Phoenix Councilwoman Thelda Williams tells New Times that she isn’t part of a private committee pulled together by Councilman Sal DiCiccio, Pete Gorraiz, president of the firefighters union, and Billy Shields, a Phoenix lobbyist and former head of the fire union.”I was just on a e-mail list to get minutes of…
Proposition 203’s chances of passing rose a bit today, then fell some.With 89,000 early ballots and provisional ballots left to be counted, the game isn’t over yet.But the “yes” votes just can’t seem to get a solid break.Just before 4 p.m., the gap between “yes” and “no” votes closed further…
The Washington D.C.-based Campaign for Community Change apologized today for mailing an ad in Arizona that likened the opponent of Congressman Raul Grijalva to “white bread.”Grijalva, a Democrat who’s now infamous for urging a boycott of Arizona, barely won his election against Ruth McClung, a 28-year-old political newcomer and Republican…
An influential group of individuals — including three elected Phoenix officials, members of the Goldwater Institute and the firefighters’ union boss — have been quietly meeting over the past month and developing strategies on how to change city government.It’s unclear what will ultimately emerge from this group, but its members…
No matter which way this thing goes, it’s been a hell of a race. The fight for Proposition 203, Arizona’s medical marijuana measure, is still on as of Monday evening. Another positive blip for 203 in the late vote counts put the measure at only 3,800 votes behind, according to the latest figures…
A liberal organization funded a pro-Raul Grijalva mailer this election season that likens the Congressman’s opponent to “white bread.” Gila Courier, a conservative blog, pointed out the mailer on November 1, the day before the election, along with a failed prediction that the Democrat incumbent would lose to Ruth McClung,…
The wrist-slap that is the MSNBC suspension of liberal talk show host Keith Olbermann will be coming to an end, the network announced last night.Olbermann was suspended last week after news broke that he contributed thousands of dollars to the campaigns of two Arizona Congressional candidates — a violation of…
Arizona’s medical marijuana proposition fared poorly in vote counts over the weekend, reversing the temporary positive trend we wrote about on Thursday. The numbers now stand at 773,555 against, and 766, 923 for Proposition 203, for a difference of 6,632. Election officials must have encountered a random pocket support on…
Since our earlier post about MSNBC’s most obnoxious liberal commentator, Keith Olbermann, and some controversial donations he made to the campaigns of two Arizona Congressional candidates, MSNBC has suspended the Edward Murrow wannabe indefinitely and without pay.News of Olbermann’s suspension came in a one-sentence statement from MSNBC TV President Phil…
Liberal MSNBC host Keith Olbermann apparently took a few minutes away from ripping off Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow to drop some cash on a couple of Arizona’s Democratic Congressional candidates. Only problem is he may have violated NBC’s ethics policies in doing so.Olbermann acknowledged donating money to the…
Proposition 203 seems to be gaining an edge as officials continue to count votes.The ballot measure that would legalize medical marijuana in Arizona was about 6,500 votes behind as of last night.It’s closing the gap: The difference now is only 3,870 votes…
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge John Rea has denied Judicial Watch, a conservative think tank, access to two years’ worth of security-detail logs kept by Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon’s bodyguards.Judicial Watch said it was considering its next steps, and that it would be a few days before they reach a…
Although Phoenix City Councilman Claude Mattox is the only one listed for a Sunday afternoon musical performance at the CityScape Block Party, rest assured that the 90-minute set also includes the rest of Mattox’s band — the Screamin’ Javelinas.Speculation ran rampant (in at least one New Times’ office) about whether…
We’ve crunched the latest numbers, analyzed the trend and spoken to campaign experts about the incredibly close race of Proposition 203. Our take: Arizona’s medical marijuana measure will fail without a minor miracle. But we won’t burst anyone’s bubble yet, ’cause the race isn’t finished. As you’ll see below, the Prop…
The CityScape Block Party is taking over downtown Phoenix starting Thursday night … and the musical lineup is mind blowing.Macy Gray! Third Eye Blind! And Phoenix City Councilman Claude Mattox?Yep. He is expected to make a solo appearance on stage Sunday afternoon for a 90-minute set. What happened to his…
Democratic Congressional candidate Jon Hulburd got trampled in the District Three Congressional race by Congressman-elect Ben Quayle last night. But he wasn’t a dick about it, which is more than we can say about former TV pitchman — and one-time candidate for U.S. Senate — J.D. Hayworth.By about 9 p.m…
Don’t exhale just yet, because Proposition 203 could still win. The medical marijuana measure is behind by only 6,732 votes out of 1.3 million cast, as of 9:47 a.m., the most recent update on the Arizona Secretary of State’s Web site. All but two of 2,239 voting precincts in the state…
The lack of decor at the Democratic Party headquarters in downtown Phoenix was in stark contrast to the colorful array of posters and ubiquitous American flags in display at their rival Republican digs across the street. It was if the Dems had resolved to take their medicine–a loss of every…
Terry Goddard won’t follow in his father’s footsteps as Arizona Governor, at least not this time.The high-profile Democrat was just one more body thrown on the pyre following Arizona’s Election Day slaughter by Republicans. Goddard conceded to Governor Janice Brewer at about 10 p.m., admitting, “This is not a great…
Arizona voters sent a strong message to labor unions in today’s election, appear to have banned affirmative action in state and local government programs, and rejected the idea of getting forced to buy government health insurance.The ballot measures supporting the above (mostly symbolic) ideas won by large margins with 96…
As predicted, the U.S. Senate race between Senator John McCain and his Democratic opponent, Rodney Glassman, was a blowout.McCain clobbered Glassman by roughly 25 percent of the vote, which wasn’t even enough to make him the star of the show at the GOP election night party at the Hyatt in…
Despite only winning the GOP primary with about 20 percent of the Republican vote — meaning about 80 percent of the Republicans in his district didn’t vote for him — some of the loudest applause at the GOP election night party was for Congressman-elect Ben Quayle, who has unofficially defeated…
