No one could blame the new chief for setting up his own administration. But to the Brunacinis, the changes weren't a housecleaning. They were a demolition. Alan Brunacini was stunned to see his sons transferred, his best friend demoted, his training program scrapped.
Even worse, the new chief told Brunacini that he'd have to stay away from the department he ran. Khan wanted the former chief to move on. Sure, Alan Brunacini frets that Khan's changes are wrecking the department that he built.
But more than anything, the heart of the problem is that this is family. Somehow, it's not surprising that Nick Brunacini has compared his former best friend to Fredo Corleone. To the Brunacinis, the new chief didn't just make personnel moves. He betrayed them. For his part, Khan won't even talk about his former best friend. He's clearly uncomfortable talking about his fallout with Alan, too. Now even Phoenix firefighters who aren't close to Khan or Brunacini are paying attention to the feud.
The forum page on a Web site started by Nick Brunacini, www. Everybody's got a theory for what's transpired. Some suggest that Khan had to remove all traces of his predecessor to make the job his own. Brunacini was one of the nation's most respected fire chiefs; filling his shoes would intimidate anyone. Khan may have been too insecure to deal with his lingering presence. But others argue that the plan was the work of Pat Cantelme, Shields' predecessor in the union and now owner of a private ambulance company.
In the past, Cantelme had his eye on the lucrative Phoenix ambulance market. Some believe that interest played into the department's restructuring, though Cantelme vehemently denies it. Even Khan's most vocal accusers don't believe he's in it to make money. But they do suspect him of being used by people who are. Indeed, one fire department retiree who helped plan Khan's restructuring has been awarded a fat consulting contract.
Ultimately, though, this story isn't about money. It's about a band of brothers that's become bitterly divided. Friends says that Alan Brunacini and his wife, Rita, are shocked by Khan's actions. And that was the most tragic thing to both of them, Alan and Rita both," explains Robert "Hoot" Gibson, one of Alan's best friends, who himself was affected by Khan's personnel changes.
It didn't have to be that way. And it just tore those two up. Full text. Join the New Times community and help support independent local journalism in Phoenix. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. Support Us Phoenix's independent source of local news and culture. Some will have to be sent over to the State Board of Education to be acted on and some will require legislative action and appropriation. Jose Cardenas: Governor, a few other education-related activities.
One is the new medical school will be dedicated in a couple of months. What can you tell us about the progress on that front? Janet Napolitano: Oh, I think we are making great progress. This is a new medical school. It's a joint venture between U of A and ASU and it will be located downtown on the same campus as the translational genomics. We are talking about what clinical presence will be on the campus.
We needed a second medical school in Arizona. Phoenix was the largest metropolitan area in the country without a medical school and so we have made really rapid progress over the last 18 months. I am delighted to say so we will dedicate it in October. They have already begun the faculty hiring process and the idea is to have the first students report for class next fall.
Jose Cardenas: Another education-related matter. It's one I am involved with and that's the Flores case so let me just ask you to give us an update on where that stands. Janet Napolitano: The federal court of appeals sent it back to the trial court saying to the trial court in Tucson, we don't want to tell you whether, what -- the conclusion we reached was right or wrong but before you can reach a conclusion you needed to hold a hearing and take some evidence.
And so the case got bounced back yet again. The court now has scheduled a four day evidentiary hearing for the beginning of January, which I think is good because hopefully then we can get some results for that, from that in time to do something during the legislative session. What can you tell us? Janet Napolitano: Yes. He's had both jobs. I think it's great. She was a very effective head of the Arizona department of transportation. She has experience as the head of the federal highway administration.
And I think as an Arizonan, I am proud that she will be back there and I am hopeful that when she's back there she will remember Arizona because our transportation needs are pretty high, and we haven't gotten quite our share of funding.
