Monday, August 27, 2012

Reposting Our Endorsement List

ELECTION DAY !
 

US Senate: Wil Cardon


US Congress:
CD4- Ron Gould
CD5- Matt Salmon
CD6- David Schweikert
CD8- Trent Franks

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors:
District 2- Lester Pearce

Justice of the Peace:
Highland District/Gilbert- Jeff Smith

Maricopa County Attorney:
Bill Montgomery

Maricopa County Sheriff:
Joe Arpaio




Arizona Legislature

LD11
State Representative- Steve Smith

LD12
State Senator- Andy Biggs
State Representative- Eddie Farnsworth, Warren Petersen

LD13
State Representative- Steve Montenegro

LD16
State Senator- John Fillmore
State Representative- Kelly Townsend, Judy Novalsky

LD20
State Representative- Carl Seel

LD23
State Representative- John Kavanagh

LD25
State Senator- Russell Pearce
State Representative- Justin Pierce, Justin Olson



Contested Precinct Committeemen Precincts:


LD12

Crossroads Precinct
Dory Harrington
Angeleen Stapley
Elise Stapley
Shane Stapley
Barbara Yates


Megan Precinct
Lynda Williamson
Janet Farnsworth
Robin Obannon
Mickie Niland
Debbie Finelli
Stuart Maclay
Jeff Niland
Vicki Maclay
Karen Pierce
Eddie Farnsworth
Susan Kastanis
Erin Scroggins
Debbie Nelson
Brent Nelson


Poinciana Precinct
Sarah Crawford
Andy Biggs
Cindy Biggs
Cosette Biggs
Cynthia Peters
James Candland
Shellee Day
Dennis Day
Eric Johnson
Holly Harrington


LD25

Arboleda Precinct

Billie Bollwinkel     
C. Webb Crockett     
Nan M. Crockett     
Amy Ellsworth     
Cory Ellsworth     
Joanne Fillmore     
Lori Hunsaker     
Angela Johnson     
Jim Le Cheminant    
Joanna Naumann    
Sigsbee Nelson     
Larry Perkins     
Linda Phelps     
Shelley Sirrine     
Brandon Trichel     
Lillian Wilkinson     
Thomas Wilkinson

Candlelight Precinct (Vote for all 24)
Virginia Archer
Mike Bailey
DeLynn Bodene
Fred Ash
Kevin Cooke
Dean Cooley
Bill Cunningham
Glen Gaddie
Janiece E. Gaddie
Lori Otto
Dayle R. Jones
Glenda Jones
Bryan Berkland
Richard Martinez
Janyce Miller
Lester Pearce
Logan Pearce
Richard Pearce
Russell Pearce
Janine Pew
Bruce Ross
Kenneth Smith
Courtney Snell
Deette Snell


Clover
Wess Myers
Jeanne Palmer
Lule Palmer
Maxine Steiner


Duke
Dean Fletcher
Benjamin Ford
Sheryl Hineman

Gloria Lurato
Dinah Lundell
Marlo Lundell
Dianne Wagner
 
 
Glenview Precinct
Sarah Conover
Wilson Conover
Joan Galbasini
Matthew Hyde
Melisa Hyde
Liz Kiener
David Oldroyd
Patricia Oldroyd
Gary Pierce
Sherry Pierce
Charles Powell
Matt Salmon
Nancy Salmon
Douglas Topham
Geoff Turley
Barbara Wanlass
Harmony Park Precinct
Nancy Bailey
Paul Bailey
Allen Haws
Beth Haws
David Marchant
Myron Rowse
Sarah Rowse
Hohokam Park
Linda Bevell
Annikka Burns
Susan Ellsworth
Roland Farabee
Helen Freeman
Annabeth Goss
Mary Martin
Janelle Solomon
Mesa Vista
Kemp Farnsworth
Jan Brock
Gene Dufoe
Mike Reid
James Baumgardner
Jennie Musgrave Baumgardner
Sandi Reid
Billie Jean Pew
Danny Ray
Tracy Langston
Miles Lester
Heather Rogers

Porter Precinct
Todd Carling
Jessica Egnew
Paul Egnew
Richard Everhart
Edna Haws
Henry Haws
Dean Milsaps
Rebecca Price

Westwood
Barbara Blewster
Bill Blewster
Albert Keith Crandell
Carolyn Crandell
Michele Oliphant
John Osborn
Lynor Pedersen
Greg Randall
Katharine Randall
Galen Updike

Sunday, August 26, 2012

So, It Seems Worsley's "Grassroots Fundraising" Didn't Work Out So Well

Speaking of everything in politics costing money...


