Celebrate Autism Awareness Month and join the Valley’s top school serving students with High Functioning Autism and 2E students for a night of laughter and live comedy.

On Thursday, April 20th, 2023 Gateway Academy will host Stand Up For Autism starting at 6pm at CB Live at Desert Ridge Marketplace. Comedians Jann Karam and Brian Kiley will co-headline the evening, along with other special guests. There will also be a silent auction and raffle with all proceeds going to the non-profit Gateway Academy.

“We are thrilled to be raising funds for our STEAM program and celebrating our exceptional students during Autism Awareness Month with a night of comedy and entertainment,” said CEO and Executive Director at Gateway Academy O. Robin Sweet at Gateway Academy. “This is one of Gateway Academy’s biggest fundraisers of the year, so we hope everyone will come out and help support our amazing students.”

Jann Karam is an Arizona native and attended Arizona State University. She is a stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and artist. Karam has made appearances on NBC’s Tonight Show and the Late Show with David Letterman. She was also on HBO’s Young Comedians Special, Seinfeld and many more. She headlines across the country as a stand-up comedian and regularly tours with SNL alumnus Dana Carvey.

Brian Kiley is a comedian and an Emmy® Award-winning writer. He is a staff writer and the head monologue writer for Conan O’Brien. Kiley has made several appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Late Night with Conan O’Brien. He performs regularly at clubs in L.A.

Tru Steinburg, son of comedian Andy Steinburg, will be the Emcee for the evening. Tru is a graduate of Gateway Academy and is currently attending the Scottsdale Community college’s culinary arts program. Tru and his father have hosted the Stand Up For Autism event in the past.

The Arizona Coyotes announced today that the Club has launched Coyotesshop.com. This one-of-a-kind store blending culture, fashion, and hockey is being launched in partnership with Fanatics as part of the NHLShop.com One Store program. Coyotesshop.com is the future of Coyotes retail – a destination for consumers to discover new product drops, access exclusive merchandise, and find information on the inspiration behind the design from its creators. The new e-commerce store is open around the world, yet rooted in Arizona’s vibrant community and diverse culture, and inspired by local artists, creators, and musicians.

“Launching Coyotesshop.com is truly a milestone for the Coyotes,” said Alex Meruelo, Jr., Chief Brand Officer of the Arizona Coyotes. “Arizona has a diverse culture deeply rooted in sports, fashion, and style, and with Coyotesshop.com and through this partnership with Fanatics, we can make our Desert Collection designed by Rhuigi available to fans globally. This collection blends Arizona’s unique cultural elements with a street flair through the lens of the sport of hockey that is part of our plan to continue to innovate the Coyotes’ brand, with the ultimate goal of creating a Coyotes World that will allow us to super-serve our fans.”

Coyotesshop.com will be at the forefront of streetwear and Arizona culture, with street style and fashion at the core of each design. The new shop will include the full line of products developed by Creative Strategist and global fashion designer Rhuigi Villaseñor, including the Coyotes’ Desert Night third jersey and the complete Desert Collection containing hats, hoodies, t-shirts, and more. The Coyotes held a launch party on March 19 at Riot House in Scottsdale with Rhuigi. On March 20th, the Coyotes and Rhuigi will host a creative workshop with a class of young fashion designers at Nowadays in Tempe, Arizona.

“I am honored to collaborate with the Arizona Coyotes organization to reimagine the brand alongside culture and design. To me, it feels like a part of the world that lives beyond just the game and enters the world of classic, iconic streetwear. It’s not just a brand, it’s a lifestyle brand in my eyes,” said Villaseñor.

The coyotes e-commerce store at Coyoteshop.com is part of NHLShop.com, operated by Fanatics, and will carry seasonal lines, limited drops, and future collaborations with brands and designers.

These homes and their green accents contain modern luxury and beauty with a touch of the Emerald Isle, just in time to celebrate the holiday.

Arizona’s leader in luxury real estate Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty has been selling and celebrating the state’s finest properties for 75-years. It is in that same spirit with St. Patrick’s Day nearly upon us, the brokerage wanted to take a moment to appreciate the beautiful homes that have a touch of the Irish on them, and whose accents harken back to the Emerald Isle.

First, the home at 10719 E Rimrock Drive in Scottsdale features eight beds, eight baths, and covers a luxurious 13,114-square-feet across over nine acres of space. It is listed for $20,000,000 and is perfectly perched on the McDowell Mountains, offering spectacular vistas. Along with incredibly lush landscaping and large grass fields, as well as an incredible amount of features and amenities, it also features a green laundry room of all things! Agents Frank Aazami and David Arustamian are representing this gem and available for private tours. 

Next up is the home at 9643 E Legacy Ridge Road in Scottsdale, which contains five beds and seven baths over a spacious 8,071-square-feet. This Spanish Mediterranean beauty contains spectacular 360-degree views, gorgeous fountains and patios, and an incredible 3,000-square-feet of outdoor space to host friends and families for these gorgeous Arizona springs. But along with that? Two green rooms, including a game room! Agent Dan Wolski is tasked with finding the right buyer for this estate, which can be yours for the asking price of $6,950,000.

Next on the list is 11155 E Honda Bow Rd in Scottsdale, a 6,453-square-feet five bed and 6.5 baths beauty listed for $5,890,000. This home is truly unique in its attention to detail; this one-of-a-kind home features hand carved wood, tile, stone and mosaic art, forged metal and crystal chandeliers, and hand painted murals. Perhaps most distinctive are the green accents in a number of its rooms, including its incredibly unique theater and billiards room. Agent Dan Wolski is also the agent of record for this beautiful estate.

The next home featured on this tour is 6883 E Joshua Tree Lane in Paradise Valley, a sleek and modern beauty adjacent to the new Ritz Carlton Resort . It spans 7,396-square-feet and offers five bedrooms and eight baths, and contains all of the modern amenities that a modern buyer needs, including an office, game room, detached casita and modern appliances. Also, its green bathroom puts it on this list of St. Patty’s Day-friendly estates. The special home is listed by Agent Suzi Miller and can be yours for its list price of $6,800,000.  

Next we invite you to check out the home at 42395 N Saguaro Forest Drive in Scottsdale.  Spanning 6,929-square-feet and featuring four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. The home is designed for a golfer in mind, with a view of the 18th fairway at the Chiracahua golf course at Desert Mountain. The home is defined by its light-filled, open plan, with its main living areas redone in wide-plank oak flooring, glass doors and expanded floor to ceiling windows throughout, and lush new landscaping. The furniture that is accented in green is a great fit for the Emerald Isle. Agents Bee Francis and Karen Baldwin are listing the property for $7,299,000.

Finally enjoy the grand estate listed for sale at 11408 E Apache Vistas Drive in Scottsdale.  This impressive home features over 12,000-square-feet and offers eight bedrooms and 10 full bathrooms, along with two half baths. The home offers a stunning mix of natural beauty and modern architecture and is the perfect place to host and impress both friends and family. Its prominent angular large boulder volcanic rock architecture, biophilic elements and Polynesian design give it a natural feel.  The home also features a swim up bar, multi-level lounges and dining areas, along with two distinct guest houses, and a 10-car garage. It home has all the trappings of modern luxury. Lastly, it’s great kitchen tile gives it that Irish accent. Agent Kathleen Lane has listed this masterpiece for $10,500,000 through Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty. 

