The Phoenix Business Journal recently published its annual ranking of Arizona’s largest nonprofits by revenue. At number 18 was the nonprofit entity behind BASIS schools. It pulled in $176 million last year against $168 million in expenses. That is not a cautionary tale. It is a case study. A charter school network built on rigorous curriculum and purposeful design is … Read More
Rasta Kari
No, this is not a joke. Kari Lake, who was appointed to head the Voice of America only to then be told to gut it, is being given another much more unusual consolation prize: the Ambassadorship to Jamaica. Strangely enough, in Trump’s first term he also appointed an Arizonan to the Jamaica ambassadorship: Don Tapia. This announcement may not be … Read More
Potential Scandal Looming: Did Arizona Democrats Break the Law by Funding a Primary Challenge?
The Party Thumb on the Scale Democrats haven’t forgotten 2016. They should remember it more carefully. When the DNC tilted the primary apparatus toward Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders, it didn’t just cost a candidate…it cost the party a generation of trust. The argument then was the same as it always is: we’re just supporting our strongest candidate. The method, … Read More
The July Surprise
A Meteor With a Timestamp There is a political meteor headed for Arizona, and most people don’t know it’s coming. Sometime this July, the federal Bureau of Reclamation is expected to announce its final framework for Colorado River water allocations post-2026. Seven states have spent two years failing to reach an agreement. So the federal government stepped in. Its draft … Read More
Rodney Glassman Is Running Again. Of Course He Is
By Ronald Sampson If there is an open seat in Arizona, Rodney Glassman wants it. City council, U.S. Senate, corporation commission, county assessor: he has tried them all. Now the heir to a vast agribusiness fortune is back for another crack at Arizona Attorney General, because apparently the voters just haven’t said no loudly enough yet. Glassman’s résumé is a … Read More
Arizona Has Two Senators Eyeing the White House. Only One Should Go For It.
For perhaps the first time in modern memory, Arizona has produced not one but two sitting U.S. senators with plausible presidential ambitions. That is either a testament to the state’s rising political stature, or a demonstration that ambition and realism don’t always share a zip code. Let’s sort it out. Gallego’s Window Has Likely Closed Sen. Ruben Gallego was a … Read More
The Worst Excesses of the Two Party System at Play in Arizona
By Alexander Lomax If you needed a clean illustration of how the two-party system works to protect itself, look no further than what is happening right now to Hugh Lytle’s campaign for Arizona governor. Lytle, a Scottsdale businessman running under the label of what was previously called the No Labels Party, is facing two separate legal challenges designed to remove … Read More
The Consequences For Scottsdale Could Be Even Worse…
The following is an op-ed from Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and Mesa Mayor Mark Freeman which originally ran in the Arizona Republic Few issues unite Arizonans more than water security. Throughout the desert, we understand that water is life and take pride in our culture of conservation. The careful stewardship of our water has guided our state and our cities, … Read More
Lake Powell and the Dam That May Not Hold: A Crisis Decades in the Making
The Colorado River has been in trouble for a long time. But a new wave of reporting suggests the situation may be moving from chronic to acute, with Lake Powell potentially reaching “deadpool” status before the end of 2026. For the 40 million people across seven states who depend on the river, this is no longer a distant warning…it is … Read More
Tammy Caputi Announces Candidacy for Arizona House of Representatives in Legislative District 4
Business owner and community leader Tammy Caputi today announced she is running for the Arizona House of Representatives in Legislative District 4, calling it “the most important decision I’ve made in my public life.” “We are at a critical juncture in Arizona’s history,” Caputi said. “We can choose to govern by doing what’s right for all Arizonans, or we can … Read More