So who will follow the classless act of Andrew Thomas?

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

For those of you wondering who will replace Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas now that he has resigned, who the heck knows? Thomas has tried to politicize his resignation and to circumvent the statutory appointment process with a self-serving pronouncement of a "conflict of interest."

This is what the Arizona Republic reports today Thomas resigns to run for state post:

The political atmosphere became so polarized over the past two years amid fights over money, power and prosecutions of county officials that county officials even criticized the form of Thomas' resignation letter.

County Manager David Smith said, "I'm afraid it looks like Mr. Thomas can't even resign correctly."

State statute requires resignations to be addressed to the chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Don Stapley. Thomas' letter was addressed instead to the clerk of the board. Regardless, county officials accepted Thomas' resignation.

Now, the board must formally accept the letter, which presumably will happen next week.

Jason Rose, a political consultant to Thomas, said that the resignation "was a little earlier than I had anticipated" but added that it was calculated to allow prospective candidates for Maricopa County attorney to gather petition signatures to meet the deadline to run in the August primary elections.

County officials may contest whether there is enough time for candidates to gather signatures and use that as grounds to try to appoint their own candidate to serve out the two years left on Thomas' term.

Under state statutes, it falls to the Board of Supervisors to appoint an interim county attorney who will serve until a new county attorney is elected in a special election that takes place at the same time as the November general election.

In his resignation letter, Thomas said he wants Gov. Jan Brewer to make the appointment.

"I have concluded that conflicts of interest preclude the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors from choosing my successor," he wrote. "Accordingly, I have concluded Governor Brewer should make the appointment."

The supervisors will convene a panel to review applications for the interim job, said James Candland, chief of staff for Stapley.

"Each board member will be asked to appoint one person who is respected in the legal community and whose advice he or she values," Stapley said in a statement. Attorneys interested in the post include Chandler Mayor Boyd Dunn; Andrew Pacheco, who ran against Thomas in 2004; and Bill Montgomery, who works for Thomas.

Stapley will not participate in the process. He was a target of two criminal investigations and a federal civil lawsuit by Thomas that were dismissed or withdrawn.