There is a gentleman working in the county attorney’s office that has a dream job.  Barnett Lotstein gets paid over $130,000 a year to work for Andrew Thomas.  That is taxpayer money.  However, it certainly appears interesting that while he may be on the county clock he appears busy campaigning for the boss.  I have asked County Manager David Smith to investigate.

Here is a copy of a letter I sent Mr. Smith earlier today:

October 31, 2008

Mr. David Smith

Maricopa County Manager
301 W. Jefferson, 10th Floor
Phoenix, Arizona 85003

Dear David:

I am writing with regards to a County employee, Barnett Lotstein, who is currently employed at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office at a salary of $135,200.

Mr. Lotstein serves in this taxpayer funded position and is obligated to abide by the rules and regulations of the County as any other employee of Maricopa County. Despite that, Mr. Lotstein repeatedly represents himself in the media over the last year as also serving as a “volunteer” of the political campaign of current County Attorney Andrew Thomas. How he distinguishes these duel and conflicting roles is beyond imagination, metaphysics and, most importantly, the law.

Quite frankly, this whole ploy by Lotstein to contend that he is performing the duties of a taxpayer funded position in the County Attorney’s office, but yet, also is a volunteer for a political campaign during the same work day, using the same resources, phones, etc, is absurd.

From all indications, Barnett Lotstein is assisting in running a political campaign out of a government office in violation of state law and I assume, and would hope, in violation of your own County regulations.

That is why I am calling on you to investigate Mr. Lotstein’s use of County resources in his duel role as a volunteer for the Andrew Thomas campaign.

Here are but a few inquiries your investigation should make:

1)     Has Mr. Lotstein filled out annual leave forms during the day while he is fielding press calls as a so-called “volunteer?”

2)     Does he field these calls while sitting in a County building, using County resources?

3)     How much of his time is spent on actually performing the functions of his taxpayer-funded government position as opposed to campaigning throughout the day?

4)     Is Lotstein, in effect, a part-time County employee whom you are paying full-time in violation of State law?

5)     Mr. Lotstein sent a letter yesterday to the County Recorder’s office as a representative of the Thomas campaign, his letter, itself, being a violation of state election reporting requirements. Was this letter drafted and sent using County resources? Did he take annual leave during the day to draft this letter?

6)     Though the County has a several million deficit, Mr. Lotstein is provided a County-own vehicle.  Does he document how he uses this vehicle and is he using it to travel to campaign events?

7)     Mr. Lotstein supported a subpoena written by the County Attorney’s Office demanding to know which Websites Arizona residents are browsing.  Then, he shouldn’t mind this — it is known that the County Attorney’s office monitors Internet usage during work hours. Do we know how much time Lotstein spends during the day viewing political websites on behalf of the Thomas’ campaign?

My list can go on and on.   Mr. Lotstein has an obligation to be documenting how he is spending his day campaigning while taxpayers pay his salary. 

Under Andrew Thomas, the County Attorney’s office has been run like a circus with zero accountability. We have all witnessed a disturbing misuse of our taxpayer dollars and an abuse of the powers of that office for too long. You have an obligation in your job to conduct an investigation of Mr. Lotstein and remove the political stench permeating that office.

I look forward to your prompt response to this request.

Sincerely,

Slade Mead

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