GOP State Representative Austin Smith (LD29) dropped out of his reelection race abruptly on Thursday, days after allegations surfaced that he had forged petition signatures to qualify for the ballot.
In a lengthy press release announcing his resignation, Smith downplayed the allegations — outlined in a lawsuit against him — as an unsubstantiated, coordinated attack by Democrats.
Smith is member of the Arizona Freedom Caucus, and the senior director of Turning Point Action. Smith said that the plaintiffs — Democratic Party officials — were falsely accusing him of forging the signatures of Democrats on his petition sheets. Such an act of forgery would be pointless, given that signatures from Democratic voters wouldn’t count for a Republican primary.
Some questioned whether the two Democrats leading the lawsuit had signed the petition themselves with the intent of accusing Smith of election fraud.
Rather than pay to fight the lawsuit and any criminal investigations that may arise, Smith said that he would protect his family financially and drop out of the race.
Smith pledged to run for office again in the future, but would rely on the online signature system rather than paper ballots.
“I feel terrible for those who are disappointed in this outcome or in me for not fighting it until the end,” said Smith. “I hope you’ll understand that my decisions are about more than just me.”
Those found guilty of petition forgery are disqualified immediately and may not run for public office for five years.
Smith also announced that another man had agreed to run in his stead as a write-in candidate for the Republican primary: James Taylor.
Taylor lives in Litchfield Park and has been heavily involved in the LD29 GOP.
One Democratic official behind the lawsuit, James “Jim” Ashurst, serves on the LD29 Democrats board as the sergeant at arms.
The Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (ADLCC), a project of the Arizona Democratic Party, first announced the lawsuit against Smith on Monday, the day the lawsuit was filed.
The ADLCC — co-founded by Governor Katie Hobbs in 2012 when she was in the state legislature and Republicans held a supermajority — then fundraised off of the lawsuit announcement.
The Republican Party of Arizona (AZGOP) issued a statement lamenting Smith’s resignation, but expressing confidence in Taylor’s abilities to take over. The AZGOP didn’t address Smith’s alleged election fraud.
“We hate to lose an effective legislator like Austin Smith, but I’m glad James Taylor is on the team,” said the AZGOP. “He will be an excellent candidate for LD29 and the local, county, and state parties will do all we can to help. Austin will continue to do great things for Arizona.”
We hate to lose an effective legislator like Austin Smith, but I'm glad James Taylor is on the team. He will be an excellent candidate for LD29 and the local, county, and state parties will do all we can to help. Austin will continue to do great things for Arizona. #LD29
State Representative Rachel Jones defended Smith as a victim of Democratic “target[ing] and sabotag[e].” Jones cautioned against Republicans speaking ill of Smith.
“So before you self-righteous Republicans join the left to crucify him, maybe try to remember that those of us who fight the hardest for you have the biggest targets on our backs,” said Jones.
@azaustinsmith has more integrity and heart than anyone I know! Democrats targeted and sabotaged him. So before you self-righteous Republicans join the left to crucify him, maybe try to remember that those of us who fight the hardest for you have the biggest targets on our backs. https://t.co/FW2rCFzUfI
— AZ Representative Rachel Jones (@RJ4arizona) April 18, 2024
Not all Republican leaders were as supportive of Smith.
Maricopa County Supervisor Clint Hickman called for Smith to resign.
“This is a man who has lied to the people of Legislative District 29 and the entire state about our election operations for at least three years,” said Hickman. “He is now accused of lying about the signatures he personally collected to get on the ballot again.”
Turning Point Action has yet to release a statement on the allegations against Smith or his dropping out of the race.
Instead, the organization has focused on its hire of “ballot chasers” in Arizona and other states. These “ballot chasers” go door-to-door in battleground states contacting Republican voters who have received their mail-in ballots, and encouraging those voters to mark their ballots and make a plan to vote.
BIG NEWS! At Turning Point Action we have been laser focused on Arizona and Wisconsin the last year.
We now have the largest full-time staff in both states and are adding hundreds more bodies on the ground chasing ballots in each. Bodies = BALLOTS!
