Local opinion: Honesty and integrity among elected officials

I have proudly served as an Arizona State Representative for six years. Integrity and honesty are everything in politics. As the only elected official who knows what it’s like to go through the broken juvenile system and a system that is rigged against people who look like me, I have worked hard to deliver results for juvenile justice and have taken on challenging issues as one of the most bipartisan elected officials in the state. I have worked hard with community leaders and organizations like the NAACP and have sponsored legislation on their behalf to end cash bail. Collectively, we have worked hard to garner bipartisan support, but unfortunately, we have fallen short. I am proud of the work we have done.

However, last night (June 17), I was watching the NAACP’s and League of Women Voters’ forum for Pima County Attorney. I was shocked and disappointed to hear Mrs. Conover take full credit for “writing legislation” to end cash bail when, in truth, she didn’t contribute to writing or advocating for this important legislation at all. It’s disheartening when our leaders misrepresent their involvement in crucial matters like ending cash bail. In fact, Mrs. Conover has yet to write or contribute to any bail reform bill that has ever been introduced in the Arizona Legislature. I know this because I pushed for this legislation and worked with the NAACP directly. Integrity and honesty are expected, especially from someone in such a prominent position. Leaders must lead by example and uphold the trust placed in them by the public. Actions like taking credit for work they didn’t do undermines our trust and weakens the integrity of our elected officials and offices. Unfortunately, honesty is not Mrs. Conover’s strong suit.