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Accusations of financial wrongdoing by Superior Mayor Jayme Valenzuela were made as members of the Town Council were considering whether to retain Town Clerk Rachelle Sanchez past her six-month probationary period during the Dec. 9 Council meeting.
During the public hearing on her job, Sanchez dropped a bombshell during her statement to the Council that four cash withdrawals totaling $1,311 were made on town credit and debit cards during December 2014 at locations that included the Wild Horse Pass Casino in Chandler. It was further alleged that some of the cash withdrawals were made by Mayor Valenzuela.
The accusations of financial wrongdoing caught Council members and other town officials by surprise, prompting an immediate counter-allegation that Sanchez was making the charges as retribution for the recommendation that she “wasn’t working out” in the job and should be let go and replaced. A source privy to Superior finances confirmed to the Superior Sun that most of these withdrawals were made by Mayor Valenzuela, but that they were all reimbursed back to the town.
Mayor Valenzuela had been unavailable for comment at press time.
Sanchez said the withdrawals were discovered in early September after she found that they had been coded wrong when entered into the Town’s computerized financial record keeping system in Accounts Payable. She said that this discrepancy was reported immediately to Town Manager Margaret Gaston, who ordered an investigation to discover how the withdrawals were miscoded.
“Cash withdrawals on government credit and debit cards are not something that is ever done,” Sanchez said, adding that Tech Support for InCode software used by Superior said what happened was like a user rather than software error.
The withdrawals were made on cards issued to Superior by Bank of the West and Chase Bank.
Sanchez had asked for a public hearing on her continuing in her job at the Town Council meeting.
During her testimony, Sanchez described the town’s attention to finances to be somewhat casual. On her first day on the job on July 6, 2015, she described asking for help on using the InCode system but was eventually told that she’d figure it out. She admitted to making early mistakes but soon got the hang of things.
Sanchez said that she uncovered the card-related withdrawals in amounts of $202.50 and $302.50 at places she couldn’t identify, $403 at the Wild Horse Casino, and $403 at Pinal Place in Florence. All were made during the Christmas Season of 2014.
It was after reporting the withdrawals that Sanchez said she received poor job evaluations, leading to the Town Council deciding if she was to continue beyond her six-month probationary period.
During the meeting, it was argued that Sanchez “wasn’t working out” in the job as Town Clerk and should be let go. The final vote was 4 to 3 to terminate Sanchez, with Mayor Valenzuela casting the deciding “no” vote.
After the meeting, Sanchez told the Superior Sun that she was proud of the work she did as Superior Town Clerk.
“They gave no real reason as to why I was terminated. I worked hard beyond what was required for the job and was never accused of any major wrongdoing,” she said.
That Superior, like nearly all municipalities in Pinal County, is struggling financially makes it doubly wrong for town officers to use available revenues for non-municipal reasons, she added.
An investigation to determine the validity of the charges made by Sanchez and if there are any withdrawals in addition to those made by Sanchez, has reportedly been launched by Superior Town Government.
James J. Hodl is a career journalist who has worked for newspapers, magazines and trade journals. A graduate of Southern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism, Hodl began his career as a reporter with the Palatine (IL) Herald and the Morton Grove (IL) Review before becoming editor of the trade publication Appliance Service News. In recent years, Hodl has had articles published in Consumers Digest, Good Housekeeping, Home Remodeling, Kitchens & Baths and Salute; and has contributed to trade publications serving the home furnishings, restaurant and casino markets. A native of Chicago, Hodl relocated to San Tan Valley in 2013.
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