He has been retired unofficially for what seems an eternity, but on Friday, an audience of roughly 400 gathered at the Westin La Paloma Resort to surprise Sheriff Clarence W. Dupnik. At the conclusion of the surprise roast, Dupnik finally made his retirement official.
According to Dupnik, he will leave office effective July 31, 2015. Because Dupnik has made it appear that he has served more than half of this term, the Pima County Board of Supervisors will appoint his replacement. Arizona statute requires the Board to choose a member of the same party as the retiring sheriff. It is expected that Chris Nanos, who has actually run the Department for at least the last year, will continue in that role until appointed to the position by the Board.
Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik and the Arizona Daily Star’s cartoonist David Fitzsimmons spearheaded the event.
Dupnik, who has held the residents of Pima County in general contempt for the past few years, has been employed by them for over 57 years.
Dupnik was “roasted” by a crew of locals:
* David Fitzsimmons (Cartoonist)
* U.S. Senator (ret.) Dennis DeConcini
* Mike Taibbi (retired NBC News Journalist)
* Lupita Murillo (KVOA News Reporter)
* Barbara LaWall (Pima County Attorney)
* Chuck Huckelberry (Pima County Administrator)
* Dr. Richard Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., FACS (17th Surgeon General of the United States)
The Sheriff, like the former Senator DeConcini, spends much of his time in San Diego, California.
The Arizona Daily Independent filed a FOIA request for Dupnik’s calendar and emails in early May. As of June 16, an employee responded that they are “hoping to have your request done in about a week, but it might take a bit longer.”
Earlier this week, Pima County Sheriff deputies came before the Board of Supervisors to inform them of the fact that they have not seen an increase in pay for years. As a result, some of the deputies and their families qualify for public assistance.