Arizona Morning Briefing, 10-19: Sunshine Investigation Fizzles, The Mystery of the Open Ballot-Printer Tray, and More

•SUNSHINE INVESTIGATION FIZZLES –Remember a few weeks ago when State Senator Jake Hoffman announced that the Senate was going to investigate Governor Katie Hobbs’ ties to foster-care contractor Sunshine Residential? But then the media called into question Hoffman’s consulting ties, through Turning Point Action, to Hobbs’ opponent Andy Biggs? So Hoffman then appointed a special investigator saying they’d get to the bottom of this story before the election? Well, that’s not happening until after the election, reports said this weekend. Hoffman originally scheduled televised hearings and subpoenas just before early voting. He even threatened to question empty chairs if witnesses didn’t appear. Hoffman stepped aside, Senator David Farnsworth took over, and now Farnsworth says there will be no public action before Election Day. Either there’s no there there, or there’s no money to pursue what’s there, or Republicans are conceding the race, or all of the above.

•THE LOST TREASURE(R) OF PIMA COUNTY–On October 16, AZPM reported that 23-year-old chief Pima County deputy treasurer Jake Martin had resigned after newly appointed Treasurer Jorge Soto asked him to leave. The office has had quite a year. Former Treasurer Brian Johnson resigned amid employee sexual-misconduct allegations. Martin encouraged Johnson to resign, subsequently ran the office temporarily, and applied for the permanent treasurer position himself. Instead, supervisors appointed Soto, who’s now brought in his own personnel. Martin says the Johnson investigation had exhausted him and that he was ready to move on.

•CHANDLER BALLOT PRINTER MYSTERY–In the “this election is rigged” department, election officials removed three ballot-on-demand printers at Chandler-Gilbert Community College for forensic examination. An inspector discovered that someone appears to have opened the paper trays sometime overnight. The Recorder’s Office says people should remove all ballot paper from the trays each night. The office says this affected no voters and early voting continued normally. Officials haven’t determined whether the incident involved human error or tampering. This is a different incident from the earlier late-night election-equipment video that investigators found showed no wrongdoing. And they would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn’t been for you meddling kids!

•COMMISSIONERS OF THE ROUNDTABLE–KJZZ reported October 17 on documents examined by the Energy & Policy Institute concerning Republican Commissioner Kevin Thompson’s involvement with the Regulators Roundtable Institute, a nonprofit formed under GOPAC. According to the watchdog group, Thompson helped recruit regulators and solicit $50,000 corporate sponsorships for events at which company representatives could interact with utility commissioners. The institute’s president has defended the gatherings as appropriate because no official regulatory actions take place there. That’s what the corporation is supposed to do. It’s in the name. They commission corporations! And utilities, apparently.

•PAC ELECTION MONEY REPORTING DEADLINE IS TODAY!–Get your spreadsheets in order. These filings cover October 1–17, meaning PACs and political parties must reveal previously undisclosed late campaign spending and donors. Who, we wait to discover, are our true puppet masters?