Revolving-Door Congressman Matt Salmon, now hired by ASU as a lobbyist and 'influence-peddler', simply failed big time using the Summit Consulting Group that was paid over $400,00 for a self-described major screw-up that took all of them to the panic point . . . even more 'dirty money' was raised but that didn't have to get disclosed.
You simply cannot have it both ways.
That risky game has gone on far too long here between highly-influential people" - elected or employed inside City Hall - and their friends, family and undisclosed business connections.
Here's a convenient line-up of some of the players in the cast of characters inThe FOG in the image to the left.
Starting at the left side is termed-out District 2 Mesa City Council member Alex Finter who's been in office for eight years and who previously held Mayor's office in the usual game of musical chairs played-out by the Political Machine.
He endorsed and ran the political campaign for Shelly Allen, former long-time employed bureaucrat inside the Office of Economic Development, who was defeated by popular vote to succeed the incumbent Alex Finter.
Against all odds and thousands of dollars poured into his opponent's political campaign by outside-the-district contributions from firefighter and police unions and other special interests with dirty money, he won the run-off contest with a smart and well-informed strategy to overcome obstacles from the local cadre of cronies playing the same-old same-old game of tired old-time politics. Fresh thinking and new talent.
The product again of the generations-old political machine here, he was also defeated by community activist Ryan Winkle, who was all over the placein his district practically all the time and everywhere using social media and his personal charisma to good advantage.
He beat Jerry Lewis by an overwhelming majority in the primary election, largely attributable to his positive actions in the community and taking the time to engage his constituents.
