Arizona: Joe Arpaio

by David Safier

Here's a photo of Vic Williams (R-LD26) hanging around with a few of his closest friends: Russell Pearce, J.D. Hayworth and Sheriff Joe Arpaio (Present but out of the shot, Andrew Thomas). That's Vic looking stern and resolute behind the big three.

The issue is immigration. With those folks sharing the microphone, you know the tone is harsh.

How harsh? The Republic, not known as a Republican-bashing publication or a bastion of liberalism, had this to say under the headline, "Pearce and crew fill leadership vacuum with bunk."

Because Congress has abdicated its responsibility to resolve illegal immigration, powers have stepped into their leadership vacuum.

It’s been less than 11 month since he was elected to his fifth-consecutive term in office, but Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is already soliciting more funds for another campaign.
In a letter Arpaio sent to supporters last week, the sheriff painstakingly lays out the vast left-wing conspiracy working against him - name dropping Rev. Al Sharpton, President Barack Obama, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and ACORN along with a few media outlets - and says he’s in need of financial support to fight these forces.
To reiterate the threat Sharpton poses (he’s visited Phoenix twice this year ...

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Time once again to update the early filers with the Arizona Secretary of State for 2010. You can play along at home at http://www.azsos.gov/cfs/CommitteeSearch.aspx

Since the last update, Paradise Valley Mayor Vernon Parker, a Republican, has been receiving a lot of media attention as he explores running for goveror PV mayor forms exploratory panel on run for governor, not all of it welcome PV Mayor Vernon Parker: Accused by Feds of false filing « Seeing Red AZ. State Treasurer Dean Martin, a Republican, is also considering running for governor State Treasurer Dean Martin considers a run for governor. Former Arizona Republican Party Chairman and Republican National Commiteeman John Munger told Bill Buckmaster of KUAT's Arizona Illustrated on Monday that he is leaving the segment "Face Off" and would have an announcement shortly about a new direction in his life, looking like the cat who swallowed the canary.

by David Safier
Ryan Gabrielson and Michelle Reese have received much deserved praise for their series in the East Valley Tribune, Rigged Privilege, about the misuse of tuition tax credits and improper behavior by the STOs that manage and disburse the funds. Now they've received an award and a little bit of extra cash for their efforts.

The Sidney Hillman Foundation have given the two reporters its Sidney Award for Social Justice Journalism. The award comes with $500.

This isn't the first such award for Gabrielson. He was awarded a Pulitzer along with Paul Giblin for their five-part investigative series about Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Ironically, Giblin was downsized out of his Trib job because of budget cuts and is now on the staff of the