by Matthew Holloway | May 24, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Democrat Rick McCartney, the founder of Phoenix-based advertising company InMedia, has become the fifth Democrat candidate to challenge incumbent Congressional District 1 Republican Rep. David Schweikert. McCartney, 58, joins fellow Democrats Amish Shah, Brian Del Vecchio, Marlene Galán-Woods, and Jonathan Treble in the upcoming Democratic primary to determine who will challenge the seven-term incumbent Republican budget hawk.
According to the Cook Political Report, Schweikert’s District is an R+1, classified in 2026 as a toss-up district despite the Republican’s 3.8 point victory in 2024 over Shah.
McCartney is an LGBTQ activist and has chaired the board of one-n-ten, “the largest organization supporting LGBTQ+ youth in Arizona,” according to his campaign website. In his bio he describes the campaign as “personal,” with his campaign stating, “As gay men, Rick and his husband stand in the crosshairs of Donald Trump’s assault on vulnerable communities.” He also chaired the Maricopa County Workforce Development Board, and is likely familiar to local Democrats.
But this was where the specifics from McCartney’s campaign ended. The site, appearing to be an early build, is bereft of policy planks or campaign goals other than to “stand up to Trump and end his lawless assault on vulnerable communities,” or claiming to know “what Arizona workers and businesses need to succeed,” and touting “lower prices, a growing economy, and jobs with good benefits.”
Speaking with AZCentral McCartney said, “What we’re seeing with Donald Trump right now is just very destructive to a lot of the great things that we’ve been working on here in this district.” As noted by the outlet, he is in quite deep with the Democrat powerbrokers of the state, joining elected officials on international trips with Governor Katie Hobbs and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego according to his LinkedIn.
Reporter Laura Gersony noted that McCartney also boasts “relationships with well-connected political donors and philanthropists.”
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 Jonathan Eberle | May 24, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
On Thursday, Arizona State Representative Alexander Kolodin (R-LD3) accused Governor Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes of improperly delegating state powers to a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization. The accusation raises concerns about transparency and potential conflicts of interest in the administration of state business.
According to documents Kolodin says he obtained through a months-long investigation, both Hobbs and Mayes engaged in undisclosed agreements with the States United Democracy Center, a nonprofit organization focused on protecting elections and democratic norms. Kolodin alleged that the group holds connections to progressive donors and political agendas.
The materials released by Kolodin indicate that Hobbs, during her tenure as Secretary of State, contracted with States United on three separate occasions to provide assistance in managing her office. One such arrangement was reportedly renewed shortly after Hobbs assumed the governorship. Kolodin contends that while these services were presented as being provided at no cost to the state, States United simultaneously received permission to advocate in regulatory and legal proceedings against Arizona’s interests—even while advising top state officials.
The report also includes allegations that the group was allowed to delete public records, potentially in violation of state law. Kolodin claims that the organization’s acknowledgment of this risk was disregarded by AG Mayes, who publicly denied any wrongdoing. The Attorney General’s office, according to Kolodin, has yet to release additional documents tied to its interactions with States United.
“Governor Hobbs and Attorney General Mayes have betrayed Arizonans by allowing radical, dark-money activists to infiltrate and weaponize Arizona’s government,” said Kolodin in a statement. “This corrupt collusion must be exposed. The people deserve answers, transparency, and immediate accountability.”
The allegations are likely to intensify tensions in the state, where debates over election integrity and government transparency have remained prominent in recent years. Representative Kolodin, a Republican, serves in the Arizona House of Representatives and has been a vocal critic of Governor Hobbs’ agenda.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | May 23, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Maricopa County leaders are considering a $400,000 consulting contract to review and advise on elections.
The county is looking to contract with the accounting and consulting firm BerryDunn. The proposed contract would last for one year, with options to renew for up to four additional years. The contract also allows for the county to extend the contract on a monthly basis for up to six months after May 2026.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors was scheduled to decide on this contract during Wednesday’s meeting. They opted to delay a decision on the contract until their June 25 meeting.
BerryDunn has previously engaged in elections-related projects for the county. The firm conducted a procurement audit for the county’s voting system and related equipment in 2021, and an assessment of the county recorder’s election planning and Election Day activities following the 2018 primary and general elections.
