February 6, 2013
San Manuel Miner, San Manuel, arizona
Page 9
Death of Constable Robert Hendrickson creates vacancy FLORENCE – Constable Robert Hendrickson who served as Justice Precinct Constable for Oracle for the past 14 years died unexpectedly on Friday, January 25. “Constable Hendrickson will be missed and hard to replace. During his many years of service, he developed an extensive knowledge of the people and communities we serve,” said Justice of the Peace Robert Kent who presides over the Oracle court. The law that covers vacancies in county offices makes a distinction between whether the vacancy occurs
within the first two years of an official’s term or afterwards. In the case of a mid-term vacancy that occurs after the completion of the first two years of service, Arizona Revised Statute 16-230.A.2 is invoked. This states: If a county office becomes vacant, the board of supervisors shall appoint a person of the same political party as the person vacating the office to fill the portion of the term until the next regular general election. If the person vacating the office changed political party affiliations after taking office, the person who is appointed
to fill the vacancy shall be of the same political party that the vacating officeholder was when the vacating officeholder was elected or appointed to that office. Mr. Hendrickson was elected as a Republican so the Pinal County Board of Supervisors is accepting applications from registered Republicans for the Constable position. To be eligible for appointment as Constable, Arizona law specifies that the following criteria be met by each potential candidate: • Must be a legal Arizona resident living within the Oracle Justice Court District
5 (see map at http://goo.gl/ wx4ar), • Must be registered to vote, • Must be able to read and write the English language and, • Must be at least 18 years of age. Interested individuals should take note of the application criteria and deadlines below. Applications, letters of interest and/or résumés by 5:00 PM on Friday, February 15. There is no formal application to submit and any combination of a letter of interest, résumé or other documents outlining the applicant’s qualifications for
Sexual harassment complaint filed against Clerk of the Court Roche Martinez assisted with Roche’s campaign in 2010, and the complaint claims Roche frequently shared personal information with her in conversation. She was offered the Deputy Clerk position shortly after he took office in Jan. 2011. On two separate incidents, the complaint alleges, the two were driving together to training sessions when Roche allegedly invited Martinez for a drink, which she declined both times. After these incidents, Martinez claims Roche “began neglecting to invite [her] to business and social functions, excluded [her] from meetings, and diminished [her] authority.”
Martinez decided to submit a sexual harassment complaint to County human resources after Roche allegedly made another romantic advance toward her in his office which involved him rubbing her arm. The claim was submitted May 17. The complaint alleges County human resources received a silent whistleblower complaint against Martinez and she was terminated on May 25. According to the complaint, Martinez received her Notice of Right to Sue from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Oct. 12. Roche claimed that a complaint filed by Martinez with the Equal Opportunity
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By Chase Kamp From the Southeast Valley Ledger A former staffer of Chad Roche, the Pinal County Clerk of the Court, has filed a civil lawsuit charging Roche with sexual harassment and wrongful termination. Roche has publicly denied all charges. According to complaint documents, former Deputy Clerk Linda Martinez claims Roche made several unwanted romantic advancements toward her, diminished her authority after he was rebuffed and then wrongfully terminated her in May 2011 after she filed a sexual harassment claim with the County human resources department. The County has been named in the suit, which was filed on Jan. 3, 2013. “I believe all of these claims will be proven false,” Roche told the Ledger. Martinez is seeking an undisclosed sum for charges of creating a hostile work environment, quid pro quo sexual harassment, retaliation for filing a complaint and wrongful termination.
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Pinal County Clerk of the Court Chad Roche Employment Commission was rejected. This could not be verified by press time as EOEC complaints are not made publicly available.
office should be mailed, or submitted in person: Sheri Cluff, Clerk of the Board, Pinal County Board of Supervisors, 135 N. Pinal Street, PO Box 827, Florence, AZ 85132 or Attn: Sheri Cluff, Clerk of the Board, Pinal County Board of Supervisors, 118 Catalina Avenue, Mammoth, AZ 85618. Candidates should indicate their address, party affiliation and contact information in the application. The Board of Supervisors will meet on Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 10 a.m. at which candidates may speak to board members about their qualifications or desire to serve as Constable. The Board members will nominate and vote on their preferred candidate on Feb. 20 after the presentations are complete. The person selected will serve until the term ends on Dec. 31, 2014. If the person wishes to continue serving as Constable, he or she will have to campaign for office and be elected in November 2014. About Constables The term “Constable” comes from the Latin comes stabuli or “count of the stables.” During the Byzantine era, the person holding this position was responsible for care and supervision of the royal court’s horses. Over time, the position became one of great military importance, gradually evolving into a position usually dealing with the enforcement of law and order. In the United States, the
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office of Constable varies by state and region. Constables are elected officers of the County and must be 18 and live in the precinct or district in which they are elected. Pinal County Constables serve four year terms. The primary responsibility of a Constable is the service of process for the Justice of the Peace courts. They serve summons, injunctions, writs and orders. Constables are classified as peace officers but do not regularly perform police functions such as patrols, arrests or investigations unless specifically certified to do so. Title 22 of the Arizona Revised Statutes provides more detail on the duties of Constables and how they work with the Justices of the Peace and Justice Courts. See http:// tinyurl.com/alrs4opfor more information.
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