You are here: Home / 2011 / Archives for January 2011

Guest Opinion: All Politics is Local

January 4, 2011 By 10 Comments

Guest Opinion as originally posted at History of Our Future.

Jan 3, 2010 Update: Added at the bottom of the post a link to January 1 email sent out to LD20 PC’s that documents this situation.

We have heard that quote from Tip O’Neil before, so let’s look at a local district and see politics and corruption close-up and local.

Since we are basically a two-party country, was I wrong to think that that the real fight was between the Democrats and the Republicans or the liberals/progressives and conservatives. So lets go fight the good fight. But nooo….I must fight within my own party. Here is the truth as I know it for LD20. LD20 is the legislative district covering Ahwatukee, parts of Chandler and Tempe.

Well, let start off with the structure. The Political Parties within the Legislative Districts of the State of Arizona are assured to organize by Arizona Revised Statutes, Arizona GOP bylaws, the Maricopa County GOP bylaws and then the local district bylaws. Do you think those mean anything….anything at all? Apparently to those in charge of LD20, the answer is a resounding NO.

I dare bring this out because I do believe in following the law and as a member of an organization to follow their bylaws. If not, then why bother with the bylaws. Folks, accountability starts first with ourselves. If we can not be accountable to the tasks and actions that we have set for ourselves, then how can we demand that of our elected officials at the City, State and National level. Do you believe that we get the government we deserve and if we allow corruption to stand, no matter how “small” or “local” it is, it will not corrupt us as well?

So what is the dilemma?

First Issue: Roger Dickinson, is Ineligible as LD20 1st Vice Chair and was elected to LD20 board, he knows it and the Chairman knows it, neither intend to do anything about it.

  • A LD20 Vice Chair board member responsible for PC recruitment (thus knowing the PC rules of eligibility) has submitted himself for the December 1, 2010 LD20 election, when he is NOT a PC.
    • Why does this matter—-> Only eligible PCs may be elected to be a LD board member! He knows what he is doing is wrong.
  • Roger filed a Nomination Paper Affidavit of Qualification Campaign Finance Laws Statement, as living in MODOC precinct on May 24, 2010.
    • Why does this matter—-> May 24 was the day before the deadline to file to become an elected PC in 2010. This is the form to file to become an elected PC. To run for the board later in the year, he must submit this form in May to became an elected PC.
  • Public records indicate that he issued a warranty deed on this home in MODOC precinct on April 21, 2010.
    • Why does this matter—-> If he didn’t move out of the MODOC precinct, this doesn’t matter. But if he moved before May 24, then there is a little problem with the truth on a sworn affidavit.
  • A public record of November 2, 2010, shows his new address is in Tempe 60 precinct.
    • Why does this matter—->This is proof that he has moved from his precinct and no longer a PC or eligible to run for a board position within the district. He can become appointed in 2011, but that is too late for the 2010 elections.
  • At the December 1, 2010 election, he was elected as LD20 1st Vice Chair and a State Committeeman. He was sworn in as 1st Vice Chair on Dec 12, 2010.
    • Why does this matter—-> Raised his hand, sworn to uphold the Constitution of Arizona. I think this ceremony also needs to include the bylaws of the AZ GOP, MCRC GOP and the District GOP.
  • What has Roger decided to do once this was discovered and he was asked to resign. He stated that he would concede the State Committeeman slot. That’s it!
    • Why does this matter—-> The County and State have already sent out notice that he is not a PC and won’t certify him anyway.
    • However in the local district, he is leaving it up to the local district chairman to decide. Really? The chairman makes the decision! What about the bylaws, don’t they matter? The chairman is not budging on this one, so it is up to the local PC’s to push the issue and follow the bylaws!

Second Issue: Brandon Schmoll, Kyrene Constable is ineligible to vote in district election and votes anyway.

  • Same issue, different person. This person also moved out of his precinct from which his Affidavit to become an elected PC was filed. So this person is not a PC.
    • Why does this matter—->Vacating a PC slot is not the issue, however pretending to still be a PC, is an issue.
  • How do I know this person moved out of his precinct? Why public records of course. He was a candidate running for office. The Constable in the Kyrene Precinct.
    • Why does this matter—-> During his campaign, there are several home addresses used in his campaign finance reports, and looks like this person told the truth about where he really lived, otherwise, why different addresses.
  • So even though he moved from his precinct and even OUT OF THE DISTRICT, he presented himself at his old district’s election and voted.
    • Why does this matter—-> The rules don’t matter to the Kyrene Constable? He isn’t a PC. He doesn’t live in the district. WHY is he there voting as if he did?
    • Why does this matter—-> Most of the district races were very close and decided by just a few votes.
  • How does that make you feel about your new elected Constable?
    • Why does this matter—->The Constable serves the criminal and civil process of the Justice Courts and other legal parties. Constables are the Executive and Enforcement branch of the Justice Court.

Third Issue: Anthony Miller, District Chairman ignores the bylaws, election results and appoints by fiat.

