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Board member repeatedly alleges Cartwright board is "illegal" over family members serving together; no legal finding at meeting
Summary
At multiple points in the Aug. 19 meeting, a board member repeatedly alleged the board was "illegal" because a mother and daughter serve together and cited "Arizona revised statutes." The board continued business; no formal legal vote or outside finding was recorded during the meeting.
A Cartwright School District board member repeatedly accused the governing board of being "illegal" because, she said, a mother and daughter are both serving on the board. The charge was made several times during votes and public discussion on Aug. 19, but the board did not take formal legal action on the allegation during the meeting.
"This is an illegal board because a mother and daughter are both serving on the same governing board," Miss Romero said multiple times in the meeting record, citing "Arizona revised statutes" and stating she would abstain from votes while restating the accusation.
President Lydia Hernandez and other board members continued the agenda and multiple votes proceeded in spite of the repeated interruption; Hernandez emphasized the board’s responsibility to follow established policy and process when reviewing items and handling taxpayer dollars. "We are dealing with taxpayer dollars. It is our fiduciary responsibility," Hernandez said.
Public-comment items that evening included a Homestead Block Watch question from Henrietta Anderson, who asked why the block-watch partnership paperwork had not been signed and said late payments to police and cancelled games had followed.
What happened next: The allegation about board legality was not resolved during the Aug. 19 meeting. The district did not present a formal legal opinion on the record and continued with scheduled votes and business.
