J.T. Ready, a virulent neo-Nazi who ended up slaughtering a family of four in a 2012 rampage before offing himself. Pearce backed a number of racist bills and referendums targeting immigrants, the most notorious of which was SB 1070. The legislation made “attrition through enforcement” — aka, ethnic cleansing — Arizona state policy. Passed in 2010, it also required local cops to become de facto immigration agents, investigating possible immigration violations when there was “reasonable suspicion” to do so – in effect, meaning whenever the police stopped anyone brown. The backlash to the law resulted in boycotts, massive demonstrations and costly court challenges, which were only partly successful. Pearce died in January 2023 at age 75. His name will be forever associated with the ethnic strife and hate that he spawned. Joe Arpaio At age 91, former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is the Norma Desmond of Arizona politics, reliving the “glory days” of six terms in office by selling auto- graphed pink underwear — the kind he made his prisoners wear in the jails — at local gun shows, craft fairs or anywhere they’ll let him set up a booth. On the nona- genarian’s Facebook page, he posts old photos of himself with celebrities of yore, like Lou Ferrigno and Dennis Miller. In 2022, he ran for mayor of the city he lives in, Fountain Hills. He told Phoenix New Times he wanted to “fire” Sheriff Paul Penzone, the dude who beat him like a rug in 2016, by canceling the MCSO’s contract to provide law enforcement services to the town. Arpaio lost the election but he’s running again in 2024. But Penzone recently resigned as sheriff, leaving Arpaio loyalist, Chief Deputy Russ Skinner, in command for now. Seems Arpaio’s outlived his chance at revenge. Not that Arpaio lacks a legacy. Currently, it’s best represented by the more than $250 million Maricopa County has shelled out because of Melendres v. Arpaio, the lawsuit brought on by Arpaio’s racial profiling sweeps of Hispanic neighbor- hoods. Arpaio’s past tense politically, but Melendres drags on, in no small part due to the institutional intransigence of the “House that Joe Built.” Arpaio was once one of the most feared men in Arizona, retaliating against his political enemies, arresting the former owners of New Times and investigating mayors, judges, county supervisors and more. His jails were renowned for their cruelty, incurring millions of dollars in lawsuit payouts for deaths and maimings. Now all that’s left are pink boxers, bad memories and an ever-increasing bill. Andy Thomas During his six years as Maricopa County Attorney, Andy Thomas gleefully played the Richard III of Sand Land politics, instituting a reign of terror and error that ended only when he resigned to run for Arizona Attorney General in April 2010. In August 2010, he narrowly lost the Republican primary to none other than Tom Horne, who is currently State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Two years later, Thomas was disbarred for his many misdeeds while in office. An anti-immigrant firebrand, Thomas prosecuted undocumented immigrants for “self-smuggling” themselves into the country and supported a winning ballot measure to deny bail for undocumented arrestees. Federal courts later declared both unconstitutional. He also partnered with then-Sheriff Joe Arpaio in enforcing Arizona’s “employer sanctions” law, which made it illegal for businesses to knowingly employ undocu- mented workers. This resulted in police raids on local companies to arrest workers for using fake IDs, with few repercussions for the companies involved. But what got Thomas in hot water was his prosecution of anyone who criticized or stood in the way of him and Arpaio. Thomas’ office ginned up false charges against county supervisors, journalists — notably the former owners of New Times, Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin — and even the presiding judge of Maricopa County Superior Court. The jump-the-shark moment for Thomas and Arpaio came at a 2009 press conference when they announced the filing of a federal RICO suit against several county officials and judges. The bogus filing was ultimately dismissed. The misconduct from Thomas and Arpaio cost the county tens of millions of dollars in lawsuit settlements. Arpaio faced zero repercussions. Prosecutors, however, are held to higher standards. On April 10, 2012, a disciplinary panel of the Arizona Supreme Court found Thomas guilty of numerous ethical violations and stripped him of his law license. In 2014, Thomas mounted a failed campaign for governor. He has since drifted into obscurity. Jan Brewer Fate elevated Jan Brewer from lifelong political hack to Arizona’s highest office when Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat, abandoned the state in 2009 to become President Barack Obama’s Secretary of Homeland Security. Consequently, Brewer, the Republican Secretary of State, became Arizona’s 22nd governor. Brewer was not known as an immigra- tion hard-liner, but in 2010, when Russell Pearce’s SB 1070 hit her desk, she faced a contentious Republican gubernatorial primary with nativism in Arizona at an all- time high. Hispanic groups lobbied her to veto the bill, but political expediency triumphed. She signed it, her popularity skyrocketed, her major rivals withdrew from the primary and she handily won the general election. Fairly or not, SB 1070 branded Arizona a racist state. Boycotts, lawsuits and massive protests followed. According to one study, convention cancellations cost businesses $141 million in lost revenue in the months following the law’s passage. An estimated 200,000 undocumented resi- dents fled the state. The total price tag is something scholars still debate. Republican political guru and former Brewer advisor Chuck Coughlin recently asked New Times to focus on the big picture in assessing Brewer’s career. “She raised taxes in the bottom of a recession,” Coughlin argued. “She expanded Medicaid . . . She did a lot of good things.” Pro-immigrant activist Sal Reza disagreed. “Brewer was devastating, not just for the (Hispanic) community, but the economy of the state,” he said. Brewer gets points for expanding Medicaid when other red states haven’t done so. But she exploited SB 1070 to get elected, for self-aggrandizement and to raise money. She spread harmful lies, like the one about migrant-related “behead- ings” in the Arizona desert. She issued an executive order denying driver’s licenses to DACA-recipients, calling them “illegal people.” Her policies spread fear and demonized folks with brown skin. SB 1070 should be emblazoned on Brewer’s tombstone. Paul Babeu The unraveling of Sheriff Paul Babeu’s political career was a beautiful thing to behold. Though Pinal County is not on the Arizona-Mexico border, the telegenic, anti-immigrant stalwart sold himself as a critic of President Obama’s border policies, becoming a darling of Fox News. The rising star even helped Sen. John McCain get re-elected in 2010, appearing in a campaign commercial with McCain as they walked along the border, touting a 10-point border security plan Babeu co-authored. “Senator, you’re one of us,” Babeu told McCain in the ad. Babeu’s downfall began in February 2012, not long after he announced his plans to run for Congress. A New Times story reported that Babeu’s former boyfriend alleged Babeu threatened him with depor- tation if he didn’t keep their affair secret. Babeu came out as gay after the story was Left: Former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer at Katie Hobbs’ inauguration in January 2023. Right: Former Arizona Gov. Evan Mecham. (Photos by Elias Weiss and courtesy of the Office of Gov. Evan Mecham) Worst Politicians from p 11 12 Jan 18th–Jan 24th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS |