Homeless in Arizona

Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Chucri shovels the BS!!!

For most city governments a nice ballpark figure is that the police get about 40% of the budget.

I have always wondered how it is at the county and state level. According to this editorial by Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Chucri in Maricopa County over 50% of the budget is spent on the criminal injustice system.

More than half of the county’s $2 billion budget is committed to public safety and the justice system.

If that figure hows true for Maricopa County, that means 25% of our budget goes toward arresting people for the victimless crime of smoking marijuana.

Other then that statistic this article seems to be nothing but a bunch of praise by Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Chucri for himself, to get you to vote to re-elect him again.

Last Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Chucri didn't mention that the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has don't absolutely NOTHING to attempt to stop Sheriff Joe's reign of terror on the citizens of Arizona. For that crime alone all the Maricopa County Supervisors deserve to be booted out of office.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has probably paid out more to settle lawsuits for police murders then any other police department in the nation.

My Turn: 3 ways Maricopa County is saving you money

Steve Chucri, AZ I See It 7:27 a.m. MST December 7, 2015

County supervisor: We're enacting innovative policies and reforms to use your tax dollars effectively and efficiently.

Not a day goes by without reading another story of a looming crisis requiring governments to make large investments in education, pensions, border control, transportation, new prisons and more.

At Maricopa County, we face many of those same challenges and demands, but understand that we cannot saddle our taxpayers with increasing property tax burdens. [Yea, if you listen to Steve Chucri, every government on the plant is corrupt to the core, EXCEPT the Maricopa County government!!! What BS!!!!] Instead we continue to apply strict fiscal discipline and a business mindset to everything we do. [Well, except for the $100 million or so dollars we have shoveled out to settle lawsuits by Sheriff Joe murdering people in Maricopa County jails] We’re a county that must focus on needs, not wants. [Damn, I am laughing so hard I can barely type!!! Now if this isn't shoveling the BS, what is???]

Perhaps The Arizona Republic’s Robert Robb put it best when he noted just this year:

“County finances were hit as hard by the recession as those of any other level of government. The county coped without whining or raising taxes, as the state and most major Valley cities did. Today, the county's property tax is less than legally permitted, it has a two-month operating reserve, and it pays cash rather than borrowing for capital projects. That's a remarkable record of fiscal management…”

We are proud to have an amazing group of leaders to guide Maricopa County on a continued path of true economic recovery. [By "amazing group of leaders", Steve Chucri means himself??? I think this editorial should be titled Re-elect Steve Chucri ] Part of that success is because we continue to partner closely with state and local governments, non-profit organizations and constituents like you.

Many point to local government as the engine of change for the next 20 years, the place where citizens are more likely to see innovative policy, proactive energy and transformative reforms. Maricopa County is on the precipice of pursuing tomorrow’s potential, right now.

How are we accomplishing that you may ask? Maricopa County is looking inward, not only at what we do at the county level, but who is doing the work.

Personnel Reform: We launched a ground-breaking personnel reform effort this year. The goals: Making the county's workforce more accountable and efficient, competitive and productive. This was no small undertaking as we significantly cut bureaucratic red tape so the county can move quickly to hire the best job applicants. Now we are rewarding performance while giving management the flexibility to work with those who are struggling to execute. [Yea, like that crook Valley Metro CEO Banta who has been using tax dollars to buy $4,000 for himself and other elected officials in Maricopa County!!!] Moving forward, you have a county government that is lean and efficient, yet provides outstanding customer service. The public deserves no less.

Smart Justice: More than half of the county’s $2 billion budget is committed to public safety and the justice system. So it’s no surprise the board and county management gives this a great deal of attention. “Smart Justice” slows the revolving door of crime by promoting the right treatment at the right level in the jail system. This maximizes the chance of rehabilitation and decreases the likelihood one will reoffend. The evidence is clear that this coordinated effort will increase public safety. [Yea, and for some reason in this self promoting egotistical editorial Steve Chucri forgot to mention the hundreds of millions of dollars Maricopa County has paid out to settle murders committed by Sheriff Joe Arpaio]

Technology Trends: For the first time ever, board of supervisors meetings are now streamed over the Internet. [Yea, Steve Chucri and his gang of crooks on the Maricopa County Supervisors is wasting YOUR tax dollars to help themselves get re-elected] This can dramatically affect how citizens interact with the county, enabling better communication and an increase in public trust. We are also embarking on a mission to rebuild our massive website so it better serves citizens with useful tools and information.

This year, Maricopa County government agencies won 47 individual achievement awards, the most in the nation, from the National Association of Counties. The NACo awards honor innovative, effective county government programs that enhance services, create efficiencies and save taxpayers money. I often talk about Maricopa County being “best in class.” We are gaining that reputation nationally.

Today, we can pivot from the past and look to the future, confident that the direction we have started to take will lead to a more transparent, engaged, data-driven focus on an efficient delivery of services people need and expect.

Maricopa County is open to change and collaboration. We are finding better ways to serve you because that is what you elected us to do.

Steve Chucri is chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and a Paradise Valley resident.