A Pima County Board of Supervisors District 4 candidate won the day this week in a three-way race after he tried to diffuse an ugly battle with humor that raged between the Steve Christy campaign and the Marla Closen campaign. Closen, a newcomer to Arizona was outraged when Christy’s camp allegedly placed his campaign signs along roadways in front of hers.
Closen wasted no time in using the actions by one of the dirtiest Republican establishment’s operatives to attack Christy. She posted the following message on Facebook:
It is about honor, integrity and professionalism, folks.
Pima County business-as-usual politics is in full force as exemplified by the Steve Christy campaign, who has placed his signs directly in front of ours. ARS 16 STATUTE states no one can knowingly remove, alter, deface, or cover a political sign of any candidate, except the candidate or a representative.
My campaign manager’s request to the Christy campaign to simply move their signs, has been ignored. In addition to our signs being deliberately blocked, as of today, many have gone missing.
We are looking at our options concerning Christy’s sign placements.
Meanwhile, leaving Christy’s signs covering ours serves as a reminder what type of Supervisor he will be if elected. He will most likely serve with the same absence of honor, integrity and professionalism as he runs his campaign.
One last thing: if anyone sees Marla Closen signs being cut down or stolen please contact our campaign. It would be even better if you can get a picture. No one is above the law.
Now, let’s leave these childish sign games to Mr. Christy, as I am going to resume focusing on the problems of Pima County.
Her post elicited responses such as, “He paid someone to get his (Christy) signatures and now he probably hired someone to put up his signs. He is so far removed from the average person that he doesn’t even care enough to do something about this.”
In response, Christy issued an unapologetic statement. The arrogant former car dealer is the establishment’s chosen candidate and it appeared to many that he was uninterested in stopping the sleazy antics of the GOP’s go-to-dirty-trickster.
Rather than get involved in the childish mud fight, candidate John Backer created a video entitled “Sign Wars:”
While the Closen and Christy camps took shots at each other on social media, the underdog Backer won new friends. Backer, who unlike Closen has lived in southern Arizona for years, and Christy who has money to burn thanks to the establishment, has looked for creative ways to share his message. Backer has won support from the sharing of his videos to the small box of mints he distributes to anyone and everyone that read: “Does your county government leave a BAD taste in your mouth?”
Pima County politics is a blood sport, and while Closen and Christy try to draw blood, Backer is trying to lower the blood pressure of everyone involved.