Thanks in large measure to the unrelenting pursuit of public corruption by conservative think tank Judicial Watch, former Phoenix Mayor Philly Gordon’s security logs — 476 pages of heavily redacted copies — have finally been released.
In its lawsuit, Judicial Watch v. City of Phoenix (No. CV 2010-015452), the group sought to obtain documents to determine if the six-day a week, four-officer police detail, which cost taxpayers about $1 million per year, was used for any non-official or personal purposes, even as the city threatened to lay off hundreds of Phoenix Police Department officers due to lack of funding.
Gordon rectified that contrived menace by instituting a tax on the food Phoenix residents ate. This came immediately after the City of Phoenix paid $14.3 million to 6,989 employees in unconscionable “retention bonuses — $2 million more than the food tax would bring in.
Last December, the AZ Court of Appeals reversed a ruling by the Maricopa County Superior Court that shielded the release of the security logs handing an enormous victory to Judicial Watch and the taxpaying citizens of the City of Phoenix.
In its report today the daily newspaper concedes the security logs show the taxpayer-funded police detail took Democrat Gordon outside the realm of the public schedule his office provided to the media. A Phoenix police spokesman is quoted as saying he estimates that the city spent a “few hundred thousand dollars on security for the mayor annually” and that “the department is working to provide details on specific costs for past years.”
The logs, which the city called “worksheets,” record Gordon’s Phoenix Police detail was used to transport him to the cleaners, sporting events, outings to the movies, restaurants and personal trysts with his former campaign fundraiser and onetime girlfriend, Elissa Mullany — even getting his son to piano lessons — all at taxpayer expense.
“It’s one thing to have police officers assigned to him at public events,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. “It’s another thing to have him shepherded around to dates and the dry cleaners.”
Good job Judicial Watch!
Well, that’s all well and good, but other than making everyone fume about what he did, what’s going to be done about it?
Did you read the word “lawsuit?” I imagine there are damages that can be assessed and collected. Phil Gordon might have made a salary of $80,000, but he moved into a million dollar ++ grande chateau on Central Avenue that was priced even higher than what he paid for it before the bottom fell out of the market.
One reason behind fiscal downturn suffered locally is Gordo’s love of illegal labor and his sanctuary city policies that ensured medical, educational and a host of other costly social service benefits to non- citizens. He was fine with illegal laborers taking construction jobs from Arizona citizens.
Construction jobs: When I see construction crews on Phoenix streets, it’s rare to see a non-hispanic. Granted there must be some whites or blacks on these crews, I just can’t recall when I’ve seen one.
There is nothing more un-American than a food tax! Who’s willing to do something about it?
Greg Stanton is another liberal just elected mayor. He is beholden to the unions, said he would have voted for the food tax had he still been on the council at the time the vote was taken, and was cogratulated by Barack Obama and Janet Napolitano via personal calls when he the returns came in on election night. He’s smarter than Gordon, but every bit as much a leftie.
Costly excesses of former Mayor Gordon exposed
…wasting other-peoples’-money on themselves and on their warped, perverse ideology IS WHAT luantic-left d-cRAT socialist DO.
Jane,
One person who you can count on not doing anything about the food tax is the newest liberal to run Phoenix, Greg Stanton. He said he would have voted FOR it if he had been on the council at the time the vote was taken. Swell guy.
The next wasteful program needing investigation at City of Phoenix is Neighborhood Services Department. Did you know your fair city owns multiple single family houses in nearly every Phoenix neighborhood? Once our local nanny state becomes our fellow homeowner they lease out the home at a taxpayer subsidized rate.
Who asked the City of Phoenix to compete with private homeowners and private sector investors?