Third call for Marchione to resign

MUSD school board member Torri Anderson called for Councilman Alan Marchione’s resignation during the public comment portion of Tuesday’s regular Maricopa City Council meeting.

Marchione, who was not at the meeting, said Wednesday he was “not planning on resigning.”

He added that anyone else who asks him to resign “will get the same answer.”

Anderson, who also serves on the board of directors of Against Abuse, Inc., stood with Leslie Carlyle-Burnett, senior planner of the Ak-Chin Community, and JoAnn Ortega, a retired Department of Public Safety manager , and said she was speaking for them as well as other professional women.

Anderson and Carlyle-Burnett serve on the Maricopa Unified School District school board and are running for re-election in November.

Anderson read aloud an email she sent to the council, saying although it “saddened” her, she “could not be silent any longer.”

“I know you each got it, but I do want it to be public record,” Anderson said.

 “I did get the email Ms. Anderson sent two weeks ago,” Marchione said.

He said he responded to her via email and on the phone and “offered her a chance to sit down with her in person and speak with her and end her concerns.”

“She never responded,” Marchione said.

Anderson told the council Tuesday she was asking Marchione to resign based partly on the cost of the investigation into his alleged inappropriate behavior toward staff.

 “The costs of these investigations are going to rise,” Anderson said. “The money could have been used for youth programs, food bank donations, shelter needs or playground equipment. This process will hinder our future economic development efforts.”

She added that, “City employees should be valued.”

“What will the cost of future lawsuits be?” Anderson asked. “How is this fiscally responsible for our city?”

Tina L. Vannucci, an attorney with Fitzgibbons Law Office, said the city incurred $10,852 in costs in the initial investigation into the councilman done by an independent Phoenix attorney. Since then, additional interviews with city staff were conducted by City Attorney Denis Fitzgibbons after City Manager Brenda Fischer and several staff members complained their comments were not reflected in theinitial report.

“I’m asking you to support this community and take a stand, that this behavior is unacceptable in our city, at any level,” Anderson said Tuesday.

This is the third public call for Marchione to resign.

The first was made by former police chief Patrick Melvin during the public comment portion of the Aug. 21 council meeting when the first report on the Marchione investigation was made public.

City spokeswoman LaTricia Wood confirmed Melvin had received a recall packet, but had not returned it to file with the city. No one else has requested a recall packet, she said.

Councilwoman Julia Gusse called for Marchione’s resignation in an email she sent to the media in August.

Gusse said her call for his resignation was spurred by members of the community who had told her they wanted a recall.