by Jonathan Eberle | Nov 18, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
Arizona House Speaker Steve Montenegro has formed a new advisory team to investigate allegations that Governor Katie Hobbs’ administration awarded a lucrative contract increase to a politically connected group home provider, raising fresh questions about influence and accountability inside the Department of Child Safety (DCS).
The move follows reporting by The Arizona Republic that Sunshine Residential Homes received a 30% rate increase after contributing more than $400,000 to Hobbs and Democratic political committees. According to documents cited in the reporting, other group home providers seeking similar adjustments were denied. Internal communications reportedly show DCS staff discussing the provider’s political connections to the governor and suggesting the increase be kept quiet from competing organizations.
The revelations come as DCS faces a budget shortfall and has been under pressure to reduce reliance on group home placements, making the agency’s decision to grant a significant rate hike particularly notable. Speaker Montenegro said the advisory team will conduct a legislative investigation to assemble facts, coordinate with law-enforcement agencies, and evaluate possible actions the House may take to prevent preferential treatment in state contracting.
“The facts reported raise serious questions the House cannot ignore,” Montenegro said in a statement. “Arizona’s children, families, and taxpayers deserve a system that is clean, fair, and focused on care, not political access or donations.”
The speaker also directed state agencies and contractors to preserve all relevant records and to cooperate fully with the Legislature. The advisory panel includes several senior lawmakers including Rep. Selina Bliss, Chair of the House Health and Human Services Committee; Rep. David Livingston, Chair of House Appropriations; Rep. Matt Gress, Chair of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee; Rep. Quang Nguyen, Chair of House Judiciary; and Speaker Pro Tempore Neal Carter.
The investigation builds on earlier legislative efforts to probe the relationship between Sunshine Residential Homes and the Hobbs administration. In 2024, Rep. Matt Gress requested investigations by the Maricopa County Attorney and the Auditor General following the first reports linking the provider to political contributions and favorable treatment. Rep. David Livingston separately urged Attorney General Kris Mayes to recuse herself, citing concerns about conflicts of interest involving the governor and the Democratic Party.
The House advisory team is expected to begin its work immediately and will coordinate with any parallel investigations by the Auditor General, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, or the Attorney General. Montenegro said lawmakers will “secure the records, ask the hard questions, and, if necessary, change the law to ensure it never happens again.”
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Sep 18, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
The Arizona Free Enterprise Club escalated its call for accountability, urging the County Attorneys of Mohave, Pinal, and Yuma Counties to launch investigations into Arizona State University (ASU) leadership for allegedly manipulating 2022 gubernatorial debate rules to favor Democratic Katie Hobbs over Republican Kari Lake.
The action follows a complaint filed by the Club in August 2025, with the Arizona Attorney General and Maricopa County Attorney, which was dismissed without a thorough review, prompting a broader push for enforcement under state law.
In a sharply worded letter addressed to the Mohave County Attorney Matt Smith, Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller, and Yuma County Attorney Karolyn Kaczorowski, Club President Scot Mussi detailed evidence of ASU’s deviation from established debate protocols, accusing university officials of using public resources to influence the election in violation of A.R.S. § 15-1633.
The statute states: “A person acting on behalf of a university or a person who aids another person acting on behalf of a university shall not spend or use university resources for the purpose of influencing the outcomes of elections or to advocate support for or opposition to pending or proposed legislation.”
This call-to-action stems from a September 2022 debate co-sponsored by ASU, Arizona PBS, and the Citizens Clean Elections Commission (CCEC).
Under longstanding CCEC regulations (Ariz. Admin. Code § R2-20-107(K)), a candidate declining an invitation to debate their political opponent forfeits airtime, granting the attending opponent a 30-minute solo interview.
When Hobbs announced she would skip the debate, ASU and PBS bypassed set regulations, granting her an exclusive 30-minute interview, a first in years to do so.
Internal communications, obtained and reported by the Arizona Republic, exposed the intent behind the decision. ASU President Michael Crow, Chief of Staff James O’Brien, and ASU Media Enterprise Managing Director Mi-Ai Parrish allegedly prioritized Hobbs’ comfort over neutrality.
Parrish’s emails to O’Brien highlighted concerns that “Katie is getting roasted hard” for dodging the debate and pressed CCEC staff to limit Lake’s discussion of election integrity, arguing that airing “a person with those views was wrong.” CCEC Executive Director Tom Collins confirmed to the Republic that Parrish sought to suppress Lake’s platform.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly listed the names of the County Attorneys. They have now been corrected.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Jonathan Eberle | Sep 12, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
Robert “Bob” Corbin, a longtime Arizona public official who served as state Attorney General and played a pivotal role in some of the state’s most high-profile legal cases, has died. He was 96.