We hope that you enjoy St. Patrick’s Day as much as we will, and that you make sure to take a moment to schedule a time to check out these gorgeous Irish-accented homes, part of Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty’s incredible selection of custom luxury homes for sale.

Nowadays Creative Lab
Monday, March 20th 9am and 2pm
Downtown Tempe
414 S Mill Ave #120, Tempe, AZ 85281

After nearly two years in the making and in an NHL franchise first, The Arizona Coyotes have just released its most anticipated apparel line and jersey in team history.

The new looks are from Global Fashion Designer and Coyotes Creative Strategist Rhuigi Villaseñor, who is also the founder and creative director of Los Angeles-based streetwear brand Rhude and Creative Director of Bally.  It is the first time a global fashion designer has been the designer behind a game worn NHL jersey and streetwear clothing. The innovative fashion initiative was announced in the fall with this being the first of the new looks to be released and available for sale to the public.

Starting today – fans can purchase all of the Coyotes X  Rhuigi Villaseñor new apparel online, Visit Coyotesshop.com to place your order. 

On Monday, March 20th the global superstar will meet with local up-and-coming designers at Nowadays Creative Lab for a collaborate and special afternoon of inspiration.  

**Members of the media are invited to interview Shane Doan and Rhuigi at 9am or 2pm that day and stay for the workshop. 

“I am honored to pioneer with the Arizona Coyotes organization to reimagine the sport alongside culture and design. To me, it feels a part of the world that lives beyond just the game and enters the world of classic, iconic streetwear. It’s not just a brand, it’s a lifestyle brand in my eyes,” said Villaseñor.

“Rhuigi captures the essence of Arizona with his designs and he’s constantly pushing the boundaries of what we think a traditional sports team’s apparel should look like,” said Coyotes Chief Brand Officer Alex Meruelo Jr., “It’s been an exciting journey to work with Rhuigi and we are thrilled that he gets to be a part of this community and share his story with some younger designers to inspire them.”

**Media interested in covering the events and interviewing Shane Doan, Rhuigi Villaseñor or the management group should contact Jennifer Parks-Sturgeon at (480) 495-3806 or by email JParks-Sturgeon@RoseAllynPR.com. 

Alexander Kolodin. Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore

Regular readers know just how seriously we take the water issue here at the Arizona Progress & Gazette: you can get up to date here. A recent bombshell report by the Scottsdale Water Director shines a new light on Scottsdale’s potential future water deficit, and freshman Representative Alexander Kolodin has used the opportunity to gain the spotlight regarding this issue. But is he doing so in a productive manner?

Taking a step back, you can find a rundown of Scottsdale Water Director Brian Biesemeyer’s findings in this article. There is a major positive development, that the city is banking away significant amounts of water in a water savings account of sorts. But the negative finding is the real headline: that even under a best-case scenario the city should expect a 40-50% cut in water from the Colorado River in 2024.

Obviously, with such a major development, true leadership is needed. We have seen through the Rio Verde Foothills water crisis that the city and county are not working together, and so the opportunity is there for a legislator to step into the leadership void in a way that is pragmatic, not polarizing, and the need is critical. As such, Rep. Kolodin’s interest in the issue is noteworthy.

We should add that Kolodin’s background does give one pause regarding his potential to not polarize this subject. After all, he gained notoriety by being a major Republican party attorney, so to a degree, polarization is likely somewhat hard-wired into him. That said, people can often surprise in their ability to step up to the plate in difficult positions.

In that spirit, some comments in this article give pause. ”Here’s the thing: I’m not sure if that water is there,’ Kolodin said. ‘I’m not sure Scottsdale knows how much Scottsdale has,’ he added with a scoffing laugh. ‘Cities have been saying for years, ‘look how much water we have’ … I think it’s actually going to be a pile of (expletive),’. While the Scottsdale Progress is editorializing here, these are not the words of a highly serious person on a critical issue. If he’s not sure that that water is there, he should do his damndest to learn more instead of attempting edgy statements.

That said, he does seem to have a legitimate interest in the issue, and he recognizes the lack of cooperation between the county and city. He is clearly an intelligent person with the ability to understand the nuances of complex situations. He has the ability to step into the void, bridge the divide and build real solutions. But will he leave his political nature aside to do so?

Alexander Kolodin has a real opportunity to truly make a mark. It will depend on his ability to leave aside political gotcha-ism and be a true, pragmatic leader who chooses to embrace and not alienate those across the aisle. This could be HIS issue, the most important work he does. Will he step up to the challenge? Time will tell. 

By Councilwoman Solange Whitehead

Councilmember Solange Whitehead

By Alexander Lomax

Groundhog’s Day was last month, but you almost wouldn’t know that’s the case in Arizona. Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Kari Lake claimed election fraud and judges told her that she has almost no case whatsoever. And yet she keeps trying, bless her heart.

And the biggest winners? Arizona Democrats. Just like they made the correct calculation that she would give them a much better chance at taking back the Governor’s seat than Karrin-Taylor Robson, her continued quixotic bid to overturn the will of the people is the equivalent of dumping salt on the seeds that her party is planting.

After all, how can any halfway objective voter look at what has transpired in Arizona’s judicial system and not look down on Lake’s attempts with derision? A litany of Republican-appointed judges continue to state that her charges have no merit. This is in addition to the absolute embarrassment that was the Cyber Ninja’s Saga. It has been the Keystone Cops of electoral politics, and it shows little sign of stopping.

The list of entities that need to be conspiring against her is now past a laundry list, past the list of failed Cleveland Browns quarterbacks (apologies to those who aren’t NFL fans, but hopefully that analogy lands with those of you who are). There is no shortage of Arizonan power players who ideologically align with Lake more than Hobbs, who would benefit more from a Lake administration, yet who aren’t willing to tank their own career to hold up an obvious lie. And somehow in the mind of Lake and her fan base, they are all in on this grandest of grand conspiracies.

To continue to believe this, you must be very ignorant of civics as well as the nature of politics in this state, something Lake is depending on and fundraising with. But for independents and relatively moderate Republicans, people who are not strict party voters and stay properly informed, this is a clown show. While the Hobbs administration’s start has been rocky, at least it’s not a complete tire fire like the Lake Show.

The options are currently: 1) imperfect but sane governance, and 2) burning everything to the ground, and making charges of anyone who disagrees with your naked grab for power as the enemy. While the term “fascism” has been far overused, specifically by extremists who call themselves “antifascist” yet often show strong brown-shirt qualities, it will be hard for the political mushy middle to see the benefits of supporting someone who is willing to burn everything to the ground in the pursuit of power. This has not worked out well throughout history.

While it may benefit her and desire to be Trump’s VP nominee in 2024, and the existence of a third party candidate may very well benefit her and return Trump to the White House (thus validating her route), the electoral pathway tightens with every hyperbolic statement, every stated intention to destroy imperfect yet fully functional institutions. Even if it does work out, we all lose.

One thing is for certain though: Kari Lake is dead-set on becoming a darling of the Trump segment of the Republican party on a national stage, and in the process is similarly dead-set on alienating Democrats, independents, and moderate Republicans both in the state and nationally. We can only hope that the rest of the country doesn’t see her and think that this is what our state is about.

