Connect the dots: Local big businesses are working on a multi-level coup
The Roberts’ Court ruling overturning campaign finance laws in January 2010 opened the gates for corporations to flood the 2010 midterm election with cash… anonymously. Hundreds of millions of dollars in secret funds are being pumped into media markets across the nation in order to defeat progressive candidates and stop the progressive agenda in Washington, DC.
Right here in our own backyard, small government advocate Grover Norquist created a $230,000 TV attack ad for politically-untested, 28-year-old, Tea Party darling Ruth McClung, who is challenging CD7 Congressman Raul Grijalva.
If you connect the dots, you can see that local big businesses are using money and influence to change our local government, change the way we hold local elections, control key political positions, and basically take over Tucson. Here is the evidence…
- The Southern Arizona Leadership Council (SALC), a group made up of the richest businessmen in Southern Arizona, is sponsoring Prop 401. This proposition– if passed by voters on November 2– would change to the Tucson City Charter and make the unelected city manager the most powerful person in Tucson; increase the power of the Mayor; diminish the power of the City Council (while giving them a 155% pay raise to roll over); and change the City Council election cycle, enabling all Council members to be elected in the same year (and also enabling people with enough money to sweep the Council).
- If you follow the Prop 401 money trail, you will see that there are several donations of $1000-$10,000 and almost no donations under $100. The moneyed backers include Tucson Association of Realtors, Diamond Ventures, Jim Click, several other car dealers and developers, and many other businesses. (Although the Yes on 401 advertising says that unions back Prop 401, there are no union donations.)
- It was revealed this week in the Tucson Citizen that Raytheon’s political action committee made one campaign contribution in this election cycle– $15,000 to Yes on Prop 401. (Raytheon belongs to SALC. Ov course, thanks again to the Roberts’ Court, Raytheon probably also made other anonymous donations.)
- On last week’s All Things Political talk radio show hosted by former City Councilman Steve Leal on AM 1330 we learned that SALC sided with the Arizona Legislature in a lawsuit against the City of Tucson. (Click the link to hear the audio from the radio show.) In the last legislative session, the Arizona Legislature passed a law forcing the City of Tucson to hold non-partisan elections. The City of Tucson is suing the Legislature over this law that specifically targets Tucson, and SALC is a co-defendant in the suit. Tucson voters have rejected non-partisan, ward-only elections more than once at the ballot box. Now the Arizona Legislature and SALC are trying to shove it down our throats. (Unfortunately, this is nothing new; SALC has a history of trying to manipulate Tucson and Southern Arizona.)
- SALC is in the process of installing their vice president, John Pedicone (1, 2), as the new superintendent of Tucson Unified School District. SALC has a side project– Tucson Values Teachers— which encourages private citizens to buy schools supplies and gift cards for teachers. Helping and valuing teachers is a noble cause, but I find it ironic that the richest men in Southern Arizona are asking the rest of us for financial support. Also, no where on the TVT website does it say that they value public education. What would Pedicone do as superindent of TUSD? Will he be a champion for public education? This is unclear. Who does SALC back for state superintendent of public instruction? I have hunted around for the answer to that question but couldn’t find the answer. Do they favor Republican John Huppenthal, who as a state legislator worked to dismantle public education? Or Democrat Penny Kotterman, a life-long educator and advocate for children?
- Not stopping with trying to take over city government and TUSD, a Raytheon employee– Ruth McClung— is running for Congress in Congressional District 7. McClung and her husband both work for our local defense contractor. (Interestingly enough, McClung campaigns against big government spending, while being supported 100% by big government spending.) I’m sure it would be a sweet deal for SALC and Raytheon to have an inexperienced, young Congresswoman at their disposal. (Also, don’t forget that Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup is a retired Raytheon big-wig.)
Personally, I think this is chilling evidence of a local coup in the making. It shows that these local moneyed forces are working behind the scenes at several levels to change Tucson. Is democracy for sale? I hope not. For more on this topic, check out this link to today’s version of All Things Political.
13 comments on “Connect the dots: Local big businesses are working on a multi-level coup”
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Visiting with PALF chairman Fred Yamashita at the 2016 Labor Day Picnic.
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Arizonans for New Economy co-directors Jim Hannley and Pamela Powers Hannley with UA Tech Park VP Bruce Wright.
