Republican Voters and the Spirit of Rebellion – David Stringer, Publisher

Yavapai County’s Republican establishment must be in shock. If not, they should be. There is a spirit of rebellion afoot in Yavapai County. The results of the July 30th Republican Primary was a top to bottom repudiation  of incumbents and long time establishment figures.

As a threshold matter, let me define  ‘establishment’.  I’m using the term loosely to refer to people who have dominated the political and economic life of our county for a long time.  They are the politicians, business  owners and major donors who control the Republican party.  They use their clout to install officials in local government who protect their interests and carry out their wishes.  They control the  political clubs. They are heavily represented in law enforcement and county patronage jobs. It’s not a static list. People gain and lose establishment status as their personal fortunes wax and wane. But as a group, in election after election they dominate the list of winners.  Not this time.

The defeat of State Senator Ken Bennett by Trump-endorsed Mark Finchem is a game changer. Finchem, who has been a major figure in conservative circles at the state level,  only recently moved to Yavapai County. During the campaign, the opposition tried to dismiss him as a carpetbagger. But there are so many newcomers in Yavapai County, that  ‘carpetbagger’  is now a smear  that has lost its sting. The establishment doesn’t get it because they’ve lost touch with the grassroots.

After the November general election, Mark Finchem will be the top elected Republican in Yavapai County. He has a personal relationship with Donald Trump.  He will be Trump’s man at the Arizona State Capitol.

Mr. Finchem knows he was opposed by the local Republican establishment. He owes them nothing. I served with Rep Finchem in the State Legislature. I know him to be a deeply committed conservative and a political operator of the first rank. By defeating LD1’s incumbent senator in the Republican primary by 15 points, he has a mandate from the voters. He now has the opportunity to remake the Yavapai County Republican Party as an America First, Make America Great Again, Trumpian party. One of the most conservative counties in the state just got more conservative but with a populist, nationalist tilt.

If anything, the results of County Supervisor races in the First and Fourth Districts send an even stronger message. Brooks Compton’s defeat of former Prescott Mayor and PUSD School Board Chair, Greg Mengarelli, is another rebuke to the establishment. Public skepticism about excessive growth and the control of government by developers remains a driving political force. Mr. Compton, as a political  newcomer, did not have the financial muscle of his opponent or a powerful political machine behind him. What he did have was independence, fresh ideas, and a willingness to connect with voters thru grassroots, door to door campaigning. Nothing beats hard work and having the right message.

One of the smears thrown at Mr. Compton is that he had a connection with Prescott eNews and me personally thru the purchase of his home. Prescott eNews has a policy of not endorsing candidates and Mr. Compton was no exception. Neither Prescott eNews nor I had any involvement with Mr.  Compton’s campaign and made no financial contributions. After he filed for office,  we agreed that he stop guest hosting interviews on Prescott Talks. During the campaign, Mr. Mengarelli  accepted an invitation to appear on Yavapai Speaks, a show hosted by Dr. Lyle Rapacki and produced by Prescott  eNews.  In short, Prescott eNews played fair and showed no favoritism toward either candidate.

Mr. Compton has made it clear that he owns his own home. Specialized Publishing LLC, the  parent company of Prescott eNews, holds a mortgage on the property. It’s a real estate investment that bears a market rate of interest.  Sheila Mengarelli,  Greg’s wife,  was the listing agent and earned a commission.  It’s all a matter of public record.

In District 4, Chris Kuknyo  holds a one point lead over incumbent Supervisor Craig Brown. Mr. Brown was elected in 2013 and currently serves as Board Chair, a position he held in 2015, 2020, and 2021.  By tradition, in 2024,  the Board Chair would normally have rotated to retiring District One Supervisor Harry Oberg. But Mr. Brown likes being boss and wanted the job again. He finagled enough votes to deny the honor to his longtime  colleague.

Reportedly, Mr. Brown told Chris Kuknyo that he was going to retire and would support him if he ran for District 4 Supervisor. On that basis, Mr. Kuknyo made plans for his own campaign. But Mr. Brown, at the age  of  75 and after ten years on the Board, changed his mind, forcing Mr. Kuknyo into an expensive and by all reports, very nasty campaign. I don’t live in District 4 and didn’t follow the race closely.  But I do know Chris Kuknyo as the former member of the Prescott City Council and later as the President of the Citizens Tax  Committee. He has a record as one of the most conservative and independent political figures in Yavapai  County.  He stood up to the establishment on the PSPRS  tax increase and was a vocal critic of the County’s decision to build a second jail in Yavapai County after the voters twice rejected tax increases to pay for it.

The election of Mr. Compton and Mr. Kuknyo to the five member County Board of Supervisors will bring fresh ideas and go a long way toward creating a more fiscally conservative voting block in closer touch with everyday citizens.

Elsewhere in the county, voters rejected entrenched incumbents. In Dewey-Humboldt, voters turned out long-time Mayor John Hughes in favor of local rancher Matt Fenn. Mr. Fenn was first appointed to a vacancy on the Dewey Town Council  last year. He immediately began to question tax and spending policies and proposals for development. The Mayor’s race became a contest of personalities with Mayor Hughes claiming that Mr. Fenn would destroy the town of  Dewey-Humboldt. His campaign slogan had a nasty edge:  “Save Our Town—Vote  Fenn Down”.  Voters didn’t buy it. Mr. Fenn will be sworn in as the new Mayor of  Dewey-Humboldt in December.

Prescott Valley voters appear to have elected an entirely new Town Council. Two incumbents running for re-election, including longtime Vice Mayor Lori Hunt, were turned out.  All four newly elected Town Council members will be serving their first terms, including local activist and journalist, Bill Williams, known to eNews readers for his investigative journalism  and guest hosting of Prescott Talks. The “Four” as they termed themselves,  ran as a team, questioning an entrenched establishment on the Town Council and riding a wave of anti-growth sentiment from the voters. Mayor Kell Palguta was not on the ballot, but it looks like he has lost control of his council for the balance of his term.

If there is a unifying theme to this year’s election results, it looks like a broad based distrust of establishment figures. Voters are mad as hell. And they’re not going to take it anymore. In the 2024 Republican Primary,  the spirit of rebellion was alive and well in Yavapai County.