by Matthew Holloway | May 2, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Scottsdale’s new City Manager Greg Caton has drawn heavy criticism following the resignations of former City Manager Jim Thompson, former Public Works Director Dan Worth, former Transportation, Assistant City Manager Bill Murphy, and Streets Director Mark Melynchenko. As reported in the Scottsdale Progress, former City Councilwoman Linda Milhaven accused Caton of “creating chaos,” and added that “it’s uncharacteristic for an interim city manager to be letting people go or making changes.”
“(Caton) got to work pretty fast firing people,” Milhaven speculated. “It had to be at the direction of the City Council.”
Concern over turnover seems to be consistent in members of the previous left-leaning City Council, with incumbent Councilwoman Solange Whitehead expressing as much saying, “This year under the new council majority, we’ve lost 100-plus years of experience. These are the people who have delivered for Scottsdale. And people are continuing to leave. For me, this is a top concern.”
Both Whitehead and Councilwoman Maryann McAllen voted against the conservative majority when they approved Caton’s appointment on April 15th.
Councilman Barry Graham, one of the newly elected conservative members, denied the notion outright telling the Progress, “That’s not true. I only discuss city performance and results” with the city manager,” Graham clarified. “I don’t discuss people.”
When asked during an interview with the Progress, Caton told the outlet that “Dan Worth retired, ” adding, “I did not ask him to submit his resignation.” He continued, “I did not ask anyone to retire or resign.” However, Dan Worth contested this, telling the publication that Caton “directed me to resign or retire,” and declined to comment when asked if the move was “politically motivated.”
Vice Mayor Jan Dubauskas also expressed support for Caton saying, “Greg makes independent decisions. I happen to agree with many of them.” Dubauskas noted to the Progress, “Cost overruns and road diets were high profile issues in the community, so I’m not surprised Greg had concerns about them.”
Explaining the staffing turnover, Caton told the outlet that he discussed plans for ‘flattening’ the city’s organization. “In conversations with (Worth and Melynchenko), I discussed future plans to make changes to the organization – the ‘flattening’ we have referred to,” he said.
“Given that those future changes would affect their positions, both Dan and Mark opted to retire,” he added. “The agreements we signed are evidence of our mutual desire to determine what that transition would look like.”
Caton is remembered by Southern Arizonans as the Town Manager for Oro Valley from 2012 until he stepped down from the role to take a City Manager role in Colorado in 2016.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | May 1, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
According to the Mesa Police Department, a man has been taken into custody in connection with a suspected arson at a Mesa Tesla dealership earlier this week. On Monday, officers were summoned to the scene following reports of an explosion where they found a flaming Cybertruck. Mesa PD told reporters that “additional callers reported smoke and flames coming from an area near the building, which ultimately was found to be a brand-new Tesla Cybertruck.”
The Fire Department arrived soon after and found the fire was limited to the vehicle. “As crews began their attack on the vehicle fire, additional crews made entry to the building to check the interior for smoke and heat,” police said. “The fire was contained to the vehicle on the exterior of the building.”
The outlet also reported that the misspelled word “thief” was also spraypainted on the side of the building.
Mesa officials stated the fire is being investigated as possible arson. The Mesa PD announced later in the day that they had arrested a 35-year-old male suspect identified as Ian Moses who is facing charges of arson of a structure and property.
Detectives noted that during the course of their investigation, a suspicious van was observed parked nearby near the intersection of Southern and Rowan, not far from the dealership. Investigators noted a bicyclist, identified as Moses, approached the van and opened its door.
Surveillance footage from the dealership was able to capture an image of the suspected arsonist and police were able to match the image to Moses, police said.
No injuries were reported in the incident, and investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives is investigating alongside the Mesa Fire and Medical Department, Gilbert Fire and Rescue, and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Apr 30, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Republican Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ08) announced on Monday that he will co-lead the Preventing Ranked Choice Corruption Act with Rep. Nick Begich (AK-At Large). The legislation looks to amend the Help America Vote Act by banning the “confusing and disenfranchising voting scheme” practice of Ranked Choice Voting nationwide.
Hamadeh’s press release explained that Ranked Choice Voting, also sold-as instant-runoff voting as, is a “flawed process,” which “allows for a majority party to be split between preferred candidates, thus allowing the minority candidate a pathway to victory- which would never occur in a regular election.” Under the system, voters are able to sequentially rank each candidate. If none of the candidates claims a majority on the first round, the votes are redistributed based on the voters’ second choices and so-on down the line until a majority emerges, essentially eliminating the possibility of a plurality vote winning an election.
In the text of the proposed bill, it states simply, “A State may not carry out any election for Federal office using a system of ranked choice voting under which each voter ranks the candidates for the office in the order of the voter’s preference.’’
Rep. Hamadeh said in a statement, “The same Democrat pawns who support allowing non-citizen voting without voter ID and same day voter registration also want to turn our democracy into a rank choice voting scheme. Their motives are clear – they do not want to help Americans vote – they only want to help corrupt politicians win.”
He added, “In Arizona, we see tremendous amounts of liberal out-of-state dollars pour into our state every year to try to alter our election processes. Fortunately, our citizens see through the lies of expensive glossy mailings and reject Ranked Choice Voting.”
In a corresponding statement, Rep. Begich said, “The nation does not need more uncertainty and confusion injected into the federal election process. ‘One person, one vote’ is a proven tried-and-true method that is easy to understand, easy to audit, and quick to report. Experiments with our national election systems risk disenfranchisement of voters and lead to outcomes that do not represent the true will of the American people.”
