Grand Canyon Times

The Arizona Free Enterprise Club has added its voice to complaints against the state's Attorney General Kristin Mayes’ alleged unprofessional actions, including her pursuit of shutting down the state’s popular school voucher program.

Mayes has come under fire for actions and statements against the state’s Department of Water Resources and the state’s school Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program. 

On May 31, Arizona resident Charlie Schinke submitted a complaint to the Arizona State Bar requesting they “initiate an investigation to determine whether attorney [and Attorney General] Kristin Mayes has breached the foundational duties of loyalty and confidentiality she owes to her clients, in violation of Arizona Rules of Professional Conduct 1.6 and 1.7.”

In his complaint, Schinke cites Mayes’ statements toward the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) while in office. Mayes criticized the department and director Thomas Buschatzke, sending them reminders of their statutory duties and requiring them to submit documentation as evidence of the department’s compliance with these standards. 

Other letters from Mayes’ office told the ADWR she would be closely monitoring them in the future.

In an interview with KPNX's "Sunday Square Off," Mayes shared her criticisms of the department, saying “I don’t believe that the Department of Water Resources for several decades now, especially the last decade, has been following the law."  

She also touched on the Empowerment Scholarship Account program, a popular school voucher program in the state, saying this was another area she wanted to investigate “fraud, waste and abuse in the universal school voucher program. We’re going to take a hard look at this program," she added.

The Arizona Free Enterprise Club spoke out against Mayes’ arguments about the ESA program. According to a blog post, Mayes said it costs Arizona taxpayers millions of dollars to send kids to their schools of choice; however, the average payout for an ESA is $7,000 per student, while the state spends $14,000 per pupil in public schools, showing a cost savings for the state, the club said.

"... the nonpartisan Joint Legislative Budget Committee has estimated a revenue surplus by an extra $750 million, a surplus that has increased as ESA program enrollment has increased," the club added.