Op-Ed: Barry Graham Is Getting Desperate. And It Shows.

By Raoul Zubia

Barry Graham is getting desperate. And with Election Day approaching, his campaign’s increasingly bizarre tactics are raising serious questions about just how far he’s willing to go to hold onto power.

Consider recent developments.

First, the Arizona Court of Appeals upheld Proposition 490, the voter-approved measure I helped develop to protect Scottsdale’s parks, preserve, and public safety. Graham opposed it. The voters disagreed with him. Now the courts have affirmed the measure.

Then, Graham’s narrative that Scottsdale has nothing to worry about when it comes to water security began unraveling. The reality is that responsible water planning requires preparing for tomorrow, not pretending today’s challenges don’t exist.

And now? Artificial intelligence.

Graham is circulating what appear to be AI-generated images of fabricated PAC advertisements supporting our campaign, seemingly designed to convince voters that an outside political committee is secretly backing me.

There’s just one problem: That’s not happening. Reporting has distinguished outside PAC spending during the primary not the general election. No comparable general-election spending has been established. No filings. No digital presence. Nothing. So, what is he talking about? 

Apparently, when the facts don’t support Graham’s narrative, manufactured images will have to do. Meanwhile, his campaign is circulating suspicious videos purporting to show political sign vandalism, conveniently captured in broad daylight.

Are these legitimate incidents, or is someone manufacturing outrage? We don’t know. But the circumstances warrant scrutiny, not unquestioning acceptance of another campaign narrative.

Scottsdale residents deserve better than political theater, misleading images, and manufactured controversy. When our campaign realized we had accidentally used an AI image in an ad, we removed it immediately. Graham doesn’t have that same integrity, apparently. 

Residents deserve a serious conversation about water security, protecting neighborhoods, preserving open space, and restoring civility to City Hall.

Instead, Graham seems increasingly interested in creating distractions rather than defending his record. The closer we get to Election Day, the clearer the contrast becomes: I am talking about Scottsdale’s future. Barry Graham is fighting to control the narrative. And desperation is not leadership.