Sonoran Alliance obtained a copy of an email that is currently circulating among Maricopa County Republican Precinct Committeemen. The email is a personal and heartfelt defense and revelation of the difficulty she has had working with the President of the State Senate, Andy Biggs.
Sonoran Alliance has redacted certain personal information from the email.
================
It is with a heavy heart that I write this email to you this morning. There is so much I could say to you but I will choose to keep everything to just facts to keep it as short as possible. If there is anything you need clarification on, please send me a message and I can expound on the fact in question.
Last night, Andy Biggs was a guest speaker at the LD meeting. Only a handful of you were there because most were home watching the convention and acceptance speech. However, there were enough people in attendance that what was said about me by Mr. Biggs, and the chairman’s subsequent reaction, need to be addressed. I was accused of “threatening Mr. Bigg’s family” and Dennis Brimhall, a supporter of Andy Biggs, refused to allow me to defend myself and threatened to have me forcibly removed.
At issue:
I recently was asked to go on Sunday Square off and describe why I regretted my vote to limit TANF to one year of lifetime eligibility for needy families. To truly explain it, I would need a two hour show and I only had minutes. What I did say was that I regret it and last year’s decision was in part because of how I had been “conditioned” by Andy Biggs to not oppose him or I would face the consequences. Here is why:
- In 2013, I went on the radio to discuss the child bride situation in Colorado City, where the police would return a 12 year old runaway to her abuser rather than hold that abuser accountable. I was asked on radio why people turn a blind eye to the situation, which I answered that although I couldn’t turn a blind I, I pledged to do everything I could to fight pedophilia wherever I could. I hung up and cried due to the disturbing content of the conversation, and meanwhile the radio host subsequently began to bring up Andy Bigg’s blocking of a Michelle Ugenti bill that would have allowed for sanctioning of that police department. I knew that he might think I was participating in that part of the conversation, so I immediately began to reach out to him to explain I was only talking about child brides. He didn’t answer so I left a phone message. After no personal communication, I began asking for a meeting at work. I sent several emails, as did my assistant, none of which were returned. The rest of my bills died that session. I finally asked him if he would speak to me at the end of session, and he agreed and admitted he was angry at me and said I should have never gone on the radio to discuss the issue in the first place. I told him that I had thick skin and if there was something I did wrong, as Senate President he should sit me down and talk about it, not stonewall me.
- Although it was very upsetting that Andy Biggs did not allow Rep. Ugenti’s bill to go forward, I had hoped that he would offer an alternative solution to the police scandal in Colorado City. The following year I saw no such solution. Instead, all of my bills that went out of the House were not assigned to committee for a great length of time. I had to call the Speaker-Pro-tem and tell him I was “off the budget” meaning I would vote no on any budget bill until after my bills had been assigned. I had learned from the previous year that the “stall to kill” tactic could be used to delay the bill from getting through the process in time before the budget was complete and we closed session. We were in budget negotiations and would close session any day and my bills had yet to be assigned. I knew at that point I was being punished once again. I wasn’t sure if it was because I spoke out against pedophilia or if this time it was to punish me for my Convention of States bill that he didn’t like. He claimed last night to only have blocked 5 of my 60 bills. Although that may be the hard fact, the sad fact is I had to resort to counter tactics each subsequent year to avoid being punished again. Something I never thought I would have to do within my own party, with someone who was once my #1 political hero.
- Later that year, his [REDACTED] began sending me Facebook messages asking for money over the course of 6 months, along with asking for advice about a suspected pregnancy. I am a doula and we were Facebook friends so I suppose [REDACTED] thought I would be helpful. It was Christmastime and I didn’t have extra funds. I was asked for food money, for money to keep [REDACTED] phone on, money for various other needs. I was confused because I thought [REDACTED] had won the publisher’s clearing house, and I also thought he believed that family should help the needy, not the government. I was dismayed when [REDACTED] told me [REDACTED] had been on food stamps for two years because he wouldn’t help [REDACTED]. Not that I judged [REDACTED] for that, but because he would often scoff at people for “drinking from the public trough” as he always put it.
- I began to see an incredible level of hypocrisy from a man who was punishing me for wanting to stop pedophiles. I decided it was time to send him a text and tell him that it was inappropriate for his [REDACTED] to be asking me for money and that it should be he who was taking care of his pregnant [REDACTED]. He returned the email telling me to stay out of it. Soon thereafter, I received a new message from his [REDACTED] excited that he was buying [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] new [REDACTED] a house. Relieved, I agreed to see the photo of it. I was shocked to find a photo of a garden shed with a porch on it. No running water, one room. [REDACTED] was asking me if it was legal to put it on her mother-in-law’s back yard without a permit and I advised [REDACTED] that as a pregnant mom, she should be in a house with running water.
- At this point, I was horrified and didn’t know what to think. I stopped corresponding with [REDACTED] because I knew it would only lead to disaster, which it did. Shortly thereafter we had to vote on the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). I was so appalled that there was the argument that families and church should be the ones taking care of their own, not government and all the while I was being asked by this person’s [REDACTED] to support [REDACTED] when he was the millionaire. It was almost too much to bear at this point. I took a long time deciding how to vote, and I chose to vote yes on his bill as a Conservative. But it wasn’t without tears, it wasn’t without feeling horrible and full of questions about rhetoric that really isn’t meaningful when you don’t put your money where your mouth is. And yes, I partly chose to vote yes because I didn’t want all my hard work going down the drain again next year due to the stall and kill tactic.
There is so much more I could tell you folks, but I will leave it at this to explain to you that I never once threatened his family. I said that I would bring this to light because it was important for voters to know that things aren’t always as they seem. As someone who has had to work with hundreds of molested mothers in childbirth and watch the anguish they go through as they deal with their past during that most vulnerable time, as someone who has had this issue strike too close to home, it has become impossible for me to remain quiet about these issues. I have been told to keep my mouth shut and just take the high road. Folks, this is too serious. I was accused of many things last night, and our chairman refused to allow me to defend myself and was threatened.
I am angry. I am angry at him for allowing the problem in Colorado City to continue, and I am angry that Rep. Ugenti and myself have suffered the consequences ever since for speaking out. I am about the truth, and at this point, because Mr. Biggs brought it up at the LD meeting and I was not allowed to defend myself, I must send you this most unsavory email. I have been quiet for four years. That is long enough. For the sake of sexually abused men and women everywhere, I tell you the truth this morning, and let the chips fall where they may.
Should you desire confirmation of any of this, I do have the screenshots of the Facebook confirmation.
Brokenhearted and mad as heck,
Kelly Townsend