The most recent campaign finance report for Arizona Senate candidate Bob Worsley shows that he has injected over $195,000 of his own money or in-kind contributions into his campaign.

Which is strange considering when he first announced his candidacy, he said that he would not use his "personal wealth to bankroll his campaign."

 
The candidate said he won’t use his personal wealth to bankroll his campaign. He said he will focus on grassroots fundraising as a way to build support for the campaign. He estimated many legislative races cost about $150,000 (not unless you're Rich Crandall), but envisions this campaign will cost significantly more because of the attention — and funds — that Pearce will bring.



Worsley has only managed to raise $45,000 from individual donors of which over half are either from out of state or outside of Mesa.  Randy Parraz's group Moving Mesa Forward has helped pick up some of the slack.

His opponent, Russell Pearce, has out-raised Worsley with $63,000 coming from individual donors.


Some of the Worsley donor names stood out from the crowd such as:


Kirk Adams  $250 









Bill Konopnicki  $400  Mr. Konopnicki was ousted in 2010 for his big government positions and for being all too eager to work with liberals.

H. Michael Wright  $200  A registered Democrat and Precinct Committeeman in the same precinct as Parraz's puppet Carmen Guerrero (seen in the picture with Jerry Lewis).  As the owner of The Wright House in Mesa, he hosted a slew of events for Randy Parraz's Citizens for a Better Arizona during the recall election.  Wright also signed off on the Arizona Accord and donated $424 to Jerry Lewis' campaign plus another $250 to CBA during the recall.
 
Randy Parraz 8-28 "Mike has been with us since the beginning...."




 
Seen at a recall strategy meeting with Randy Parraz:

 
At the courthouse with Chad Snow:


Numerous recall fundraisers and celebrations were held at the Wright House:




 

Saul Solis  $50    (Seen on left in picture)  He started a group with Randy Parraz called the East Valley Patriots for American Values.  He also was a part of the Parraz Parade who tried to get the Mesa City Council to sign off on the Mesa Compact (similar to Arizona Accord).  He also donated $50 to Jerry Lewis' campaign along with a $400 contribution to CBA.  





Nathan Sproul  $250  A political consultant who was investigated for voter fraud allegations in Oregon in 2004.
 

Teresa Brice  $100   Ms. Brice is a program director for a liberal organization called the LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation).  Collaborators for the LISC include The Raza Development Fund, Sonoran Institute, Liveable Communities Coalition, Phoenix Public Market, Arizona PIRG and the Mesa Chamber of Commerce.  LISC is also a major sponsor of AmeriCorp which has been linked to the ACORN scandal.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Quid Pro Quo: Jerry Lewis Donates To Radical Leftists

Lewis has officially come full circle.
 
His recall campaign arm, Promise Arizona (PAZ) received a lone $100 individual donation from Jerry Lewis on June 6, 2012.


Raquel Teran --------->
 


Lewis' $100 donation looks cheap compared to the $300,000 donation from the union UNITE HERE.
 
 
Most of the money from the PAC has gone to Raquel Teran to fund her Senate campaign.  Teran has been Randy Parraz's sidekick since their days in the group Maricopa Citizens for Safety and Accountability.


Maybe Lewis can ask his buddies over at the Republican Victory Fund for money to help him in the upcoming General election....
assuming there is any money left. 

"Rich" Crandall's Personal Money Tree

Arizona Senate President Steve Pierce once said,

"Everything in politics costs money."


He wasn't kidding.



Almost two years ago, the entire Republican Caucus agreed to support a Victory fund on the grounds that the funds raised would ONLY be used in General elections and NOT contested Republican Primary races. 
 
The Republican Victory Fund was established to maintain and expand Republican majorities in the legislature.  The funds raised on behalf of the Republican Victory fund were ostensibly raised in the name of the Arizona State Senate.
 
