What's the uproar over the treasurer's job?

What’s the issue?

Ford, a CPA who became county treasurer in January 2001, announced last month she will resign April 12, eight months early. As an elected Republican, she must be replaced by a Republican, who will be appointed by the Pima County Board of Supervisors. She has recommended Chris Ackerley, her chief deputy treasurer.

Why Ackerley?

Ford told the supervisors she hired Ackerley two years ago when she announced she’d be retiring. “For the past two years, Chris has been involved with and progressively taken responsibility for every functional area of the office,” she wrote. Ackerley isn’t an unknown in Green Valley and Sahuarita, having been elected to the state Legislature for one term in 2014.

Who else wants the appointment?

Three people filed — Ackerley; former chief deputy treasurer Patti Davidson; and Justice of the Peace Ray Carroll. Carroll dropped out Wednesday, telling the supervisors he only threw his hat into the ring because nobody else had applied. It was an odd statement given the names of those who filed weren’t made public until two days after he filed March 27.

Carroll’s letter removing himself from the appointment process included a surprise. What was that?

Carroll used his letter to endorse Patti Davidson for the job, saying her “vast experience and qualifications would have led me to appoint her if I were still on the board.” It was, again, odd because Carroll is a sitting judge. According to the Arizona Code of Judicial Conduct, a judge cannot “publicly endorse or oppose another candidate for any public office.”

What happened as a result of that letter?

It became a free-for-all, with both sides lining up behind their candidates in what is historically a down-ballot race that gets little attention from voters. Ford on Thursday wrote a two-and-a-half page letter to the Board of Supervisors in an apparent answer to Carroll’s endorsement of Davidson.

At this point, who else was backing either Ackerley or Davidson?

Besides Ford, Ackerley has the support of Pima County Supervisor Steve Christy; Pima County Assessor Suzanne Droubie, a Democrat; and Pima County School Superintendent Dustin Williams, also a Democrat. On Friday, the board heard from Steven J. Ponzo, the retired IT director for the Treasurer’s Office. He worked with Davidson for years and called her “dependable, dedicated and hard-working.” But Ponzo said Davidson's knowledge of “accounting, investments and technology functions and their relationship with other county agencies was extremely limited." He added that her work habits “contributed directly to long hours” and said she was “always busy, but unproductive.” And that wasn't the half of it.

While endorsements aren’t unusual, it’s not typical to have people stepping up for a candidate seeking an appointment in a low-key office like this.

Back to Treasurer Beth Ford’s letter. What points did she make?

With Carroll backing Davidson, it likely became apparent to Ford that getting Ackerley the appointment wasn’t going to be easy, so she used her letter to lobby supervisors on several fronts.

•Ford said using the same process to replace a county supervisor (a reference to Sharon Bronson in 2023) and a county treasurer “are quite different.” The supervisor makes policy, she wrote. The constitutional offices, such as treasurer, “perform critical administrative functions” and have deputies who can carry on in their absence. It was a nice way of saying you need special skills to do the job. Don’t just give it to anybody.

•Ford reminded them of the complex functions of the office, that it "serves as the bank for Pima County and its political subdivisions” and handles more than $3.5 billion in transactions annually. They invest money and collect taxes and do a lot of complicated things she detailed in the letter.

•Allowing the outgoing person to request her own successor isn’t unprecedented, Ford wrote. Former Sheriff Clarence Dupnik did so in 2015, when he asked that Chris Nanos be appointed to that post. The board, none of whom are on the current Board of Supervisors, followed that recommendation. 

Then Ford dropped a bomb, right?

She did. After touting Ackerley’s expertise, experience and skill, she went after Patti Davidson, who served as her chief deputy treasurer for 15 years, ending in 2016. Ford said Davidson left the chief deputy post eight years ago and “much has changed since then, including automation of our tax collection systems and processes. Much of her experiences then are now irrelevant.” Ford added that Davidson never oversaw accounting and investment functions in the Treasurer’s Office.

Then she took a really big swipe: “There are many reasons why Patti Davidson is no longer my chief deputy,” Ford wrote. “She is not suited to take over the office.”

Then Ford requested, once again, that Ackerley be appointed to the job. Ackerley, by the way, has already filed to run for the office in November.

Where do things stand now?

The supervisors decided the appointment can’t happen without first holding a candidate forum led by the League of Women Voters. Again, not typical for a position like this. Supervisors Steve Christy and Matt Heinz weren’t in favor of delaying the appointment but couldn’t convince the other three supervisors, though Christy eventually voted for the forum. The one-hour virtual forum will be held at 6 p.m. April 11. A link will be provided by the county later.

Any other weirdness in all this?

Sure, and we've already reported it. When Carroll filed for the treasurer appointment, his court administrator, Kristen Randall, filed to change her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican. It wouldn't be a stretch to assume she had her eye on his Justice of the Peace job. Had Carroll been selected for the treasurer's job, his successor would have to be a registered Republican.