Homeless in Arizona

I also have a problem with Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery because he also seems to be using his office and our tax dollars to terrorize people who legally use medical marijuana. He also seems to be hanging out with Sheila Polk, who is the Yavaipai County Attorney and doing the best he can to prevent recreational marijuana from becoming legal. And of course using our tax dollars to do that.

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Montgomery calls attack ads against him by Soros-linked group a violation of Arizona law

Rebekah L. Sanders , The Republic | azcentral.com 5:16 p.m. MST October 24, 2016

County Attorney Bill Montgomery seeks penalties against a "dark money" group backed by liberal billionaire George Soros that is attacking his re-election bid, but the group says it is within the law.

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery is seeking penalties against a "dark money" group backed by liberal billionaire George Soros that is attacking his re-election bid.

Montgomery's campaign alleges Arizona Safety & Justice has illegally spent nearly $1.4 million on television ads and mailers, but a spokeswoman for the group says it has followed the letter of the law. The ads accuse Montgomery of failing to sufficiently prosecute police officers investigated in a drug ring and prison guards involved in sex crimes.

Montgomery's complaint filed with the Maricopa County Recorder's Office says the PAC failed to notify Montgomery within 24 hours of launching the attacks, as required by state law.

"The PAC is in clear violation of Arizona election law," Montgomery campaign attorney Brett Johnson said in a written statement. "The civil penalty for violating the law is three times the cost of the literature or advertisement that was distributed in violation of this statue. Montgomery 2016 is asking for a civil penalty of three times the cost."

But Whitney Tymas, a spokeswoman for Arizona Safety & Justice, provided The Arizona Republic with images of three certified mail receipts and text of letters sent to the county attorney in mid-October. They were addressed to a Chandler post office box Montgomery lists on campaign paperwork.

"​Bill Montgomery's desperate attacks are a groundless attempt to distract voters from examining his failed record as county attorney," Tymas said in a written statement. "Arizona Safety & Justice has fully complied with every aspect of state election law. Our formal response will detail the written notices we provided."

The Recorder's Office has asked for a response from Tymas by Friday.

Montgomery, a Republican first elected in 2010, is running against Democrat Diego Rodriguez, a Phoenix attorney.

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Roberts: Bill Montgomery opposing dark money? Wait...what?

Laurie Roberts , The Republic | azcentral.com 10:57 a.m. MST October 19, 2016

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery is holding a press conference this afternoon to discuss “the influx of out-of-state dark money” into his political race.

Who knew that Montgomery, a Republican and close pal of Gov. Doug Ducey, was concerned about dark money?

Did I miss his press conference four years ago when a dark money group called Americans for Responsible Leadership spent $575,000 on Montgomery’s successful campaign to kill the top-two primary initiative?

Did I miss his press conference two years ago when dark money groups spent $15 million or more to get mostly Republican candidates elected in Arizona?

Of that, anonymous interests spent $5.2 million to make sure that Ducey became governor. Another $3.2 million in dark money was spent to get Republicans Tom Forese and Doug Little elected to the Corporation Commission.

Did I miss Montgomery’s alarm at the prospect of the state’s largest utility hiding its efforts to stack the five-member commission that decides its profits and your utility rates?

Or his alarm earlier this year when Ducey and the Legislature passed a law that will open the floodgates to even more dark money spending in Arizona?

I must have because Montgomery is holding a press conference this afternoon “to discuss the influx of out-of-state dark money into a local government race.”

There is just one small problem. There’s no evidence that there actually is any dark money in the county attorney’s race.

Montgomery is talking about Arizona Safety & Justice, a new independent expenditure group formed last month by Democrat billionaire George Soros. Soros has spent more than $3 million over the last year in seven state and local prosecutor races across the country and now comes race No. 8: the Maricopa County attorney’s race, which pits Montgomery against Democrat Diego Rodriguez.

Soros also has formed an independent expenditure group called Maricopa Strong, to oppose Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

But Maricopa Strong is not a dark money group. A campaign-finance report filed last month shows that Soros has put $300,000 into defeating Arpaio and electing Democrat Paul Penzone.

Arizona Safety & Justice, which filed as an campaign group on Sept. 23, has not yet had to file a campaign-finance report. But given that it’s being run by the same people as Maricopa Strong, I’m guessing that Soros will be disclosing his involvement in the race.

Allowing voters to evaluate the message of the campaign based upon who is bankrolling it.

I expect that Montgomery this afternoon will say that voters should know who is trying to influence their votes.

He’s absolutely right.

And I look forward to him using his considerable influence to eliminate dark money here in the state where the sun always shines.

Except, curiously, around election time.