Original Article Stunning odor Councilman Siebert's link with Tasers fails the smell test Mar. 30, 2005 12:00 AM There's the legal test, and there's the smell test. We won't quibble with Phoenix Councilman Dave Siebert about the legality of taking $3,500 to be Taser International's paid pitchman in San Francisco. But . . . phew! This one stinks. Siebert has undermined his credibility, undercut his work on the City Council and underestimated the significance of appearances. He also has set a troubling example for other elected officials. Representing District 1 in far north Phoenix, Siebert heads the city's Public Safety subcommittee. He has been one of Taser's biggest supporters and asked the Phoenix Police Department to try out the electric stun guns in 2001. He pushed to make Phoenix the first major U.S. city to arm all its police officers with Tasers, at a cost of more than $1.2 million. Taser officials and their spouses contributed at least $1,750 to his campaign in 2003. We're not keen on officials getting campaign money from companies they deal with on the job. But it's a fact of life - and a far cry from actually going on the payroll. As The Arizona Republic's Robert Anglen reported Monday, Siebert was hired last year to talk to members of the San Francisco Police Commission to address their concerns about the stun gun's safety. An ongoing Arizona Republic investigation has linked Tasers to at least 12 deaths nationwide and several injuries to police officers. Siebert says he disclosed the payment, got approval from the City Attorney's Office and excused himself from any subsequent voting on the stun gun. Now, though, it's hard not to view his previous support of Taser through a different lens. Where Taser gained, Phoenix residents lost. With a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and his experience on the Public Safety subcommittee, Siebert has a deep knowledge of law enforcement. Now he has put himself in a position where he must recuse himself on a major public-safety issue. If Siebert felt so gung ho about Tasers and wanted to tell other cities, he should have done it for free. So what's wrong with doing the same thing for cash? Try picturing where this might lead. One council member could pick up some extra bucks plugging the copiers the city uses. Another could make money promoting the cars driven by police officers. Or shilling for Phoenix's computer vendor. Or marketing the contractors from construction projects. Sure, those jobs might all be legal. Just pardon us while we plug our noses.