Talks to secure a consulting firm for another audit of the county’s elections system emerged at the start of this year immediately after a slate of fresh faces took over the board of supervisors.
If approved, BerryDunn would review six areas of the county’s elections system with the goal of improving its efficiency: chain of custody, physical security, candidate filing compliance, temporary worker hiring and training, ballot drop boxes, and vote center selection and setup. In terms of efficiency, BerryDunn promised competency in assessing risk and analyzing trends while maintaining compliance with state and federal regulations.
The proposed timeline spans three phases promising 12 deliverables: planning and oversight for the first four weeks, discovery and fieldwork for the following 14 weeks, and reporting for the final seven weeks.
In its pitch to the county for the contract, BerryDunn pointed to the size of past clientele: 650 state, local, and quasi-governmental clients nationwide. Among those, BerryDunn completed election-related engagements for the New Hampshire secretary of state from 2020 to 2021 concerning its CARES Act elections assistance and grant management.
Within Maricopa County, BerryDunn has undertaken other non-elections projects over the last decade: the Adobe Dam Recreation Center Feasibility Study, Adult Probation Case Management Consultant, Adult Probation Department – Victim Services Review, Cyber Security Risk Assessment for the Judicial Branch, Housing Choice Voucher Forensic Audit Services for the Housing Authority, Information Security Program Maturity Assessment, Parks Fee Analysis, Regional County Parks Master Planning Services, and Sheriff’s Office Bonds, Fines, and Court Order Processing Audit.
Aside from Maricopa County, BerryDunn has contracted with many local and state entities within Arizona in the past: the Departments of Agriculture, Economic Security (and its Division Of Developmental Disabilities), and Health Services; the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System; the State Land Department; Coconico, Maricopa, and Pima counties; the cities of Avondale, Glendale, Goodyear, Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Surprise, Tempe, and Tucson; and the towns of Gilbert, Prescott Valley, Queen Creek, and Sahuarita.
Several months ago, BerryDunn entered a $7.25 million class action lawsuit settlement over a 2023 data breach affecting over 1.1 million individuals. The data breach compromised the names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and health insurance policy numbers for the affected individuals.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Jonathan Eberle | May 23, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has vetoed legislation that would have allowed residents in voter-established Active Management Areas (AMAs), including the newly created Douglas AMA, to revisit their groundwater management designation after ten years.
The bill, HB 2089, was sponsored by Representative Gail Griffin (R–LD19), who argued that the measure was about preserving local control and ensuring that rural communities retain a voice in long-term water policy decisions.
“This bill simply would have allowed voters to revisit a decision they made ten years earlier. It respected the voice of the people — not silenced it,” Griffin said in a statement responding to the veto. “The Governor’s action undermines the ability of rural communities to self-govern and respond to future conditions.”
Under current Arizona law, AMAs are designated areas where groundwater is heavily regulated in an effort to manage overdraft and promote sustainable use. The Douglas AMA was approved by voters in 2022 in response to growing concerns over aquifer depletion in southeastern Arizona. The law established that AMA did not include an option for voters to re-evaluate the decision in the future — a gap HB 2089 sought to address.
Rep. Griffin and other rural lawmakers have expressed concern over what they describe as heavy-handed regulation from Phoenix that may not reflect the economic realities of agricultural communities. In a press release, the Arizona House Republican Caucus also criticized the Governor’s broader approach to groundwater management, particularly in the Willcox Basin, where the administration is reportedly pursuing a 50% reduction in groundwater overdraft by 2075.
The veto is the latest flashpoint in an ongoing debate between state leadership and rural lawmakers over how best to balance groundwater conservation with agricultural and economic needs. It remains unclear whether supporters of the measure will seek to reintroduce similar legislation in future sessions.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Jonathan Eberle | May 23, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
State Representative Quang Nguyen, Chairman of the Arizona House Judiciary Committee, is intensifying his inquiry into the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry (ADCRR) in the wake of a series of violent inmate deaths, including a high-profile triple homicide earlier this spring.
In a letter sent Monday to ADCRR Director Ryan Thornell, Nguyen called for a broad range of records, citing what he described as a “disturbing pattern of violence, security failures, and possible ideological interference” within the state’s prison system.
