Homeless in Arizona

Glendale mayoral hopeful Jerry Weiers moved security barrier at Capitol to get better parking

By Sonu Munshi The Republic | azcentral.com Wed Oct 24, 2012 12:33 PM

Outgoing state lawmaker and Glendale mayoral hopeful Jerry Weiers moved a security barrier this spring at the state Capitol so he could park his motorcycle where he had parked it for years — in a no-parking spot.

A video released by Arizona Department of Public Safety following a public records request by The Republic shows Weiers backing up his truck and a concrete planter being moved.

Capitol security officials said the planters were placed there for security reasons.

Weiers, a House Republican, was known for parking his motorcycle near the House of Representatives building meant to be a pedestrian walkway.

Weiers’ opponent, Manuel Cruz, criticized the act as unbecoming of a lawmaker, saying it showed a sense of entitlement by Weiers, who already has a designated parking space with his name on it.

Cruz was joined by his supporter, former state Attorney General Terry Goddard, who said the act showed Weiers “thinks he is above the law, that the normal rules do not apply to him. Public officials need to be especially respectful of the procedures that they put in place or enforce, or no one will follow them.”

Weiers did not return a call seeking comment. His spokesman, Jason Rose, said Weiers had moved the planter so he could continue to park his bike “where he had for years,” near the building.

Rose dismissed the notion of entitlement. He said the Capitol police never said anything to him about it. He added that parking in that spot had unintended benefits.

“It freed up a parking spot,” he said, in reference to Weiers’ designated parking spot.

“To talk about this is a real head-scratcher,” Rose said. “We pledge to not seek video on Manuel Cruz jaywalking on Glendale Avenue, nor are we seeking criminal penalties for him spitting on a sidewalk at any point.”

The Cruz campaign questioned why no incident report was taken or the matter followed up at the Capitol.

A DPS spokesman said they were notified of the incident by a groundskeeper after the fact and no report was made because there was no damage apart from scrapes on the sidewalk.

Major Brian Wilcox, bureau commander for DPS-Capitol Police District, said the matter was referred to the Arizona Legislative Council, which handles maintenance at the Capitol and, to his understanding, to House Speaker Andy Tobin, since it involved a sitting legislator.

Mike Braun, executive director of the Arizona Legislative Council, said the incident hadn’t stand out to him as noteworthy.

He said periodically people would drive their vehicles through that area as a shortcut. The planters were placed as a vehicle barrier.

When contacted, Tobin asked The Republic to contact his spokesman, who said the Speaker’s office has no record of the incident.

Democrat House Minority Leader Chad Campbell questioned why Weiers would move something that had been placed in an area for security reasons.

“Is this what people would like to see in their elected officials? A lack of willingness to adhere to the rules everyone else follows?”

Two weeks from the Nov. 6 election, that mayors race has grown heated.

The Weiers campaign recently filed a campaign finance violation complaint against Citizens for Safe Neighborhoods, a political action committee led by Democrat state Senator Steve Gallardo, which supports Cruz.

The complaint alleges that the committee sent two mailers to Glendale residents that relate to Weiers but that Weiers never got copies of the material, which is required by state law.

This violation is subject to a financial penalty.

Gallardo said the group complied with the law and “mailed everything appropriately.”

He added that Weiers is nitpicking.

Rose said a campaign finance violation is a bigger deal than moving a planter.

Source

Capitol Offenses

State Representative Jerry Weiers in Trouble With Dems for Moving a Planter at the Capitol

By Matthew Hendley Wed., Oct. 24 2012 at 11:17 AM Manny Cruz (left) and Terry Goddard are not messing around about planters at the capitol. The campaign for Glendale mayor is getting really heated, folks -- candidate Manny Cruz released a video of his opponent, Republican state Representative Jerry Weiers, moving a planter at the state capitol.

It's actually a really big planter -- Weiers had to tie it to his truck to move it -- and Cruz describes Weiers' moving of the planter in March as a "criminal act" he committed in a "fit of rage."

This is such a big deal, apparently, that former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry Goddard appeared alongside Cruz as Cruz held a press conference on the matter.

According to Cruz's campaign manager, Weiers did this because he really wanted to park his motorcycle where that planter was. These planters apparently cost $600 a pop, and six of them were purchased for "security reasons," according to Cruz's campaign.

While Cruz's campaign alleges this is property damage -- and notes that a forklift had to be brought in to put the planter back over Weiers' motorcycle-parking station -- Weiers probably won't be getting in trouble.

A press release from Cruz's campaign says the cops aren't looking into it, and it's up to House Speaker Andy Tobin to deal with it.

Naturally, some Dems are in a tizzy about this, and as usual, House Minority Leader Chad Campbell issued a statement to drop in his two cents.

"There are so many things wrong with this scenario, it is difficult to decide where to start," Campbell says. "For starters though, it begs the question - what is going on at the Arizona House of Representatives? A sitting representative breached protocol and potentially damaged taxpayer property, and we have to learn about it because he was caught on a security tape that was uncovered by his political opponent? What did Speaker Tobin know about this and what, if anything, was done to rectify the situation and hold Rep. Weiers accountable?"

Campbell also wants to know if taxpayers had to pay for the forklift to remedy "what amounts to a grown man's temper tantrum."

Weiers' response is an instant classic, undoubtedly written by public-relations hotshot Jason Rose:

Now that Manuel Cruz has wasted government resources and the public's time looking into the movements of a potted plant, candidate for Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers is considering calling for an investigation of Manuel Cruz on equally disturbing allegations.

Manuel Cruz is a known pedestrian. People have seen him walking on real intersections. Has he ever jaywalked across 17th Avenue at the State Capitol? Weiers may be be asking for all video and photo surveillance available at the State Capital to resolve this burning issue. It's only fair since the Cruz campaign spent weeks asking the DPS for video of a moving potted plant.

Sources have told us that Cruz has a library card. Does he have any overdue books? Did he fail to return a book on time in the past? The people have a right to know.

Back in the 80's and 90's Cruz likely rented videos. Did he always rewind? Did the copy of Moonstruck he rented in 1991 arrive back at Blockbuster properly rewound, or did the poor soul who rented it after Cruz have to waste five minutes before seeing Cher's Oscar winning performance?

Other issues that may bear investigation

Mattress tag removal
Failure to return the grocery store cart to its proper location
Grass clippings in the recycle barrel
Coupon abuse