By Councilwoman Betty Janik

On March 21, City Council approved lane reductions (Road Diets) for 68th Street from Osborn north to Indian School. This continues to spark controversy.  Over 30 individuals spoke at the meeting representing both sides.  I have received hundreds of emails with about 85% in opposition to lane reductions. I also spoke to several icons of Scottsdale who believe the citizens are overwhelming opposed to narrowing roads. I, along with Barry Graham and Kathy Littlefield, voted against this project.  I believe we represent the voice of the people.

The notification process was flawed. While over 5000 post cards were mailed, most impacted businesses were not included.  Addresses are culled from the property tax database; thus, the landlords received the notifications, not the impacted business owners or numerous apartment dwellers. This process continues to be a problem for City Staff and needs to be corrected.  

Claims were made by staff and Council members that the project would not hurt the businesses.  Yet, the 23 impacted business owners (who were not contacted by the COS), signed a petition in opposition to the project.  Claims were made that members of the Southwest Village HOA were strongly in favor of the project and yet I have received emails indicating this is not accurate.  There is a chorus of nearby residents who were unaware of the project.

Was any consideration given to projected growth and density in the area?  Were other designs for the project considered?  Was there input from police, fire, and hospital staff?  Was consideration given to the increase in traffic on Scottsdale Rd and 64th Street?  Were residents in these areas even consulted?  Was the existing trail four blocks to the west considered for the bicycle traffic?  It seems the lure of available federal funds was more operative in this decision than citizen opinion. For more information on future road narrowing projects, go to https://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/transportation/transportation-action-plan and look under Street Element, Bikeway Element, and Implementation.

Yes 68th Street needs improvements.  Street slurry resurfacing funds were already budgeted prior the March 21, but held pending the Road Diet vote.  Yes, sidewalks need to be ADA compliant.  There is a COS fund to accomplish this.  But note, the sidewalks will not be widened, this was never part of the plan.  Finally, 68th Street does need Rapid Flashing Beacons at pedestrian street crossings.  Perhaps the $180,000 (originally estimated at $89,819) of COS Transportation Dept matching funds should be allocated for the true needs of 68th Street.  

Proponents say Road Diets can be reversed if they fail.  Currently there is NO mechanism to determine what constitutes failure, how to reverse the failed experiment, or even who will decide – another example of a hastily drawn up bitter pill for the citizens. 

I want to solve this problem.  As with Prop 420, I trust the collective wisdom of the citizens. Road diets, to be or not to be, let the citizens decide.

Put Road Diets to a CITIZEN VOTE in 2024! Until then, let’s put Road Diets on hold.

Councilwoman Betty Janik, Scottsdale

By Tim Peeler

Taylor Swift was in town this past weekend to kick off her new tour with two shows at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Getting a Taylor Swift-sized event to come to a city is almost always a major plus for that city. It generates buzz, and boosts the local economy thanks to increased spending on restaurants, bars, hotels, etc. But that wasn’t enough for Glendale Mayor Jerry P. Weiers. He saw an opportunity to personally capitalize even further on the event and he took it. I don’t know if I can blame him for shooting his shot, but I can roll my eyes at the way he chose to go about it. 

On March 13th Mayor Weiers issued a proclamation addressed to Swifties (Taylor Swift fans), littered with her lyrics, declaring that for the weekend (March 17-19) Glendale would be renamed to “Swift City”. Did Mayor Weiers create additional buzz with his little PR stunt? Absolutely. Would I have heard about Taylor Swift coming to town if it wasn’t for the ‘Swift City’ name change? Almost certainly not.

But does any of this matter? Does creating all of this extra noise really benefit Glendale economically or in any other way, especially when the shows were always going to be sold-out regardless of what else happened? Are non-concert goers really making their way out to Glendale because of Swift City?

Instead of an effort to benefit the city, what the ‘Swift City’ name change really was, was a painfully obvious attempt to pander to young voters by someone who is up for re-election in August 2024. Additionally as a Republican, many young voters stand across the political aisle from Weiers and maybe he thought this would be an easy way to win some of those votes. 

I think that you could you argue that the hours that the Mayor and his team spent working on the ‘Swift City’ name change, drafting the proclamation, working with Taylor Swift’s team, etc. was a waste of time and could have been better spent working on something actually important for the city, but I don’t know that those five wasted hours or so warrants torches and pitchforks. 

Gimmicks are a part of most political campaigns; hopefully they are funded with political campaign coffers instead of taxpayer funds, although the actual cost to the taxpayer was likely minimal on this one. But the Mayor so obviously attempting to placate and appeal to a voter base that otherwise has probably no interest in him just comes off as disingenuous and cheap. I would prefer that he focused on making Glendale a better city instead of trying to garner attention through transparent gimmicks.

Photo Credit: 12 News

The battle for local control and municipalities and their attempts to reign in the excesses of short-term rentals (STRs) has turned into one of the most important issues across all of Arizona and is due to become a major platform piece for political candidates of all stripes in 2024 (we’ve spoken extensively about it, you can get up to date here). A very recent event in Scottsdale demonstrates exactly how important it is, and may turn into a clarion call for additional local control.

In what could rightly be described as a blockbuster of a discovery, Scottsdale police uncovered an incredible amount of drugs in a Scottsdale home often used as an STR. The totals? Over seven pounds of cocaine, 110 pounds of methamphetamine, and an absolutely shocking 1.7 million pills of fentanyl. This single sting found enough hard drugs to keep tens of thousands of Arizonans locked into a life of addiction.

Then again, what can we expect with the shackles that our state government has repeatedly put on municipalities regarding STR regulation? In what was clearly one of the most counterproductive turf wars of our time (fueled by significant lobbying from the STR industry), the state has repeatedly made it difficult for all municipalities to take matters into their own hands and implement the will of its citizenry. STRs operated with little oversight, and as such an environment perfect for criminality was set.

Meanwhile, as municipalities all across the state (and the country) have attempted to implement regulations that ranged from ambitious to common sense, they have been largely litigated into silence. While some of these regulations, such as that in Paradise Valley which seemed to have the desire to squeeze the industry out of the town entirely, were a bit of a stretch from a constitutional perspective, all regulations have faced opposition from a well-funded lobby and a legislature that would rather uphold a turd war than listen to its constituency.

Thankfully the state did relent a bit and did cede a tiny crumb of local control back to cities, and Scottsdale responded with new regulations that were compliant with the new state law. That said, this recent bust shows that those rules haven’t done enough to not embolden criminals from operating in plain sight within an STR.

And until we follow up with much more stringent rules and allow municipalities to better keep their citizenry safe and to defeat “party houses”, we have to imagine that crimes like this, as well as even more nefarious crimes, will continue on mostly unabated in our city and state.

By Terry Goddard

It comes as no surprise that the Dark Empire has struck back against Prop 211 and Transparency in who pays for Arizona political ads with two lawsuits.  The first was filed in state court in December and the second last Friday in Federal Court.  The state plaintiffs are the Free Enterprise Club, Scott Mussi, and the Center for Arizona Policy, Kathi Herrod (AKA the Dark Money masters of Arizona). The Federal plaintiffs are Americans for Prosperity and the Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AKA the Godfathers of Dark Money).

