PHOENIX – Last week, the Bill Mundell and Tom Chabin campaigns began putting up their political signs as most candidates do during campaign season, except with one very important distinction: they are the only Corporation Commission candidates to sign the “pledge of safety” from the Arizona Blue Stake (811) program.
The irony: The Arizona Blue Stake (811) is a program enforced by the Arizona Corporation Commission.
One of the duties of the 811 program is to ensure that signs aren’t placed into the ground in areas where underground utility lines are installed. This is especially important during political campaign season, so Blue Stake launched a community outreach program with political campaigns asking them to proactively sign a pledge of safety and agreeing to “Blue Stake” locations prior to placing political signs. It’s an important safety measure and Chabin and Mundell didn’t hesitate to sign the pledge.
It seems their Republican opponents who have installed signs – Al Melvin, Rick Gray, Andy Tobin, and Boyd Dunn – do not feel the same way. They have not only failed to take the pledge (http://www.arizona811.com/politicalcandidateswhohavetakenthepledge/), they also have failed to call Blue Stake in advance of placing their street signs (see photos below for examples).
“It’s incredibly ironic that our Republican opponents don’t feel the need to follow the recommendations made by the Blue Stake program, despite the fact that the program is enforced by the very office they are seeking,” Mundell said. “their failure to comply with the program demonstrates again, just how arrogant they are.”
Chabin added, “The Blue Stake service is intended to protect the lives of those who dig and to prevent someone who might negligently cut off the utilities to an entire neighborhood. When you’re putting up hundreds of signs throughout the state it might seem to be a nuisance to follow the rules, but candidates who are running for the Commission should never view public safety as a nuisance. This behavior is also symptomatic of the same mentality and corruption which has plagued the Commission for the last two years and it’s why they are under an FBI investigation: they think the rules don’t apply to them and are more concerned about protecting their own interests than the consumers of Arizona.”
