“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” – Proverbial saying
The current attempt to recall Prescott Mayor Phil Goode, looks like a Machiavellian attempt to overrule the voters who elected him. When Candidate Goode overwhelmingly beat the incumbent Mayor Greg Mengarelli, it was apparent that the citizens of Prescott did not trust the direction Mayor Mengarelli was taking the city. Since Mengarelli took the job as the business manager for Prescott Frontier Rodeo while he was still the Mayor of Prescott, it looks like he doesn’t care much about the appearance of a conflict of interest. He never bothered to explain to the people why it wasn’t a conflict.
While pushing the recall of Mayor Goode, Greg Mengarelli seems to be tag teaming with Goode’s would be replacement, Stan Goligoski. It seems like an unholy alliance between two individuals who could be mistaken for RINOs, but I think they reach beyond that level of misrepresentation. A more appropriate term might be “Fake Republicans”. Nobody knows for sure when Critical Race Theory, (or whatever camouflage name was used to teach it), made its way into the public schools in Prescott, but it was quite possibly when Greg Mengarelli was on the school Governing Board from 2014 to 2019. If it was before that, Mengarelli did nothing effectively to remove it from the curriculum.
Now, Stan Goligoski is on the PUSD Governing Board and is currently the president. He proudly voted for a woke social studies program that promotes the leftist Diversity, Equity and Inclusion views. Against the vast majority of parents present, the Board voted to add it to the district’s curriculum. What conservative, what fair minded citizen of any political leaning, would advocate such a divisive, far left program? No Republican in his right mind would. It begs the question: Are Mengarelli and Goligoski really Republicans or did they just register as such because they knew it was the only way to get elected in this conservative area?
When one looks at the group that is supporting the recall, it’s a group that one would not see coming together for a common cause. Half the group are land owners, developers, real estate investors or in the construction business. Most of the rest could be considered “social justice warriors”, who have advocated for such movements as Black Live Matter, drag queen shows, gender studies and other radical LGBTQ activities.
The timing of the recall brings forth the vision of backroom political machinations. The recall group filed the paperwork one day before Mayor Goode was to be sworn in for his second term after his reelection. He ran unopposed. Why didn’t they run a candidate to oppose Goode last year? Could it be that they knew that there was no candidate who could beat the popular Mayor? Was their thinking that a “Pearl Harbor” type, sneak attack recall, would cause such confusion among the voters that they could put their own puppet in the Mayor’s office?
The equal but opposite expression of, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” would be, “If it is broken, fix it.” So what is broken and needs fixing? The Prescott Unified School District Board Members. With the District losing students, with low test scores, with a majority of the Board voting for a radical social studies curriculum, at least 3 of the 5 members need to be recalled. Start at the top with recalling Stan Goligoski who ramrodded through the social studies curriculum that the majority of parents would oppose, if they saw what it contains. Stan has claimed to be a conservative, but his votes on the School Board, his supporters for his mayoral run and the underhanded recall move on Mayor Goode, are proving that his “conservative” mask is falling off. That’s a recall we could all get behind.
3 thoughts on “Who Should Really Be Recalled? – Buz Blog”
A very good analysis of what passes as bad politics in small town Arizona. Phil Goode was elected the first time with the help of conservative members of the community who were not looking for greater personal wealth for themselves or their fiscal friends. Mayor Goode is a good manager. The city grew with consideration of water resources, and the other needs such as water-sewer replacement and needed road work. Supported by a group of community minded councilmembers, Prescott demonstrates what “good government” can be with a Good mayor. If only Prescott Valley could be so fortunate.
Excellent summary of the facts that provides the big picture on what is going on in Prescott. Now you add the fact that big money left is buying up millions of dollars worth of downtown properties ( post office building the raven etc) you can see that they have taken Tucson, Phoenix and Flagstaff is now working on Prescott. Their line soldiers seem to come from the Universities and up here is its one of our Colleges. I believe this whole backdoor process is teamwork between developers and other who make their money from growth and the left. Strange bedfellows.
Fascinating article. I’ve been a resident of the greater Prescott area for nearly three decades. Stepping in as chairman after Elisabeth Ruffner for the Prescott Good Governance Committee, our aim was to inform locals about city affairs, notably the budget. Despite efforts to remain neutral, some entrenched council members labeled us as leaning one way. This misconception even led to censorship on a local radio show, preventing me from airing my views. It’s a glimpse into how small-town politics operate. Personally, I don’t align with any specific ideology; I see myself as an American seeking genuine solutions for our communities, state, and nation. Collaboration, not divisive labels, is key. Unfortunately, both nationally and locally, we’re too focused on ousting those we disagree with, hindering progress.
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