Jose Cardenas: Now, Mexico. And before we get to immigration there are some very significant developments this week on the presidential front. What's your thought on that and how it will impact Arizona? Janet Napolitano: Well, obviously, some concern that even with the final pronouncement that Calderon is the president that the allegations of massive voter fraud were not found to be based in fact after a sampling of the ballots.
His opponent, Obrador, is still contesting the election and is intending to file or have almost a contrary government formed and the concern I have, of course, is that we need to have a relationship with Mexico that allows us to improve trade, to improve commerce between our two countries, certainly between Arizona and Mexico and Mexico is our largest trading partner, largest trading partner but also one of the reasons we have the immigration fix that we are in right now is because the federal government and Mexico was ineffective at dealing with immigration issues in Mexico as has our federal government in Washington, D.
And we really need both nations' capitals to engage and I am concerned that with what's going on in Mexico, I am not sure that the opportunity will be there for that. Jose Cardenas: Have you had any communications with the President-elect? Janet Napolitano: Yeah. I called President-elect Calderon several weeks ago to give him my congratulations. This was after he was preliminarily announced as the president.
And to say that I hope when all is said and done and after he's sworn in, hope to be able to meet with him to discuss Arizona's relationship with Mexico. Jose Cardenas: Now, there's been some analysis indicating that because of the closeness of the election results, because of the opposition of the -- of Lopez Obrador's party that the Calderon administration is likely to be Fox like, that he is not going to do a whole lot of things different than Fox and may not be as effective.
Any thoughts on those opinions? Janet Napolitano: I think that's hard to say. He definitely has a challenge in front of him. He definitely has been able to form coalitions given the makeup of his congress.
On the other hand, I think there is a desire in Mexico to grow their economy, to have more jobs, to grow their G. So, you know, he's got to have a lot of challenges. I am not saying that. But I do think there's a desire in Mexico to get this thing settled. Jose Cardenas: Governor, the video clip weigh saw of you with Governor Richardson really relates back to the border governors' conference between the U.
Tell us what was discussed there and what accomplishments you think was made there. I find those conferences valuable because, first of all, there are several periods during that conference when the 10 governors go to a room by ourselves with no staff, and really speak very forth rightly about some of the issues that we are confronting. And then it also gives us the opportunity to formally sign some documents, agreements we sign a major one on border security, as I said at that press conference.
One of the most major things that came out of that, quite frankly, was from the four United States governors and we often were -- we were sitting here in border states being unduly impacted by the amount of illegal immigration, and yet Washington, D. So we wrote a letter to the head of the senate and the speaker of the house, and we basically said, quit holding hearings and get to the table and we would like a bill by the end of this year before this congress adjourns.
Jose Cardenas: So a bipartisan effort. Two Republican governors and the two Democratic governors. And the news conference was really great because Governor Schwarzenegger got up there and said as only Governor Schwarzenegger really can do; congress has to get its act together. We are tired of waiting. And I think he spoke for all of us when he said that. Jose Cardenas: Now, do you anticipate that the four border governors, U. Janet Napolitano: Yes, I do.
Whether we do it at the same time or whether we go one or two at a time that's always a function of scheduling and logistics but I think all of us have the desire to work with the new administration in Mexico because our states are really on the front lines. And we are working very closely, all of us, with our neighboring states in Mexico. And I think that's important to realize.
My administration is in touch with the governor's administration in Sonora almost on a daily basis not just on immigration but matters of other law enforcement issues and also on matters of trade, of commerce, on tourism, things that our states can really benefit from jointly.
Jose Cardenas: Can you give us some examples of kinds of cooperation offered by the Mexican governors as a group, the six Mexican governors? Janet Napolitano: Well, for example, we had jointly assigned people to look at financial crimes particularly the money laundering that goes on with the syndicate, the trafficking of human beings.
We have exchanged telecommunications equipment so we can communicate on real time basis and some of our databases so we can share that information as well. They are putting on their highways, leading into the United States, check points, state-operated check points, Mexican state-operated check points to see if they can deter some of the illegal immigration that's coming across the border.