As many have commented, these plaintiffs  are obviously not happy about  the Arizona voters’ decision on Prop 211 and are trying to do in court what they failed to do at the polls.  Others might be dissuaded by a 72% favorable vote representing every shade of the political spectrum, but these folks have too much at stake to go away quietly. Laurie Robert described the situation beautifully in her Republic column.  Two money groups now fighting Arizona’s new disclosure law. Shocker. (azcentral.com)

Their arguments have a familiar ring.  They say that disclosure will interfere with their donors’ free speech and free association because they cannot participate in political discussion for fear that having their names associated with a political campaign will result in “doxing” and other horrific attacks. They want the courts to see disclosure as tantamount to a gag, when it is no such thing.

Plaintiffs conveniently ignore the long line of court opinions holding that a political donor’s identity is not protected from disclosure by the First Amendment, that our Constitution does not give a political contributor the  right to hide, that citizens should have the right to know who is trying to influence their votes.  They choose to ignore that most of their fellow citizens have been disclosing their identity without adverse consequences for years when making political contributions.   The tiny percent of political contributors they represent would like a special privilege.  It’s that simple.

The Voters Right to Know Act, which has been the law in Arizona since December 5, 2022, provides for legal representation to defend the statute.  The defendant in both cases, the Citizens Clean Elections Commission, immediately hired the Osborn Maledon firm to defend the statute.  Our support group, Voters Right to Know, entering the defense as an intervenor, has retained the Campaign Legal Center, a national nonpartisan group of elections law experts who helped draft the initiative in the first place.  In addition, the Arizona Secretary of State and the Arizona Attorney General are appearing in defense of the statute.  All in all,  a strong and heartwarming show of support in court.

This will be a difficult and time consuming process, I won’t say otherwise.  But we are blessed with great representation, overwhelming popular support and a long string of legal decisions supporting disclosure of political contributions.  The most recent decision is from the Ninth Circuit just weeks ago.

To say that it has been a tumultuous past few weeks in the financial markets in America would be an understatement. The dramatic collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, the main banking institution for much of the tech and start-up industry, was directly followed by the regulatory seizure of Signature Bank, which represented the 2nd and 3rd largest bank failures in American history. And now, Scottsdale may have its own small-scale financial crisis on its hands, partially because of the same foundational reason that eventually destroyed those aforementioned banks.

In 2019 Scottsdale voters voted for an ambitious public funding program designed to fund 60 projects throughout the city. However in a bombshell new report from the city, the program is now 36% (or $115 million) over budget, meaning that many of those projects will not come to fruition without major changes.

The majority of the cost overruns are a result of the rampant and unexpected inflation that has gripped the entire country, an unfortunate circumstance that would have been difficult to plan for considering the low inflation environment up to 2019 (rising interest rates in order to combat inflation were a big reason for the eventual run on Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank). However, significant mistakes in estimates by staffers also contributed to major cost overruns, mistakes that could have been avoided and are disappointing.

So what does it mean? Simply put, that the promise of Bond 2019 will not come to fruition as it was originally sold. Whether or not a significant percentage of the projects will just be nixed, downgraded, reworked or all of the above has yet to be determined. Since revenue to the city has not been as robust as years past, the city’s coffers are not as strong as before and they will not be able to simply fill the hole with excess liquidity. 

While it is easy to attempt to point fingers, I would caution against that, at least insofar as the inflation problem is concerned. While it is difficult to bring ourselves back to the ancient days of 2019, a virus causing a global pandemic had not yet transferred to a human via a wet market or leaked from a lab (depending on which government department you talk to), so it would have been impossible to predict either the serious supply chain issues or the flooding of money into the markets, which when combined with persistent low interest rates caused the inflation that led to this problem. That issue deserves a pass.

That said, the poor estimates made by staffers do deserve a second look. Mistakes are always made, but ones that lead to misestimates of millions of dollars of taxpayer money demand at least some consequences. We’re not here to name and shame, but taxpayers deserve better.

In summary, Scottsdale is not collapsing like Silicon Valley Bank or Signature Bank. We are not declaring bankruptcy like Orange County. But one of the ramifications of our ongoing inflation issue (along with a few dashes of incompetence) will be felt. But still, our problems are by definition “first world problems”, and we should thank our lucky stars that our problems are so mild.

By Alexander Lomax

Photo Credit: Marco Raaphorst, Flickr

The proposed move for the Arizona Coyotes from Glendale to Tempe was to be the truest definition of a win-win. It is much more central and near the light rail, making games much more accessible for the vast majority of the valley. Along with the proposed entertainment sector, there simply are far more options for pre- and post-game recreation than there is in Glendale. For the casual hockey fan in Phoenix or Scottsdale, heading to Tempe on a Tuesday night is much more palatable of an option than going to Glendale.

Plus, it is to be built on an effin landfill…a huge economic and environmental liability for Tempe currently.

But of course, as with any good idea there will be nay-sayers; idealogues who stand in opposition to the will of the masses, people who are desperate to make a name for themselves or stay in the limelight, or those who are bitter that they are not able to capitalize off of it themselves. And while we are not generally ones to presume the silent intentions of others, we have to believe that one or more of these motivations are coming into play here.

That is where opposition group Tempe 1st is at ; attempting to rally their community under the guise of the unfairness of tax breaks. Leaving aside the obvious gigantic economic injection that this project would be for years and years to come, the “BILLIONAIRES BAD!” street signage that the group uses screams of an ideology-first mindset. Going after a successful billionaire might play relatively well in Tempe, but it is not as though Tempe’s recent stratospheric growth was built from co-ops and socialism. Wealthy people and corporations have played a gigantic role in Tempe’s current growth and increase in jobs.

Then it’s worth looking into who is behind this effort. Dawn Penich-Thacker got a reasonable amount of attention (or notoriety, depending on who you ask) by being one of the leaders of Red for Ed, the educational movement from 2018. What education has to do with a hockey arena is tough to tell, although it certainly does give an opportunity to make a further name for herself and stay in the limelight. For someone who makes sure to sign every letter with “PhD”, this shouldn’t be too surprising.

Additionally there is former Tempe city councilwoman (and former Arizona Corporation Commission candidate) Lauren Kuby leading the charge. Kuby was known to have a sometimes contentious relationship with other members of the council, being an idealogue who would stand in opposition of growth if it did not perfectly worship at the altar of sustainability and lowering costs for the working class, consequences be damned. I suppose that the idea of putting 2,000 new apartments on the market and the obvious impact it would have on pushing rent prices down all around the area doesn’t fit into the ideological mold of “affordable housing”, as pragmatic as it is. After all, a billionaire boogeyman is to be blamed, and nothing good can come from that in the mind of an idealogue who desires to stay in the public eye.

Kuby apparently ignores the project’s commitment to creating union jobs as well the hypocrisy of voting for direct financial assistance for the Los Angeles Angels’ billionaire owner for his spring training stadium, along with a tax break for ASU while in its employ.

It’s unfortunate that good ideas can sometimes be derailed by people who are hypocritical and desperate to feed their own ego and have their names in the papers. We are confident that the people of Tempe will see through it and instead judge the project on its merits, merits that will be beneficial for the city.

