Brewer gets in the (unpaid) holiday spirit

Timing is everything ... About 2,000 federally funded Arizona employees returned to work Thursday morning but spent the day awaiting word on whether they’d be paid for the two weeks they spent on furlough. Various representatives of the state at the time said officials at the highest levels were trying to determine the answer.

So, what was state supreme leader Gov. Jan Brewer doing while her minions fretted about how they’d pay their mortgages and feed their children for the next couple of weeks? She was posing for her Christmas card photo on the Senate lawn.

Turn your head just a little to the right, Governor. Perfect.

Money, money, money ... Nowhere is it written that a candidate needs to be math-savvy to run for office. But with the rules on campaign contributions bouncing around like a rubber ball, it couldn’t hurt.

Since the state Court of Appeals last week blocked higher contribution limits, and since the state’s top election official took a position that straddled the old and new rules, candidates have been struggling to figure out how much to ask of supporters.

State Sen. Michele Reagan, RScottsdale and a candidate for secretary of state, said she redid the invites to her Oct. 29 fundraiser to reflect the maximum allowable contribution of $912. But an earlier invite still floating around referenced the $2,500 limit allowed for the primary election by House Bill 2593.

Reagan said she’ll wait until the matter is sorted by the courts to see if she has any money that needs to be refunded.

State Rep. Victoria Steele, D-Tucson, said she’s abiding by the pre-HB 2593 limits as she seeks a second term. That means sticking with the max of $450 per donor for her legislative race. At least until the courts have their final say. If the new limits are upheld, Steele could collect up to $2,500 for the primary.

Steele is one of the plaintiffs who sued over the higher contribution limits, leading to last week’s preliminary injunction from the Court of Appeals. The court clarified its position a bit Friday and promised a full opinion will be out by Thursday.

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Banter over banner ... The World War II memorial at the state Capitol is still under wraps as work continues toward the planned Dec. 7 unveiling. But despite the camouflage, it’s hard to miss the big Ken Bennett banner hanging inside the site. That would be the same Ken Bennett who plans to run for governor.

Bennett said the banner is not a campaign plug. The sign, which simply states “Ken Bennett Secretary of State,” is there because the Secretary of State’s Office is sponsoring the project, not because he’s trying to tout his governor run.

“You don’t think I’m that stupid, do you?” he asked Insider. “Wait, don’t answer that.”

So, we won’t. Check, please … Glendale City Councilman Ian Hugh tried unsuccessfully Tuesday to get an assessment from new City Attorney Michael Bailey about the city’s chances of halting the Tohono O’odham Nation from building a casino on land abutting Glendale.

Bailey responded that the courts have referred the matter to the U.S. Department of the Interior for clarification of rules regarding reservation property, and separately, U.S. Rep. Trent Franks’ proposed federal legislation to stop the casino is stalled in the Senate. Bailey continued. “My kind of perspective and the advice, technically, is — I’ve simplified it for somebody and I’m going to oversimplify it — and it’s: You’ve sat down and you’ve prepaid for a steak dinner. You’re going to walk out of the restaurant before they actually serve it to you. It may be a horrible steak dinner. It could be a really great steak dinner. You’ve already paid for it. Why don’t you wait to see what it’s like?”

Hugh let Bailey’s technical advice hang in the air for a moment.

“I’m not sure that’s the best analogy,” Hugh said. “I appreciate it.”

The city’s effort to stop the casino has so far consumed five years and $3.5 million.

A pricey steak and a long wait to be served.

Tweet of the week “There are no winners in this. It’s like saying ur the sexiest in clown college. Ok but ur still a clown #govtopen.” — Rep. Catherine Miranda, DPhoenix, tweeting as @repcmiranda on the federal government shutdown.