Max Wilson

Day of Outrage: The Supes' Lockdown, MCSA's Walkout, and Guadalupe's Shame

Good Sports, Bad Religion

Letters from the week of October 17, 2002

Meet the New County, Same as the Old County

Letters from the week of October 17, 2002

The Bird Claws at State Democrats and Likens the GOP's SCA-gate to the Granddaddy of Political Scandals

Letters from the week of October 17, 2002

Hot Links: Protesters Welcome New Chairman of County Supervisors; Harry Mitchell Says No to Pay Raises; Buckeye Cop Fired After Speaking Out on Safety Issues

Protesters against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio welcomed the new chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, Max Wilson, in the hopes of getting some quality time with the board at a public meeting. Harry Mitchell doesn't need no stinkin' raise, and he doesn't want others in Congres ... More >>

Maricopa County Supervisors Slam County Attorney Aide Over Andrew Thomas No-Show; Arpaio's Inmate Segregation at Issue

Call it an unexcused absence. Maricopa County Andrew Thomas skipped a county Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday despite having been pointedly -- and publicly -- asked to show up and give advice on Sheriff Joe Arpaio's plan to segregate illegal immigrant jail inmates ... More >>

County Supervisors Want Input From Andrew Thomas on Sheriff Arpaio's Segregation of Undocumented Inmates

First, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors strips County Attorney Andrew Thomas of the right to handle civil litigation for the county, causing Thomas to sue the board. Now, the five-member board wants to bring Thomas in to a special meeting on Monday to get his advice on -- you guessed i ... More >>

Maricopa County Employees' Use of Vehicles to be Studied for Possible Cuts

A Maricopa County employee welfare program known as the "take-home vehicle" may be coming to an end.Due to the economic crisis, the county is ordering the use of its 2,500 vehicles to be scrutinized with an eye toward saving money. One of the first things officials want to look at is whether to keep ... More >>

Maricopa County Supervisors Spend $14,600 Sweeping for Bugs

Max Wilson, Chairman of the Maricopa County Board of SupervisorsIt seems like the very definition of paranoia: Spending thousands of dollars sweeping for hidden electronic devices -- and finding none.But that's what Maricopa County Supervisors are doing -- with your money.The county has n ... More >>

County Creates New Civil Litigation Department With Money Taken From County Attorney Andrew Thomas

The Maricopa County Board Supervisors today sealed the deal on their transfer of power over civil litigation matters out of the office of County Attorney Andrew Thomas (pictured). With a vote in their informal meeting this morning, the supervisors created a new department to handle civil lawsui ... More >>

Maricopa County Makes $33 Million in Fresh Budget Cuts; Phone Waits to Lengthen, Clinic to Close

Maricopa County will close a family planning clinic, put off non-crucial building maintenance, reduce cleaning services and make other changes because of a $32.6 million budget cut. Revenues are coming in even slower than expected, forcing the Board of Supervisors to approve the latest cuts and ... More >>

County's New Civil Litigation Department Approved by Court; Andrew Thomas Thwarted

  Just got word that the cease-and-desist motion filed by Maricopa County Andrew Thomas to stop the county from taking over civil litigation matters has failed. Superior Court Judge Donald Daughton rejected the motion. As we were the first to report on Monday, the county Board of Supervisors v ... More >>

"Appearance of Evil" Requires Personal Sanctions Against County Attorney Andrew Thomas, Say County Supervisors

A conflict of interest between Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and the county Board of Supervisors over the investigation of a planned court tower creates the "appearance of evil," a judge has ruled.  Judge Gary Donahoe The background: In the midst of a feud with the County Superv ... More >>

Don Stapley Case Bombshell: Andrew Thomas Refers Prosecution to Yavapai County; Offers Olive Branch to County Leaders

Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas is waving the white flag. He's transferring the investigation of Don Stapley and the planned Superior Court building to Yavapai County. And he's offering to resolve through a mediator his legal dispute about the county's civil litigation work. Th ... More >>

