Joe’s Brain from p 19 interests,” Lopez said. “He does not understand or respect the Constitution or the obligations that come with holding public office.” A Dish Best Served Cold In 2016, Maricopa County voters elected Democrat Paul Penzone to replace Arpaio as sheriff for the first time since he took office in 1992. Fountain Hills is one of a few small DELIVERY AVAILABLE Box and mattress VALLEY-WIDE Bunk-Bed-Frame with mattress $ $ 309 529 2pc sectional Choice of fabrics 4pc bedroom set 5 drawer chest $ 639 $ 439 T-$119 F-$139 Q-$169 K- $289 Twin Mattress w/ 6” Foam $ 7995 $ 139 CHESTs Starting from towns in the Valley that doesn’t have its own police department, instead contracting with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office for police services. The mayor could snuff that arrangement quickly with the support of three council members. Arpaio seeks to “still have authority in law enforcement” and this is the easiest way to do it, he said. “If I’m the mayor and [Penzone] is the Sheriff, and I said I want this done, he says no, you’re fired,” Arpaio said. “Then I’ll go and get another police department. The people should know the mayor still has authority, and I do. The irony is that the elected sheriff works for me.” The other irony is that the overwhelm- ingly Latino and Native American “I HAVE A LOT OF GUNS AND BADGES. ALSO, I MIGHT BRING BACK THE POSSE IN MY OWN WAY.” Saddle Up the Posse The posse was Arpaio’s corps of 3,000 untrained volunteers who bore arms and departmental insignia, drove marked cars, carried guns, and were given wide latitude to make arrests. Shortly after assuming office, Penzone launched an investigation into the posse and drasti- cally restructured it, after a court ruled the arrests violated the law. Now, Arpaio said he wants to resurrect the posse in Fountain Hills, to the dismay of his critics. “This is part of his legacy: abuse of power to target people who dare to stand up to him,” Lopez said. “This is a chapter from a tired playbook that does nothing to advance the lives of Arizonans.” Another play in the playbook: keep the groupies close and spurn anyone who doesn’t deliver. Before his 2018 bid for U.S. Senate, in which he turned up dead last in a pool of three in the Republican primary, Arpaio fired Chad Willems, his campaign manager of 20 years. Finance records show Arpaio paid Summit Consulting Group, where Willems is a managing partner, $94,019 in late June. Arpaio’s new quasi-campaign managers, Carlo Oddo and Kevin “The Roaster” Decuyper (a nickname Arpaio came up with in reference to Decuyper’s acid tongue online), represent a stark departure from the law-and-order and experience-centric platform on which he’s running. Together, they’re widely known in Arpaio’s orbit as “the goons.” It’s a ragtag and bobtail new posse, so to — JOE ARPAIO community of Guadalupe also mulled firing the MCSO after Arpaio ordered routine immigration sweeps there, but the small town couldn’t afford to set up its own police department. Fountain Hills might. And Arpaio has a friend or two in town already. Fountain Hills Town Councilman $ 139 CALL FOR PRICING mon-THU: 9AM - 7PM fri: 9AM - 7PM sat: 9AM - 6PM sun: 10AM - 5PM 3330 w Van Buren St • Phoenix • 602-272-0034 (NE Corner of 35th Ave & Van Buren) *prices are subject 20 WESTSIDEFURNITURE.COM David Spelich denigrated Penzone at a May meeting, describing him as “galling” and saying he was “leaving a bad taste in my mouth” and “adding insult to injury” by negotiating up costs. Penzone told New Times he “will not be providing a comment.” He did not elaborate. Arpaio claims that half of this year’s $22 million town budget in Fountain Hills goes to the county sheriff’s office. It’s actually less than a quarter, at a little over $5 million. The town’s budget is slated to more than double by 2023. Arpaio didn’t share what he’d do with the extra money if he nixed the agreement. “People like that with power wait for an opportunity to spring their revenge,” Lemons said. For Arpaio, who claims “Steve Lemons made a career out of me,” that opportu- nity is now. “I can hire, and I can fire,” he said. “I have a lot of guns and badges. Also, I might bring back the posse in my own way.” speak, working to help Arpaio get revenge. Records show each goon was paid $1,000 monthly for “consulting services” between October 2021 to July 2022. Oddo, 50, is a former Good Charlotte tour manager dubbed a “rip-off artist” in a 2004 Rolling Stone article. The company he owned, 97 Radio, shut down after scam- ming artists out of thousands of dollars, the magazine reported. Oddo was charged with assault and pleaded guilty to lesser disorderly conduct and fighting charges in Surprise Municipal Court in 2020, records show. He pleaded guilty to other misdemeanor charges in Fountain Hills Municipal Court late last year. Oddo’s grandfather was a member of Arpaio’s original posse in the 1990s. That was his foot in the door. For Arpaio, loyalty is everything. “When I first moved to Arizona [in 2018], I didn’t like the guy much based on what I saw on the news,” Oddo told New Times. “We’re really close now. I love the guy and what he stands for.” Decuyper, 26, described himself as a neo-Nazi on his personal Facebook account, which was deleted after New Times reached out to him. He was impeached from the Arizona State University conservative club College Republicans United in 2019 for promoting ethno-nationalist views, according to published press accounts. “I work in state politics and co-founded AUG 11TH–AUG 17TH, 2022 PHOENIX NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | NEWS | OPINION | FEEDBACK | CONTENTS | phoenixnewtimes.com
