Mayor and City Council to Vote on Using $49,000 in Tax Dollars to Pay Personal Legal Bills of a Citizen
Here are a few facts about the case you can review before this vote happens on Wednesday, Septemeber 15, 2010 at 3PM. Please email your Mayor and Council Members through the link in the “What can you do?” box to your right and encourage them to vote NO:
- In early 2002, Chief Harris agreed to enter DROP and retire from the Phoenix Police Department on January 19, 2007.
- An Arizona statute specifically prohibits retirees from accepting reemployment in the same job from which they retired AND drawing a pension at the same time.
- Chief Harris obviously knew about the Arizona statute because he approached the Phoenix Police Pension Board in October 2006 for advice on possible reemployment by the City of Phoenix.
- In November 2006, the Phoenix City Council created a new position, “Public Safety Manager,” that includes all of the duties and authority of the Chief of Police and has the same annual salary of approx. $180,000 as the Chief of Police.
- Chief Harris “retired” from the Phoenix Police Department on January 17, 2007. The Phoenix Police Pension Board subsequently authorized payment to Chief Harris of an approx. $560,000 lump sum retirement disbursement and a pension of approx. $7,400 per month, or $90,000 per year.
- Chief Harris returned to work at Police Headquarters in February 2007 as “Public Safety Manager.” He continues to occupy the same physical office he occupied before his “retirement;” he continues to wear the uniform of an officer of the Phoenix Police Department; and he continues to carry a badge that identifies him as the Chief of Police. Chief Harris also continues to use the title “Chief of Police.”
- Judicial Watch, Inc., a non-profit, non-partisan foundation whose motto is “Because no one is above the law,” has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Phoenix tax paying citizens and rank and file police officers that seeks to stop the Pension Board from continuing to pay retirement benefits to Chief Harris.
- Both the Phoenix Police Pension Board and Jack Harris (in his personal, not official, capacity) are named in the suit. Neither the City of Phoenix nor any employee of the City of Phoenix, in his or her official capacity, is a part of the lawsuit.
Information as of August:
Judicial Watch, Inc., a non-profit, non-partisan foundation whose motto is “Because no one is above the law,” uses freedom of information laws and other tools to investigate and uncover misconduct by government officials and litigation to hold to account politicians and public officials who engage in corrupt activities.
Judicial Watch is currently investigating several cases of misconduct in Phoenix and has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Phoenix tax paying citizens and rank and file police officers against the Phoenix Police Pension Board and Jack Harris for double dipping – receiving retirement benefits of $90,000 a year for being the retired Chief of Police at the exact same time that he is actively engaged in employment, and receiving a $180,000 salary for being the current Chief of Police.
Harris is being sued in his personal capacity as a citizen not in his official capacity as Chief of Police/Public Safety Manager. Yet, Mayor Gordon is asking the Council to authorize payment of $75,000 to Citizen Harris to cover his private legal expenses in defending himself in this suit.
In the worst year of budget cuts in Phoenix memory, in the very same year that the Council approved raising fees on access to parks, parking meters, water rates, and reducing the after-school programs for thousands of Phoenix children, the Mayor and Council can find $75,000 to help Citizen Jack Harris out of his private legal defense against corruption charges! We don’t think so!!