The town council of Fountain Hills tabled a proposal for a policy prohibiting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) discrimination during its meeting on Tuesday.
The council overwhelmingly voted to table the proposal, 6-1, with Councilman Allen Skillicorn, the introducer of the policy item, being the sole vote for it. Vice Mayor Brenda Kalivianakis led a motion to suspend the proposal awaiting further guidance from the state legislature, who has similar legislation in the works currently.
Kalivianakis’ motion occurred after Hannah Toth expressed confusion over town members’ opposition to the policy, because it accomplished the main objective of DEI: preventing discrimination based on race, color, and ethnicity. Toth suggested tabling the policy to allow the state legislature to act on a similar bill.
Skillicorn warned that the state legislature was deadlocked due to Governor Katie Hobbs vetoing nearly all legislation containing Republican or conservative substance.
The policy would prohibit the town from hiring or contracting a DEI officer, as well as prohibit preferential treatment or discrimination against an individual on the basis of race or ethnicity as a condition of hiring, promoting, or contracting.
Further, the policy would prevent DEI teachings on affirming concepts like unconscious or implicit bias, cultural appropriation, allyship, transgender ideology, microaggressions, group marginalization, antiracism, systemic oppression, social justice, intersectionality, neopronouns, heteronormativity, disparate impact, gender theory, and racial or sexual privilege.
In the agenda item for the policy, town staff clarified that the town had no plans to create an office of DEI administration, and that the town adheres to all state and federal nondiscrimination laws for hiring, promoting, disciplinary measure, and terminations.
The town further noted that it would be required to collect and report race or ethnicity and gender demographics to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) since the number of town employees has exceeded 100.
Those who spoke against the policy included town council candidate Clayton Corey. Corey claimed DEI was “the right thing to do morally” that would contribute to the town’s financial and social well-being.
Among those who spoke in favor of the policy was Goldwater Institute’s Austin VanDerHeyden, who cautioned against DEI policies by citing the controversial Digital Government team within the town of Gilbert. The Goldwater Institute assisted in drafting the policy.
In a press release, Skillicorn condemned the tabling as opposition to DEI discrimination. Skillicorn described his fellow council members and those supportive of DEI discrimination as “cultural marxists.”
“Last night the cultural marxists won. We had the opportunity to prevent DEI discrimination,” said Skillicorn. “We had the opportunity to protect the taxpayers from woke bureaucrats. We let down the people of Arizona and Fountain Hills.”
Kalivianakis is a longtime Republican — a member of the Fountain Hills Republican Club and former Republican National Committee legal team member — and has generally been supportive of right-leaning policies on issues like free speech and support for Israel. Kalivianakis voted in favor of banning future mask and vaccine mandates last year.
So glad Tucker Carlson is back on Twitter. Infact, I'm very happy I'm on Twitter, I just set up an account with free speech on the horizon.
Peoria Unified School District (PUSD) parents and community members urged greater action from their district during last week’s board meeting after the arrest of a prominent basketball coach for child sex abuse.
The coach, 37-year-old Patrick Battillo, known by his superfan alias, “Mr. ORNG,” was arrested last week for soliciting minors for sexual content. The school where Battillo coached, Peoria High School, had run a background check on him prior to his coming on board.
Parental concerns have been on the rise due to the constant news of other educators arrested for child sex abuse outside the district over the past year, as well as the steady stream of Arizona State Board of Education cases involving sexual misconduct.
Last month, 53-year-old Estevan Carreon with Glendale Union High School District’s Independence High School, was arrested after secretly recording students while they undressed. Over the course of seven months, three female educators in various Buckeye schools were arrested for inappropriate contact with minors: 23-year-old Alyssa Todd, 42-year-old Jessica Kramer, and 24-year-old Diana Pirvu.
In January, 35-year-old Daniel Pineda with Dream City Christian School in Glendale was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a student.
Last week’s extensive community participation with PUSD was due in part to a call to action by SMART Schools, a subsidiary of the conservative activist group Arizona Women of Action. In a press release, the organization urged involvement to increase student safety.
