Maricopa County Democratic Party’s (MCDP) executive director resigned following a media report on a nepotistic arrangement with her Black Lives Matter (BLM) longtime activist fiancé resulting in hundreds of thousands of unsent mailers. The soon-to-be-wed couple behind the arrangement share a history of shadowy political financial dealings.
The executive director, Ne’Lexia Galloway, resigned earlier this month, hours after an initial Axios report on 100,000 unsent campaign mailers preceding last year’s election.
MCDP paid nearly $24,500 to political consulting firm Agave Strategy for the mailers. A consultant informed Axios that Galloway instructed their firm to contract her fiancé’s company, Blaque Printing Enterprise owned by Bruce Franks, Jr., as a sub-vendor for the mailers. The firm reimbursed MCDP for the mailers in late January — but only after lawyers reportedly reached out on MCDP’s behalf.
According to emails obtained by Arizona Progress Gazette, precinct committeeman Steven Jackson challenged that what MCDP Chair Nancy Schriber characterized as incompetence in vendor dealing was actually malfeasance. Jackson pointed out that knowledge of the nepotistic mailers wasn’t disseminated until after Schriber’s re-election, and that several of their candidates lost in close elections last year.
In a statement, former MCDP Treasurer Heather Mrowiec alleged that she attempted to investigate the mailers last September despite Schriber’s resistance. Mrowiec reportedly found numerous red flags concerning the contracted mailers: the mailing and printing costs exceeded the agreed payment terms, as well as standardized United States Postal Service (USPS) mailing costs; no records existed of other vendor bids or any written contract, with Galloway allegedly telling Mrowiec that no other vendors could take on the project; forged USPS postage receipts, with Galloway allegedly telling Mrowiec initially that postage receipts proving delivery weren’t necessary; and retaliation against Mrowiec for investigating in the form of Galloway whipping votes to oppose her as treasurer.
“The vendor never disclosed who their print vendor was, and they were unable to provide any of the normal artifacts that would be generated during a routine direct mail translation — such as emails approving the proofs from the printer, address barcode lists provided by the printer, canceled checks for the postage, invoices from the print vendor, or legitimate Bulk Mail postage forms,” stated Mrowiec. “The money was only returned to MCDP after the vendor was contacted by lawyers reaching out on our behalf, as well as being contacted by the media with questions about the transaction.”
Galloway has prided herself as the first black woman to lead the county party; race aside, her leadership has been rife with controversy. Weeks after MCDP received the mailer reimbursement, Galloway fired nearly all of MCDP staff. Political circles widely perceived the move as self-preservation amid flagging operations and the mailer debacle.
What he “said” y’all must don’t know what these people do to black people especially black woken in this space. As the first Black woman to lead MCDP I got a list! https://t.co/rMgqtTQK7n
Last year, Galloway’s repeated purchasing from her fiancé’s company prompted the MCDP board to implement a Conflict of Interest policy preventing any board member or employee from directing business to a vendor owned by themselves, family, or partners without review and approval by the board.
MCDP paid Galloway’s fiancé’s company over $4,600 from last January through October: over $4,200 for t-shirts and $400 for postcards. Other Democratic candidates also paid the company, including over $5,400 for flyers from former superintendent Kathy Hoffman’s re-election campaign.
According to her MCDP bio, Galloway also served as the outreach representative for Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03). Although Galloway featured her former boss, she issued a public statement denouncing Gallego shortly after assuming the executive director role.
Prior to that, Galloway served as state manager for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Organizing Corps 2020 program, and chair of the Arizona Democratic Party Young Black Caucus.
Galloway and her fiancé, Franks, appear to share a common pension for political drama. Unsent mailers are far from the first or worst of shadowy political dealings involving Franks.
Franks served as the controversial campaign manager for failed Democratic Maricopa County attorney candidate Julie Gunnigle. Under Franks, Gunnigle’s campaign faced allegations of vague and misleading campaign finance reporting.
The Public Integrity Alliance (PIA) sent a letter last Halloween to the Maricopa County Elections Department alleging that hundreds of thousands in campaign transactions may have been disguised to hide how the Gunnigle campaign truly spent its funding.
