In part of Info World Arizona’s Candidate Corner segments, we are sitting down with candidates for Maricopa County Attorney. Presently, there are five declared candidates running on the Democrat ticket. Those candidates are Julie Gunnigle, Will Knight, Tamika Wooten, Ryan Tait, and Robert McWhirter.
The Democratic candidates are seeking to unseat appointed Maricopa County Attorney Alister Adel, the sole Republican running for election. County Attorney Adel was appointed to the position when former Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court by Governor Ducey.
Maricopa County is the fourth largest county in the United States. Currently, Maricopa County is estimated to have greater than 4.3 million residents with a nearly 1.67% growth rate. Nearly 60% of all Arizona citizens live in Maricopa County.
Maricopa County is responsible for approximately 62% of the more than 42,000 people currently incarcerated in the Arizona Department of Corrections according to department data. Additionally, there are approximately 53,400 Arizona citizens actively on probation in Maricopa County.
In addition to the criminal prosecution function, the Maricopa County Attorney office is the Civil law attorney for other Maricopa County agencies including the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
The Maricopa County Attorney administers a budget in excess of $100,000,000.00 (One-hundred million dollars) annually. This budget appropriation is allocated to general operations, RICO prosecution, diversion programs, victim compensation, and other programs within the control of the Maricopa County Attorney.