In February of this year, the Republican House Victory Fund transferred $7200 over to the RVF.  In May, the Senate Majority Fund transferred another $2000.  A majority of the business contributions to the RVF include:

-The Apollo Group  ($5k)
-Arizona Business Coalition ($30k) This group has donated to Kirk Adams and Rich Crandall in the past.  They are currently supporting Russ Jones who "struggled mightily" to vote for SB1070  while also sending mailers to "advocate the defeat" of  Conservative Republican, Lori Klein.  The contact name listed for the group is Glenn Hamer, President and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce.  The Arizona Chamber of Commerce was a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed against the state of Arizona over employer sanctions in 2007. 
-Arizona Cattle Growers ($5k)  Steve Pierce is a member of the Cattle Growers
-Arizona Farm Bureau ($10k)  A Party in the same lawsuit mentioned above against Arizona over employer sanctions as well as an endorser of the "Arizona Compact".
-Arizona Cotton Growers ($10k) Appear to donate to more Democrats than Republicans
-Western Growers ($10k) A group of farmers and ranchers mostly in California
-Country First PAC ($500)  This is John McCain's PAC
-Republican State Leadership  ($50k)  This is a group that operates out of Washington DC


The common denominator for most of the groups listed above?  "cheap labor"

Makes one wonder what the real motivation and goal might be of the Victory Fund.


 
Between July 30th and August 22nd, the RVF spent an astounding $75,000 either "advocating the election of Rich Crandall" or "advocating defeat of John Fillmore" in the LD16 Republican Senate primary race.
 

Ultimately, this means that there will be $75,000 LESS in the Fund to advocate for the election of Republican Senators in the upcoming General Election, particularly in the more hotly contested districts.
 

But wait...there's MORE!  


To further prove that there is no such thing as a coincidence in politics, let's take a closer look at the connections between the Senate President Steve Pierce's personal campaign and the RVF.
 
1.  The Chairman of the RVF is Camilla Strongin.  Ms. Strongin is the principle in the firm The Engaging Company which has been paid more than $77,000 in this election cycle by the RVF.

The Engaging Company has also been paid $84,000 for campaign services in this election cycle by Steve Pierce's campaign. 
 
2.  The Treasurer of the RVF is Hieu TranMs. Tran is also listed as the campaign Treasurer of Steve Pierce's campaign.  The previous Treasurer for the RVF was Tim Sifert who is a manager at The Engaging Company.
 
 
We're not done yet! 


Another group listed on mailers along with the RVF supporting Rich Crandall is The Senate Majority Fund.
 
The FEC filings for The Senate Majority Fund indicates that the fund is tied to U.S. Senator Jon Kyl.  Another recipient of a $10,000 donation from The Senate Majority Fund was Kirk Adams.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The FEC filings also indicate that the Treasurer for The Senate Majority Fund is Ashley Ragan.  Ashley Ragan's husband is John Ragan who is a manager at...you guessed it...The Engaging Company.
 
 
What is curious to us is why Senator Kyl's fund which FEC records indicate provides financial support for Federal candidates, is being used in a State Senate campaign.  More specifically, in a contested Republican Primary.
 
 
Nope.  Still not done yet.
 
 
Another Independent Expenditure group who has funded some of Rich Crandall's mailers is called the UA Friends for Arizona's Future.  
 
On July 15, 2012, an article discussed the purpose of this fund.  It said:
 
 









Taking advantage of his final months in a leadership position in the Arizona Senate, Steve Pierce, of Prescott, has been visiting Tucson quite often these days collecting for his campaign and wooing donors for friends. Pierce, University of Arizona alumni, (sic) has won the favor of a new Independent Expenditure (IE) Committee called UA Friends for Arizona’s Future.
 
Senate president Pierce, who will most likely lose his leadership spot to Andy Biggs in the upcoming legislative session, is being viewed as a “litmus test in the next election” by the UA Friends” including Tucson’s heavy hitters Fred Boice and Don Diamond.
 
According to the Yellow Sheet, “The committee, which is chaired by former Arizona Board of Regents president Fred Boice, has raised $64,200 since it was formed in late February, and still had $59,200 cash on hand when the reporting period ended May 31. Camilla Strongin, the committee’s consultant, said the group intends to use the money to promote candidates who will support the UofA in the Legislature.”