Challenged campaign transactions included about $354,800 (79 percent) of campaign receipts going to a political consulting firm owned by Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar’s husband: about $7,800 categorized as “printing,” and nearly $347,000 categorized as “consulting.”
PIA also noted that the Gunnigle campaign used an Arizona address for the Omar-linked firm, despite no such registration existing with the Arizona Corporation Commission.
Another set of challenged campaign transactions included up to $26,500 allegedly spent on Google advertisements. However, Google records show that it received payment from Gunnigle’s 2018 state legislative campaign committee — not the county attorney campaign.
“[T]he Public Integrity Alliance is requesting that the department take steps to ensure that Ms. Gunnigle[s] committee is not misrepresenting its political activities to the public through third parties,” said the organization.
NEW – complaint filed against George Soros funded #MCAO candidate @juliegunnigle, who is alleged to have committed several campaign finance violations, paying firms tied with anti-police @IllhanOmar. More proof of her corrupt #DefundThePolice failing campaign 😬 #AZPOL
AZ Free News inquired about any response to the complaint letter. We didn’t receive a response by press time.
Franks was also formerly a Missouri state legislator who’d risen to prominence in the political scene in 2014 for his Black Lives Matter (BLM) activism spurred by the death of Michael Brown. When Franks began his activism, he’d joined the Peacekeepers.
In 2017, his first year as a lawmaker, Franks was arrested for intervening in another arrest while participating in a Black Friday protest. Franks and other activists were protesting the acquittal of former St. Louis officer Jason Stockley.
In 2018, Black Entertainment Television (BET) celebrated Franks as one of their “Great 28” individuals, known as “The Disruptors.” In 2019, Franks was the subject of a documentary film, “St. Louis Superman,” later purchased by MTV.
Just months later, Franks resigned from the legislature following allegations that he used campaign donations for his own personal use including vet bills, photography for his children, iTunes, and a casino trip. Franks also faced fines for thousands in cash expenditures and contribution acceptances over state limits.
The Missouri Ethics Commission found the allegations against Franks to be true, and fined him over $14,100 for campaign finance violations that year. In 2021, the commission raised their fine to $89,299 upon further investigation.
Despite these revelations of ethics violations, MTV aired Franks’ documentary across their networks in May 2020.
Franks left Missouri for Arizona not long after the ethics scandal. About a year later, he was making headlines again. In September 2020 Franks filed a $2.4 million claim against the city over his arrest the previous month at a Black Lives Matter (BLM) riot that he helped organize. Franks was charged with 13 counts, including aggravated assault on an officer, participating in a riot, resisting arrest, trespassing, and soliciting others to commit criminal offenses.
In February 2021, Franks took to the media to claim that Phoenix officers targeted him and fabricated the charges against him. His outcry was quickly amplified by prominent Democrats across the nation, including Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo (“The Hulk”) — whose ear Franks’ fiancé, Galloway, appears to have had based on Ruffalo’s participation in her 2020 Get Out the Vote Rally.
Folks, my brother @brucefranksjr is being targeted, smeared, & persecuted by the Phoenix PD. This should be a federal crime & the @FBI should be brought in to investigate. The Phoenix PD is the most violent in the USA. (Cc: @CoriBush) #DropTheChargesMCAOhttps://t.co/OQyYnjGhCc
Franks appeared confident that the rallying cry from the most powerful corners of the Democratic establishment would result in the charges being dropped.
A month later, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) dropped the charges against Franks and 11 other defendants arrested at the BLM riot he helped lead.
In July 2021, Franks and fellow activists sued the city in the Arizona District Court, alleging political persecution. The lawsuit is ongoing (Acton v. Adel).
Franks’ lawsuit against Phoenix wasn’t his first lawsuit against a local government following his arrest at a riot. In May 2019, St. Louis County settled with Franks for $50,000. As part of the settlement, the county and Franks admitted no wrongdoing on behalf of the St. Louis officers, and Franks was required to delete all social media posts containing an edited video of his arrest at a 2014 Christmas Eve riot.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Tucson’s stores are looking the other way with theft, according to local accounts of law and order in the city.
