New legislator avoids constitutional question by resigning from town council

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Maria Syms has resigned from the Paradise Valley Town Council, a move that allows her to avoid violating the Arizona Constitution when she is sworn in as a state representative.

Syms, a councilwoman since 2015, had declared her intention to serve on both the town council and at the Legislature following the election. She told the Paradise Valley Independent in early December that she would thrive serving in those dual roles. Syms, who has two more years to serve as councilwoman, will take her oath of office as a legislator on Jan. 9.

The Arizona Constitution makes it clear that members of the Legislature aren’t allowed “to hold any other office or be otherwise employed by” a state, county, incorporated city or town.

To Syms, the jury’s still out, but she resigned nonetheless to avoid becoming “a distraction from the important upcoming work of the council or my work as your state representative,” she wrote to Paradise Valley Mayor Michael Collins on Dec. 30.

Syms wrote that, during her campaign for the Legislature, she sought legal advice, which informed her belief that because Paradise Valley town council members are unpaid volunteers, she could serve in both capacities. She contended that there’s no settled case law that covers her specific circumstances, and claimed “the merits are subject to debate” in her resignation letter.

Read the full story at AZ Capitol Times

Corrie O'Connor