Defiant Mecham Keeps $90,000 Fund

PHOENIX — Evan Mecham, impeached as Arizona’s governor, refused to turn over funds from his inauguration to the state and invited court action on the matter.

Mecham missed the 5 p.m. Wednesday deadline that Atty. Gen. Bob Corbin had set for the so-called protocol fund to be forwarded to the governor’s office.

Mecham said he had no intention of giving the money to the state and Gov. Rose Mofford said she would file suit if Mecham did not relinquish the funds, which amount to more than $90,000.

Mofford’s spokesman, Vada Manager, said the deadline had come and gone with no action.

A defiant Mecham said he believed the deadline was a bluff on Corbin’s part. “I welcome, in fact I invite, in fact I hope they take some action so it will end up in the courts,” he said.

One of the impeachable offenses for which Mecham was ousted from office April 4 centered on the protocol fund--money accumulated from his inauguration in January, 1987. The state Senate convicted Mecham of illegally making loans totaling $80,000 from the fund to his automobile dealership.

As he did at his impeachment trial, Mecham insisted Wednesday that inauguration proceeds are not state money.

“If it were state money, I would have turned it over to Mofford on April 4,” Mecham said.