A Tempe resident has accused Mayor Neil Giuliano of illegally voting in dozens of city cases involving ASU, citing a conflict of interest because the mayor is a University employee.
A.J. LaFaro, the organizer of a recall campaign, presented a packet containing a list of possible conflicts of interest cases and asked the attorney general’s office to conduct a felony investigation against Giuliano. The packet also gave documentation of possible cases of graft, corruption, fraud, malfeasance, conspiracy and racketeering.
Giuliano works as a full-time employee at ASU as the director of federal, state and community relations. He has been voting on city issues as mayor or a City Council member for the past 11 years.
LaFaro said he believes that Giuliano has been using the votes in these elections to give benefits to ASU and himself.
“Anyone who holds the office of mayor has a responsibility to the citizens,” LaFaro said.
Giuliano, however, said that he votes in city cases involving ASU but isn’t breaking any laws.
“There is no conflict of interest. I am a part of two separate public entities, and I don’t profit from voting on issues,” Giuliano said.
He is not worried about the outcome of the investigation and thinks LaFaro has alternative motives.
“(LaFaro) is trying to run me out of office and he doesn’t have the politics to do it. This is about the third or fourth claim he has made, but I don’t keep track of all of them,” Giuliano said. “I have a job to do. If I spent all my time worrying about him, which is what he probably would like me to do, I wouldn’t be that good of a mayor.”
Reach Sandy Almendarez at salmen@imap2.asu.edu.
