PHOENIX — A Legislative committee on Thursday denied a request from Secretary of State Adrian Fontes to use $250,000 already in his office budget to pay for a private security detail to protect him and his family from “credible security threats,” a move that comes after Gov. Katie Hobbs also denied a request to assign state troopers to protect Fontes.
The decision by the chairman of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, Rep. David Livingston, R-Peoria, was backed by the full committee following a brief discussion. Livingston, however, did approve the shifting of $100,000 from the secretary’s election-related budget to beef up security at the secretary of state’s offices in Phoenix and Tucson.
Fontes, a Democrat who was elected in November following a heated campaign that pitted him against Republican Mark Finchem, has been using money left in his campaign account to hire private security for protection, Assistant Secretary of State Keely Varvel told the panel.
