On Tuesday, the Pima County Board of Supervisors in a 3-2 vote, appointed Arizona Daily Star reporter Joe Ferguson as constable for the soon-to-be vacant position in Justice Precinct 9.
Prior to the vote, Supervisor Ally Miller explained her support for the other applicant for the position, George Camacho. Miller recited his extensive experience and outlined his impressive qualifications for the job.
Supervisor Miller questioned why the Board would pass over such a highly qualified candidate and choose an inexperienced reporter. As she always is, Supervisor Miller was candid. “We’re using these appointments to give a political favor to somebody. There’s no doubt in my mind,” she stated.
She might have asked, but did not, why her fellow supervisors would consider appointing a reporter who has demonstrated an inability to report without bias to a position that requires honesty, integrity, objectivity, and fairness. No one would have blamed her.
The Arizona Daily Star was panned by pundit Greg Patterson on his Espressopundit.com blog for their coverage of Ferguson’s appointment:
Covered Supervisor Race…and then they appointed him Constable.
We have been granted an opportunity to see if anyone in the AZ media believes all the stuff that they are preaching or if it is all BS.
Check out this article.
Joe Ferguson, who covered local government and politics at Arizona newspapers for more than a decade, including the last seven years at the Arizona Daily Star, was appointed Tuesday by the Pima County Board of Supervisors to serve as a constable.
So Ferguson covered “local government and politics”. What exactly does that mean? It means that he covered the recent campaign for Supervisor and then those Supervisors turned around and appointed him as constable.
Check out his hit piece that Ferguson wrote about Supervisor Ally Miller.
Now take a look at what Ferguson told the Tucson Sentinel
The Star coverage included high praise and a platform for Ferguson. The Star reporter wrote: “Ferguson said Miller is entitled to her opinions, but “there’s a lot more to this job than filling out paperwork” and “the real work is out there in the community.”
Ferguson was referring to the community in which Mr. Camacho and his family have lived for eons.
To its credit, the Star coverage did not include innuendo and the smears of Mr. Camacho that the powers-that-be were passing around. That dirty work was left to the always-begging blogger Dylan Smith and his imaginary crew over at the Tucson Sentinel.
Dylan, the dutiful lapdog for the powers-that-be in Pima County, slapped together a long article filled with half-truths, fabricated and/or unverified stale claims made by Miller’s former employees, and smears aimed at Miller, me, the Arizona Daily Independent, and Mr. Camacho.
Supervisor Miller and I, as women in the public arena, are used to cheap shots by petty little men like Smith and his buddy Jim Nintzel. We can take it. What is unforgivable is Smith’s attack on George Camacho. Couldn’t he defend his frat brother Fergie without spreading unverified claims about Mr. Camacho?
Given that Ferguson was so unqualified for the appointment and Mr. Camacho was so well-qualified for the job, and smearing good people is cheap fun for these juvenile journalists, a smear was all they had to provide cover for supervisors Elias, Valadez, and Bronson.
I hope Dylan feels good about what he has done to a good man just trying to make a living and get ahead. In the end, I have no doubt that Smith will be rewarded for his attack, either in the form of a pat on the head, or donations to his blog. And who knows? Maybe he’ll be the next constable appointee.
Editor’s Note: Loretta Hunnicutt works 30 hours a week in Supervisor Miller’s office.