by Matthew Holloway | Apr 27, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Maricopa County Supervisor Mark Stewart is hoping the latest Shared Services Agreement (SSA) approved unanimously this week by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors wins approval by Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap.
In a statement, Stewart wrote, “Yesterday, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to send a new draft of the Shared Services Agreement (SSA) concerning election responsibilities to Maricopa County Recorder, Justin Heap. This updated draft incorporates feedback from the Recorder’s Office. To be clear, this is not the final version of the SSA. The Recorder will now have the opportunity to review the document, propose additional revisions, and return it to the Board for further consideration.
He added, “Based on my discussions with Recorder Heap and members of the Board, we are 95% of the way towards finalizing the SSA. I am more optimistic about this process than at any point previously and am confident that we will reach a signed agreement in the near future.”
Board Chairman Thomas Galvin wrote in a statement Thursday, “For months, the Board and its staff have been negotiating details of a new SSA in good faith. It’s time the public knows the full story, and this latest agreement includes many concessions from our Board.”
In a statement released the same day, and later retracted, shared by several outlets, Heap wrote, “The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors presentation today was one side of an ongoing negotiation. Recorder Heap disagrees with some statements that were made; however, his focus remains on getting an elections agreement in place that best serves the voters of Maricopa County. The agreement put forth by the Board today represents the framework of a deal, but the devil is in the details, and those details still need to be ironed out. Recent delays in the negotiation stem from the Recorder’s need to secure more adequate counsel.
“With the appointment of former Arizona Supreme Court Justice Andrew Gould to assist in the negotiations, Recorder Heap anticipates and looks forward to a successful resolution and agreement in the near future.”
Under Arizona law, the responsibility for the management of elections falls between the County Boards of Supervisors and County Recorders. Ostensibly Shared Service Agreements delineate the responsibilities of each body to increase efficiency and prevent unnecessary spending.
Supervisor Debbie Lesko expressed herself as being “beyond frustrated,” with the process saying, “After the April 11th meeting between Recorder Heap and Supervisors Galvin and Brophy-McGee, Justin texted me saying the meeting ‘went very well, we seem to be in agreement on 95% and are only discussing minor details on how to effectively split the IT team.’ Our lawyer writes up the agreement based on the meeting and then, next thing I know, Justin fires his attorney and we seem to be back to square one.”
Supervisor Kate Brophy McGee laid the difficulties directly at the feat of the County Recorder saying, “Recorder Heap has not been a trustworthy partner in these negotiations. He doesn’t seem to know what he wants. He doesn’t seem to understand his statutory responsibilities. The only thing he seems to be really good at is threatening lawsuits. But there’s time for him to change. He can come back to the table and sign this agreement. I hope he does. Successful elections in Maricopa County depend on it.”
As of this report Recorder Heap has not released a revised statement, nor explained why the initial statement was taken down.
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 25, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
An Arizona legislator has put out the call: he needs a second job. Arizona Representative Nick Kupper (R-LD25) put out posts to LinkedIn and X on Tuesday announcing that he is seeking to start a new role in addition to his work as a lawmaker.
Writing in a post to X, Kupper explained, “If you’re wondering, state reps make ~$35k with base pay/per diem. Once I got elected I was laid off for being a legislator. That sucks, but I’d rather go bankrupt than give up on my constituents. That being said 4 kids eat a lot, so if you know of any remote jobs I’m all ears.”
In his post to LinkedIn, he wrote, “My role as State Rep is great, but pays very little and timing wise effectively only allows me to work remote roles.”
In Arizona, the state legislature has been traditionally viewed as a part-time job. With the session running from January often through June or even July, it’s easy to see why. And while strange compared to more populous states, this is a very common system.
In Texas for example, the legislature is only convened for a maximum of 140 days every odd-numbered year, barring special sessions called by the Governor for 30-day stretches. Montana, Nevada, and North Dakota, have similar odd-numbered-year arrangements.
Salary-wise, Arizona ranks near the middle of the pack with its $24k plus per diem ranking 24th out of the fifty states. In neighboring New Mexico, the legislature receives no salary at all, only earning a $161 per diem during session. By contrast, a New York legislator earns a salary of $110k per year with per diem, totaling approximately $142k annually.
As reported in early March by AZ Free News, Arizona Legislators have taken considerable heat over Senate Concurrent Resolution 1003, a measure to effectively double their salaries to $48k along with increases in per diem payments and benefits.
