Indicted Republican Supervisor Don Stapley
Yes you read that right. Liberal Republican and indicted County Supervisor Don Stapley will not appoint new legislators unless they SUPPORT a tax increase. This sounds more like a litmus test coming from a DEMOCRAT directed at a Democrat candidate, not a litmus test coming from a Republican for Republican candidates! The County Supervisors have the power to appoint replacement legislators. With the recent wave of legislators resigning to run for higher office, Stapley and other Supervisors will get to choose SEVERAL of our next legislators. Conservatives worked hard last year to ensure that the legislature became more conservative. Arizona was one of only two state legislatures (Tennessee was the other) to actually GAIN Republican seats, and in addition, the Arizona Republicans overall became more conservative.
Now, Supervisor Stapley wants to undo those changes and only appoint Republicans who favor a sales tax increase. This is a slap in the face to the Republican legislators resigning who stood firm against Governor Brewer’s tax increase, Sen. Gorman and Rep. Crump.
As reported in the Arizona Guardian on January 25, 2010:
Board Chairman Don Stapley, R-Mesa, said Monday he would use the tax increase as a litmus test. Stapley, who has served on the board for 16 years, says he supports the tax hike only because it keeps the Legislature from pushing off unfunded mandates onto the counties. “I do think this is the only way the state can get out of the structural deficit it’s currently in,” Stapley said of the tax hike. “We’re going to want to appoint individuals who understand the role of local government and don’t want to pass additional costs onto counties and municipalities.”
Sure enough, the Supervisors appointed a replacement for Gorman today who favors the tax increase, District 6 chairman Dave Braswell. From today’s Arizona Guardian,
In discussing the state’s current economic problems, he said he was supportive of Gov. Jan Brewer’s budget and financial proposals that call for further cuts to core government services as well as referring a temporary 1-cent (18%) sales tax increase to the ballot in May. “It’s a thoughtful proposal based on the fact that state revenues are down,” Braswell said. “We at the state legislature should only be working with what we have to work with.”
Fortunately, there is legislation underway that could be heard as soon as tomorrow in the legislature to transfer this appointment power from the Supervisors so that the Executive Guidance Committee of the respective county political parties gets to choose the three to send up. The next two seats to be filled are those recently resigned by Rep. Crump and Senator Waring. It’s long been known that Supervisors Stapley and Wilcox are corrupt. Now we find out Stapley wants to hijack the Republican Party with Democrat Party litmus tests for candidates. Let’s hope this legislation passes.
