Embattled, stubborn Sheriff Arpaio says he won't quit
Sheriff Joe Arpaio wants you to know that he's not quitting and he wants you to know why.
Last week, Arpaio became the longest serving sheriff in Maricopa County history. Over the weekend he marked his 83rd birthday with a photo op/celebration involving veterans who happened to be guests of his jail.
It would have been the perfect time for the sheriff to take a bow and walk off the stage. He didn't.
He could have ended the controversy surrounding his office, and perhaps even put an end to the trouble he's in over disobeying orders by a federal judge. Arpaio is in federal court as part of a civil contempt hearing. Another judge in a nearby courtroom will soon hear a lawsuit filed against Arpaio by the Department of Justice.
Still, Arpaio isn't quitting.
"I'm not worried," he told me. "I'm not going away. I'm raising money (for his 2016 re-election campaign.)."
Why? I asked him. Why stick with it after all these years and with the legal challenges he faces?
"People ask me that all the time," he said. "And I ask myself sometimes, 'Why do you keep doing this?' It's not the money. I don't make much compared with other sheriffs or even the police chiefs. And it's not for the prestige. Everyone will forget me the moment I leave. As they should. They'll forget us all. That's the way it should be. Look at (former Gov. Jan) Brewer. You think anybody remembers her now?
"So why do I stay? It's a good question. I guess because I'm a fighter. I don't like to surrender. That might be corny but that's the truth. Also, the voters have wanted me back. And there's more to be done in our office. That's about it."
He pauses, then adds, "Also I've got a wife of almost 58 years who supports me. And I'm in good health. So as long as I can keep going I'm going to do it."
Arpaio got sideways with the feds when his office was castigated for racially profiling Latinos. The contempt hearing involves not following a judge's orders about corrective measures. Ironically (though I'm not sure Arpaio sees it that way), he plans to use discrimination as a campaign talking point in the 2016 race. Although of a different kind.
"Let me tell you, there is prejudice against senior citizens," he told me "In my campaign I'm going to let people know that senior citizens can keep doing a job."
A message like that plays to Arpaio's core support group. It's a campaign strategy that has worked for him in six straight elections.
"I'm proud of being the longest-serving sheriff," he told me. "Some people will say 'the oldest too.' That's okay with me."
Does Arpaio worry about the negative perception some people have of him or that an opposing campaign could make it even worse.?
"I think you understand that I have a heart," he said. "I'm not a mean guy."
It feels like Arpaio has been sheriff forever. It might turn out to be longer than that.