One major point of contention is a disparity in pay between members who live within Maricopa County versus outside of it.
“I think there’s discrimination happening currently (with) the way members of this body and Senate are paid, when you have members that literally could get three times the total pay package because they live outside of Maricopa versus inside,” Representative David Livingston (R-LD28) told AZ Capitol Times. “This needs to be fixed.”
Sen. John Kavanagh (R-LD3) proposed a salary plan linked to inflation and dating back to 1998 in its calculations explaining, “We’re not asking the voters to really in real dollars increase our pay. We’re asking them to keep our pay at the same real dollar amount that they thought it was worth in 1998.”
The bill has passed the Senate and House Appropriations Committee and will now go to the floor of the House before potentially going to the voters in November.
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 25, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
“End Apartheid” and “Abolish Israel,” were scrawled in crudely drawn letters beneath the Star of David adorning the oldest Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Tucson earlier this week. The synagogue was founded in 1948 in the wake of the Holocaust by the Chabad-Lubavitch movement under Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. The rabbi himself had fled Germany during the rise of the Nazi Third Reich in 1933. The Chabad’s website states that it is “the Southern Arizona headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, considered to be the most dynamic force in Jewish life today.”
Congressman Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ06) expressed his disgust in a post to X on Tuesday sharing news that the Chabad Tucson-Young Israel Synagogue was vandalized with anti-semitic, anti-Israel graffiti.
In his post, Ciscomani wrote, “I am disgusted by this antisemitic act against the Chabad Tucson-Young Israel Synagogue. Jewish residents in Tucson deserve to feel safe in their own communities and places of worship. I strongly and unequivocally condemn this despicable act.”
Democrat State Rep. Alma Hernandez also condemned the act in a post to X writing, “Outraged to hear from my good friend Rabbi @YehudaCeitlin who showed up to his shul this morning at Chabad of Tucson to see this hateful vandalism on his wall. Anti-Zionism is Antisemitism, period and this hate is NOT welcomed in Tucson! I will continue to stand with my Jewish community. This is a synagogue NOT a political office. Shameful that its 2025 and we keep seeing this vile targeting of the Jewish community.”
According to KGUN, Monday’s incident represents the second time that the Chabad Center in Tucson has been vandalized in the past four years with a 2021 incident finding a Nazi Swastika and an anti-semitic slur painted on the building’s entrance. Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin of Chabad Tucson confirmed this in a post to X writing, “This is the second time in 3 years that a Chabad Jewish center in Tucson is being vandalized with antisemitic graffiti. This hate must stop!”
Reporting from KVOA stated that the Tucson Police Department is investigating the incident as a hate crime. Speaking to KVOA reporters Rabbi Ceitlin said, “It just shows the person who has done this, or people who have done this we don’t know who is responsible, wants to intimidate the Jewish people and we will not be intimidated,” he added, “[Hate], It’s part of the Jewish story, Jewish history.”
The incident has drawn notice internationally as well with Member of the Israeli Knesset Michal Cotler-Wunsh commenting online, “Below the Jewish Star of David – a call to abolish the Jewish nation state. A graphic demonstration of the normalization of a ‘modern’ lethal strain of an ancient ever-mutating hate, unleashed in response to the worst attack of Jews since the Holocaust, ‘justified’ by decades of peddled ‘modern-day’ blood libel of hijacked & weaponized institutions & terms like racism, apartheid, genocide…entrusted & coined to ensure that ‘Never Again.’ The writing is on the wall…of Chabad Tucson too.”
In a post responding to the incident, the Anti-Defamation League of Arizona issued a statement from Deputy Regional Director Sarah Kader who said, “Seeing news of yet another incident of vile anti-Semitic vandalism on a place of worship for Jews, on the same day as the release of ADL’s annual audit of anti-Semitic incidents, which showed a 23% increase of anti-Semitic vandalism in Arizona, is truly heartbreaking. We will never stop fighting against such hateful acts.”
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 24, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
In a post on Facebook, the Arizona Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol announced that two suspects were arrested after another train robbery in northern Arizona resulted in the theft of a shipment of Nike shoes. As reported by Fox 10 Phoenix, the arrest took place earlier that week along the Interstate 40 between Kingman and Williams, AZ.