Lacey Nagao, a Turning Point Action influencer, shared her experience of a store visit over the weekend in a viral account. Nagao reported that she witnessed theft at a local Walgreens while she was checking out, but that employees said it didn’t matter. A homeless man, one of the 10 or so outside the store, walked out with items including Cheetos, beer, and soda without paying. Nagao recounted that the man even issued a farewell to the checkout clerk.
According to Nagao, the employees were beyond the point of feeling disaffected by the lack of police response to reports of theft. Per Nagao, the employees said the police “don’t show up” and “have been told not to do anything” concerning theft. Additionally, the store’s security guards were fired by their regional manager last month, and employees were instructed to allow thieves to “take whatever they want.”
America is not the America it was 10 years ago.
On Saturday I stopped at a Walgreens on Craycroft and Speedway as I drove home from the airport. There were about 10 homeless people outside but I didn’t think much of it. Sadly, it’s the “new normal” for anywhere south of River…
Nagao said that when she asked the employee if she could have left without paying for her groceries, the employee acknowledged that she could have if she so desired.
Nagao lamented the lack of law and order, blaming the city’s Democrat-majority leadership.
“Our city is becoming a place I never thought I would see, and quite frankly, somewhere I refuse to live,” said Nagao. “Thanks to [Mayor Regina Romero], Tucson is quickly on its way to becoming the next San Francisco.”
In response to Nagao’s account, several users reported that they noticed a lack of police amid drugs and crime.
A daughter moved to Tucson so I'm back in town after two decades away. There was always drugs and crime but what I noticed are no police anywhere, as if they want us to forget what being safe feels like. It happened in my new town but was extra shocking to see drastic…
Same here. I stopped at a Circle K around Miracle Mile and Oracle and about 25 hanging around the front door. A couple of them were trying to break into an outside vending machine.
Several users attested to similar issues happening in Scottsdale, Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa.
Several users pointed out that corporate policies factor into the permissive view of theft as well.
I was talking with a Lowe's employee yesterday, and he basically told me that their company policy is the same thing. I'm in a red state. So, it's also a corporate policy.
A freshman Arizona Senator is alerting her constituents of the laws protecting their freedoms in the event that another round of politicized COVID-19 cases sweeps the nation.
Senator Janae Shamp sent out a press release on Thursday, “reminding Arizonans of the safeguards put in place by Republicans at the Legislature to protect against future outrageous overreach and scientifically baseless restrictions.”
Shamp’s motivation was seeing “fear over mask mandates and the politicization of COVID-19 from the Left once again become a focal point heading into the upcoming 2024 election cycle.”
The Republican Senator issued the following statement: “With election season upon us, we’re once again witnessing COVID-19 fearmongering from the Left as liberal entities in Georgia, New York and California are now once again overstepping their authority in dictating mask mandates. As a registered nurse who has been detrimentally impacted by government infringement not based on scientific evidence, I want you to rest assured that I will fight tooth and nail to make sure you’re protected from this gross overreach. If you want to wear a mask, wear a mask. If you don’t want to wear a mask, don’t wear one. This is a personal choice that our citizens are allowed to make. If a business wants to force you to wear a mask and you don’t wish to, you have the right to take your business elsewhere. I will work to provide more guidance for you and your family as needed, and I vow to craft more legislation next session that further protects your God-given freedoms.”
Senator Shamp shared four laws:
In 2021, A.R.S. 44-7951 was enacted to protect businesses in Arizona from being required to enforce a mask mandate established by state, city, county and town governments, or any other jurisdiction within Arizona.
In 2022, A.R.S. 1-611 was enacted to protect students under the age of 18 at public district or charter schools from being required to wear a mask without the express consent of the child’s parent or guardian.
Additionally in 2022, A.R.S 36-681 was enacted to protect the public from forced masking at any government building or premises, except where long-standing workplace safety and infection control measures that are unrelated to COVID-19 may be required.
Furthermore, should the Governor implement a state of emergency for “public health” reasons, last year’s enacted A.R.S 26-303 would require the Governor to first get permission from the Legislature in order to extend the emergency past 120 days.
