County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announces leadership team
Interim Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced the members of her leadership team on Wednesday afternoon, many of whom previously worked under the previous county attorney, Allister Adel.
Paul Ahler, who was chief deputy under former County Attorney Rick Romley, will act as Mitchell’s chief deputy as well. The attorney’s office said Ahler has been a prosecutor for over 40 years and is coming from the Attorney General’s Office, where he served as a criminal deputy division chief.
Ken Vick, who served as chief deputy under Adel, will instead serve as special assistant to the chief deputy and will “focus on operational and programmatic improvements office-wide.”
Vick was named in an independent report by Roland Steinle, a former Maricopa County Superior Court judge, analyzing how the office made a highly controversial decision to charge 15 protesters as gang members.
Mark Stribling, who has 21 years of experience at the Phoenix Police Department and 23 years with MCAO, was promoted to chief of investigations, replacing Tom Van Dorn, who served in that role under Adel.
The County Attorney’s Office did not specify what Van Dorn’s new title would be other than to say he will work on “connecting and communicating with the public safety community.”
Van Dorn helped form the First Responders Bureau, which handled cases involving acts of violence against first responders such as police and firefighters, and was the unit responsible for charging protesters as gang members. Adel disbanded the bureau after dropping the charges against the protesters, citing hiring and staffing shortages.
Jennifer Liewer, who served as Adel’s communications director but was ousted weeks before Adel ultimately resigned, will be Mitchell’s chief of staff. Liewer had given Adel her threeweek notice, saying that it shouldn’t be the responsibility of the office to defend Adel’s sobriety and leadership. She was reportedly escorted out of the building the day she gave notice.
“I have worked with Jennifer for the past two years and admire her commitment to this office, respect of our community, and her courage to stand up for what she believes in,” Mitchell said in a statement. “I look forward to utilizing her skill set and passion in a broader capacity within the office.”
Candice Copple, Adel’s former chief of staff, is leaving the office for other opportunities. Copple faced public scrutiny last year after Mass Liberation Arizona unearthed a photo from 2015 on her personal Facebook page that appeared to show her wearing blackface.
Copple said in a statement at the time that the picture was from a historical reenactment, but she realized how it could be offensive and has since deleted the picture.
Mitchell also stated that Civil Services Division Chief Tom Liddy and Legislative Liaison Rebecca Baker will report directly to her rather than to her chief deputy and chief of staff.
Mitchell said everyone started their new roles on Monday.