  • These discrepancies were brought up, the District Chairman was informed, he groused about it in his email about the inappropriate timing and then “appointed” two State Committeeman.
  • Sounds good, except the two people he appointed were not next in line! He skipped over 30 people that received more votes than his appointee. What! Can’t he just follow the election rules already established?
    • Why does this matter—-> The State Committeeman elect the State GOP Chairman. There is a battle on who will control the GOP here in Arizona, so each of these positions and votes are important.
  • How do you become a State Committeeman? Each District elects a State Committeeman for every 3 PC’s. Our election was held on December 1, 2010 and the State Committeeman were determined by the candidates receiving the largest number of votes until our quota was filled.
    • Why does this matter—-> The entire list is public, the next person with the most votes is the obvious choice and not selecting him is just ignoring election results.
  • As for the ineligible 1st Vice Chair, there are no plans to change that situation.

Your help is needed!

If you are a LD20 PC, you need to be aware of this to understand what is happening in your district and let others in your district know. These issues need to be resolved according to the bylaws. Your help is needed.

Contact your board and let them know that you will not stand for this behavior. Updated: Here is contact info for Anthony.



Filed Under: Guest Opinion, Political Parties, Voter Registration

GOP chairman race: Parker out; Carmichael gains support

January 4, 2011 By 14 Comments

This just in:

Courtesy of

By Dennis Welch
The Arizona Guardian

The former Paradise Valley mayor who campaigned for governor and
congress over the past year says he’s out of the running for state
Republican Party chairman.

Vernon Parker told the Guardian on Monday he’s backing out to spare
the party a nasty fight when state GOP members meet later this month
to elect their new leadership.

“I care more about the party than myself and I think the
(congressional) delegation is going to back someone else,” Parker
said. “Do I think I could have won had I stayed in the race?
Absolutely. But at what cost.”

Parker briefly ran for governor until he quit that race to take an
unsuccessful shot at an open congressional seat in Phoenix. He
wouldn’t say which candidate he thinks Arizona’s five Republican congressmen and
two senators will support.

But his decision comes as longtime party insider Ron Carmichael
announced that 11 former county Republican chairman from across the state
have endorsed him to take control of the party.

Several former state party chairmen such as Bob Fannin, Mike Hellon,
Burt Kruglick and Mike Minnaugh are expected to publicly announce
their support of Carmichael in the coming days.

Taken together, it appears Carmichael has positioned himself well
enough to get the backing of the congressional delegation.

Other candidates for the GOP chairmanship include Tucson native Bruce
Ash and the chairman of the Pinal County Republican Committee, Marty
Hermanson.

In a signal Ash as picked up support among the party’s grassroots
activists, he recently endorsed Rob Haney for the GOP Maricopa County
chairmanship.

Haney has been a longtime critic of Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain. Carmichael
has had a long political relationship with Kyl going back to the days
when the U.S. senator served in the state House.

Republican political consultant Kurt Davis says there are very few
differences between the candidates and the race will come down to
“personalities and alliances.”

“These guys would agree on 99 percent of the issues,” he said. “But
the good news for Republicans is we actually have candidates who want
to be chairman.”

Davis was taking a dig at the Arizona Democratic Party that has had
problems fielding top-tier candidates who want the job.

Dem Chairman Don Bivens recently told the media that he wants to move on but plans on running for a third term as party leader.

Filed Under: Political Parties, Uncategorized

Maricopa County Community College District hurting businesses and students

January 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

by Matthew Ladner, Ph.D.
Goldwater Institute

Recently, I wrote about the fact that all Arizona community colleges meet the Johns Hopkins University definition of “dropout factories” by a very wide margin. Now, Glendale Community College, which only has a completion rate of 22 percent, is adding insult to injury in the form of an anti-competitive textbook program that will make textbooks more expensive for students.

Starting with the Fall 2010 semester, the college delayed financial aid payments by several days or even weeks after the start of class to address the problem of students receiving their aid money and not actually attending classes. To help students buy books in time for classes, though, the college created a voucher. Unfortunately, the voucher is only valid at the on-campus bookstore.

That inhibits students from purchasing books across the street at The College Book Center, where David Vanyo has been running his textbook business for over 20 years. Since the voucher, Vanyo’s business has fallen 30 percent. If he has to shut his doors, the on-campus bookstore would enjoy a virtual monopoly and the ability to hike prices – not good news for financially pinched students.

The Maricopa Community College district claims that it’s “impractical” to include other bookstores in the voucher program. But with rising textbook costs, even more Glendale Community College students may find it impractical to finish their degrees.

Dr. Matthew Ladner is vice president of research for the Goldwater Institute.

Learn more:

Goldwater Institute: Community colleges have administrative bloat and low graduation rates

Goldwater Institute: Arizona’s community colleges produce dropouts, not graduates

Goldwater Institute: Administrative Bloat at American Universities: The Real Reason for High Costs in Higher Education

Filed Under: County Government, Economic Development, Education

Arizona GOP County Leadership ENDORSE Ron Carmichael For Chairman Of Arizona Republican Party

January 3, 2011 By 23 Comments

Today, Arizona Republican Party chairman Ron Carmichael released the list of current and former GOP County Chairman who have endorsed his candidacy to be the next Chairman of the Arizona Republican Party.  Ron continues to gather endorsements from GOP leaders, and is thankful for the support he has gathered from across the state.