 
 
The Treasurer, once again, is Hieu Tran and the political consulting firm listed on their financial statements is Camilla Strongin's The Engaging Company.  The Engaging Company has been paid $13,500 in consulting fees through August 15th as well as an additional $30,000 for mailers advocating the election of Rich Crandall.
 
 
In case you are mentally adding up the dollar amounts in your head, Rich Crandall has received over $105,000 from these two funds alone to help finance his primary election campaign.
 
 
It is not a coincidence that all of these funds (Pierce's re-election campaign, the RVF, The Senate Majority Fund and the UA Friends for Arizona's Future) are closely intertwined through The Engaging Company.
 
 
 
Yes, it does appear that everything in politics costs money.  The question is, what does that money buy exactly and what future votes are expected from Rich Crandall in exchange for pumping $105,000 into a
campaign for a position that pays $24,000/year?
 
(Not-so-coincidentally, Hieu Tran is also the Treasurer


Friday, August 24, 2012

Bob Worsley's "Grassroots" Campaign

It's not exactly what you might think...

Just updating our readers on how much Randy Parraz, Citizens for a Better Arizona and his latest organization called Moving Mesa Forward have invested in Bob Worsley's campaign.

You can find the Moving Mesa Forward campaign finance forms here.

The Chairman of Moving Mesa Forward is Chad Snow.  The Treasurer is Paul Castanada.   Castanada is a typical "grassroots" guy who has a day job that just happens to be a member of the board for the Arizona AFL-CIO. 

MMF filed a report on August 14th which showed that they spent upwards of $22,000 on their "grassroots" canvassing campaign to "oppose Pearce for Arizona". 

On August 23rd, they filed a report showing another $4000 spent advocating defeat for Pearce for Arizona.

But wait!  There's MORE!

On June 27th, Citizens for a Better Arizona gave MMF $40,000.  So far, over $26,000 of that $40,000 has been spent encouraging voters in LD25 to vote for Bob Worsley.


Here's the latest count:

Bob Worsley raised $16,000 from individual donors according to his last campaign finance report in July.  Most of his expenses went to pay his political consultants.  Worsley's lacking of contributions may be the reason he started doing joint fundraisers with Kirk Adams in hopes that they might both be able to benefit from one another since Adams has been lacking in his fundraising efforts as well.  So much so that Adams recently injected $88,000 of his own money into his campaign.

Randy Parraz has spent over $26,000 campaigning for Worlsey.  Most of his expenses went towards paying for canvassers to go door to door and do the actual work.
 
So, who is beholden to whom?


Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Kirk Adams Wants To Keep Playing The Lying Game.

Here we go again. 


Matt Salmon's wife, Nancy, sent out a statement the other day refuting the false and deceptive claims from Kirk Adams and his surrogates.

Today, because Adams doesn't ever have an original thought of his own, Adams' wife sent out a rebuttal.

Once again, they are the same tired, desperate, over-used lies.  How many times does a CEO of the company they are claiming Salmon lobbied on behalf of, have to come out and say that Salmon did NOT lobby for them?

We won't even give them the satisfaction of yet another response to those false accusations.


We will, however, point out a few interesting statements made by Adams' wife, JaNae.

1.  Gilbert Watch's "tone and tenor....would make many blush if they read some of its mean spirited claims". 

And then she claims that blogs such as the politcomafioso is "objective and researched"?  Just take a look at who the politicomafioso endorses and it is pretty clear how "objective and researched" he is.

We think it is interesting to point out that someone else likes to use the words "tone and tenor" a lot.  His name is Jeff Flake.

Did JaNae think it was funny when her husband's campaign manager, Chad Heywood, said "DUDE, you have no clue how many older ladies just mailed Kirk Adams their panties ... mail box was full today," 


How about when an Adams/Flake/Worsley supporter (who incidentally, attempted to run for a Vice-Chair position in the Arizona Republican Party this last year) thought it was appropriate to write rude and juvenile comments on his ballot before posting it on Facebook? (In the same Facebook group where the campaign manager made the rude comment above).