Reports have surged about an increase in COVID-19 cases with the spread of the EG.5 (“Eris”), FL.1.5.1 (“Fornax”), and BA.2.86 (“Pirola”). These developments have led to the return of some masking requirements around the nation. In Atlanta, Morris Brown College sent an email to its faculty, staff, and students, announcing the reinstatement of its COVID-19 mask mandate because of “reports of positive cases among students in the Atlanta University Center.” The college also reimposed physical distancing and gathering restrictions on campus.
The movie studio Lionsgate in Los Angeles also brought back its mask mandate for the office, as did Kaiser Permanente for its Santa Rosa (California) hospital and medical offices.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently warned, “This week’s national ensemble predicts that the number of daily COVID-19 hospital admissions will increase, with 1,100 to 7,500 daily COVID-19 hospital admissions likely reported on September 18.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Within a week, Phoenix’s public libraries used up a month’s worth of the overdose-reversing drug Narcan made available at no cost to the public. The 1,600 kits cleared out almost immediately.
All 17 of Phoenix’s public libraries began offering the emergency overdose treatment last week. Narcan, or naloxone, is a nasal spray that reverses opioid and fentanyl overdoses.
Mayor Kate Gallego touted the Narcan kit rollout as life-saving. Gallego told reporters that civilians and other city workers may now intervene as first responders.
“By placing Naloxone in the hands of city employees and making it more accessible to residents, we’re creating a network of potential first responders who can make a significant impact in emergency situations,” said Gallego.
Today, I joined city employees and partners to launch our new public naloxone program, which makes Narcan available at all @PhxLibrary locations.
Narcan can reverse the effects of opioid overdose and save lives. Pick up a kit at a library near you, and spread the word! https://t.co/kurD8Od7GC
The Phoenix Public Library system didn’t post any announcements on their social media pages about the new overdose kit rollout, but did feature the young winners of their summer reading competition.
Library-goers may witness Narcan administrations while reading or dropping off their borrowed books.
A demonstration from @PHXFire on how to administer Narcan to someone suffering from an opioid overdose. Starting today, you can pick up a free kit with the lifesaving medication from any Phoenix public library. @KTAR923pic.twitter.com/w69n8N0o5J
As of last week, AZDHS reported nearly 800 opioid deaths, over 2,400 non-fatal opioid overdose events, and over 5,000 emergency and inpatient visits related to suspected opioid overdoses so far this year. First responders were able to administer Naloxone in about 4,000 out of 5,200 suspected opioid overdose responses (77 percent).
Compared with 2022 totals, there are 312 less opioid deaths and over 400 more non-fatal opioid overdose events this year compared to this time last year. However, AZDHS noted that data for the last four months may still be in the process of being collected.
It may be that the death count for this year will be greater than last year. The last four months currently report a sharp decline in opioid deaths compared to last year and 2021, but the first four months of the year overall represented an increase in deaths from last year and from 2021.
However, the opioid death total dropped by 89 from 2021 to 2022, from around 2,000 to around 1,900.
Emergency and in-patient visits for suspected drug overdoses are occurring at similar rates this year compared with last year: over 5,700 this year compared to around 5,600 this time last year and around 6,800 this time in 2021. There are less suspected opioid overdose first responder responses compared to this time last year: around 5,200 compared to 6,300.
A majority of opioid overdoses are due to fentanyl. Last year, nearly 66 percent of Phoenix-based opioid deaths involved fentanyl.
Federal prosecutors are cracking down on human smuggling attempts through social media platforms.
On Tuesday, the United States Attorney’s Office unsealed 13 indictments for 22 individuals. Those indictments charged these people with Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona, “each indictment charges a human smuggling coordinator who utilized social media, including Snapchat, to recruit individuals within Arizona to transport undocumented noncitizens for money. After recruiting the drivers on social media, the coordinators often switched to a messenger application such as WhatsApp to coordinate the logistics. Many of the indicted coordinators were identified through law enforcement contacts, data from cellular phones, and their social media accounts.”
These indictments confirm a concerning epidemic of alleged crimes surrounding the southern border. For years, local law enforcement has warned about the existence of human smuggling efforts taking place over social media.
