Infinite MonkeysYesterday there was a lot of talk on the radio about the idea of the Arizona Cardinals naming their new stadium under construction after Pat Tillman. (Instead, they're planning on pinning his name on the plaza out front.)
During the discussion, Hugh Hewitt picked up on some Phoenicians' references to Arizona's Governor Napolitano changing the name of one of the three prominent mountain peaks within the Phoenix metro area. Hugh heard some Phoenix callers point to the change as a bad move, but he repeatedly supported the action, saying it was a fine and admirable things to do. Well, that's the sort of position I might expect an out-of-towner to take. But had one been here during the machinations of the change, a different opinion may have been reached.
In the preceding paragraph, I worded the line about Napolitano changing the name very carefully. Arizona's Governor doesn't have the authority to do such things. But that's what she did. Such changes are only to be made by
Now, all of the usual disclaimers about my appreciation for the service of Pfc. Lori Piestewa notwithstanding, here are a few newspaper excerpts from the mishandling of the issue
(from an archived copy of what Marianne Jennings wrote in our local paper):the Board's name change ran roughshod over law and policies. Both the U.S. Board of Geographic Names and state boards require that changes in honor of a person be proposed AFTER the person has been deceased for 5 years. To stop heat-of-emotion naming, these boards have, for 100 years, adhered to the five-year wait. Even Barry Goldwater's ghost had to sit it out until we named just about everything after him. ...When the chairman of the state board, Tim Norton, reappointed in January by Gov. Napolitano for another five-year term, pointed out the five-year rule to his demanding governor, she suggested[*] that he resign. He didn't, but he also didn't go to the meeting. Richard Pinkerton, a member of the board for 19 years resigned [in protest] prior to the meeting. A portion of his letter read, "[t]here have been implied threats from within the board's membership that I should sacrifice and prostitute my integrity in the interest of satisfying a particular political leaning."
With Pinkerton out, and the chairman not in attendance, there remained only the sycophants of state government, trembling in their French Shriners. One public member of the Board, and the representative from the Arizona Historical Society, my friend, Lloyd Clark, weathered the meeting and rose to defend the rule of law. A near-octogenarian, this life-long fan of Casa Blanca knows more about Arizona names, sites and history than the Gila monsters. He has a love of everything Arizona from Penny's Pies at the Rock Springs Café to the true origins of the name of Bumble Bee, Arizona.
Lloyd asked the same questions he would ask at any hearing. To the mayor of Phoenix, "Did the city council approve this?" Nope. To a member of the county board of supervisors, "Did the board endorse this?" Nope. To the head of the Arizona Department of Transportation, "Did your board approve this?" Nope, but they'll ratify it at the next meeting. The usual suspects were rounded up, but had nothing to offer. They came without endorsements.
*The strongarm tactics used by the Governor and her staff went far beyond "suggestions." Their actions went so far over the line as to inspire legislation "to give members of boards and commissions the same protections they have against unfair outside pressure." From the Arizona Daily Sun:I don't really have the time to go into the political motives behind why Napolitano had political motivations for the name change, but I think they were there. I don't think it was just about honoring someone. Nor do I have the time do go into measuring Piestewa's status as "hero" against that of Tillman, and the issue of her, as a single-mother of two, leaving her kids to go to war. Maybe I'll post an update. Posted by Brad at April 27, 2004 04:34 PM | TrackBackSen. Dean Martin, R-Phoenix, is introducing legislation today to make it a crime for anyone to improperly seek to influence the vote of any board member by contacting that person's regular employer. Violators would be guilty of a misdemeanor, facing six months in jail and a $2,500 fine.Martin admits his legislation is in direct response to the actions of Mario Diaz, a top aide to Gov. Janet Napolitano.
Diaz, seeking to get the state Board on Geographic and Historic Names to approve renaming Squaw Peak, was pressuring board Chairman Tim Norton to put the measure on the board's agenda or resign from the unpaid position if he would not.
But Diaz did more than that. Diaz also called Sil Ontiveros, an assistant Phoenix police chief to whom Norton reports in his regular paying day job.
"Mario wanted us to encourage Tim to change his position," confirmed Andy Anderson, who heads the police department's public information unit. Anderson said the department refused to get involved.
Martin said he would have thought it unnecessary to tell people not to try to pressure board members by going to their employer.
"But now we have to make it perfectly obvious this is improper behavior," he said.
"Why would anybody give up their time to serve on mostly unpaid boards and commissions when you could possibly have your own employment, your livelihood threatened?" he asked. "Our whole system starts breaking if this type of activity persists."
Martin's legislation is patterned after existing law which makes it a crime to pressure legislators to vote a certain way by contacting their private employers. That law was enacted in 1974 after lawmakers, most of whom hold outside jobs, complained about the practice. ...
Because any law would be prospective only Diaz could not be prosecuted for his actions last month.
Mayes said Napolitano has acknowledged that what Diaz did was "a mistake" and that the governor "has accepted responsibility for it." But the governor has refused to say how she intended to discipline him, if at all.