What was that about "tone and tenor" again?


2.  "The site also claims SkyMall Founder Bob Worsley is owned by the left". 

What would you call it when radical leftist, Randy Parraz, spends $22,000 on Worsley's behalf which is more than what Worsley has raised for his campaign outside of his personal $50,000 loan?

So, yes, famed "I-ran-SkyMall-into-the-ground" founder Bob Worsley IS owned by the left.


3.  "former LDS leader Jerry Lewis is a liberal."

Certainly Ms. Adams isn't using the LDS church in a political campaign?  Implying that Lewis is a "former LDS leader" in a political statement is not only inappropriate but it is irresponsible.  Of course, we heard throughout the recall that it was Russell Pearce who used the LDS church (although we never once saw any evidence to prove that claim).  We do know that Jerry Lewis and his supporters DID.  We also know that Bob Worsley and his surrogates have been using the LDS church during the campaign as well.

Like here.

Here.

Here.



If/when we see Jerry Lewis

A-  campaign on behalf of a fellow "Republican" (and not a "lewsley" Republican)
B-  decides not to have liberal Democrats on his "endorsements" list
C-  stops showing up at the bottom of the Republican list for his voting record






MAYBE we'll change our mind about the "former LDS leader" being a liberal.













4.  "Jeff Flake is a fake conservative."

-Jeff Flake may be fiscally conservative, but then again, so was Bill Clinton and 52 Democrats in the House.
-Jeff Flake conveniently missed the vote on "Cap and Trade" and then responded by offering his own "Cap and Trade" bill. 
-Jeff Flake's Libertarian view of open borders results in his working with Democrats and Leftist think-tanks on Comprehensive Immigration legislation. 
-Jeff Flake first ran on the platform that he would term limit himself to three terms yet is still running 12 years later.  


That would mean that he is a fake Conservative. 


We can keep playing this game if you would like Mr. Adams.  In the meantime, the voters STILL don't know anything about you other than the fact that you are endorsed by the establishment, take credit for things you didn't do and like to play lame Jr. High games.

Not exactly the qualities of what we need in Washington.

Kirk Adams: Lying, Deceiving, Manipulating And Distracting..






While Matt Salmon is campaigning on issues and presenting actual solutions, Kirk Adams is doing only what Adams knows best.  Lying, deceiving, manipulating and distracting.  We never did find a budget or pension bill that Adams claimed he "authored". 

We don't see that he has even clarified his deceptive statement that he "opted out of the state pension system" knowing that option only applied to that specific term.  The same term that he only served 4 months.

We also noticed that Adams conveniently leaves out the fact that he, himself, was a registered lobbyist.

Some things never change.  


So, Adams has chosen to use what little capital he had left by propagating Obama-style tactics and forcing Salmon to respond over and over again to his baseless and ignorant claims.  

Adams knows that he MUST distract from his own incompetence if he has any shot of winning the election. 

The following is another statement from the Salmon campaign refuting Adams' tired lie.








Friends/Voters,


As the Republican primary election for Congressional District 5 enters the final week, Kirk Adams and his campaign continues to make dishonest accusations about my husband Matt Salmon and his professional record. The most untruthful of these accusations concerns the allegation that Matt  lobbied for and supported the passage and expansion of ObamaCare.

Simply put, this is 100% false and a complete distortion of the truth.


To clear any confusion you might have about this untruthful accusation, I wanted to send you an email to set the record straight and demonstrate Kirk Adams’ dishonesty about his claim that Matt Salmon lobbied for and supported ObamaCare. Please observe this information carefully, and if you have further questions, I am certain that Matt would be willing to answer them truthfully just as he has done throughout his career.


First, here are the facts.


1)      Matt Salmon has NEVER lobbied for the passage of ObamaCare, the expansion of ObamaCare, or supported ObamaCare in any way, shape or form.

2)      Matt Salmon has NEVER lobbied for or against any legislation pertaining to ObamaCare.

3)      Matt Salmon’s former business partner, John Haddow, was the consultant who represented Lundbeck and Millennium pharmaceutical companies

4)      John Haddow actually lobbied AGAINST ObamaCare, NOT for the passage of it NOR for the expansion of it.  



