Lisa Graham Keegan, state superintendent for public instruction, says she has more use for the institute's work.
"The Goldwater Institute for me is extremely helpful and influential. Mostly because of Jeff Flake, and Jeff's ability to write," Keegan says. "We share a philosophical belief that market-based programs and pursuit of least restrictive society is a good thing. . . . Obviously, people like me who are favorable to those kind of ideas are going to think that the institute has a lot more influence. How much influence they have with people who don't believe that, I don't know. With people who are neutral, I think they have a huge influence."
Former state legislator Alfredo Gutierrez disagrees, saying that the institute is too predictable to be influential. "The Goldwater Institute is the preacher preaching to the choir. It is a misnomer to refer to it as academic or an institute. It doesn't do original research.
"Take an issue and give it to an ideologue and you know what answer you'll get. That's why they're so boring. People look forward to the annual report from the Morrison Institute. No one looks forward to a Goldwater Institute report because we all know what the hell it's going to say long before it's ever published."
Whether his research is shoddy or not, Flake has constantly hammered at the public school system, which he characterizes as hopelessly inefficient and ruled by trenchant teachers' unions.
Brad Barrett, superintendent of the Kyrene School District and a frequent target of Flake's pen, says that despite Flake's constant harangue, he was pleasant to work with.
"He's got a very nice personality. So it's hard to be mad at the guy, personally," Barrett says. "I would try to provide data to show that what he was saying in articles wasn't true. He was always gracious."
But Barrett is surprised that Flake, despite years of complaining about waste and mismanagement at the Kyrene district, kept his children in the district two years after the opening of Arizona's charter schools that he had promoted so heavily.
"I'm surprised he kept them here two minutes longer than he could have," Barrett says.
Flake didn't return several attempts to reach him. Political observers tell New Times that Flake may be avoiding questions as he prepares for a run at the District 1 congressional seat currently held by Matt Salmon.
He's certainly come a long way in the seven years since he took the lead post at the think tank.
Susan Goldwater, however, makes a look of distaste when Flake's visibility as executive director of the Goldwater Institute is mentioned.
"Don't make the assumption that he has power," she says. "The power is the name Goldwater."
Contact Tony Ortega at his online address: tortega@newtimes.com