Ranked Choice voting is currently the law of the land in Alaska, and Begich is intimately familiar with its problems. According to The Alaska Beacon, his own race went to a second round, despite his taking 8,000 more votes than his opponent in the first round with164,117 votes total. Alaska voted to keep the system in place by a narrow margin for Ballot Measure 2, barely defeating reforms to kill the practice by 664 votes. In a 2023 op-ed, Heritage Foundation Senior Legal Fellow Hans von Spakovsky called Ranked Choice Voting “a confusing, chaotic ‘reform.’” Spakovsky warned, “It fundamentally changes the election process, effectively disenfranchises voters, and allows marginal candidates not supported by a majority of voters to be elected.
“It is a confusing and opaque process that robs voters of the ability to re-educate and re-examine the top two vote-getting candidates in a run-off election when one candidate does not initially win a majority, and it diminishes the ability of voters to make informed, knowledgeable choices of who would best represent them.“
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Apr 29, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne offered criticism of the Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) governing board for rejecting the urgent request of two of its high schools’ employees and administrators to place armed security officers on campus. Horne said that the decision is an “error” that is placing these schools, their students, and faculty at risk.
In a press conference Thursday, alongside three current and former educators of PXU, Horne called upon the board to reconsider its decision and authorize the deployment of armed officers at Betty Fairfax and Carl Hayden High Schools.
Horne told reporters, “The governing board made a mistake by rejecting the wishes of its district administrators and the two principals of these schools. Board members do not have to show up on campus every school day and deal with safety problems, but teachers, students and staff do. They know how bad the situation has become. Principals at these two schools requested armed officers through the state’s School Safety program that the Department of Education agreed to pay for them. The board should have respected the wishes of its own educators.”
The superintendent added, “Should the unthinkable happen and an armed maniac kills students at a school as we have seen in other states, the parents of those students would never forgive those responsible for failing to provide protection for the school.”
In the March decision, the board voted 5-2 to reject state funding to place an officer to be shared between the schools. The funding would have used excess funds under the Arizona Department of Education’s School Safety Program to hire a police officer, and the position would have been funded through June 2026. Neither school presently has an assigned officer on campus.
Phoenix Union students protested the presence of police on campus in 2020, demanding their removal. The district chose not to renew its contract with Phoenix PD shortly after, only moving to bring in School Resource Officers in 2023. There are two School Resource Officers (SROs) employed by PXU assigned to other schools full-time and four “school safety officers,” off-duty law enforcement officers assigned to schools without SROs.
Speaking at the press conference, Horne sought to make “a respectful request” of the PXU Governing Board saying, “The school board should give some thought to the safety (of teachers and administrators).”
The educators who joined Horne, Retired PXU teacher Mark Williams, Susan Groff, a National Board-Certified Teacher, and Pamela Kelley, M. Ed., suggested that the existing coverage of PXU is insufficient.
Williams said, “Superintendent Tom Horne is attempting to protect students and staff by an ever-increasing threat of violence because some parents are failing to parent, and the school board is bending to a very few but vocal community about not having their children around police officers. One should ask ‘why’?”
Groff highlighted the positive impact the presence of SROs has saying, “As a retired teacher and longtime resident of this community, I have seen firsthand the positive impact School Resource Officers have in our high schools. Their presence not only enhances safety but fosters trust and support among student and staff.”
In addition to the call for officers, Kelley suggested more action is needed: “All Phoenix Union High School District Schools need metal detectors and School Resource Officers (SROs) for the safety and security of the students, staff, and visitors.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Apr 28, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
In a joint interview with boxing legend “Iron Mike” Mike Tyson, Congressman Abraham Hamadeh (R-AZ08) told Fox News earlier this month that the retired World Heavyweight Champion is working with House Republicans to roll out Rep. Hamadeh’s bill establishing the Congressional Fitness Challenge in his schools.
The new Congressional Fitness Challenge will include five core fitness tests: the 1-Mile Run/Walk, Pull-Ups/Flexed Arm Hang, Curl-Ups or Sit-Ups, Shuttle Run, and Sit-and-Reach. Students who participate can earn gold, silver, or bronze level recognition based upon attainment of “clear, age-appropriate standards.”
Students who successfully complete the challenge will receive a signed certificate from the Speaker of the House, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the student’s senator and congressman.
Hamadeh and Tyson described the impetus behind the resolution as an effort to combat a threat to national security presented by studies showing that 77% of fighting aged Americans from 17 to 24 would require a medical wavier in order to serve in the military.
Tyson told Hamadeh that the program, also supported by NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, gives him hope for the future of our nation.
With both Tyson and Favre, the congressman hearkened back to the creation of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness by President John F. Kennedy, who said at the time, “We do not want in the United States a nation of spectators. We want a nation of participants in the vigorous life.”
Hamadeh and Favre warned then, “As a Hall of Fame professional quarterback and a United States Congressman, we come from different arenas – but we stand united by a common concern. America’s youth are facing a silent crisis of physical fitness. Childhood obesity has tripled since the 1970s. Physical activity is down. Strength and stamina are declining.”
“I think this is going to improve, and people are going to get better, and people want to get healthier,” Tyson said. “I just believe that. It can be helped.”
Hamadeh answered, “I agree with ‘Iron Mike,’ and am grateful for his powerful support for the program and shared dedication to improving the health of our kids. Youth are facing a silent crisis with childhood obesity having tripled since the 1970s, so it is imperative that we do all we can to revive physical excellence among America’s youth to build a stronger nation.”
Hamadeh wrote for Outkick that the nationwide initiative is now open to all kids, ages 6 through 17, whether in public, private, or homeschool settings and that the Congressional Fitness Challenge must become part of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, and not merely be reduced to another federal program.
“It’s voluntary, but it taps into something deep in the American spirit – the drive to push harder, to be better, and to set and conquer goals.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
