The octopus tentacles behind mayoral forum

 

One hour during the middle of the day in downtown Phoenix ensures few actual participants

Touted as the only opportunity to hear the mayoral candidates discuss key issues, the one and only forum in the race for Phoenix mayor will be held  Monday, August 27, during the workday, in difficult to navigate downtown Phoenix,, at the new UofA College of Medicine’s Virginia Piper Auditorium, 600 East Van Buren Street. (The parking lot is located on 7th Street just south of Fillmore. Enter off of 7th Street.)

This is interesting on several fronts. How many regular folk will be in attendance from 12:30 to 1:30 PM? City Hall is just a few blocks away, so will Mayor Phil Gordon fill the house with city employees and his political cronies?  With 80 percent of the ballots expected to be voted early, scheduling the event weeks after ballots have been mailed is clever at best, deceptive at worst.

What will we learn from two candidates in 60 minutes? It’s a sure bet Phil Gordon will peddle his “accomplishments,” such as the very school and auditorium where the forum takes place, as well as the magnificence of light rail which has made downtown Phoenix a logistical nightmare and is responsible for the demise of many longtime, family-owned businesses.

The Arizona Republic’s editorial writer. Richard de Uriarte, will moderate the forum. Since the daily will in all likelihood endorse the current mayor, this raises ethical questions. All of the council forums have also had de Uriarte doing the honors. The event is sponsored by the Downtown Phoenix Partnership, in collaboration with The Arizona Republic. The partnership is funded by property tax assessments on those within the Phoenix core. Take a moment and check out the Partnership’s Board of Directors. It includes Mayor Phil Gordon, Robert Dickey, Chairman of Phoenix Newspapers, Inc. (that’s the Republic!), City Manager Frank Fairbanks, Bill Saver, Managing Partner of the Phoenix Suns and Suns CEO Jerry Colangelo, David Smith Maricopa County Administrator, Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox and Deputy City Manager, David Cavazos, among others.

You get the picture? If you’ve never seen octopus tentacles up close before, take a good look.

That the mayor actually sits on the Board of the forum co-sponsor clearly illustrates his hubris and utter disregard of principles. Not only does the power of incumbency insure domination of the mayoral forum—it also clearly informs the voters of the low regard in which we are held. And this guy is eyeing the governor’s office?

Republican  Steve Lory offers a principled alternative to business as usual. A businessman, raised in Phoenix, Lory was a member of the State Bar of California and the Federal Bar for the Southern District of California for more than 21 years. He moved back to Phoenix in 2002.