With only 39,671 actual voters, out of 160,262 registered to vote, it is fair to say that we continue to be governed by the choices of a minority of interested citizens.
With such glaring neglect by citizens who refuse to be involved, it is understandable that boastful politicians can get away with overblown statements such as Sheriff Paul Babeu’s at his recent “this is my day” publicity event -- celebrating the end of the publicly funded investigation of his boyfriend spat.
Rising to the occasion while surrounded by employees and intimates at his press conference, Babeu boasted “The 400,000 citizens that I serve saw through these election year attacks and media sensationalism.”
No, Mr Babeu 400,000 Pinal residents did not express approval of your cynically careless conduct, neither as the internet sex-soliciting Adam-for-Adam Studboi nor as the victim of your Mexican immigrant boyfriend Jose Orozco.
Factually, you were supported by 11,208 out of 160,262 registered voters, or just under 7% of all registered voters – not 400,000 Pinal residents as you incredibly try to suggest.
These 400,000 county residents continue to witness another fresh example of your costly grabs for power -- being ordered by the feds to round up surplus equipment from the over-$7 million inventory of federal goodies, some of which you clearly used seeking political favor. Simply one more familiar Babeuism that’s taking a bite out of the taxpayers pocket and adding to unbudgeted county costs caused by the Babeu propensity to self aggrandizement. The cost remains unpublicized.
Mr. Babeu, you may have seduced 11,000 voters with your fear-based, the-Mexican-cartels-are-coming campaigns, but eventually you will be brought to justice either by no-longer beguiled voters – or by one of the as-yet-incomplete investigations of your conduct in office.
Admittedly, and unfortunately for Pinal’s future, your supporters succeeded in lowering the bar for electability. Yes, as you say, the fact that you’re gay does not matter. However, what does matter is your costly mismanagement, your employees’ disregard of the county’s resign-to-run policy notoriously practiced by Cheryl Chase, your community relations director and handpicked candidate for supervisor, plus your reckless judgment and distortion of the facts.
Contrary to your boastful inference, 400,000 county residents did not support you. On the contrary, a minuscule two and three-quarters percent of the residents voted for you.
It’s a matter of simple arithmetic. And it’s the truth.