In May 2022, former Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels penned an op-ed for Fox News, detailing these crimes and outlining how the actions affected border communities. They wrote, “Teens are being recruited because of their accessibility to social media platforms, impressionability, and youthful greed. Since October 2021, local law enforcement officials have only one recorded instance of a face-to-face recruitment between a teenager and a smuggler or cartel; the vast majority of encounters occur outside the watchful eyes of parents or guardians over social media.”
The two officials shared a heartbreaking story of how one of these episodes tragically changed the lives of one southern Arizona family forever, adding, “This crisis started to place local law enforcement officials and residents of Cochise County on high alert in October 2021 when law enforcement officials attempted a traffic stop on a 16-year-old from Mesa, who was smuggling migrants in Cochise County in southern Arizona. The teenager suddenly hit the gas, driving over 100 miles per hour through small towns and quiet intersections on a mad dash to avoid apprehension. He eventually ran a red light, smashing into another vehicle and killing Wanda Sitoski, a local grandmother on her way to meet her son for her 65th birthday dinner.”
Brnovich and Dannels called out to social media companies, the traditional media, and government officials “to highlight the escalating crisis and seek assistance.” They also warned American parents that “cartels can reach their children hundreds or thousands of miles away” because of the existence and usage of social media platforms.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona stated that “a conviction for Conspiring to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.”
The Homeland Security Investigations – Casa Grande and Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol – Tucson Sector investigated, leading to the 13 indictments. Assistant United States Attorneys Ross Arellano Edwards, John Ballos, Timothy Courchaine, Brett Day, Matthew Doyle, Lisa Jennis, Christine Keller, Marcus Shand, LeighAnn Thomas, and Stuart Zander, District of Arizona, Phoenix, are spearheading the prosecutions.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
On Tuesday, Arizona Christian University (ACU) announced that it had “achieved record enrollment and surpassed 1,200 total students for the first time.”
ACU President Len Munsil championed the news of his university’s enrollment prowess, saying, “As one of the few higher education institutions in the nation that is conservative and committed to biblical truth, we are finding more and more students and families are looking for what we are offering. For Christians who are tired of paying tuition to institutions where their faith is ridiculed, mocked and canceled, ACU is becoming an increasingly popular alternative.”
The release from ACU highlighted its blossoming recruitment and enrollment efforts, that have largely taken place since Munsil assumed control of the university in 2010, sharing, “After graduating its largest class ever in May, ACU is excited to welcome nearly 500 new students this fall, including nearly 400 first-time freshmen. ACU attracted more new students this year than its entire campus population during Munsil’s first year as ACU president in 2010. For the past decade, ACU has been one of the fastest-growing universities in America.”
Munsil shared his thoughts on ACU’s future and the importance of holding true to the university’s values and mission, adding, “Ultimately, we believe ACU will continue to grow – and must continue to grow – because of its conservative, biblical mission and uncompromising stand for the truths of the gospel. But that growth will never come at the expense of our mission – or our commitment to the small college experience and the unique, caring community we have developed.”
The new year for the university comes after a rather challenging spring, when ACU garnered media headlines over its legal battle with a local school district. In May, the Arizona-based Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) announced a settlement between ACU and the Washington Elementary School District after the District “decided to terminate its (eleven-year) relationship with Arizona Christian and its students solely because of their religious status and beliefs on biblical marriage and sexuality.”
ADF revealed that “the district’s board voted…to enter a new agreement allowing ACU students to teach in the district once again” – in addition to covering $25,000 in attorneys’ fees. That motion from the District’s Governing Board passed with a 4-1 vote.
After the settlement was brokered, ACU and Munsil took a conciliatory approach to recognizing their legal victory. Munsil said at the time, “We look forward to a continued beneficial partnership that serves ACU student-teachers and the students, faculty, and staff of the WESD.”
According to the university, “ACU’s mission and vision are to transform culture with truth by educating and equipping Christian leaders of influence and excellence. Recent ACU graduates have gone on to excel in seminaries, prominent graduate schools, medical schools and law schools including Harvard, the University of Virginia, and ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Other recent graduates have started businesses and non-profits, become teachers, counselors, worship leaders and pastors. ACU has continued to rise in U.S. News & World Report’s national ‘Best College’ rankings, including being ranked in the category of ‘Best Value’ due to its tuition being 25 percent lower than average for private colleges.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