Corbin’s career in public service spanned decades, beginning as Maricopa County Attorney and later as a member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. In 1979, he was elected Arizona’s Attorney General, a position he held through the 1980s.
Known for his commitment to integrity in government, Corbin gained recognition for prosecuting public officials accused of corruption and for pursuing justice in the 1976 car-bomb killing of Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles — a case that shocked the state and the nation. His work in that era helped shape Arizona’s reputation for taking on organized crime and political misconduct.
Maricopa County Chairman Thomas Galvin expressed condolences, saying Corbin “was a man of integrity and a selfless public servant” whose leadership left a lasting mark on the state. “He played a central role in landmark judicial cases, went after officials who violated the public trust, and prosecuted those responsible for the murder of journalist Don Bolles,” Galvin said in a statement. “As both an attorney and elected official, I am humbled to follow in the footsteps of someone so influential and principled.”
Beyond his courtroom and public service record, Corbin was respected across party lines for his measured approach to law enforcement and governance. He also served as president of the National Rifle Association in the early 1990s, a role that reflected his deep involvement in public policy beyond Arizona.
Corbin is survived by his wife, former state senator Lori Klein Corbin, along with family, friends, and colleagues who remember him as a man deeply devoted to both his work and the people of Arizona.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Aug 31, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
The legal fight between Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap and the County Board of Supervisors escalated Monday. America First Legal filed two motions on Heap’s behalf, and Arizona’s legislative leaders submitted an amicus brief supporting him.
In a press release, the County Recorder’s Office stated that the motions filed by America First Legal “reveal how the County Board of Supervisors and County Attorney Rachel Mitchell have weaponized county government against duly-elected Recorder Justin Heap simply because he dared to fulfill his statutory duties and protect the sanctity of Arizona elections.”
Heap said in a statement, “It’s unfortunate that the Board’s unprofessional and bad faith actions have forced us to litigate this issue; however, it’s significantly more unfortunate that the Board continues to deny the voters of Maricopa County the positive, common sense election integrity reforms that they voted for last November when they elected me. As I’ve promised from day one, I am working to ensure honest, secure, and transparent elections for every voter in Maricopa County. I am not, and will not, waiver in my commitment to executing on this promise. I’m grateful to America First Legal for standing by my side in this battle.”
America First Legal detailed Heap’s allegations in the first filing: “The Defendants — the members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (‘BOS’) — have crossed from fiscal oversight into outright sabotage. Ignoring [state law] and decades of precedent, the BOS has refused to fund the Recorder’s ‘necessary expenses’ — from modern ballot-processing equipment to indispensable IT staff — while simultaneously seizing control of the very election functions its stonewalling endangers. The BOS’s obstruction is not mere bureaucratic foot-dragging; it is a calculated power grab that throttles the Recorder’s constitutional duty to administer secure, timely elections.”
In an amici filing in support of Heap, Arizona House Speaker Steven Montenegro and Senate President Warren Petersen’s legal representation call for a strict interpretation of state statutes which govern the responsibilities of the county recorder and board of supervisors. They argue that the “court should narrowly conclude that, based on the statutes’ plain language, when the statute authorizes ‘the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections’ to act, it is the recorder’s duty to ensure the statute is complied with unless the recorder expressly agrees to delegate that duty to another ‘officer in charge of elections.’”
As previously reported by AZ Free News, the months-long negotiations between Heap and the Board, led by Chairman Thomas Galvin, devolved steadily since Heap’s election and the replacement of Stephen Richer in January until finally collapsing into litigation in June.
The crux of the disagreement between the Board of Supervisors and County Recorder Heap rests upon a Shared Services Agreement (SSA) agreed to by Heap’s predecessor, Richer, who ardently opposed the election integrity efforts that Heap ran for office to enact. For nearly six months, the two county offices negotiated; however, Heap and the Supervisors were unable to reach an agreement, culminating in a lawsuit filed by Heap.
Since then, Heap has alleged that the Supervisors have “taken retaliatory actions” describing a series of measures that “make it impossible for him to do his job, including removing nearly all his election-related IT staff; seizing the servers, databases, and websites necessary to fulfill his duties; and restricting access to necessary facilities and equipment,” as reported by The Federalist.
In a second filing, Heap and America First Legal introduced allegations involving Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, bringing a third County office into the fray in a dispute over who may represent the County Recorder, an attorney chosen by Heap or Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. In the legal brief, they allege, “Attorney Mitchell originally appointed a criminal defense attorney to advise the Recorder; however, in April, America First Legal agreed to represent Heap pro bono, a move that Mitchell objected to.”
