Ex-county attorney Romley endorses Thomas' rival

Former Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley, a Republican, is the latest high-level prosecutor to support Democratic candidate Tim Nelson, saying incumbent Andrew Thomas is partly responsible for "a type of McCarthyism" in Maricopa County.

Some of the state's big-time prosecutors, Democrats and Republicans, have echoed the same sentiments and say Nelson is more qualified than Thomas to run the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. Romley, the county's top prosecutor for 16 years, crossed party lines Thursday in hopes of removing Thomas.

"Our community is becoming more polarized than at any other time in recent history," Romley said at a news conference outside the county administration building in downtown Phoenix. "Police chiefs tell me that the Maricopa County attorney's relationships with their police agencies are at an all-time low. And people are fearful that they are being targeted just because of the color of their skin."

Thomas replied that he believes Romley endorsed his opponent because he's "not a fan" of Thomas' illegal-immigration-enforcement policies.

"His statement that the sheriff and I and people who are concerned about illegal immigration are McCarthyists is just so extreme and bizarre, I'm almost at a loss for words," Thomas said. "He is not a fan of the sheriff or me, particularly because of our policies on illegal immigration."

The prosecutors who support Nelson say his judicial philosophy, experience, integrity and judgment exceed that of Thomas, the Republican incumbent. The prosecutors include the last three state attorneys general, three former U.S. attorneys, and five county attorneys from across the state.

As the Nov. 4 election draws near, the race has heated up.

The pair sparred last week at a contentious debate, and Thomas has blasted Nelson for accepting an "unprecedented" amount of campaign donations from criminal-defense attorneys.

The donations, Thomas said, underscore Nelson's alliance with them and his intent to roll back some of Thomas' policies to reduce plea bargains.

In a news release, Thomas' campaign said the endorsement is the result of a long-running feud between Romley and Sheriff Joe Arpaio and that Romley has "had major policy and personal differences" with the pair.

Romley endorsed Thomas during the last election but intended to stay out of the race this time. That changed, he said, after he received phone calls from police chiefs, patrol officers and other attorneys in public service complaining about Thomas' conduct.

Romley, now a consultant and legal adviser, also criticized the involvement of Thomas' office in the arrests of two Phoenix New Times executives, the tripling of costs to hire private attorneys and the millions spent on advertisements that Thomas uses to promote himself and the office.

Nelson most recently worked for Gov. Janet Napolitano.

Thomas was elected in 2004 on a platform of enforcing illegal-immigration laws and has kept that promise.

Republican Grant Woods, a former state attorney general, said last month that he is disappointed with Thomas' performance across the board. He also endorsed Thomas during the 2004 election but flipped this time, citing Thomas' spending, "self-aggrandizement" and rigid policies that tie the hands of prosecutors.

"Being in a constant war with judges and the State Bar is inappropriate," said Woods in an interview.

Nelson also has been endorsed by former U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton, a Republican; Attorney General Terry Goddard, a Democrat; former U.S. Attorney Jose Rivera, a Democrat; and Napolitano, a Democrat and former attorney general and U.S. attorney.

The endorsements from county attorneys all came from Democrats: Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall, Pinal County Attorney James Walsh, Navajo County Attorney Melvin Bowers, Santa Cruz County Attorney George Silva, and Yuma County Attorney Jon Smith.

Rick Romley