By Matthew Holloway |
With Democrat Commissioner Anna Tovar absent, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) voted 4-0 vote on Friday to direct its Office of General Counsel to launch an investigation into alleged legal and ethical violations by Tovar.
The vote was conducted during a Staff Open Meeting and addressed specific allegations of ACC Code of Ethics and Arizona Administrative Code violations.
At the start of the meeting, Chairman Jim O’Connor said he couldn’t “help but share that I’m disappointed in Commissioner Tovar,” for not “hav(ing) the courtesy to show up,” after she reportedly indicated she would do so. “It’s very, very disappointing,” he added.
The Commission then entered into Executive Session for approximately thirty minutes before returning to the public-facing meeting.
Upon returning to the public meeting O’Connor announced, “It is with a deeply troubled heart that I will now make a motion to authorize our Office of General Counsel to undertake an official inquiry to determine whether Commissioner Tovar and her office staff have violated our code of ethics as amended to include the code of conduct, the Arizona State statutes, and the Arizona Administrative Code regarding: interference in and disclosure of confidential personnel-related information and whether she or her staff have harassed public servants of the State of Arizona employed here at the commission.”
He then directed General Counsel Tom Van Flein: “With respect to two things: that that would go back to include, the examination, all the way back to last year with respect to J.P. Martin in terms of potential harassment there, to investigate that. To do that expeditiously and return to the commission in ten days with a recommendation.”
According to Juan ‘JP’ Martin’s LinkedIn profile, he served as Legislative Liaison & Public Information Officer to the ACC from January to December 2023 before leaving the commission to become Deputy Communications Director to Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes.
Van Flein said in a statement that the ACC Office of General Counsel will begin the investigation immediately and complete the inquiry on behalf of the Commission within ten days. This would put completion of the probe on or about December 2nd or 3rd.
Tovar, formerly an Arizona State Senator and Senate Minority Leader, announced in February that she would not seek reelection. She is due to step down from the Commission in January 2025.
Announcing her decision in a post to X at the time, Tovar wrote, “The current Corporation Commission needs a shake-up to gain renewed focus on actually serving the people of our State and that’s why I will not be seeking a second term on the Commission. I look forward to doing all I can to support candidates who will bring new voices and perspectives to this vital work.”
Tovar is the only Democrat presently serving on the commission. Along with current Chairman Jim O’Connor, she will be replaced by newly elected Republican commissioners Rene Lopez and Rachel Walden in January.
Before serving on the commission and in the Senate, Tovar served as a member of the Arizona House and Mayor of Tolleson after working as an educator.
AZ Free News reached out to Commissioner Tovar requesting comment, however, she did not reply by the time of publishing this article.
Matthew Holloway is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