“When the Recorder complained that the original attorney appointed for him lacked sufficient subject matter expertise, County Attorney Mitchell appointed former Arizona Supreme Court Justice Andrew Gould to advise the Recorder only during negotiations with the Board. However, County Attorney Mitchell and the Board did not allow Justice Gould to litigate on the Recorder’s behalf,” the filing revealed.
But according to AFL, that wasn’t the end of it. “In May of 2025, Justice Gould specifically asked the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for permission to litigate on Recorder Heap’s behalf but was not allowed to do so because the scope of his representation was limited to negotiation of the SSA and did not include litigation, and, accordingly, the County would not compensate him for litigation-related work.”
Mitchell responded by penning a letter to the AFL attorneys, writing in part, “This letter is to inform you that I am the Recorder’s attorney and that you do not represent the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office or Recorder Heap in his official capacity.”
Per The Federalist, AFL attorney James Rogers retorted that the “County Recorder is allowed to pick his own lawyer in litigation,” adding that Heap “is not subject to the whims of the county attorney.”
In the midst of the complex legal battle between the Recorder’s Office and the Board of Supervisors, which has drawn the attention of legislative leaders, the dispute with Mitchell adds yet another layer of infighting within the already divided county government, with the calendar counting down to the 2026 elections.
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 Daniel Stefanski | Jan 30, 2025 | Education, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona Republicans are reacting to a financial crisis involving a local school district and calling for serious investigations into the developing matter.
This week, a number of Republicans in both the Arizona House of Representatives and Senate released statements about the situation surrounding Isaac Elementary School District being placed in receivership by the Arizona State Board of Education. Some legislators are even looking to the Maricopa County Attorney to investigate the school district if the state’s attorney general does not spring into action.
House Speaker Steve Montenegro said, “Our sympathies begin and end with the students, faculty, and parents of Isaac. At the heart of this crisis are more than 4,800 students and hundreds of employees who have been abandoned by failed district leadership. The falsification of financial records and the mismanagement of public funds are a betrayal of trust and must be investigated immediately. The people of Arizona deserve to know how this happened, and those responsible must be held accountable.”
Senator David Farnsworth, the Chair of the Education Committee, added, “I’m incredibly concerned by what’s transpired within the Isaac Elementary School District. My colleagues in both the Senate and House are investigating what led to the tremendous overspending and what legislative reforms we need to adopt to make certain a similar situation doesn’t happen in the future. What the State of Arizona won’t do is provide this school district a financial bailout without implementing any corrective policies. Doing so would only be a Band Aid on the wound and most certainly do more harm than good.”
Senator Carine Werner, a first-term legislator and the Vice Chair of the Education Committee, wrote, “My heart goes out to the teachers and staff of Isaac Elementary School District, many of whom are already living paycheck to paycheck and are now fearing the money isn’t going to hit their bank accounts come pay day because of the gross financial mismanagement by administrators within this district. We are working on solutions to ensure the children of these schools are not disrupted in their learning environments and those responsible are held accountable.”
Arizona House Majority Leader Michael Carbone stated, “Since taking office, Mayes has shown zero interest in tackling corruption in school districts. Instead, she has used her office to attack parents who use Empowerment Scholarship Accounts to seek better opportunities for their children. This is the same Attorney General who dropped all felony charges against a former Scottsdale Unified Superintendent engaged in a laundry list of fraudulent schemes at multiple school districts. Amazingly, Mayes only required the former administrator to pay income taxes on illegal kickbacks the administrator received – a sweetheart settlement for the ages. The students in Isaac deserve better.”
In their letter sent to Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, Arizona House Republican leadership wrote, “In late December, the Arizona Auditor General sounded the alarm over the possibility of a receivership and noted that the Isaac Elementary School District has been identified as one of Arizona’s highest-risk districts since December 2020. The Auditor General has also reported that ‘[t]hroughout FY 2024, the District failed to report expenditures in the appropriate funds throughout the year and submitted a misleading and inaccurate FY 2024 annual financial report’ to the Arizona Department of Education. And in another report documenting multiple deficiencies in Fiscal Year 2023, the Auditor General noted potential conflict of interest issues, miscoded financial transactions, incomplete financial records and documentation, failures to deposit cash in a timely manner, and failures to provide training and guidance related to restrictions on accepting gifts or benefits.”
The House Republicans asked Mitchell to confirm an investigation into the Isaac Elementary School District matter because they lack confidence that Mayes would “fully and fairly investigate the school district’s leadership over these serious issues.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
