisors erase any notion of compromising to preserve historic buildings

Flashes

Flashes