By Ronald Sampson

Photo Credit: AZCentral.com

It’s a new-ish day for Democrats in Arizona. Having finally captured the Governor’s seat they finally have some degree of legislative power. But since they couldn’t get a majority in either the Arizona House or the Arizona Senate, that legislative power is nearly purely relegated to the power of Governor Hobbs’s veto pen. While the ability to say yes to legislation you like would be preferred, the ability to stop legislation that you don’t like in its tracks certainly isn’t anything to scoff at.

And this is where Governor Hobbs lies, and she has already been busy with that veto pen (you can get up to date on Hobbs here). Her latest veto demonstrates what is very likely to be one of the most hot-button topics of her time in office: education.

In her 16th veto already in just two months, Hobbs recently vetoed a bill authored by J.D. Mesnard outlawing the teaching of “critical race theory” in schools. For those who are unaware, critical race theory, or CTR, is essentially a progressive educational approach that involves teaching “anti-racism”, the inherent advantages of being white, and other such race-heavy teachings that one would consider part of the curriculum of Oberlin College or Cal Berkeley.

This is an extension of a fight that has gone on across the country. Democrats have often been insistent that CRT is purely relegated to college campuses, but that isn’t necessarily true: aspects of it are often found in heavily Democratic school districts around the country. Republicans have rallied against it, also somewhat disingenuous in its concern that it is a present threat and will take over our schools.

Arizona is not California, Phoenix is not San Fran, so the concerns may well be overblown. However, they very well may not be, considering one of the biggest current educational issues in our state coming from the Washington Elementary School District. Their decision to end a contract with Arizona Christian University due to a difference in values is based on a push from governing board member Tamillia Valenzuela, who publicly and proudly describes herself as a “disabled, neurodivergent Queer Black Latina”. Considering her current prominence in the board and her description essentially being a walking advertisement for the purported importance of that subject material, it certainly seems like a school board that would be very comfortable with implementing CRT in their schools.

Hobbs didn’t offer up any particulars she disliked about the bill when asked, which itself was a bit of a tell and an indication as to what the next few years will likely look like. It will be ideological battles, left vs right. It will be much less about reaching across the aisle and much more about getting the other side on the record for being for this or against that.

Welcome to Arizona Governance in 2023 and 2024: little will get done and lots will get vetoed. I’m sure our Founding Fathers would be so proud.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

A recent bombshell hit Arizona politics recently, one that will have very significant ramifications for the 2024 election, but one that hasn’t gotten as much widespread attention as it may deserve. Another party has qualified to be on the ballot in the ‘24 election, the relatively centrist “No Labels Party”.

The No Labels Party will join the Libertarian Party alongside the Democrats and Republicans as recognized political parties in the state, offering them ballot access and the ability to field candidates. But unlike the Libertarian Party, which has always been on the fringes in politics and typically has only served as an additional option for disaffected Republicans, the No Labels Party has the opportunity to do the same for disaffected Democrats AND Republicans, but this time with some relatively big guns (and likely some decent funding) to bring it to larger prominence.

The efforts are spearheaded by former US Senator Joe Liebermann, well known for having left the Democratic Party to become an independent, along with North Carolina Governor Patrick McCrory and civil rights leader Benjamin Chavis. The group states that it will only field candidates if the electorate seems displeased by the two options presented, a slightly veiled dig at Biden and Trump. That said, one wonders how they could reasonably field a candidate after the finish of what may be a tough and long Republican primary in a way that could be anything but purely a spoiler.

So what will it mean for Arizona? It could very much impact the two biggest ticket races in the state next year.

First and most obvious is the Presidential race. After Biden won the state by a razor thin margin in 2020 and with his approval ratings currently underwater (and facing the specter of a potentially difficult economic landscape 18 months from now), he has little room for error. A centrist candidate could easily pull a few percentage points away from him; while it could do the same for Trump, it seems less likely. Perhaps a Libertarian candidate could also be put on the ballot to further balance out the dynamic, but that’s not a small feat either.

That said, the entire premise that it will be Biden against Trump round 2 is a tenuous one. While there may not be anyone challenging Biden on the Democratic side, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is almost guaranteed to give Trump a very strong run for his money. He has both a highly successful track record, has been very good about using his pulpit to stay in the headlines regarding controversial social issues (ergo becoming a darling on the right), and will almost certainly be very well funded.

Second is the US Senate race. As you are likely aware by now, US Senator Kyrsten Sinema abandoned the Democratic Party and is now an independent. Her political orthodoxy does seem to align well with the No Labels Party, and she could perhaps be the very first big ticket candidate to run under that moniker, something that would give the party real gravitas (and also likely give a boost to the Presidential candidate). Her participation could be transformative for the new endeavor, even if it likely wouldn’t impact her chances much in either direction.

There is still a lot of time to go until the 2024 election, and many things can still happen. But this move has inserted some true electoral intrigue in those races already, and yet again Arizona will be Ground Zero for all of the excitement.

Opinion Piece by Alex McLaren

I have been concerned about this situation for some time now. I am not exactly sure why because I live in south Scottsdale, miles from the Rio Foothills area. My concern is that as good neighbors Scottsdale should help as best, we can, within the law and also as stewards of our overall water resources. I am also concerned that the issue has become so politicized and handled so badly.

I have spoken on a few occasions to the City Council urging a solution to the problem.

This past Tuesday (March 7th) I asked the Council why they would have approved the Agreement with the County on February 21st. I have read in the press, (Scottsdale Progress Sunday March 5th) that a letter dated February 21st from Supervisor Galvin to the City expressed major concerns with the deal points in the agreement that the city was going to consider (and later approved) that evening. At the meeting I congratulated the city on having appeared to have initiated a workable temporary solution. Many Rio Verde Foothills residents also praised the city. On March 1st the County resoundingly rejected the agreement.

I worked for the city for 21 years (1985 to 2007) and was involved in many Intergovernmental Agreements and we would never ask the Council to approve an agreement if both parties were not satisfied with all the deal points. Why would the Council approve an agreement that was not supported by the County? And why would the County be so adamant, according to news reports, in rejecting the city agreement?Read More

By Councilwoman Solange Whitehead

Councilmember Solange Whitehead

Last Friday, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (BOS) voted down the intergovernmental agreement to deliver water to the unincorporated residents in Rio Verde Foothills. This is the second time in 9 months that the supervisors have voted against a water solution for these residents. I am deeply disappointed.

In Scottsdale, we know that water management prevents water wars and policies must be free of politics. For these reasons, the City Council directed the City Manager and attorneys to develop an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with counterparts at Maricopa County. These negotiations also involved legislators and staff and the Attorney General’s office.

Scottsdale’s involvement was to assist Maricopa County in securing a regulated water supply for its residents in Rio Verde Foothills (RVF). Something these residents have never had and is increasingly important as wells run dry in the area. Within a week of the draft IGA’s completion, the Scottsdale City Council unanimously approved it allowing flexibility to best serve all parties. Council inboxes and City Hall were filled with RVF residents supporting the plan.

Now RVF residents are once again without hope. The County rejected the IGA with a demand that the City of Scottsdale enter into a contract with EPCOR, a private company, to provide water for Rio Verde Foothills residents. This places legal responsibility and liability for RVF water service on Scottsdale and its taxpayers. Scottsdale is a city government, not a utility. Intergovernmental agreements, by definition, are between governments. IGAs are the mechanism by which one municipality can share resources with residents from another municipality. The draft IGA between Maricopa County and Scottsdale would have provided treated water to RVF residents, upheld Scottsdale’s drought management plan, and met the City’s obligations to its residents. The framework is what matters. Not the source of the water.

