27 April 2022

30-YEAR INSIDER APPOINTED BY MARICOPA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPES AS NEW INTERIM COUNTY ATTORNEY

Supervisors took a 15-minute executive session last Wednesday morning to hear legal advice on the appointment. Then they voted in an open meeting. The vote was unanimous. . .
Mitchell has long been a powerful figure in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, where she has worked for more than 30 years. She served for years as the head of the agency’s sex crimes division, handling some high-profile sex abuse cases.
 
Rachel Mitchell Appointed Interim Maricopa County Attorney, Reaction Mixed 
Rachel Mitchell is sworn in as Maricopa County Attorney. 

"In a statement, the Arizona branch of the American Civil Liberties Union expressed frustration that there was little public involvement in the appointment process, saying that the board had “ignored community demands to make the appointment process transparent.”

“Voters must be allowed to decide who the next Maricopa County Attorney will be — without the huge advantage that incumbency provides,” wrote K.M. Bell, a campaign strategist with the ACLU.

As of this morning, however, it is too late. Mitchell will head into the August primary as the incumbent.

Supervisors expressed their feelings of urgency over the appointment at the special meeting Wednesday. Supervisor Thomas Galvin, congratulating Mitchell, said the office had fallen into “disarray” in recent months.

“It needs a lot of help, and it needs a lot of restoration, immediately,” he said.

After the board voted on the position, Mitchell was sworn in officially and took questions from reporters.

"Maricopa County has appointed Rachel Mitchell as interim county attorney.
. . .Mitchell is one of three Republican candidates for the office to qualify for the ballot this fall. This means that she will now run for that office with a significant advantage as the incumbent.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors decided to choose from among three Republican candidates bidding to replace former County Attorney Allister Adel, who resigned last month.

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