By Ronald Sampson Political money sometimes buys outcomes. Other times it manufactures the opposite. The campaign against Barry Graham may end up as a case study in the second category. Axon and its allied committees spent heavily to remove him from the Scottsdale City Council. What they produced instead was his clearest identity in years. Graham was not cruising before the … Read More
Are the North Scottsdale Democrats Getting Money from Axon to Attack Barry Graham? This is Suspect…
By Ronald Sampson Barry Graham has a target on his back this election cycle, and the paint job looks familiar. Orange and black yard signs are popping up across north Scottsdale attacking the councilman, paid for by a group calling itself NorScoDems PAC, doing business as North Scottsdale Democrats. Graham posted the signs to Facebook this week, along with the … Read More
Solange’s Scottsdale Salience
By SongBird No matter how the elections turn out Tuesday for Scottsdale City Council, or in November, Solange Whitehead is a Hall of Famer. Amongst the contemporary rancor over Axon, out of state funding, apartments, development, transparency, elections and parking garages, one can forget her many, many contributions to the city over the past decade. That shouldn’t be. She serves with … Read More
Guest Editorial: Final Thoughts from the Campaign Trail
By Councilman Barry Graham
Guest Editorial: Axon Front Group Endorses Council Candidates
By Councilman Barry Graham
Guest Editorial: Has This Election Now Become the Nastiest in Scottsdale History?
By Bob Littlefield Dear Friends, During the last 20+ years I have waged eight campaigns for City Council and Mayor for Kathy and me. Each of them had some level of lying and personal attacks directed against us. Even Councilwoman Kathy, whose record re-election victory in 2022 showed how popular she is with the voters, was subjected to lies and … Read More
Guest Editorial: The Truth About Axon
By Christian Serena Axon Enterprise, the Scottsdale maker of Tasers and body cameras, wanted one of the largest apartment developments in Arizona history — roughly 1,900 units beside its own campus near Loop 101 and Hayden Road. As a member of the city’s Planning Commission, I studied the proposal, listened to residents, and voted no. When I refused to knuckle … Read More
Better Together’s Latest Trick: Laundering the Money Trail Through Virginia
A Campaign Finance Report That Answers Nothing Better Together wants Scottsdale voters to believe it has nothing to do with Axon. Its second-quarter campaign finance report shows no ties back to Axon, at least not directly. Every dollar the PAC raised this quarter came from a single source: National Horizon Inc., a self-described conservative super PAC based in Alexandria, Virginia. … Read More
Complete BS
Here at the Arizona Progress & Gazette we support free speech to the fullest, and we are honored to give voice to a wide range of opinions. But free speech does not mean freedom from retort. We have a ton of respect for Betty Janik, who has earned that standing through a storied career of public service and honorable politics. … Read More
Better Together’s Blank Check: Who’s Really Funding the PAC Attacking Barry Graham?
By Alexander Lomax A New PAC, a Familiar Playbook A political action committee called Better Together has spent more than $250,000 attacking three Scottsdale City Council candidates, and Scottsdale voters still don’t know who is paying for it. The committee filed with the state on June 5. Its first campaign finance report isn’t due until July 15, well after most … Read More