"The Mesa Way" To Smother The Truth > Take-Out The Oxygen + Say No Comment

No Comment says a lot when city officials say that all the time, due to internal reviews or internal investigations, excused by having engaged and hiring attorneys. However, THE PUBLIC HAS A RIGHT-TO-KNOW
The current Mesa Public Schools scandal is one more symptom of a corrupt system of patronage entrenched here for generations.
Those inside that system protect their own
"friends-and-family" connections.

That's simply the way it works here - it's The Mesa Way .
Hard to break-up or reform-from-inside when nearly everyone in any position of power is inside that Bubble - and they don't want no one or no thing threatening to challenge their status quo.
They don't want no trouble and will try anything to keep it the way they want it: Don't mess with our thing.
That is until lose control of the narrative and cannot manipulate the media to use that same old bag-of-tricks.
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HEADS UP! All these recent scandals are getting wrapped-into one helluva major mess.
Follow along this school scandal with a connection to Mesa's Police Department. . .


Ember Conley had "a lot of baggage" until investigative reporter Meg O'Connor opened it all up to publish this report

Ousted Mesa Superintendent's Cop Ex-Husband Served Prison Time for Theft

Meg O'Connor

LINK > Phoenix New Times  

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BLOGGER NOTE: Focus on the timeline here and how it relates to Ember Conley going off to a new job in Park City, Utah. A promotion-of-sorts from her work history earlier here in Mesa's public schools to her new job as school superintendent in a small city with 5,000 students.

 

"Asked about the situation by a local newspaper in Park City, where she worked at the time, Conley said, "My job is to take care of my family and to take care of the students in Park City, and that is my focus."

 

QUESTIONS NOW ARISE if Conley was ever 'vested' during the screening of other candidates for hiring a new school superintendent here . .

every detail reported by Meg O'Connor reports is in the public domain and in the public record.

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". . . Conley has remained silent about her firing. Mesa Public Schools has denied Conley's firing is related to the overspending. But being accused of stealing from one's job is a situation Conley is familiar with: Her ex, Jose Lizarraga, was arrested by the FBI for fraud, attempted money laundering, and theft back in 2013 while he was working as a detective for the city of Maricopa Police.

He also filed for bankruptcy in July 2009, stating that he owed creditors $933,000, court records show. . .
> Conley and Lizarraga married in 2012.
Records show they likely divorced sometime after Lizarraga's arrest, given that they no longer live together and a 2018 deed on the county recorder's website refers to Conley as "an unmarried woman."
> Phoenix New Times was unable to reach Conley or Lizarraga by phone to confirm, and records on a possible divorce could not be found in Pinal County Court (where they married), Maricopa County Court (where Conley lives now), or Summit County Court (where Conley lived in 2013).
> Heidi Hurst, Mesa Public Schools communications director, did not respond to a voicemail seeking comment. When New Times called the Mesa schools superintendent's phone number, a woman who answered said to email instead. An email seeking comment was not returned.
> The reasons for Conley's ouster and whether the accusations of embezzlement have any truth to them are not yet known. But Lizarraga's history is pretty clear. On July 2, 2013, the Pinal County Attorney's Office issued a press release stating that Lizarraga had been charged with five felonies: 

• fraudulent schemes,
• forgery,
• tampering with public records,
• attempted money laundering, and
• theft. 

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HOW ABOUT THIS?

Calls for transparency, changes to special ed, dominate Mesa school board meeting

By:Danielle  Here's the LINK >  KNXV |                                             

MESA, AZ — Demanding answers and more transparency from Mesa Public Schools.

".  . . Board members made it clear from the start that legally they cannot discuss Dr. Ember Conley’s leave or their ongoing negotiations. However, that did not stop several people from coming forward to voice their concerns about what is happening in the district.
The night started with a budget breakdown and a more in-depth look at the district’s general administration spending. Things then took an emotional turn before and after public comment.
Try this on for Believe-ability?

"We have nothing to hide,”

said Board President Elaine Miner.

“We are caring people that are trying to do the best we can do for this community.”

LINK > ABC15 News

THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH.... No lame excuses anymore.
Who is Elaine Miner?
Her job qualifications as already serving two terms as MPSGB President (her educational background with a bachelor's degree in home economics from BYU, and her regular occupation with her husband owning and operating a real estate school and business)
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Take the time to watch the video on Danielle Lerner's report and pay attention to the last statement made by Kiana Sears, The Mesa Public Schools Governing Board Clerk:
Speaker after speaker demanded more from the district. Board members could not give specifics, but Board Clerk Kiana Sears offered this.
“I wish there was more that we could say at this time but do know all of those things, we hear you and thank you for being here tonight,” said Sears. 
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Use can use the Searchbox on this blog to get an archive of every post on the subject matter at hand - going back to what has proved the highly questionable and irregular hiring of Ember Conley just last year.