In its resolution, the Board of Supervisors explicitly requires EPCOR-sourced water. What is unclear to me is why. At a recent AZ Corporation Commission meeting, RVF residents came out in large numbers against a proposed ‘EPCOR solution’. Also worth noting, EPCOR delivers water to Fountain Hills and Rio Verde residents today and Scottsdale is not involved. The County also opposed Scottsdale’s proposed building moratorium in RVF. Ultimately, this would be a Maricopa County decision but it seems like common sense until a permanent water supply is in place.

Had the Board of Supervisors approved the IGA, water could have flowed to existing residents quickly. Scottsdale is negotiating water allotment increases from existing sources. No new contracts to bid, no new infrastructure. The 3-year time commitment gives the County and residents time to establish a permanent water source. While the water costs are increasing everywhere, cities charges are based on actual cost of service. The Scottsdale-Maricopa County IGA was and remains a very good solution for these residents.

Both Rio Verde Foothills and Scottsdale residents are represented by Maricopa County Supervisor Tom Galvin. I believe he should reconsider the IGA in order to best serve his constituents on both sides of the border.

The saga of Scottsdale Unified School District Superintendent Scott Menzel, his past “woke” interview and the controversy it has generated has gotten a lot of coverage both in the mainstream media and on this blog. But a recent development at a Scottsdale school demonstrates that “woke-ism” clearly is not the norm in Scottsdale schools.

Unfortunately, not even the Holocaust is fully respected in our schools, as several unnamed students drew swastikas over the pictures of Holocaust victims in a Scottsdale school recently. Little other information is known at this point except that it is a result of several 7th graders, but not much else needs to be said.

While some people will attempt to explain it away as a “false flag” or just a stupid frank, the disappointment from the teacher who had to deal with it jumps off the page. The request of the parents to reinforce the importance of empathy in this case is noble, but shouldn’t need to be reinforced. It serves as an effective example of the challenges that teachers go through and how good parenting isn’t ringfenced away from learning completely.

It had been a while since our state had embarrassed itself on a large scale in such a way. More people moved to Arizona than any other state last year, presumably an indicator that our national brand is strong, but any event like this is bound to be shared around, especially in Jewish circles. Especially as the state that was so notoriously resistant to implementing the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday for no good reason (other than racism).

So what’s the takeaway? We won’t attempt to guess on how those students got to this point, but regardless…we have work to do. As an area, as a society, as parents; if we can’t all agree that the death of around seven million souls because of their ethnicity isn’t an evil that deserves our recognition, then what can we agree on? Yes, they are children, but children have to learn these things from somewhere.

While Menzel’s statements in 2019 may be to the left of what would generally be seen as appropriate in Scottsdale, there is a lot to be said about inclusion and treating people with decency in our schools. This seems like just the sort of event to avoid that he talked about in that much maligned video. Perhaps the various politicians will take a step back and realize that perhaps there are lessons to be learned from Menzel and his insights on inclusion. Hopefully they will realize that Scottsdale has a ways still to go in this regard.

Photo Credit: Brian Hancock

For a few moments, we thought that the Rio Verde Foothills water crisis was mostly resolved. We thought we had turned a corner, and that an agreement had been largely agreed upon. But to the detriment of the citizens of the Foothills and to the benefit of the pundits who appreciate good stories to write about, the story is clearly not over. But the battle lines have clearly shifted and hardened recently.

Now we fully and publicly understand: it is the city of Scottsdale versus Maricopa County, and more specifically, Supervisor Thomas Galvin.

As recent developments demonstrate, Scottsdale city leadership is now fully coalesced behind their plan to restore and facilitate water delivery to the Rio Verde Foothills as demonstrated by a recent unanimous vote in favor of their plan.

But the vote doesn’t tell the entire story; the intrigue is in the details. For instance, Councilmember Solange Whitehead said in an email to supporters, “I believe (Thomas Galvin’s) rejection of the IGA fails his constituents on both sides of the (Scottsdale/Rio Verde Foothills) border and allows unregulated development to dig this water crisis deeper”.

Furthermore, new councilmember Barry Graham is planting his own flag and demonstrating gravitas; in an email to the Executive Director of Scottsdale Water, Graham says “Fair to say this is difficult because it’d be an open-ended “water blank check” from (Scottsdale) since (Rio Verde’s) growth is open-ended?” To be an established member of the council dais is one thing, but for a new member to be asking difficult but pertinent questions about the facilitation of expectations and dependency is another development, one that is worth real consideration.

Along with the open-ended nature of Maricopa County’s proposal, all parties on the Scottsdale side seem to object to a specific part of the proposal from Maricopa County, and more specifically Supervisor Thomas Galvin: the mandate that the city work with Epcor, a third party water delivery vendor. Indeed, it does seem as though it is overreach (and has at least an appearance of cronyism) to mandate that the city use a particular vendor if others are able to satisfy the need. Considering that the work still needs to be done with the city, it is not a stretch to see a vendor mandate as being overly burdensome.

Regardless of the rationale, one thing seems clear: the city is putting on a united front. Mayor Ortega backing away from attempting to block any attempt at water facilitation was a wise move, and now he has a part of a consolidated battle against the county. As we come up towards an election year, it is in his best interest to not be on an island. 

By Alexander Lomax

Kelli Ward, since she played a large role in starting this mess

The old and tired phrase in local politics amongst left-leaning folks has been “You can’t spell crazy without AZ”. And while the state has certainly moderated some away from that moniker as well as the “meth lab of democracy” name that Senator Sinema famously labeled us, we have unfortunately become Ground Zero for the zaniest and dumbest political conspiracy theories in the country.

You almost certainly have heard plenty of the conspiracies related to the 2020 and 2022 elections. Never mind that a Republican was in control of Maricopa County elections in 2022, never mind that a Republican super-majority was in charge of oversight of county elections in both elections. Never mind that in 2020 the man accused of fixing the election (Adrian Fontes) somehow forgot to fix his own. Never mind that reasonable Republicans of all stripes acknowledged that the elections were fair. Never mind that numerous judges dismissed all lawsuits challenging the veracity of the election as having had no or little merit.

For any reasonable person, that many “never minds” would be overwhelming proof that the conspiracies had no merit. Yet fans of the previous president all across the country still believe these lies.

Meanwhile, the newest and most insane conspiracy theory is now taking hold in Arizona as well as across the country: that Governor Katie Hobbs and many elected officials, judges and leaders are in the pocket of the Sinaloa drug cartel.

Does this sound crazy to you? Congratulations, you are a reasonable person. Unfortunately, it would seem that there are many, many unreasonable people in this country.

We have freshman legislator Liz Harris to thank for this new low. She aired a presentation with these absurdist charges in front of the entire legislature. And we must give credit to Republican leadership in both the House and Senate for condemning this action: both Senate President Warren Pederson and Speaker Ben Toma spoke out against this insanity. Of course, in the eyes of the conspiracy theorist, this means that they must be in on this as well!

That said, it feels like a “genie out of the bottle” moment: they were happy to let election conspiracies fester for a little while as long as it helped their chances for power, but now its gone too far. Now it is actively turning off reasonable voters, as the 2022 election results already demonstrated.