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Tucson Progressive 
District 7 Citizens need to know the connections between Grover Norquist’s, his C3 arm of American’s for Tax Reform. Senate Finance Committee report in 2005 alleged they were “frauding taxpayers.” This group might, right now, be under investigation. See exceperts from Stories and links belowReport Says Nonprofits Sold Influence to AbramoffBy James V. Grimaldi and Susan Schmidt Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, October 13, 2006; 1:32 AM“Five conservative nonprofit organizations, including one run by prominent Republican Grover Norquist, “appear to have perpetrated a fraud” on taxpayers by selling their clout to lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Senate investigators said in a report issued yesterday.The report includes previously unreleased e-mails between the now-disgraced lobbyist and officers of the nonprofit groups, showing that Abramoff funneled money from his clients to the groups. In exchange, the groups, among other things, produced ostensibly independent newspaper op-ed columns or news releases that favored the clients’ positions….”“…The Senate report released yesterday states that the nonprofit groups probably violated their tax-exempt status “by laundering payments and then disbursing funds at Mr. Abramoff’s direction; taking payments in exchange for writing newspaper columns or press releases that put Mr. Abramoff’s clients in a favorable light; introducing Mr. Abramoff’s clients to government officials in exchange for payment; and agreeing to act as a front organization for congressional trips paid for by Mr. Abramoff’s clients.”“….The groups named in the report are Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform; the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, which was co-founded by Norquist and Gale Norton before she became secretary of the interior; Citizens Against Government Waste; the National Center for Public Policy Research, a spinoff of the Heritage Foundation; and Toward Tradition, a Seattle-based religious group founded by Rabbi Daniel Lapin.Nonprofit Groups Funneled Money For AbramoffBy Susan Schmidt and James V. GrimaldiWashington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, June 25, 2006 “Newly released documents in the Jack Abramoff investigation shed light on how the lobbyist secretly routed his clients’ funds through tax-exempt organizations with the acquiescence of those in charge, including prominent conservative activist Grover Norquist….”“Among the organizations used by Abramoff was Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform. According to an investigative report on Abramoff’s lobbying released last week by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, Americans for Tax Reform served as a “conduit” for funds that flowed from Abramoff’s clients to surreptitiously finance grass-roots lobbying campaigns. As the money passed through, Norquist’s organization kept a small cut, e-mails show….” (Cont….)Senate Report Slams Norquist, Charities for Cheating
Justin Rood | October 12, 2006, 4:54PM
A long-awaited report by the Senate Finance Committee accuses Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform and other Abramoff-linked non-profits with committing acts that are likely in violation of their tax-exempt status.You can read the full report here. The document is 608 pages in total, but most of that is devoted to appendices and exhibits; the report itself is 55 pages long. (Cont.) CREW FILES IRS COMPLAINT AGAINST GROVER NORQUIST’S AMERICANS FOR TAX REFORM
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
March 14, 2006
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) today filed an Internal Revenue Services (IRS) complaint against Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), and American for Tax Reform Foundation (ATR Foundation), conservative, non-profit organizations led by right-wing activist Grover Norquist. The complaint asks the IRS to investigate activities by the groups which may violate IRS regulations and require a revocation of their tax-exempt status.
The complaint alleges that Norquist used either or both ATR and ATR Foundation as commercial enterprises by laundering money derived from Indian casino clients of former lobbyist and convicted felon Jack Abramoff. The casinos made contributions to ATR, which then skimmed a fee off the top before passing the money on to former Christian activist Ralph Reed and other anti-gambling activists. In this way, Norquist, Reed and Abramoff were able to disguise the fact that the money used to fund anti-gambling activities was generated through Indian gambling. The point of the anti-gambling campaigns was to prevent competition to the Indian casinos.Read the full report >
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To make it even spookier, Raytheon is running an employee in CD8 – Libertarian Steven Stoltz. Imagine CD7, CD8, Mayor, and State Senator Antenori all doing Raytheon’s bidding. With that sort of control, can Predator drones looking into our windows be far behind?
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This is a terrible article. Proving once again, that Grijalva is using his influence on trying to keep our people down. He has many latino’s scared about “Change” for the better to help Tucson by blaming things on successful “white” businessmen and women. It’s time to stand up to him. This story just like the strange “white Powder” package at his office, are all attempts to keep us down. By voting for some same old crooked canidates every year who do not represent us at all.
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Gabby spoke about these at the debates the other nite and watching the TV ads, a lot of outsiders are attacking her, not just Jesse Kelly but four or five differant sources from differant States
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I actually think she said 9 out-of-state, big money groups started raising money against her as early as May 2010. Kelly and McClung are empty suits spouting Tea Party BS.
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I believe Kelly and McClung are but Mr. Grijalva has to go.
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You really don’t consider yourself a journalist do you?
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Great story, Pamela. Connecting the dots is difficult for many of us as it requires time to research. Here you have done that work and presented it in a clear, concise manner.
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You really don’t mean that do you?
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Excellent report, Pamela.
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Grijalva and SEIU one in the same.
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Do you know what SEIU stands for?
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Service Employees International Union, major supporter of your buddy raul you two bit hack.
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