Second, here is the evidence to back up the facts:



1)      Below is a link to a press release from Matt’s campaign with a quote from Matt himself stating that neither he or his former firms were ever compensated to support or lobby for ObamaCare.

http://www.salmonforcongress.com/article/salmon-responds-to-false-attacks



2)      Below is a link to a FACT CHECK story by ABC 15 News regarding Kirk Adams’ accusations that Matt lobbied for and supported ObamaCare. Here is the last line of the FACT CHECK by ABC 15 News: “ABC15's FACT CHECK determines Adams claims in the TV ad are inconclusive.”

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_southeast_valley/mesa/fact-check-kirk-adams-attack-ad-on-matt-salmon#ixzz23yQbKsEC



3)      Below is a link to a blog that provides independent 3rd party research on Kirk Adams’ accusation. As you will find, it is thoroughly researched and Kirk’s claim that Matt Salmon lobbied for and supported ObamaCare is found to be baseless point by point. 

http://www.gilbertwatch.com/gilbertwatch/index.cfm/blog/gilbertwatch-responds-to-a-kirk-adams-supporter/



4)      Finally, below is a statement from Mike Eging, who headed up the Washington office for one of the pharmaceutical companies that Kirk Adams references to in his accusations:

“I was the head of the Washington office from 2009-2012 for Lundbeck Pharmaceutical company, which retained Policy Impact Communications and later Upstream Consulting in Washington, DC.  John Haddow was our consultant from this firm. His background in health care while serving as a staff member of the key health committee was the driving force in our retaining him.  Our first goal was to allow the health reform bill to fail but absent that we had to make a critical change.  John was tasked to assist in changing the onerous language pertaining to Section 340B, particularly as it applied to Orphan products.  Our team was successful in reversing the changes negotiated by the hospitals and the Obama administration.  Matt Salmon did not work on our account. Michael Eging”


One more thing to note about this matter. After Kirk Adams initially launched this deceitful attack, Matt mailed a certified letter to his campaign office stating the facts and informing Kirk that his accusations were distorted and untruthful and politely asking him to refrain from continuing to spread this false attack. Days later, Matt received the same letter he had sent to Kirk Adams’ office with a hand written note that said “refused.” Needless to say, this action speaks volumes about Kirk’s refusal to listen to the truth and his willingness to campaign using misleading accusations.


I hope you better understand why I feel that Matt is the best man to represent us in Washington.  He has taken the positive high road in this campaign to talk about those issues most important to this nation.   Not only is Matt the more experienced and better candidate, but he has proven to always keep his word (just like when he kept his term limits pledge) and demonstrate the highest levels of integrity in both his personal and professional lives.

I encourage you to review this material and choose wisely when voting for Congress.


Please cast your vote for Matt and share the truth about this deceitful attack with all of your friends.



With appreciation for your friendship,

Nancy Salmon

You can view another copy of the email from Michael Eging at Gilbert Watch.

Monday, August 20, 2012

The G.N.A.T. Represents Worsley's Idea Of "New Tone"

Considering Randy Parraz's new organization, Moving Mesa Forward just spent over $22,000 in six weeks canvasing on Bob Worsley's behalf, we thought it might be appropriate to show examples of what this "new tone" looks like.

The G.N.A.T. (Goading Noxious Alinsky Thug) Randy Parraz at a MCBOS meeting in July antagonizing Chairman Wilson:


Parraz stated that Wilson is paid to answer his questions about the Sheriff daring to use private donations on an investigation.  Which makes us wonder how much Parraz is paid to ASK the questions?  Last we saw, his community organizer salary was a six-figure number.

Watch as his trained followers do just as they are commanded:



Randy Parraz at another MCBOS in July 2012:  (did we mention his wife, Lilia Alvarez-Parraz is running against Supervisor Kunasek?)



Supervisor Kunasek responded to the G.N.A.T. by saying,

"I was intrigued by one of the editorials in the newspaper today suggesting that self-righteousness often has a weird way of walling off its practitioners from the harsh fact that they're often just acting like clowns.  You were the first one to come to mind."


Just a friendly reminder to vote for Lester Pearce for Supervisor over Steve "President of the Arizona Restaurant Association who sued the State over employer sanctions" Chucri.