Meanwhile, the AZ GOP seems a slow motion car crash: they know they are turning away moderate voters and hurting future chances, but can they do anything about it?

Ne’Lexia Galloway

Students of history (or older readers) will remember the Saturday Night Massacre: it was the last gasp of the Nixon administration and its attempt to cover up the Watergate scandal. In it, Nixon ordered his Justice Department officials to fire the Special Prosecutor in charge of Watergate, which led to a string of resignations as a result.

The Maricopa County Democratic Party seems to have had its own version of the Saturday Night Massacre in what seems to be embattled Executive Director Ne’Lexia Galloway’s attempt to protect her own job in the midst of underperformance, internal dissatisfaction, and a potential financial scandal. As a reminder, Galloway is engaged to be married to Bruce Franks Jr., the disgraced former Missouri State Rep/battle rapper/campaign grifter who played a significant role in tanking Julie Gunnigle’s campaign for County Attorney (get up to date on him here).

In a bombshell recent action, we’ve learned that Galloway personally fired every member of the staff except for one older, part-time employee nearing retirement (i.e. someone not deemed a threat). Their last day was at the end of February. The positions that were eliminated were organizing director (the person in charge of reaching out to potential voters), political director, and campaign director. While short term jobs are not renewed immediately after an election, to have such critical roles eliminated in a battleground county with all countywide seats up for election next year is unprecedented.

Some might say that money is a significant issue, and they are indeed light on cash, with only $16K available at the end of February. However, insiders say that part of this cash crunch is a result of gross mismanagement of funds, including a large allocation of cash sent out for what was supposed to be for mailers; but those mailers never went out. Insiders say that Galloway pushed for this vendor because the pricing was so cheap, but the pricing was so cheap because it didn’t account for the large majority of the costs: postage. A true rookie mistake. Now the party is attempting to claw back those funds, and numerous district chairs are extremely displeased.

Adding to that awkwardness? The fact that one of Galloway’s first actions after becoming the ED of the county Democratic Party was a highly public attempt to attack her former boss Ruben Gallego. Galloway spent several days hyping up a major announcement she was going to drop, only for it to be this statement, amounting to little more than a Gen Z’er who is amazed to learn that their boss won’t fawn over every single idea that a new college graduate has. This is much, MUCH more awkward of a dynamic now that Gallego is the presumed Democratic candidate for the US Senate race in 2024.

Additionally, the friend’s list seems to be narrowing, as the county party became an official sponsor of an event that Galloway’s fiance Franks Jr. put on which neglected to invite the Kesha Hodge Washington, a Democrat and favored candidate of Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. Attempting to purposely alienate the most powerful Democratic elected official of a local seat is…highly risky.

So in summary, it has been bad decisions compounded by bad performance followed by bad financial management that has led to this place: where threats were all around and where money was tight, so Galloway decided to solve both issues at once. And now they will be hamstrung regarding organizing for the future, and their brand has taken a real hit. Her hire has turned into a one-person disaster.

Good governance depends on at least two strong parties that are led competently and have compelling messages. We have seen parts of the Republican party in Arizona devolve into conspiracy theories, and now we are seeing the local Democratic party devolve into power struggles designed to paper over incompetence and underperformance. Much like the Saturday Night Massacre, it’s a sad state of affairs. We can only hope that much like that event, it leads to a wholesale change in leadership and an entirely new direction.

The new owners of our Arizona Coyotes, the Meruelo family, are blazing serious trails in our community and truly making a name for themselves in the rarified air of professional sports team ownership. Tonight you will have the opportunity to take part and witness history for yourself.

In what is a first in Arizona’s franchise sports history, perhaps even a first in NHL franchise history, the team has collaborated with Rhuigi Villasenor, a globally renowned fashion designer, in order to take their team gear and apparel to the next level. The looks are so cutting edge that even Phoenix Suns superstar Chris Paul has been seen wearing his first Coyotes jersey!

Tonight, Friday March 3rd, Rhuigi Villasenor will join the team owners and staff for this fun pop-up experience to unveil these new looks and apparel. You can join them and check out this incredibly unique event at 901 N. Central Avenue in Phoenix from 6pm to 10pm.

Delicious food from Bacanora and Loco Style Grindz will be available. The buzz will be incredible, and this is your opportunity to see and be seen with a world famous designer and show your support for our team. See you there!

It has been a tumultuous past month or so for Scottsdale Unified School District superintendent Scott Menzel. After Fox News uncovered a 2019 interview where Menzel seems to support ideas that many would consider “woke”, he has been the target of Republican legislators and a cause de celebre for local Democrats (you can get up to speed on the entire saga here).

However, it feels as though we are getting some degree of resolution in this saga, and Menzel is able to breathe easier knowing that his job is not in peril. According to the Arizona Republic, “scores” of supporters showed up at a recent SUSD meeting to demonstrate their support for the embattled superintendent.

As our regular readers know, this was after a trio of Republican legislators who represent Scottsdale came out against Menzel’s prior comments and called for his resignation. None of this is particularly surprising, as Menzel’s comments stepped right into the social morass of identity politics, perhaps one of the hottest of hotbed subjects in today’s political climates.

By most unbiased perspectives however, Menzel stepped into the role of Scottsdale Unified superintendent in a very difficult time, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and led the district through the tough time with rational and reasonable strength. While extremists looking for attention attempted to hijack board meetings, he justified his hire with a strong focus on the material matters of education and away from political traps.

If the district had found itself in significant financial trouble (aside from that which every district went through before the state legislature lifted the spending cap), perhaps he wouldn’t have found so much grace. Or perhaps, even if his performance was questionable, the nativism inherent in politics today might have necessitated a defense. After all, charges of “woke-ism” will almost always draw battle lines with attackers on one side and defenders on the other. It is simply the nature of our algorithm-fueled conversation these days.

However, one added dynamic in this particular case is the makeup of the SUSD governing board. Even with two new conservative members, it was clear that they were not in a position to make a real move towards a new superintendent. And just like that, not only is a somewhat left-leaning superintendent preserved in his role, but we now see that the SUSD governing board remains similarly somewhat left-leaning for the time being.

Hosted by the Arizona Coyotes, This FREE Skate Event Offers Valley Residents a Chance to Meet Special Guests and Learn More About How Tempe Wins by Voting Yes on Proposition 301, 302 303 on May 16th

Mullet Arena is located on ASU’s main campus in Tempe at 411 S Packard Dr, Tempe, AZ 85281. The parking lot and the arena are on the east side of Packard Drive between East 6th Street and Rio Salado Parkway.

Propositions 301, 302 and 303 would authorize Tempe to transform an old landfill near the Town Lake into a privately funded and vibrant entertainment district that includes new housing, retail and restaurants, and a new home for the Arizona Coyotes. The district will create 6,900 permanent jobs in Tempe, more than $200 million in tax revenues for critical city services and more than $2.1 billion new spending.

For more details on Tempe Wins visit www.TempeWins.com.

For any media inquiries, please call Jennifer Parks-Sturgeon at 480.495.3806 or email Jparks-Sturgeon@RoseAllynPR.com.

Paid for by Tempe Wins, sponsored by Bluebird Development LLC, with 0% out-of-state contributors. Not authorized by any candidate. Top donors: Bluebird Development LLC and Arizona Hockey Co., LLC.

