Hyper-Local Reporting: Ryan Winkle A Political Lightning Rod

East Valley Tribune reporter Jim Walsh has a front-page cover story in the Sunday edition for August 27, 2017 that appeared in newsstands today in downtown Mesa where he writes in the second paragraph "Winkle turned into a political lightning rod because of his May 7 arrest and subsequent conviction for extreme driving under the influence in Tempe . . . "
Mesa City Council heading to historic decision on colleague's status
Wherever readers of this blog stand on the political spectrum here in the most conservative in America, Ryan Winkle is no doubt a home-grown force.

In spite of the odds again him to gain a seat on the closely-held Mesa City Council, Mr. Winkle succeeded into office to overcome a hand-selected opposition candidate who was endorsed by the entrenched political machine that has controlled and dominated local government for generations.
Like them, he has roots in the community that he tapped into going door-to-door and smartly usual social media in a populist campaign that activated and engaged voters creating new energy in the so-called "non-partisan" ecosystem of Republican Mesa politics and energizing citizens as an up-and-comer Democrats . . . there's bound to be some friction in the air when negative and positive forces interact.
Jim Walsh gets down to the nitty-gritty when he calls Winkle "a political lightning rod"  

Lightning typically occurs when negatively charged electrons from a cloud descend as a "leader" meeting up with a "streamer" of positively charged electrons coming up from the earth through a high point.






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At the same time there's this somewhat scurrilous and sensational report from political reporter Dennis Welch uploaded by 3TV and CBS5AZ on August 25, 2017 with 23 viewers.
It features District 6 Mesa City Councilmember Kevin Thompson
New allegations against Mesa city councilman Ryan Winkle

Published on Aug 25, 2017

New allegations against Mesa city councilman Ryan Winkle as he's accused of running an anonymous smear campaign against his fellow council members.