Don Stapley Conflict Erases Trust, Despite Smarmy Surrender by "Backstabbing" Andy Thomas, Says County

  Maricopa County leaders had little but cyncism for  the surprising announcement by County Attorney Andrew Thomas this morning to hand off the Don Stapley prosecution. Trusting Thomas will be difficult despite his call for peace, says County Manager David Smith, who somehow ... More >>

Money Shot

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

County Supervisors Slash Senior Services and Their Own Office Budgets in Latest Round of Cuts

A county program that transports senior citizens to medical appointments will end July 1 as part of a fresh round of budget cuts.The Board of Supervisors announced today that belt-tightening and will occur in several departments, including transportation, environmental services and in the Superviso ... More >>

Thomas Names Suggested Mediators in Dispute with County Board of Supervisors

Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas today suggested three lawyers as possible mediators in his legal dispute with the county Board of Supervisors:Timothy Casey, of Schmitt Schneck Smyth & HerrodLee Miller, of Miller La Sota & PetersChristopher Skelly, of Scott & Skelly

Gutless Wonders

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

In the Crosshairs

County lawmen boffing hookers isn't Sheriff Joe's only problem. Fed up with his thuggery, Arpaio's own political party has targeted him for defeat

County Connivers

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

County Supervisors Vote to Force Treasurer to Document How Missing Funds Were Spent

Charles "Hos" HoskinsThe Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted today to file a special court action to force the county's treasurer to open his accounting books and explain a mysterious transfer of funds. The Supervisors say (see full text of news release below) that nearly $900,000 in a ... More >>

Dust Up in Sun City

Is mining causing cancer in the West Valley?

Garden Parties

Campaign funds from the big house, tales from the greenhouse

Maricopa County Supervisor Again Invites County Attorney to Call Him

Max Wilson Another day, another diss. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors can't seem to communicate with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. In a letter to County Attorney Andrew Thomas (see below), Max Wilson, the chairman of the board, repeats his earlier offer to have Thomas call him to d ... More >>

County's Lawyer Ordered County Attorney Not to Contact Board of Supervisors Directly

Barnett LotsteinIt seems there's a good reason for why Maricopa County Andrew Thomas won't return County Supervisor Max Wilson's phone call: Wilson's attorney ordered him not to. As we reported yesterday, Wilson wrote to Thomas yesterday that he was surprised greatly to read a ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Threatens BOS Chairman Max Wilson, Brags About Relationship with Arizona Republic's Phil Boas

Joe brags about the $1.6 million, and threatens BOS Chairman Max Wilson Here are two YouTube videos that've made their way to me, covering Joe Arpaio's recent appearance before the College Republicans at ASU West. The first was shot by someone using their cell phone camera, so the quality is not gre ... More >>

Supervisors Cave to Joe Arpaio, OK $1.6 Million for Harassing Mexicans in Maricopa County

Supervisors Kunasek, Brock and Wilson kowtow before the Great and Mighty King Arpaio, in a satire performed by activists outside the BOS auditoriumIt all played out like political kabuki today at the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. At issue was the $1.6 million the legislature, at the behest o ... More >>

More County Squabbling: Treasurer Sues County Leaders, Claiming His Office is Being Stripped of Money (and Therefore, Power)

"Hos," the Maricopa County Treasurer​ Maricopa County Treasurer Charles "Hos" Hoskins has finally carried through on a threat he made back in December to sue the county again. Hoskins already has a lawsuit pending against the county regarding the alleged swiping of his office's IT equipment. ... 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 >>

Sheriff's Posse Vehicles May Retain Official Insignia; County Rescinds Order After Hail of E-Mails

Image: www.jeepposse.orgOfficial or private vehicle? In some cases, it may be difficult to tell.​ You don't mess with the posse.Maricopa County leaders learned that Wild-West lesson this week when they were forced to rescind a demand to the sheriff's office that posse vehicles could no longer ... More >>

County Attorney's Office Flubs Response to County on Special Prosecutors Sought in Stapley Case

