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"the mayor hired a retired state Supreme Court justice to determine whether there was conflict of interest. The judge found no wrongdoing, saying Arizona's conflict-of-interest law applies only to family members and not to girlfriends" [ Did you think the judge would say anything else after having his hand greased by Mayor Phil Gordon? ]

"A security detail of similar size now is assigned to new Mayor Greg Stanton." [ Looks like we will continue p*ssing away millions to guard the royal members of Phoenix goverment ]

Source

Phil Gordon security logs released

Records: Police detail guarded Phoenix mayor on personal outings

by Lynh Bui - Feb. 10, 2012 09:56 PM

The Republic | azcentral.com

Records that Phoenix withheld from the public since 2010 show former Mayor Phil Gordon's security detail not only protected him when attending to official city matters, but outside of traditional business hours, taking him to the movies, the dry cleaners and his girlfriend's house. [ I bet Mayor Phil Gordon feels real important. I bet he feels as important as a royal monarch!!!! ]

An inside look at Gordon's activities both inside and outside of City Hall is available after Phoenix on Thursday released 476 pages of logs kept by Gordon's security detail from late December 2007 through 2009.

It's the first time the logs have been made available for public scrutiny since a conservative think tank, The Arizona Republic and other local media outlets initially requested the documents in late 2009.

The security logs offer the first look into where and when the taxpayer-funded police detail took Gordon outside of the public schedule his office provided to the media. Sgt. Trent Crump, a Phoenix police spokesman, estimates that the city spends a few hundred thousand dollars on security for the mayor annually and that the department is working to provide details on specific costs for past years.

Records controversy

Washington, D.C., based Judicial Watch first requested the logs, hoping the information would shed light on whether taxpayer resources were abused to further Gordon's personal relationship with his former campaign fundraiser and girlfriend, Elissa Mullany. [ Of course Mayor Phil Gordon paying his girl friend hundreds of thousands of tax dollars for questionable work is another story!!! ]

Gordon ended his last term as mayor in December, but in his final two years in office, Mullany became a controversial figure at City Hall.

While the two were having a romantic relationship, Mullany's consulting firm also started doing work related to city business. She traveled abroad with the mayor on trade missions or was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars through money raised from his political campaigns.

Gordon, who did not return calls for comment, insisted during his time in office that he did nothing wrong and deferred to the city's Police Department when it came to security matters.

After questions were raised over the mayor's relationship with Mullany, the mayor hired a retired state Supreme Court justice to determine whether there was conflict of interest. The judge found no wrongdoing, saying Arizona's conflict-of-interest law applies only to family members and not to girlfriends. Public, private outings

Many of the entries show Gordon spending time at Phoenix City Hall, coffee shops and public events. But the records also reveal that police officers were frequently with the mayor while he attended to personal errands such as taking his son to piano practice, making runs to Target or picking up and dropping off Mullany.

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said he has not looked at the security logs yet, but still has questions over whether that level of security is necessary for the mayor of Phoenix. [ The webmaster assures you it is NOT required!!!! ]

"It's one thing to have police officers assigned to him at public events," Fitton said. "It's another thing to have him shepherded around to dates and the dry cleaners." [ Which is why we call him "Royal Mayor Phil Gordon"!!! ]

Judicial Watch's allies have been fighting with Gordon, a Democrat, for years over his opposition to the state's anti-illegal-immigration policies. In 2010, Gordon was the target of death threats via blogs and websites because of his opposition to Senate Bill 1070. His security was increased afterward.

"We are the sixth-largest city in the country," Crump said. "This is our top elected official, and he represents the residents of Phoenix. [ Well no when less then 5 percent of the registered voters show up to vote in elections, the Mayor's total vote count is from about one half of one percent of the total population of the city of Phoenix, so he doesn't really represent the people of Phoenix. ] History has shown us that those in high-profile positions are often targeted by people who don't share their views." [ Well if Mayor Gordon can't take the heat, he should not have run for the office. ]

Mayor's interactions

The logs suggest Gordon and Mullany saw each other regularly while Gordon was separated from his now-ex-wife and at least a year before he publicly admitted to dating Mullany in December 2009.

Mullany, however, had been working as a campaign fundraiser for Gordon since 2006. Public records show two properties in Phoenix attached to Mullany's name. The security logs often reference the two streets of those properties as locations the detail often visited throughout the two years.

The logs also indicate whom the mayor was visiting. About 140 pages of the almost 500-page report reference the two streets or Mullany in some way.

The security detail escorted Gordon to dinner at restaurants such as Sens and the Turf Irish Pub in downtown Phoenix. The detail also was with Gordon on the weekends, taking him to the grocery store or the movies.

On one Friday night in April 2009, security went to the airport, went to the mayor's house and then stopped at Mullany's to drop off luggage at about 5 p.m. Later the same evening, the detail took the two and possibly others to a hockey game in Glendale.

A security detail of similar size now is assigned to new Mayor Greg Stanton.

It is not unusual for mayors of large U.S. cities such as Phoenix to have security details. For example, mayors in Philadelphia; Los Angeles; Chicago; Columbus, Ohio; and Richmond, Va., all have security details or bodyguards. [ Yea, and tiny cities with royal rulers also give bodyguards to their mayors. Tempe, Arizona a, tiny subharb of Phoenix also supplies bodyguards for the royal Hugh Hallman, mayor of the People's Republic of Tempe!!! ]

Crump would not discuss the exact time frames of the detail's coverage of the mayor because "that may force an issue where we have to add additional manpower because people know a schedule." He also added that the size and scope of the detail change depending on the political climate or a specific security threat. Details left out

The logs cover two years of activity, but on almost every page, there are specific words or addresses that have been redacted. The addresses of Gordon's dry cleaners and barbershop were redacted. So were the addresses of certain coffee shops and offices.

Two years ago, Phoenix refused to release the records, saying that publicizing the security logs would jeopardize the mayor's safety, release confidential information on sensitive business deals and infringe on the mayor's privacy.

City officials in court testimony also argued that it would be too onerous for Phoenix officials to review the logs and decide what information to redact, saying it would be easier just to withhold the documents.

But Judicial Watch sued. In December, a state appeals-court judge ordered the records released while allowing Phoenix officials to redact confidential city information or details that would jeopardize the mayor's safety.

"Not all information is safe to release at this time, however, since the mayor still lives and remains involved in the Phoenix community," according to a letter the city sent to Judicial Watch. "Moreover, having recently lost the protection services of the detail, some security information presents a greater risk to the mayor's safety now."

Assistant City Attorney Sandra Hunter said the Police Department detail worked with the Law Department and Gordon's office to review and redact the two years of entries.

"As everyone will clearly see, there are several different markings, indicating several different sets of eyes weighing in on the redaction decision," Hunter said in an e-mail.

But Fitton, the Judicial Watch president, questions whether it was necessary to redact as much as the city did.

"We need to analyze whether we will challenge anything further," Fitton said.