Deborah Braillard Settlement Approved by Supes, Andy Kunasek Votes No for Second Time

See, Kunasek was pissed at Parraz and his merry band of pranksters for disrupting a meeting on October 17, where the board was scheduled to vote on the Braillard settlement for the first time.

Wilson: Kunasek's portly puppet...

CBA showed up and raised all kinds of Cain, with some dude dressed as King Arpaio and another person as his jester, Mike Stauffer. Wilson shut down the meeting before the vote could take place on the Braillard matter, and Parraz and the CBAers took a beating in the press.

Rather than do the right thing on October 31, Kunasek decided to stick it to Randy. At least that's how just about everyone in county government saw it. Kunasek himself signaled this in his meandering, deceptive rationale for his no-vote.

"I think," said the Frank Burns of the county supes, "several weeks ago, we witnessed, I think, a very poor display. I think it was on purpose, the disruption of the meeting that caused the cancellation of the meeting.

"Prior to that, there was a number of things that were said that were specific to this case, that I feel planted enough uncertainty into the minds of the public that I think today I feel strongly that probably in the interest of justice and a fair outcome that a trial, the continuation of the trial, is the best way to go.

"So I am not supportive of a settlement as proposed today and I just thought it was important that I make my thoughts known."

Uh, "interest of justice"? Riiiight.

Kunasek's only interest was his selfish, petulant own. Specifically, his interest in sticking it to a man he'd sparred with and lost to before in public, a man whose wife Lilia Alvarez, just happened to be running against him as a Democrat in supervisor's District 3. (She lost, big time, BTW.)

Would Kunasek be so small and petty that he would hold up a settlement, play havoc with a family's pain, and roll the legal dice with the taxpayer's money, just so he could score points against an enemy?

Why, of course, that's just the sort of weasel he is.

After all, what's the point in being powerful if you cannot exercise that power in a completely third-grade, asinine manner?

Keep in mind that the Braillard suit had been on trial in Pinal County until early October, when lawyers for Maricopa County offered the Braillard family a $3.25 million settlement. This, before it had a chance to reach the jury.

A smart move, on many fronts.

The county had already dropped more than $2 million on legal fees and there was a serious possibility that, with tort titan Mike Manning representing the plaintiffs, the jury might have awarded a much larger amount, perhaps as large as Manning's previous wins against the county for wrongful deaths in Joe's jails, $8.25 million, $9 million or more.

It certainly was the humane thing to do, to allow the Braillard family an end to this nightmare, with a tiny bit of justice.

But, oddly, it was good for Arpaio as well.