Image: www.thomasforagexploratory.com Andrew Thomas​ You don't have to be a lawyer to see that the Maricopa County Attorney's Office messed up part of its response to county management over the issue of hiring special prosecutors in the case against Don Stapley. The technical flub, whi ... More >>

Thomas Trying Again to Get County Supervisors to Approve Special Prosecutors -- Whose Job Will be to Investigate Supervisors

Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas didn't suceed at first, so he's trying again -- this time threatening the county Board of Supervisors with legal action unless they consider appointing special prosecutors to conduct an "investigation" of those same Supervisors. In a letter sent ... More >>

County Supervisors Approve $20 Photo-Radar Fee For Ignored Tickets; However, They Still Have to Find You First

www.yfred.com​The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors thinks it may have solved its photo-radar problem. Sorry, they're not getting rid of the damn things, they're just going to charge you more if you ignore the ticket, as many often do.After a brief hearing this morning, the board voted to ... More >>

Don Stapley to Become Chair of Board of Supervisors in January; Criminal Case is on Appeal

It's been quite a year of ups and downs for Don Stapley, one of five members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. He started 2009 under the burden of 118 criminal counts. In September, the charges were dismissed because of a technicality that is now being appealed. Three days after ... More >>

Thomas and Arpaio Talk Tough on County "Corruption," Deflect Questions About Their Own Credibility

Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and Sheriff Joe Arpaio vowed on Tuesday to get to the bottom of what they call a serious corruption problem among county leaders and judges. Their afternoon news conference followed the announcement earlier today that County Supervisors Don Stapley and Mary Ros ... More >>

The Pink Negro: As an Ivy League Lawyer, is President Barack Obama Hard Enough to Confront the Evil Personified by Sheriff Joe Arpaio?

Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and Sheriff Joe Arpaio vowed on Tuesday to get to the bottom of what they call a serious corruption problem among county leaders and judges. Their afternoon news conference followed the announcement earlier today that County Supervisors Don Stapley and Mary Ros ... More >>

The Nooses Must Be Cut Down

Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk provided the blade. Now it's up to AG Goddard and President Obama to use it

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 >>

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 >>

Wife of Maricopa County Supervisor Charged With Molesting Teenage Boy. We Got the Court Docs -- Trust us, it's Weird

Susan Brock, wife of Maricopa County Supervisor Fulton Brock.​Straight from the you can't make this shit up files, we'd like to congratulate Max Wilson, who now stands alone as the only member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors without some sort of scandal attached to his name. ... More >>

Lisa Aubuchon Displays Bizarre Thinking in State Bar Discipline Hearing

Lisa Aubuchon, former deputy county attorney, testifies yesterday in the State Bar disciplinary proceedings. She stands to lose her law license after allegedly fudging the attempted prosecutions of county officials.​Lisa Aubuchon lives in an alternative universe.True, we may have watched too many ... 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 >>

Joe Arpaio Targeted by Republican Paula Pennypacker in Purple Letter Campaign

PennypackerFacebookpagePaula Pennypacker kicks off Purple Letter campaign to BOS Chair Max WilsonThe problem with the opposition to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, as I see it, is that the loudest voices calling for Arpaio's resignation are perceived to be those of leftists.In reality, there are ... More >>

Randy Parraz and Supporters Disrupt County Meeting About Sheriff Arpaio With Walkout; Watch Video

Image: Ray SternRandy Parraz meets with supporters outside the meeting hall of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors before leading a disruptive walkout.​ Activist Randy Parraz led a disruptive walkout on Tuesday at the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors meeting in protest of board policy ... More >>

Joe Arpaio on Blast by Citizens for a Better Arizona in New Video

CBA demands accountability of Arpaio in the latest video by Dennis Gilman A point some local journos missed concerning the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors' recent hearing on Sheriff Joe Arpaio's various misdeeds was that the special meeting, which addressed Arpaio's racial profiling and his bun ... More >>