New Wyoming Department of Educator director, Richard Crandall was only on the job for three days and was already selling himself to the local press. At almost the exact same time, questions were being asked back in Arizona if Crandall, an Arizona state senator, could hold two public jobs at the same time.
According to Capitol sources, Crandall will not resign his legislative position until August 16. According to Arizona Constitution; Article 4, Part 2, Section 5, if Crandall had taken any other government job in Arizona, he would have been prohibited from holding both positions.
ASU law professor Paul Bender told the Yellow Sheet that the constitutional prohibition applies to only government jobs within Arizona. However, Bender said he believes – though he can’t cite any specific provision in the Constitution or statute – Crandall has a “general” conflict for the short period he holds both jobs. In theory, Bender said, a legislator can’t hold a public office in another state and remain in the Legislature for the duration of his term.”
According to the Yellow Sheet, “Bender suggested that Crandall ought not to collect his legislative salary for the brief period he’s holding two public jobs.”
Many of his constituents wanted Crandall to do what they say was “the right thing” and resign as soon as he got the new job, but many have grown accustomed to the fact that Crandall rarely does the right thing. The Chair of Crandall’s Legislative District 16, Jerry Clingman said Crandall’s “position was really confusing people.” LD16 members had discussed what they could do to make sure Crandall stepped aside so that the District would have a senatorial representative in the state, but decided that there was little they could do but appeal to him to do the “right thing.” They said they had to rely on his “graciousness,” but doubted Crandall had any.
Crandall is surrounded by controversy in Wyoming as well. He took over from interim director Jim Rose. Rose took the department over in January when was appointed to the position by Governor Mead after Mead pushed through the “Hill bill,” which created Crandall’s director position and divested State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Cindy Hill, of most of the duties.
Hill sued the state to reverse the effects of the bill, according to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. The Tribune Eagle reports that Hill’s case is set to go before the state Supreme Court on August 20, but Crandall “is staying out of it.” He told the Tribune that he is “aware of everything going on out there, but we don’t let it distract us.”
Crandall’s constituents back home say that they know now that he certainly hasn’t been distracted by their interests and Crandall has never shied away from controversy.
This last legislative session, Crandall was behind the threatened coup and unseating of Senate President Andy Biggs on behalf of Governor Brewer and her effort to cram through the Medicaid expansion. More ruthless perhaps were his actions during the last election cycle when Crandall threatened fellow lawmaker, Brenda Barton, that if she testified against his daughter for vandalizing his primary opponent’s campaign signs, he would kill any of her proposed legislation.