Maricopa County supervisors authorize motion to dismiss, file counterclaim in dispute with county recorder

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to authorize the board’s outside counsel to file a motion to dismiss and a counterclaim seeking declaratory relief in a lawsuit involving the county recorder, the board said at the end of a public meeting.

The action, approved on a roll-call vote with each supervisor given the opportunity to explain their vote, comes after months of unsuccessful efforts to reach a shared-services agreement between the board and the Recorder’s Office and follows the filing of litigation that the board says raises questions about which office is the officer in charge of elections.

Supervisor Stewart, who spoke during the roll call, said the board had “deliberated for quite some time” and that it was unfortunate the parties could not finalize a…