In the press release issued Friday, the AZDPS stated, “Several days ago, Arizona State Troopers working I-40 between Kingman and Williams were notified of a train robbery. State Troopers located one of the involved vehicles and arrested the driver. Federal Law Enforcement Agents located a second vehicle and suspect and arrested them also. The two suspects were booked into jail on multiple charges.”
As reported by Fox, Arizona has seen an uptick in train robberies in recent months, with a prominent example coming in January, which saw investigators reveal ties to the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel. In congressional testimony, Republican Senator Todd Young of Indiana described the robbery saying, “Investigators have found ties to the Mexican cartel. On January 30 of this year, over $440,000 of Nike shoes were stolen off of a BNSF train. Air brakes were cut as it traveled on tracks north of Phoenix, Arizona. Federal officials have linked this to a federal cartel operating in Sinaloa.”
According to AZCentral, the cargo stolen last week also contained stolen Nike footwear, however, the full value of the stolen goods was not released as of this report. It is known, however, that both vehicles were “full of stolen Nikes,” per AZDPS.
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 23, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08) issued a statement Monday responding to reports which suggested that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had shared “detailed information” about potential military strikes into Yemen and that President Trump is seeking his removal from office.
In the release, Hamadeh, in his capacity as a Member of the House Armed Services Committee, expressed in concurrence with President Trump that Hegseth enjoys his strong support and pointedly questioned “whether fake news reports about unrest in the ranks of the Department of Defense are intended to weaken our national security.”
In a post to X, the congressman wrote, “As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I have full confidence in @PeteHegseth and his team at DoD. The fake news had its sights on him since he was first nominated, yet he’s been moving positive changes at lightning speed. Keep up the good work!”
Hamadeh reportedly urged news outlets nationwide to return to President Ronald Reagan’s motto of “’trust but verify,’ before publishing ‘news’ based on claims from individuals with no affinity for the facts or have nefarious motives.”
This would appear to reference a New York Times story’s reliance on “four people with knowledge” of an alleged Signal chat, which was purported to include Secretary Hegseth’s wife, brother, and personal attorney, and NPR’s similar reliance on an unnamed “U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly,” as a source for its story suggesting Hegseth’s imminent ouster.
Hamadeh’s office excoriated both outlets writing, “Few news outlets reported about the fact that the Biden Administration’s Department of Defense did not publicly disclose – in violation of the law – that one of the country’s two National Command Authorities, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, was unable to perform his duties.
“In contrast, it appears outlets are creating ‘news’ out of whole cloth, eroding trust in our national security baselessly to the benefit of enemies both foreign and domestic.
“Currently, a disconcerting debate is raging on social media as to what opinions and policy positions should and should not be allowed to be heard. Unlike others participating in that debate, a former U.S. Army Intelligence officer, would never call for censorship or for the silencing of opposing voices, but understands the effects of fake news and false narratives on the troops.
“Given the fact that recruiting is up across the board for our military service branches to a 15-year high and morale is up among the troops thanks to Secretary Hegseth, it is not unreasonable to suspect that those spreading clearly false rumors about Secretary Hegseth might have not have our country’s welfare in mind.”
Hamadeh concluded with an admonishment of “propogandists posing as journalists,” saying in full: “While some of us are sacrificing our time with our families and friends to tirelessly promote peace through strength, propagandists posing as journalists are trying to undermine our country by spreading lies.”
In a statement responding to the Times’ report, Department of Defense spokesman Sean Parnell issued a categoric denial of the allegations against Hegseth saying, “Another day, another old story—back from the dead. The Trump-hating media continues to be obsessed with destroying anyone committed to President Trump’s agenda. This time, the New York Times — and all other Fake News that repeat their garbage — are enthusiastically taking the grievances of disgruntled former employees as the sole sources for their article. They relied only on the words of people who were fired this week and appear to have a motive to sabotage the Secretary and the President’s agenda.
“There was no classified information in any Signal chat, no matter how many ways they try to write the story. What is true is that the Office of the Secretary of Defense is continuing to become stronger and more efficient in executing President Trump’s agenda.”
Questioned on the story by reporters during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, President Trump told reporters on the South Lawn, “He is doing a great job. … Ask the Houthis how he’s doing.” He continued, “It’s just fake news. They just bring up stories. I guess it sounds like disgruntled employees. You know, he was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people.”
Hegseth himself told Fox News, “This is what the media does. They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees, and then they try to slash and burn people and ruin their reputations.”
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.
