Well, it looks like Vigilante Vendor has pointed out what should have been obvious, that elected officials must follow the law.
Quartzsite Town Code States:
Section 2-1-7 Bond
Prior to taking office, every Council Member shall execute and file an official bond, enforceable against the principal and his sureties, conditioned on the due and faithful performance of his official duties, payable to the state and to and for the use and benefit of the town or any person who may be injured or aggrieved by the wrongful act or default of such officer in his official capacity. A person so injured or aggrieved may bring suit on such bond under provisions identical to those contained in A.R.S. § 38-260. Bonds shall be in such sum as shall be provided by resolution, and the premium for such bonds shall be paid by the town.
Mayor-elect Lizarraga did not follow the law and Judge Burke had no choice but to declare him "unqualified" in the Jones v Lizarraga contest of the August 30th mayoral recall election. Apparently, Mrs. Jones also proved that it is illegal to appoint a mayor, as was done with Akin and Huntley, so there will be no mayor at all until the next election cycle in March of 2012. Meetings can be run by the vice mayor until that time. More to come...stay tuned!
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Vice Mayor Ding Dong Barbara Cowell, the most UN intelligent of the bunch, and that's saying something, is going to "lead" this town??? HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA
ReplyDeleteI was at the trial. Two points:
ReplyDelete1) The town of Quartzsite didn't send an attorney to represent it. It didn't need to. It had the judge acting as its attorney.
This is deplorable. Judges are supposed to be neutral. Judge Burke was anything but. It didn't take long into the trial before it was obvious Judge Burke was a shill for the town. Instead of immediately announcing a forfeit/default (since the town waived its right to challenge), he instead took on the role of town attorney, actively arguing against Jennifer. And, of course, ruling in favor of his own arguments! (I wonder if he and the town had talked behind doors, it was that bad.)
Nevertheless, Jennifer soldiered on, corrected a couple of the judge's 'misunderstandings' of the law, and finally hit upon a law Judge Burke could not twist or overrule. Good job Jennifer! She finally got Justice, but it shouldn't have been that hard.
2) Judge Burke began the show by announcing there were to be no video recordings. Didn't want this to become a youtube sensation. Said he wanted to maintain the "dignity of the court."
HEY, JUDGE BURKE! There is only ONE person who can maintain the dignity of the court. And that's YOU! Acting as a shill for the town was totally undignified and YOU single-handedly reduced the court to nothing more than a joke. You should be ashamed, and I suspect you knew you would be if you made it on youtube. What's wrong? Afraid of a little light? (So are cockroaches.)
We can tape the police. We can tape public meetings. Why do cameras frighten judges so? If you're not doing anything wrong, transparency shouldn't bother you.
Oh, wait. I just answered my own question.
How refreshing, a Trial Judge that believes that even members of Government must obey the “Laws of the Land”! Could we be seeing the future of Quartzsite, Arizona from the Bench of Judge Burke where Elected Public Officials, Town Governments, and Town Employees must follow the law or be removed?
ReplyDeleteJust how many additional challenges in our County, Arizona State, and Federal Courts are waiting in the wings for the Town of Quartzsite with Judge Burke’s rulings? I bet that the members of the League of Cities and Towns were up late last night burning the midnight oil in the Liability Insurance Offices!
IMHO, Jose Lizarraga is nothing more than a “Puppet on a string.” If I had been challenged over my post as Mayor or even Councilman for the Town of Quartzsite I would have been there in the La Paz Superior Court to have my side of the story placed on the record and make my adversary prove every point of their accusations against me!
Who is behind the Quartzsite Government? What are their motivations behind the slow death of not only the Government but also the Town of Quartzsite itself? Should not the members of the Council, Vice-Mayor Barbara Cowell, and Town Manager Alex Taft be forced to reimburse the taxpayers of Quartzsite for the legal fees incurred in their “Intervention” of Mrs. Jones challenge to insure that Jose Lizarraga obey the law?
From my observations of Jose Lizarraga over the years and now his NOT showing up in a Court of Law to defend himself only shows the kind of (IMHO) spineless coward he would be as a leader for the citizens and Town of Quartzsite. Just another paid in full rubber stamp for the true head of state in the Kingdom of Quartzsite, Arizona…
The graphic of that woman you use here on this post reminds me of my first "date"! Sorry, couldn't resist!!!
ReplyDelete