“I am overwhelmed and humbled by the tremendous support of the Arizona Republican Party leadership across the state.  With their ongoing trust and support, I am confident we can reunite the donor base with grassroots and elected Republican officials, and lead policy development in Arizona for many years to come.”

The following current and former GOP County Chairmen have endorsed Ron Carmichael:

Myrna Udall (Apache)

Diana Arendt (Coconino)

Clark Dierks (Coconino)

John Rhodes (Graham)

Malcolm Barrett (Yavapai)

Malcolm Barrett Jr. (Yavapai)

Jan Smith (Yavapai)

Judi White (Pima)

Jonathan Hines (Yuma)

Phil Townsend (Yuma)

Bernice Roberts (Maricopa)
###

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Political Parties, Uncategorized

Bruce Ash endorses Rob Haney for County GOP Chair

January 3, 2011 By 11 Comments

A m e r i c a n  P o s t – G a z e t t e

Distributed by C O M M O N  S E N S E , in Arizona

Wednesday, January 2, 2011

Rob Haney is the conservative choice for County GOP Chair  
As Chair, Rob was responsible for many conservative victories in Maricopa County in 2010.

Current Maricopa County GOP Chair Rob Haney
Current Maricopa County GOP Chair Rob Haney

Republican national committeeman Bruce Ash has issued a video endorsing incumbent County Republican Chairman Rob Haney for reelection. Rob is the conservative candidate in the race, and has a proven history of getting conservatives elected. He works tirelessly more than anyone recruiting precinct committeemen and women and ensuring that principled conservatives run our Republican Party, not RINOs. If you want someone who will stand up to the liberal wing of the Republican Party, and ensure that constitutional principles and Tea Party efforts are not ignored, then please support Rob’s reelection. All PCs need to show up or send a proxy to the County wide meeting this Saturday, January 8, to vote for Rob. Please forward this email on to your friends who are PC’s and urge them to support Rob.

Join Our Mailing List
Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Endorsements

2011 Predictions

January 1, 2011 By 18 Comments

Happy New Years to all our readers!

We now get to make those annual predictions of what we expect to take place on the political scene here in Arizona over the next year. I’ll lead off the post with a handful of my own.

Please feel free to comment on mine and throw a few of your own out for discussion in the comments.

The State Budget will remain in turmoil. Despite supermajorities in both houses by the GOP, Republicans will be divided on where to make appropriate budget cuts. The Arizona Education Association will threaten, bully and manipulate Republicans in swing districts to avoid touching that portion of the budget that funds education (a lot). The Governor will attempt to assuage both sides of the party and the teachers union and other state-funded lobbies leading to more chaos. This will be a classic triangulation maneuver. A schism will likely form between House and Senate leadership over this issue. Senate leadership will have to deal with a handful of education-backed senators who will force a compromise. The legislative session will run long while the agenda will be tumultuous. Watch for the typical fear, loathing and hyperbole from the left and unions.

Immigration will remain a prominent issue but will be forced to take a lower priority on the legislative agenda. Supporters of Birthright Citizenship will be frustrated by the pace of action and will threaten to run a statewide initiative in 2012.

Kyrsten Sinema will rise as the most prominent, vocal, outspoken and appealing leader in the Democratic party. Because she serves in a “safe” district, she will have the luxury to say what’s on her mind and not care what anyone thinks. This will be real drama for the media and political pundits as they run to Kyrsten any time they need a quote. She will be one very busy Democrat.

Mitt Romney will be the first to form a presidential team in the State of Arizona. Based with east valley leadership, Romney will make several trips to Arizona setting up the most formidable and well organized campaigns in the State of Arizona. Other presidential campaign teams will struggle to gain a foothold in the State. Palin will decide against a run.

The new 9th Congressional District will be formed in the east side of the state. It will take in the east valley as it’s primary population base and will cut all the way across to the eastern border with New Mexico. CD-1 will have it’s lower eastern section lopped off and Pinal County will form a major part of the district. CD-7 will lose a section of the west valley. CD-6 will consolidate further north and may edge into CD-5. CD-4 will become more concentrated to the Central Phoenix area.

The race for CD-9 will see several east valley names jump in. Among those: Jeff Smith, Chuck Gray, Paul Babeu, and Bryan Martyn. Kirk Adams will entertain the possibility but will be a hold out based on where the lines are drawn and the outcome of the State Budget crisis.

The GOP Congressional delegation will hold strong to the principles they were elected. However, frustration will mount over the slow-pace and resistance found in the Senate. The challenge to the House-controlled GOP will be to stay focused on passing legislation and not attacking President Obama.

Rob Haney will win another term as Maricopa County Chairman. Bruce Ash will be the next Arizona Republican Party Chairman. Democrats will continue to flounder over who is really running their party.

The Arizona TEA Party movement will finally realize it needs to fully inject itself into the GOP party process if it wants to impact election outcomes.

One more. The Arizona Legislature will explore avenues to tax medicinal marijuana thus creating an inherent interest in keeping it around forever.

=======

Now it’s your turn…

Filed Under: Predictions
Newer Posts »