The move marks a significant escalation in the chairman’s ongoing investigation, which began after an inmate serving 16 life sentences for multiple murders was able to kill three fellow prisoners on April 4 at the Tucson prison complex.
“The situation at ADCRR appears to be far worse than previously understood,” Nguyen said in a statement. “We’re no longer looking at a single failure. We are looking at a system in decline, marked by ineffective leadership, poor oversight, and questionable outside influence.”
The request from Chairman Nguyen includes records on all inmate homicides since January 2024; internal investigation reports on those incidents; department policies and data on contraband weapons and cell phones; all prior versions of inmate classification and movement policies, including those governing maximum custody; and internal communications between ADCRR officials and outside advocacy groups, including the ACLU and Creosote Partners.
Nguyen also raised concerns about whether external advocacy organizations have exerted undue influence on internal corrections policies in ways that may compromise security or conflict with Arizona law. The ADCRR has until June 2 to respond to the records request.
The Arizona Republic recently published video footage allegedly showing inmates using improvised weapons in violent assaults, further fueling public scrutiny of prison conditions and management practices. It remains unclear whether the requested documents will be released in full or whether the agency will challenge any aspect of the request.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | May 22, 2025 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
Editor’s Note: A Higley Unified School District spokesperson has denied that the Quran was taught to Pre-K students. The spokesperson has claimed that that social media post (see below) was due to an autocorrect error that changed Qatar to Quran. AZ Free News attempted to recreate the autocorrect error with no success. A search of Google AI indicates that “Qatar” is not likely to autocorrect to “Quran.”
An East Valley school is coming under fire from parents for teaching the Quran to pre-kindergarten students.
Children involved in the PreK THINK! Highly Gifted Academy at the Sossaman Early Childhood Development Center within the Higley Unified School District (HUSD) got an impromptu lesson on the Islamic religion this week.
A teacher for gifted students, Janet Williams, allowed the father of one student to teach the class about the Quran. In a picture posted by Williams to a forum frequented by parents, a father wearing Islamic garb offers the children to inspect his clothing.
“We celebrated [a student’s] birthday and his dad told us all about Quran,” said Williams.
Peggy McClain, who runs the Not in Our Schools website, questioned the legality and fairness of the school allowing a lesson on the Islamic religion.
“Where is the separation of church and state we are always lectured about?” asked McClain. “Look what happened in a Pre-K in a Higley District school, they discussed the Quran.”
A parent asked whether HUSD would allow their daughter to teach the Mormon religion to students next.
“Since you’re allowing members of the community to come in and share their religion, my daughter is a missionary for the LDS church and would love to stop by with treats and a quick message about Jesus Christ,” said the parent. “My Catholic and Jewish friends want their turn, too.”
Schools may not compel religious action, such as prayer. Coercion violates the separation of church and state, according to the advocacy group Secular Arizona. Schools may also not distribute religious materials, or present religious content as true or false, or present religious doctrines or beliefs as factual.
“It is easy for a teacher to give students the impression that submitting to an unwanted religious exercise is required, expected, or preferred, even if you don’t mean to do that,” stated Secular Arizona. “Students have an absolute right to be free from that pressure.”
Arizona’s chief executive and legal officer are vocally opposed to religious influence in public education. Both women have consistently maintained that religion in the classroom violates the “separation of church and state” — not an exact phrase enumerated in the U.S. Constitution but a concept derived from the First Amendment’s Establishment and Free Exercise clauses.
The Establishment Clause prohibits Congress from making laws establishing religion, while the Free Exercise Clause stops Congress from making laws prohibiting the free exercise of religion.
Last year, Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill approved by the legislature to allow schools to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
Hobbs asserted in her veto letter that the display of the Christian religious text was not only not essential for education but likely unconstitutional.
“Not only do I have serious concerns about the constitutionality of this legislation, it is also unnecessary,” said Hobbs.
Last month, Attorney General Kris Mayes joined 17 attorneys general in a legal fight before the U.S. Supreme Court against the creation of the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school.
“Charter schools are not private schools – they are public schools,” said Attorney General Mayes. “Allowing religious charter schools would force states to choose between violating the Constitution or dismantling their public charter systems.”
In 2023, HUSD again irked parents when it relaxed its dress code policy to allow for clothing which expose the chest, abdomen, and midriff.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
