Bisbee
To the editor:

Last week, David Stevens used his official capacity to accost people circulating the nonpartisan Recall Tom Crosby petition. They were on the public easement and/or private property next to the Hereford post office. Stevens claimed they were on “federal land” and ordered them to leave. As recorder, though, he should have known better; he has no bigger responsibility than to oversee county real estate records. These records were at his fingertips. Moreover, he had reportedly complained to the USPS about the same people on the same lot a full 10 days earlier, so he had plenty of time to figure out he was wrong and stand down.

Did he, though? Not hardly. He continued exceeding his lawful authority by again injecting himself as only authoritarian despots do. He contacted the private property owner in Vermont to agitate him to manufacture a new complaint against the couple, and the same owner suggested to us later that Stevens had misrepresented the situation.

For example, he had not shared that that the recall effort is nonpartisan, or that the empty dirt lot at issue has a long history of use by politicians and their signage — including by Stevens and Crosby, themselves. He had not shared that the adjacent land occupant (i.e., a post office representative) had directed the couple to use this area. Nor did he share that the couple was largely on the public easement, anyway, and had every right to circulate their petition there, as well!

Additionally, he did not share — or even seem to understand himself — that when there's an empty lot, although its absentee owner in another state can certainly hire someone privately to care for or police it, private security is not David Stevens' job — nor should it be. It is not something else that county taxpayers here should have to pay for.

So why was Stevens in his official capacity ultimately meddling in this private property matter and vowing to call the sheriff if he sees the couple return? Why was he impermissibly abusing his power, unfairly misleading a distant and absent private property owner? Why was he also "gifting" public resources in violation of the AZ Constitution's Gift Clause?

It's easy. David Stevens' sole focus is to abuse his position to render aid to his friend and co-defendant Tom Crosby. Although he once said that he could be non-partisan if given election department reins: What a laugh!

And what will County Supervisors Tom Crosby and Peggy Judd do next to enable Recorder David Stevens to accost elderly citizens who legally circulate nonpartisan petitions on an empty dirt lot?

Will they give him his own squad car with a siren and red lights on top? If so, everyone including Girl Scouts, who plan to sell cookies in the same dirt lot by the Post Office: be afraid! Stevens may next target you, especially if Crosby doesn’t like Thin Mints.

Anne and Al Anderson