Today, the Pima County Board of supervisors were met with cries of “corruption” when Board Chair Sharon Bronson refused to allow many members of the public to participate in the Call to the Audience portion of the public board meeting. But before Board Chair Sharon Bronson could shut out the public, one member of the community told the supervisors that their corrupt activities will be shut down.
Bronson gaveled the meeting closed after only hearing from a handful of residents, refusing any discussion of Agenda Item #4, which focused on the supervisors’ sue of public funds for donations to private non-profits and other charities.
Supervisor Ally Miller called a point-of-order on behalf of the residents. Miller asked County Attorney Straub if the people had a right to address the Board, to which he responded that the parliamentarian was the sole decision maker and she, referring to Bronson, had closed the meeting. Residents left the meeting quickly in disgust.
However, before she was able to completely deny the public their say, one community member was able to speak for many in the community when he addressed the Board. In the opening of his comments, he noted the fact that Bronson would not allow members of the public to discuss the agenda item. The man said, “I also had to change my comments because Sharon Bronson did not allow us to comment on item number four. I’d like to see that decision now. The use of one nickel from us, without you telling us, is illegal. I told you last week that we proud Hispanics don’t believe in taking something that is not ours.”
“Como es el dicho,” said one County resident, “We have a saying in Spanish; if you say it long enough people start to believe it. So this Board puts us in debt. This board is giving money to the private charities without checking with us. That’s okay. It’s been done so long we believe it’s okay, right? It’s interesting – I have to tell you Richard – I saw you on television last week. I learned a lot from you while you accused Supervisor Ally Miller of trying to destroy this board. Wow, I’ll tell you what. I want to destroy some things. I want to destroy corruption. I want to destroy a system in which a County attorney acts like a defense attorney instead of a our public servant. He protects you, when you violated the law.”
“I’m going to tell you. I have to say this again and often enough so that’s people start to believe it,” said Hernandez as he pointed to supervisors Bronson, Carroll, Elias, and Valadez, “You’re out of here. “You’re out of here. You’re out of here. You’re out of here.” The man left the podium as the attendees clapped loudly.
“I am outraged and disappointed in the actions of Sharon Bronson. Clearly, she didn’t want to hear the public’s opinion in regards to her doling out over $25,000 of taxpayer monies, in the past 2 years, to various charities of her choice,” said Miller in a statement released after the meeting. “For the first time, many residents had the opportunity to see how the Pima County Board of Supervisors really operates”.
According to Miller’s statement, she will place an item for discussion and vote at the October 21, 2014 meeting for the Board to discuss a letter sent by the Goldwater Institute mandating they change policy or face legal action in the next 30 days.
While the opinion from the County Attorney’s office dismissed the supervisors’ donations as alternatively either de minimus, and/or in the service of the public, last week the Goldwater Institute issued a letter to the supervisors informed them that the over $100,000 in donations initially identified, appeared to be in violation of the State’s Gift Clause. Read County Attorney – Discretionary Spending letter here.
The supervisors behavior today, and the past unconstitutional acts with public monies will surely rile up the community, who have grown weary of living in the 8th poorest metropolitan area in the country with the highest taxes in the entire state of Arizona.