Tamra Farah, SMART Families Network Director, urged the board to find ways to heighten collective vigilance to safeguard the students. Farah reminded the board that another educator, Erin Quigley, had agreed to the suspension of his teaching certification amid allegations of grooming and possibly sexually abusing students.
Rachel Barnett — Littleton Elementary School District board member, Arizona School Board Association (ASBA) Black Alliance Officer, secretary of the NAACP, and former PUSD employee and mother — said that she wasn’t at all surprised by child sex abuse cases coming out of PUSD due to its standard for handling reporting of such cases.
Barnett said that a female senior student at Peoria High School urged her to speak at last week’s meeting. She said that PUSD had a “startling history of covering up abuse,” citing a practice of barring teachers who contact the Department of Child Services (DCS) and law enforcement from testifying in court, let alone admitting they were the ones who reported the abuse to DCS.
“It troubles me to say that I am not at all surprised to hear what’s presently unfolding in this district,” said Barnett.
Barnett further alleged that administrators weren’t notifying parents of the sexual abuse cases. PUSD Board President Becky Proudfit directed several members of the board to follow up with Barnett.
Dr. Tara Armstead, former member of the Arizona Department of Education’s African American Advisory Council and former Litchfield Elementary School District board member, said that background checks weren’t enough to catch predators. Armstead encouraged the board to listen more to the students.
Seak Smith — founder and president of The Mom Army, a child advocacy organization — urged the district to recognize the child sex abuse incidents as part of a greater pandemic.
“We need to understand that predators and pedophiles go where they can have access to children, and we have to do better to safeguard children and protect them from predators,” said Smith.
Mark Del Maestro, a Vietnam War veteran, said that pedophiles like those arrested recently were “Satan’s marionettes.” Del Maestro compared the rising rates of child sex abuse to the rampant molestation in war-torn Vietnam.
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Scottsdale parents and community members were approved to donate pro-American books to district schools.
The Scottsdale Unified School DIstrict (SUSD) governing board approved the books unanimously during Wednesday’s meeting. The selections will be part of a new “American Pride Library” program spread across SUSD’s 29 libraries. Grassroots activists who have been pushing for a cleanup of school curriculum celebrated the win.
Scottsdale United for Educational Integrity, the parent group leading the initiative, announced the win shortly after the board’s approval.
“We did it! Our American Pride Library donation of pro-American books has been approved 5-0 by the Scottsdale Unified governing board,” stated the group.
— Arizona Women of Action (@azwomenofaction) April 10, 2024
Among the approved books donated were selections from the popular Tuttle Twins franchise, and “A is for American Dream” by the Phoenix-based libertarian think tank, The Goldwater Institute.
In addition to the Goldwater Institute picture book, SUSD elementary schools will receive the two “America’s History” volumes from the Tuttle Twins franchise, as well as the following “Tuttle Twins” series: “Law,” “The Miraculous Pencil,” “The Creature from Jekyll Island,” “The Food Truck Fiasco,” “The Road to Serfdom,” “The Golden Rule,” “The Search for Atlas,” “Their Spectacular Show Business,” “The Fate of the Future,” “The Education Vacation,” “The Messed Up Market,” “The Leviathan Crisis,” and “The 12 Rules Bootcamp.”
Middle schools will receive both volumes of “America’s History,” as well as the following Tuttle Twins’ “Guide” series: “Logical Fallacies,” “Beware Your Bias,” “Inspiring Entrepreneurs,” “Modern Villains,” “True Conspiracies,” and “Courageous Heroes.”
High schools will receive both volumes of “America’s History,” as well as the following Tuttle Twins’ series: “The Hyperinflation Devastation,” “The Little Pink House,” “The Case of the Broken Window,” “The Play for Power,” “Guide to Logical Fallacies,” “Guide to Beware Your Bias,” “Guide to Inspiring Entrepreneurs,” “Guide to Modern Villains,” “Guide to True Conspiracies,” and “Guide to Courageous Heroes.”
