Greenlee County Sheriff Tim Sumner is under the gun, figuratively that is, from former Duncan Mayor Billy Waters, who initiated a recall effort against the sheriff last month.
Waters, a business owner in Duncan where he also served as a town council member for several years, contends there is too much turnover in the sheriff’s office, which is comprised of less than four dozen people. But the biggest beef Waters has with Sumner stems from GPS records released to the public earlier this year which showed the sheriff frequently exceeds the speed limit during non-emergency travel.
The records were legally obtained from the county clerk after someone recorded Sumner speeding. Sumner, who was elected county sheriff in November 2016 and then reelected in 2020, ran a campaign promoting integrity and accountability, has called the attention paid to his driving habits “politically motivated.”
Bianca Figueroa, the election director for Greenlee County, says Waters and his supporters must turn in 921 valid signatures by Jan. 21, 2022 in order to prompt a recall election next year. The 921 signature requirement is based on one-quarter of all votes cast for the sheriff’s position in the 2020 General Election, Figueroa said.
Many within the sheriff’s office and legal community praised Sumner last year after it was disclosed that he made sweeping changes to county’s jail operations in the wake of an October 2018 inmate death. Several of the changes were already in place before Greenlee County entered into a settlement with the inmate’s family the next year.
Those changes included modifications to some jail cells, revamped procedures for monitoring inmates with suicidal tendencies, and updated employee training.
But according to Waters, the county of less than 10,000 residents needs the opportunity to decide whether Sumner stays on or if a new sheriff takes the helm. Who might want the job is not something Waters has delved into, he told Arizona Daily Independent, as he is too busy concentrating on getting recall petitions signed.