Ne’Lexia Galloway

Students of history (or older readers) will remember the Saturday Night Massacre: it was the last gasp of the Nixon administration and its attempt to cover up the Watergate scandal. In it, Nixon ordered his Justice Department officials to fire the Special Prosecutor in charge of Watergate, which led to a string of resignations as a result.

The Maricopa County Democratic Party seems to have had its own version of the Saturday Night Massacre in what seems to be embattled Executive Director Ne’Lexia Galloway’s attempt to protect her own job in the midst of underperformance, internal dissatisfaction, and a potential financial scandal. As a reminder, Galloway is engaged to be married to Bruce Franks Jr., the disgraced former Missouri State Rep/battle rapper/campaign grifter who played a significant role in tanking Julie Gunnigle’s campaign for County Attorney (get up to date on him here).

In a bombshell recent action, we’ve learned that Galloway personally fired every member of the staff except for one older, part-time employee nearing retirement (i.e. someone not deemed a threat). Their last day was at the end of February. The positions that were eliminated were organizing director (the person in charge of reaching out to potential voters), political director, and campaign director. While short term jobs are not renewed immediately after an election, to have such critical roles eliminated in a battleground county with all countywide seats up for election next year is unprecedented.

Some might say that money is a significant issue, and they are indeed light on cash, with only $16K available at the end of February. However, insiders say that part of this cash crunch is a result of gross mismanagement of funds, including a large allocation of cash sent out for what was supposed to be for mailers; but those mailers never went out. Insiders say that Galloway pushed for this vendor because the pricing was so cheap, but the pricing was so cheap because it didn’t account for the large majority of the costs: postage. A true rookie mistake. Now the party is attempting to claw back those funds, and numerous district chairs are extremely displeased.

Adding to that awkwardness? The fact that one of Galloway’s first actions after becoming the ED of the county Democratic Party was a highly public attempt to attack her former boss Ruben Gallego. Galloway spent several days hyping up a major announcement she was going to drop, only for it to be this statement, amounting to little more than a Gen Z’er who is amazed to learn that their boss won’t fawn over every single idea that a new college graduate has. This is much, MUCH more awkward of a dynamic now that Gallego is the presumed Democratic candidate for the US Senate race in 2024.

Additionally, the friend’s list seems to be narrowing, as the county party became an official sponsor of an event that Galloway’s fiance Franks Jr. put on which neglected to invite the Kesha Hodge Washington, a Democrat and favored candidate of Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. Attempting to purposely alienate the most powerful Democratic elected official of a local seat is…highly risky.

So in summary, it has been bad decisions compounded by bad performance followed by bad financial management that has led to this place: where threats were all around and where money was tight, so Galloway decided to solve both issues at once. And now they will be hamstrung regarding organizing for the future, and their brand has taken a real hit. Her hire has turned into a one-person disaster.

Good governance depends on at least two strong parties that are led competently and have compelling messages. We have seen parts of the Republican party in Arizona devolve into conspiracy theories, and now we are seeing the local Democratic party devolve into power struggles designed to paper over incompetence and underperformance. Much like the Saturday Night Massacre, it’s a sad state of affairs. We can only hope that much like that event, it leads to a wholesale change in leadership and an entirely new direction.

By Alexander Lomax

Now that midterm elections are out of the way, next comes the tradition of political parties having their “reorganization” meetings. What this entails is all of the dedicated party apparatchiks coming together to vote on who should be in their party’s leadership. At the county level, Precinct Committeepeople (PCs) come together to vote on county party leadership. PCs also vote to see who will be on the State Committee, the members of which then vote for state party leadership.

Often, these events are dry and long, full of procedural votes on their party platform, or votes for such boring and generally meaningless positions as 2nd Vice Chair of the county party or the like. Often, leadership will run for re-election, and unless they are particularly unpopular, any opposition will be token opposition. There often aren’t a ton of surprises. However, the chair of the Arizona Democratic Party, Raquel Teran, is not seeking re-election, which means a power vacuum. And with any power vacuum, it won’t go unfilled for too long.

Even more interesting and impactful is the fact that the Dems have had big wins, winning the US Senate seat, the Governor’s race, Secretary of State, and (pending recount) the AG’s office. There is actual power to be had in roles like this. So when those newly electeds all coalesced behind candidates quickly, our ears were perked.

Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo threw his hat in the ring; as the only Democrat of the five member board for several election cycles, he has not had much impact on local politics or policy, and while he has been a mainstay in the local Dem scene he hasn’t been too influential. Therefore it was intriguing to see Governor-elect Katie Hobbs giving her endorsement to him. While his other support seems to have been lackluster, having Hobbs on his side is not to be trifled with. Along with that is a member of her transition team stating that it is her right to anoint the next Chair, which…received pushback.

The next Chair shall not be anointed, however: longtime local union organizer Yolanda Bejarano has stated her intention to run. While many people announce an intention to run, hers is followed by a who’s who of local Democrats backing her: Senator Mark Kelly, Secretary of State-elect Adrian Fontes, presumptive Attorney General-elect Kris Mayes and Congressmen Greg Stanton and Ruben Gallego have all announced their support.

Quite the intriguing development, where Arizona’s incoming Governor is nearly alone in her support of the party’s next Chair. It seems as though Bejarano, an organizer by trade, organized around Gallardo/Hobbs and consolidated support extremely deftly. Meanwhile Gallardo, a candidate in a safe blue seat with no primary challenges for ages, didn’t understand the game that he was playing and assumed that being friendly with one person was enough.

While the votes still need to be tallied, it certainly looks like Bejarano is in the driver’s seat, and with that a deep understanding of organizing and less of the social justice dedication that Teran (or at least gave lip service to).

And now, we wait to see the glorious show that the race for the AZ GOP Chair shall undoubtedly provide! 

Data Orbital is pleased to announce the results of its latest statewide, mixed mode survey of likely Republican primary election voters. The survey was conducted from July 18th to July 20th.

The survey tested all Republican candidates whose names will appear on the ballot for Governor in the upcoming August 2^nd Republican primary.

With mail-in ballots already being returned, Kari Lake shows a commanding 11-point lead over Karrin Taylor Robson. Lake is pulling away from the field as a poll conducted by Data Orbital earlier in July showed Lake only 4 points ahead of Taylor Robson.

Pollster George Khalaf had this to say about the latest results, “With nearly 250,000 Republican ballots returned, it is clear Kari Lake has maintained – and grown – her lead in the Gubernatorial race. We have seen the Undecided rate steadily drop from 28% in late June to 12%, with a little more than a week until Election Day. With what we are seeing in our polling, and every other public poll released on the Governor’s race, one thing is clear: Kari Lake is on her way to securing the Republican nomination.”

###

This poll of 550 likely primary election voters was conducted through a combination of live survey and text to web that collected 32.4% of the results from live caller landlines, 34.2% from live caller cell phones, and 33.4% from text to web. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.26% with a 95% confidence interval. Respondents were weighted on a number of different demographic figures based on prior primary election voter turnout figures. The poll was conducted from July 18 – July 20, 2022. All non-released questions would not reasonably be expected to influence responses to all released questions. The questions released are verbatim from the survey provided to respondents. Toplines and demographic data can be found here. Crosstabs for this survey can be found here.