The books were part of a pushback against the objected books available containing a variety of progressive, often explicit content addressing subjects like LGBTQ+ ideology and Critical Race Theory. These activist groups maintain a list of these objected books, which they characterize as “adult only.”
The Tuttle Twins company’s Education Outreach Coordinator, Andrea Ford, expressed support for the Scottsdale grassroots’ mission to improve SUSD’s library selections.
“We appreciate the hard work and dedication of the teachers in SUSD and are excited to support them in building a freer society by providing materials to enhance critical thinking skills, knowledge of free market economy and entrepreneurship, and increasing proficiency in the history of our country,” said Ford. “Our goal at Tuttle Twins is to distribute our books to all schools in the nation and assist in bringing a new culture of liberty for our rising generation.”
“Conservative Circus” radio host James T. Harris also praised the grassroots for taking initiative in improving their schools’ libraries with “positive, wholesome books” that would build up the community and the nation as a whole.
“These parents, they came together, they took this issue into their own hands, and here they are presenting something positive,” said Harris.
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A popular “superfan” of the Phoenix Suns and high school basketball coach, “Mr. ORNG,” was arrested on Wednesday on charges of soliciting minors for sexual content.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office revealed that Mr. ORNG, 37-year-old Patrick Battillo, had been arrested following notification to the Peoria Police Department of a sexual offense investigation into Battillo at his alma mater, Peoria High School (PHS), where he served as head coach of the boys basketball team.
The investigation concerned reports that Battillo had solicited minors for sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves. In return, Battillo allegedly offered money to the minors.
Battillo was charged with luring a minor for sexual exploitation and child sex trafficking, both classified as felonies. Luring a minor for sexual exploitation qualifies as a class 3 felony, which carries a prison sentence ranging from two to eight years in prison. Child sex trafficking qualifies as a class 2 felony, which carries a prison sentence ranging from 13 to 27 years for first offenders.
Battillo wasn’t the only one arrested on Wednesday in relation to his alleged crimes. A coworker, 46-year-old Holly Holgate, was arrested on charges of hindering prosecution and failure to report the neglect of a minor. According to a statement from Peoria Unified School District (PUSD), Holgate warned Battillo that police were coming for him so that Battillo could leave the school. Holgate had worked at Peoria High School for over 20 years.
Battillo began coaching at PHS in 2016, starting out as an assistant coach for the varsity team. PUSD indicated that Batillo’s fingerprint and background check came back clear. Holgate’s fingerprint clearance was also up to date.
Holgate was the club sponsor for Jobs For Arizona Graduates, a club helping sophomores and juniors make career transitions. In 2020, Holgate was awarded the “Pride of Peoria” by PUSD for being “a selfless server of students, always willing to go the extra mile, always looking out for all of the interests of the students.”
In a 2022 interview with Cronkite News, Battillo described his players as his family and noted that the boys relied on him for “comfort and guidance.”
“The relationships I have made with current and former players, fans of the Suns and at the NBA level, transcending that and those experiences of my relationships with those people to the relationship I have with my athletes, all comes full circle,” said Battillo.
Battillo said that he felt it was his duty as a coach to make men out of his players.
“Life is bigger than basketball, and all of it comes full circle,” said Battillo. “How you treat others, how you develop each other specifically at the high school level, how you develop these young men into men during this crucial transition in their life.”
As of this report, his verified X account, @PHXMRORNG, and Instagram account, @mrorng, were still active.
Battillo gained a fan following over a decade ago for showing up to Suns games with his body and hair painted entirely orange and decked out in team merchandise. His popularity would afford him opportunities to lead on a number of fundraisers and charity events over the years.
In addition to coaching PHS basketball, Battillo co-hosted the Inferno podcast through Bleav Sports. Battillo received an educational doctorate from Grand Canyon University (GCU) in 2022.
Battillo was regularly invited to speak at various schools around the Valley. His latest speaking engagement occurred last Thursday at Legacy Traditional Schools in Peoria for “ORNG Day.”
