PHOENIX— After today's resignation of embattled Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel, House Democratic Leader Reginald Bolding called on Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to conduct an open, public, and thorough process to appoint her replacement. The Board appointed Adel in 2019 to replace Bill Montgomery, who Gov. Ducey appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court. Adel has since faced an increasingly untenable host of leadership, prosecutorial and personal scandals throughout her tenure.
"Whether fabricating charges against multiple defendants who had their civil rights abused, to forgetting to file charges in dozens of other cases putting the public at risk, Allister Adel's tenure as Maricopa County Attorney has been a compounding disaster. And that does not take into account her personal turmoil, for which she has our compassion and support. It is good for Maricopa County and public safety in general that she has stepped down, but the next steps are very important for an office plagued by scandal. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors must conduct a thorough, open and public process to determine a competent temporary replacement. Finally, we wish Allister Adel well in her ongoing recovery."
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