Arizona: Steve Yarbrough

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Now that local elections are all but over for the counting in Tucson (and a possible recount in Ward 3), it's 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

The big news today: Terry Goddard, the state's highest-elected Democrat, filed paperwork Friday morning announcing that he is exploring a run for governor next year. Political Insider Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and former Arizona Democratic Party Chairman and 2006 U.S. Senate candidate Jim Pederson previously announced that they would not run. Former Tempe Mayor Neil Giuliano has also decided not to run

by David Safier
Yesterday, I wrote a post that mixed praise and criticism of the second part of the Trib's series, Rigged Privilege, about Arizona's poorly written and much abused tuition tax credit/STO legislation.

I mostly jumped the gun on my criticisms, and for that I apologize to the reporters, Ryan Gabrielson and Michelle Reese. The last 2 of the 6 articles, which appeared today tie, together threads I feared were going to be left hanging. I was concerned that both Steve Yarbrough and ChamBria Henderson, owners of two of the state's largest STOs and two of the most obvious violators of non profit tax laws, were being given too much credibility in the excuses they were being allowed to give for their behavior.

by David Safier
A cyber (online) charter school in Pennsylvania is in big trouble for the most common type of charter school abuse -- funneling money to management companies and other businesses that charge high rates and are connected to people who run the charter.

Pennsylvania education officials say Agora founder June Brown misused millions of taxpayer dollars. They say Brown packed the online school’s board with friends and relatives, who then gave a three million dollar contract to Brown’s own management company. State officials say that’s a violation of the online school’s charter. Michael Race is a spokesman for the department of education.

by David Safier
Now that the Tucson Weekly has expanded the scope of the STO story from Steve Yarbrough to Bob Stump, let's take a look at how Bob Stump figures in.

One of the two School Tuition Organizations housed in Yarbrough's business condo, School Choice Arizona (SCA), deals only with corporate tax credit donations. Yarbrough has no direct connection with School Choice Arizona, though it pays him rent and uses the services of his company, HY Processing.

In 2007, while Bob Stump was a state representative, School Choice Arizona paid him $57,000 for fundraising. Since SCA raises corporate tax credit money, this meant that Bob Stump was going around to corporations asking them to write checks to SCA.