Those are a few examples. Jose Cardenas: I want to come back to immigration stuff in a moment but when you talked with economic relationships with Mexico, recently you opened or dedicated fast lane at the Nogales port of entry. Janet Napolitano: That's great. Something we've been working on for several years.
It was not fast to get the fast lane but basically it's a separate set of lanes at the Mariposa gate in Nogales which is where all the commercial trucks. So it allows us to expedite the routine business of commerce through the Mariposa gate. Jose Cardenas: Now, focusing more on Washington now and immigration issues, you recently as I understand it delivered another bill to the federal government for the cost to Arizona of incarceration of people here without the proper documents?
There's a federal bill that says if somebody is here in the country illegally and they break a state law so they are in our state prison system we are supposed to get reimbursed the cost of their incarceration and we have only ever gotten pennies on the dollar.
I've started the process of sending the federal government a bill and tacking on late fees. Other governors have joined me.
We are not going to get paid, I don't think but we want to keep making the point to winds and to our own taxpayers that this is a failure of the federal government to do the job it is elected to do. Jose Cardenas: Is there any expectation that we will see any immigration legislation at the federal level this year? Janet Napolitano: I don't think there's any before the November elections. And then after the November elections probably depends on knowing what the results of the November elections are.
And then they will say, well, we are almost to the end of congress, the most, you know, -- the most do nothing congress we have had I think in, certainly in this century but in the long, long time before that.
But more than that, then they will say, they will go in the next year and they will say now we are in a presidential election cycle so we can't do an immigration bill. I mean, my experience with this has been that congress, they just don't want to work this out. And quite frankly, the nation is suffering as a result. This has to happen in the congress of the United States. Jose Cardenas: Governor, one of the things I cited as an example of things that they were doing was conducting these hearings.
You were critical of that and why is that? Janet Napolitano: Because they weren't hearings. They weren't hearings to get information. And by the way, we have had this problem long enough if they don't have the relevant information shame on them. They have lots of information. They have hearings designed for delay to make it seem like they were still considering legislation. Well, if they were still considering legislation they should have scheduled immigration for the congressional agenda for this fall.
And you look at congressional agenda for this fall and you don't see immigration on it. Janet Napolitano: Thanks a lot. Jose Cardenas: Bob Khan, Phoenix's fire department chief, was sworn into office one week ago. He's been on the job for a moment he was promoted to the position early they are year and took office in early August after former fire Chief Alan Brunacini retired. What plans does he have? Before we begin, a look at fire department.
Nadine Arroyo: The Phoenix fire department was founded in Since its inception it's been growing at a fast pace. Along with the city it serves. Chief Bob Khan, the Phoenix fire department's new leader, inherits a department with nearly 2, firefighters and civilian staff.
The department has 52 active fire stations, 32 of which are recent developments. And to keep up with the city's growth, two stations are under construction, and an additional six are in the planning and design stages. On average, the P. As for the future of the department, a city bond passed in March allows for funds to be used to develop three new centers for the P. Jose Cardenas: Chief Khan, welcome and congratulations.
Bob Khan: Thank you, sir. Jose Cardenas: You are stepping into the shoes of a legislate agenda. Chief Brunacini nationally recognized. Let's talk about him for a little bit before we talk about the new regime that we are going to be seeing. Bob Khan: Absolutely. Jose Cardenas: What can you tell us about -- he had a national reputation. What was the particular basis for that? Bob Khan: Still does. He's an incredible person. He set the bar in the fire service.
He I think next to Ben Franklin is one of the most notable people in the fire service. You know, Jose, he set the bar in the fire service. He is an individual that not only cares about the people in the community but the firefighters that serve them.
Their safety, their training, at all levels. So what he has done is enable the firefighters to have a voice in the way they deliver service, and address who he calls, we call Mrs.
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