The Arizona Republic reports that Democrat Ron Barber received a $43,000-a-year raise when working in Gabrielle Giffords’ congressional office:

The Democrat running to replace former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords saw his annual salary raised from about $70,000 to about $100,000 a year after becoming her district director in Giffords’ first term in office.

His new salary was higher than all but one other district director that year in the Arizona House delegation. It was twice the state’s median income.

Team Barber responds by reminding voters that Jesse Kelly, who has proclaimed that “government is not a job creator, government is a job crusher,” works for a company that has received $60 million on government contracts since 2010:

Barber spokesman Rodd McLeod, in response to The Republic’s inquiry about the raise, pointed back at Republican opponent Jesse Kelly.

The family construction firm where Kelly works has been awarded tens of millions in stimulus- and government-funded projects, despite Kelly’s opposition to the stimulus and most government spending.

“If you want to see a real raise, take a look at the $60 million Jesse Kelly’s family took on the taxpayer dollar,” McLeod said.

National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Daniel Scarpinato weighs in:

With only a week left until the election, it’s important for the voters to know that Jesse Kelly is feeding at the public trough. He is lining his pockets with millions in stimulus and earmarks, and his campaign’s only response has been to defend this excessive spending by the federal government. Jesse should either give the taxpayers their money back, or stop deceiving them.

Oops, sorry! That’s what Scarpinato told the Weekly in 2010, when he was trying to make sure that Kelly did not win the GOP primary for the CD8 seat. This year, he provides an NRCC soundbite about how Barber should provide a refund:

It’s troubling to think that Southern Arizonans paid Barber six figures for his role in shaping policies like ObamaCare, the failed stimulus and Cap-and-Trade. Maybe it’s time for a refund.

This article appears in Jun 7-13, 2012.

Getting hassled by The Man Mild-mannered reporter

6 replies on “CD8: Barber’s Raise, Kelly’s Stimulus & Scarpinato’s Preoccupation With Refunds”

  1. LOL, LOL,….oh Nintz, please stop, at least let me catch my breath, LOL….LOL ….LOL, $60 million to the Kelly family. LOL ….LOL…..LOL, please, ROTHFLMAO, …LOL , like none of that money was actually spent on the project! ……LOL….LOL….I am about to wet myself laughing so hard! ….Is this the best the libs have!….LOL ….LOL!

  2. What do you expect these phonies to say and we used to call the fire dept. the forty thieves……

  3. The Republican comments are entirely consistent with their position.

    Earned income is bad. Windfalls are good. Barber must be found guilty of working for a living. Kelly’s family, on the other hand, must be praised for living on the labor of others.

  5. GVGeorge – You make Kelly’s family sound like slave owners when they are, in fact, employers who had to compete on a qualifications basis with other companies to perform the services that were underwritten with stimulus money. I know that the distinction can be difficult to make when the libs are handout-happy with our tax dollars, but welfare, food stamps, etc., were never intended to be a lifestyle or a career path. By the way, where is Barber’s full public service resume? I seem to recall him being a gopher for Eckstrom not too many years ago…but all the local press is willing to talk about is the Gabby years. Gee, I wonder why…

  6. Jesse Kelly, would better serve the people of Az, within the confines of a padded cell, in the home for the mentally handicap.

Comments are closed.