In the final weeks of 2025, I found a recent November 17, 2025 Phil King KYCA AM local radio talk interview of Prescott Councilmember Ted Gambogi, recorded the day before the November 18 City Hall swearing-in ceremony for our newly-elected Mayor Rusing and Council Members Garing, Frederickson, and Ruby.(1)
Councilmember Gambogi makes it clear to the listeners in his interview that he is very unhappy with the Prescott voter choices of Mayor Cathey Rusing and some of the new Council Members. When asked by Host Phil King where Ted thinks the new council hopes to take the city, Ted replies, “I’m concerned.” Ted says he has gone out to talk to residents and they all agree, “Stop the fighting….We see City Council members criticizing city staff, sometimes in city council meetings.”
So “concerned” is Councilmember Gambogi with our new city hall team’s future performance that he skipped celebrating the Mayor/Council’s swearing-in ceremony, instead travelling to Scottsdale Ted said in his radio interview, for a “YMCA Executive Development Session”, then to Tucson “to the Caterpillar Mining Center where we are celebrating Caterpillar’s 100th birthday this year.” He explained, “I retired from Caterpillar.”
Going forward into the changing of the guard, my hopes had been that Ted would take a role as an experienced two year Council member and act as a mentor, uniter, and collaborator with the incoming team.
Yet Councilmember Gambogi has also authored recent local newspaper articles describing Mayor Rusing’s “abject distain (sic) to solve Prescott’s major issues“ and what he sees as “a pattern of ..this Council” being distracted by “Shiny Objects” like the Open Space protections just approved overwhelmingly by Prescott voters. This is after one new Council Voting meeting.
Ted was the one Councilmember missing from the Dec 3 Council Orientation Workshop Meeting which would have reminded him that a core city value is working as a team and not criticizing council members publicly. In my opinion, this Orientation meeting would have been an ideal forum for Ted to voice his concerns directly to the new team, instead of in public statements he had previously criticized some of the incoming Council members as having done to city staff in public meetings.
Photo: Ted Gambogi
In addition, citizens’ public comments have also received Ted’s public derision. In a July 8, 2025 City Council Voting Session, Ted complained that some public “comments have theatrical value” giving as an example a “value like ‘Keep Prescott Prescott’. I don’t know what that means.” (2)
However, in the November 2025 radio interview much to my surprise, Ted expressed his admiration for Singapore, comparing it to Prescott by saying, ” You know, a number of years I lived in Singapore. It’s an island 25 miles long by 15 miles wide surrounded by water. Now, Prescott is a bigger city surrounded by a National Forest. Singapore has 4.5 million people, we have 48,000, and everybody brags about Singapore. I say, Singapore is like Disney without the rides. It’s clean, the traffic works, the mass transit works, housing works, you can grow and it can still work.”
Ted said, “Our job is, when people misrepresent, uh a fact or a figure, because it, it comports with a position they want to take, that’s our job to, to call it out.”
So, I am calling Ted out.
Ted fails to mention the economic and constitutional costs of Prescott becoming like Singapore which is an authoritarian state still administering corporal punishments. In 2026, Singapore is implementing a crackdown on surging fraud cases by mandating bamboo caning of 6 to 24 strokes on bare buttocks for offenders under 50. (3)
An internet search finds: the average cost of living in Singapore ($3193) (4) is 27% more expensive than the United States ($2516).(5)
Littering and traffic offenses are surging with fines ranging from $2000 to $4000, jail time is being rigidly enforced. Road accidents in Singapore rose in the first six months of 2025 hitting a five-year high in 2024, traffic fatalities and injuries are increasing with elderly pedestrian fatalities rising 150%. (6)
Ted’s take: “Managed growth. I think that’s a dog whistle for NO Growth.”
Ted’s prescription to fix it: “Stop the fighting.”
In the December 17, 2025 KYCA PM talk radio show, Past President of the Arizona State Senate Karen Fann asked Councilmember Gambogi, after only one meeting of the new Mayor and Council, “We’ve had a changing of the Guard, um his first two years served with one Council, now we have some new Council people, …. how’s it going so far?” (7)
Ted’s responses:
“They don’t want to spend enough time finding out how to work with people, they just want to say, Well, you gotta do it my way. And, that’s autocratic and that’s not for Prescott.”
“We’ve gotta find common ground.”
“I theorize. In order to tell your constituents that you are protecting them, you have to create a bogeyman. So, the bogeyman becomes the developer, the bogeyman becomes the city staff, the bogeyman becomes the rodeo. They gotta have the bogeyman, that’s Alinsky’s twelfth rule. Isolate your opponent and demonize them. …It’s a game that has come here.”
“All this time and money we’ve spent on open space, uh, the war on boards, commissions, city staff, that has got to come to an end.”
My view in this New Year, is my personal wish for Councilmember Ted Gambogi is that he finds peace and goodwill in his heart, demonstrates thru his actions a way to come together and stop the fighting, with no need for a one-way ticket to Disney Singapore.
Mayor Rusing recently wrote in a local newspaper, “This council is anxious to start “taking care of business!”
Give them a fair chance, Ted.
ENDNOTES
(1) – KYCA Talks 11 17 25 – KYCA. Host Phil King with Guest Prescott City Councilman Ted Gambogi https://kyca.info/2025/11/18/kyca-talks-11-17-25/
(2) City of Prescott Council Voting Meeting July 8, 2025.
(3) https://apnews.com/article/singapore-caning-scam-law-4f12fbbf443ba7ec2227c4800ca1efa0
(4) https://livingcost.org/cost/singapore
(5) https://livingcost.org/cost/united-states
(6) https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/injuries-deaths-on-singapores-roads-rise-in-h1-2025-accidents-due-to-red-light-violation-also-up
(7) KYCA PM Show 12 17 25 – KYCA. Past President of the Arizona State Senate talks with Prescott City Councilman Ted Gambogi. https://ky ca.info/2025/12/19/kyca-pm-show-12-17-25/
9 thoughts on “Opinion: Prescott Councilman Ted Gambogi Claims Singapore Superior; City Residents Consider New Year’s Resolution to Buy Him a One-Way Ticket – Ann Friday”
I will contribute to Ted’s one way ticket. I see him as a “I know best” as opposed to “I work for the residents of Prescott” and I want to hear what their concerns are. Maybe he works for staff? Developers?
Why is the author of this opinion piece not identified?
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The authors name is identified right before the picture as you scroll down to the body of the article. Ann Friday is also at the very end.
I fixed the problem and the author’s name is now in the byline.
Thanks for bringing this to full attention. How did we ever overlook this Councilman’s attitude and outlook on our City? We need to keep paying closer attention and not just trust that these elected officials will keep their political campaign promises. Shining light on his opinion is what is needed. Thanks Ann for being so diligent.
I can’t reconcile the “Come together” Ted with his unending criticism of the new council (who has had one meeting) and Cathey Rusing. Actions speak louder than words and Ted has shown his true colors. As far as criticizing staff — I don’t want a city council who is a rubber stamp for everything staff wants to do. Let’s not become the next Anthem.
I agree with your article…Thank you
Ann Friday for governor
Earth to Ted….the voters of Prescott did not elect you to become a slave of the developer cabal that was well on its way to ruining this area with unbridled development before our residents voted to end that. You were elected to rein in growth and preserve the things that have made Prescott such a great city. Either heed the wishes of those who put you in office or forget about any chance of re-election.
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