BREWER'S NONPUBLIC SCHEDULE NOW PUBLIC

posted by Michael Chihak

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's schedule has been beefed up to include more of her appearances.

This week, for example, the schedule for the first time lists events “closed to the media at host’s request.”

(Parenthetically, one must wonder why two events this week have that designation: One is a salute to GOP legislators, the other a speech by the commander of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.)

In the past, such events would not appear on the schedule, leading to criticism by the media and others of Brewer. That was heightened when she made an unannounced appearance at a meeting in Florence to express support for the digging of a new copper mine in Pinal County.

Brewer spokesman Matthew Benson told the Arizona Capitol Times that the governor's office typically hasn’t list events that are closed to the press, “but we are trying to give you as clear a picture as possible as the governor’s public activities."

Benson said the change wasn't in response to any criticism but rather came out of a desire to be transparent.

See the governor's weekly schedule here.

TUCSON CITY MGR LETCHER'S RESIGNATION LETTER

posted by Michael Chihak

From City Manager Mike Letcher's letter to mayor and City Council today:

"Unfortunately, I cannot change the current political and media climate in this community that focus more on blame than resolution. I know now that I can only go so far in changing the organizational climate of the city that has not seen consistent City Management since Joel Valdez. I know that I will continue to find problems to fix that expose the city to public criticism. Based on these facts I am submitting my resignation as City Manager effective August 31, 2012. This will allow me to complete one more budget cycle and for the new Mayor and Council to start a thoughtful recruitment process to select the next City Manager.

"During the search process and the final months of my service in 2012, I will work with Mayor and Council to: implement the adopted plan for lifting furloughs, fulfill the final year of the current budget and finalizing the budget for FY 2013. I am committed to holding our bond ratings and establishing a firm foundation to maintain core services within acceptable budgetary resources in my work on the budget for next fiscal year."

Read Letcher's full letter here.

MARY DECAMP SHAKES UP CAMPAIGN STAFF

posted by Andrea Kelly

Mary DeCamp won the Green Party's primary in the mayoral race last week, and now she has a new campaign manager.

DeCamp announced she is replacing her primary campaign manager, Mike Cease, for the general election race. In his place will be Dave Croteau, DeCamp's opponent in the primary. She took in 70 percent of the votes cast in the party's mayoral primary race.

The Greens insisted their primary election competition was friendly, and DeCamp keeps that tone in announcing the staff changes.

DeCamp was happy with Cease's work and it was Cease who suggested Croteau come on as campaign manager for the general election, according to a news release announcing the changes.

“We are growing a co-evolution that brings people together; we’re not following ‘status quo politics’ of knee-capping one’s opponent,” DeCamp said in a statement in the news release.

GIFFORDS MAKES A SECOND VISIT TO TUCSON THIS WEEKEND

posted by Andrea Kelly

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is spending the long Labor Day weekend in Tucson. This is her second trip home since she left for rehabilitation in Houston to recover from the gunshot wound she suffered in January.

Giffords spent several months doing inpatient rehab at TIRR Memorial Hermann hospital in Houston, and is now an outpatient there. That means she gets to go home at night with her husband Mark Kelly.

She's still not spending much time in Tucson, and her staff says she's anxious to get back to her hometown.

In a news release, Giffords' office said the visit will be private, just as her first visit was during Father's Day weekend in June.

BORDER POLITICS: FACTS VS. TRUTH

posted by Michael Chihak

Border czar Alan Bersin was armed with the latest statistics and facts on U.S.-Mexican border crime and illegal crossings when he spoke to municipal officials from across the state in Tucson this week.

From Bersin: Violent crime in the border region is down by double-digit percentages from San Diego to Brownsville, including 17 percent on the Arizona border; illegal immigrant arrests are down, too, including by four-fifths in the Tucson Sector in the last decade; drug cartel violence in Mexico, some of it within sight of the border, hasn't spilled across the line at all.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer was armed with no statistics when she strode to the microphone a few minutes after Bersin, who was applauded by the crowd of 800. She had no facts. She had nothing to refute the commissioner's stance.

All she had were two quick-draw statements: We'll have to agree to disagree, and we need the border secured.

Thunderous applause followed.

It reminded me of the scene in an Indiana Jones movie in which Jones is confronted by a nasty-looking thug wielding a sabre. Jones' response: a shrug as he pulls out his gun and calmly shoots the guy dead.

In the case of the debate over illegal immigration, guess who Jones was?

FEC RULES ON SECURITY MONEY

posted by Christopher Conover

The Federal Elections Commission has ruled that Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords can use campaign funds to pay for security upgrades to her Houston home.

The decision is a formality, with the draft of the ruling being released days ago. Commissioners said the use of campaign funds for home security is permissible because Giffords was injured while performing her duties as a member of Congress.