Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is an oily stain on the landscape of Arizona, and now comes news that there is a more direct connection between the political catastrophe here and the economic and environmental catastrophes in the Gulf of Mexico. During his tenure, Arpaio's illegal and inhumane actions have cost county taxpayers up to $41 million in lawsuits. Many of these cases were brought by the families of inmates in his custody — some who died or were tortured during incarceration. A federal grand jury investigation of Arpaio is underway, looking into these abuses of power.
Other high-profile cases totaling more than $50 million are pending, including lawsuits from two elected officials and four judges. During the years Arpaio was building his police state, some of these officials stood in his way, often refusing to sanction his infamous "sweeps" and other immigration tactics. Arpaio's response was to file lawsuits against them; and in one instance he arrested County Supervisor Don Stapley twice. All of this was on the TV news, of course, as Arpaio's PR office alerted the media so their cameras were running when Joe's deputies slapped the cuffs on Stapley.
That Joe ... he loves him some face time on TV.
The problem was, Arpaio's lawsuits were bogus, but when they were tossed out of court he did not go away quietly. In the case of Don Stapley, the Sheriff sent 20 deputies to the office of the Supervisor's secretary, Sue Schuerman, to dig for documents that might bolster his case against Stapley. She refused to cooperate and so Arpaio did what he always does: he filed a lawsuit against her, claiming she was part of a bribery plot with Stapley! In the following days, Arpaio's deputies harassed her at home, trailed her during the day, and leaked her name to the press. Now she has filed a $1.7 million suit against the Sheriff, claiming he has ruined her life and reputation.
You really gotta wonder how Republicans, who call themselves "fiscal conservatives," keep electing this yahoo, someone who has cost them tens of millions of dollars in lawsuits. And, of course, it's not going to get any better with SB 1070 about to go into effect. We're already hearing accounts from civil rights organizations about racial profiling, even though Arpaio says that will not occur. Some of those illegally detained have filed lawsuits and no one thinks we're not going to see more costly court cases, since the terms and policies of the "papers please" legislation are so vague.
But even without the additional costs associated with SB 1070 — for lawsuits and increased enforcement — it's pretty clear that Maricopa County is in deep doo-doo legally and economically, and it's not going to get better. What's the connection, then, to BP and the gusher in the Gulf? It turns out:
County managers want to bring in Ken Feinberg to handle the claims. His name might sound familiar because he handled the settlements for 9/11 victims and now he has become known as the $20 billion man in the Gulf, in charge of handling all claims related to the BP oil spill.
Hmm, so the County wants to hire the guy who's in charge of the $20 billion BP fund. In effect, they want to avoid trial and set up a system to settle claims, because they likely know they will lose in court. The Sheriff's record there does not exactly inspire confidence. Arpaio, though, is not taking any of this lying down:
The sheriff says, “I will not settle for one penny. See this penny? Not one penny! I want to go to court. I want them to sue!" The sheriff’s office maintains its investigations were fair and justified.
If the County goes ahead with its plan to hire Feinberg, I imagine, in true Arpaio fashion, he will file a lawsuit against them. I wonder how that case will be resolved — in court or by Feinberg? So ... the big guy wants them to sue. I have news Joe: they are and will. And if history is any indication, many of them will win — millions. Fiscal conservatives my ass. Will no one rid us of this troublesome clown?