Crime

Talk About Bad Timing: Phoenix Councilman Claude Mattox Solicits Political Support One Day After Congresswoman Gunned Down in Tucson

Events across the nation were postponed in the wake of the Tucson shooting massacre that claimed the lives of six people and injured 14 others others, including Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

The nation paused as it mourned the senseless killings, recognizing it certainly wasn't the time for politics as usual.

Even the GOP put off its Wednesday vote to repeal healthcare reform. So it seemed pretty insensitive for Councilman Claude Mattox, a Phoenix mayoral hopeful, to have his people send out e-mails to Phoenix residents asking for political support and boasting "the remarkable accomplishments Claude has made on behalf of his city."

From the e-mail sent Sunday night at about 10 p.m.:

"As Councilman Mattox explores running for the office of Mayor of Phoenix in 2011, his friends thought it would be a good idea to share many of the remarkable accomplishments Claude has made on behalf of his city throughout the course of his more than two decades in public service."

Perhaps it would have been a good idea to ... wait ... at least until after the national moment of silence.

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Monica Alonzo
Contact: Monica Alonzo

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