Mayors' Meeting Recorded by Mayor -- Well, Maybe Not, But Some People are Still Ticked

The Arizona Republic's Ceceilia Chan has an amusing story today about a meeting of west Valley mayors that was supposed to be for their ears only, and a mischievous mayor who brought a tape recorder. The meeting was pushed by El Mirage Mayor Fred Waterman, (pictured), whose town has been...

By Ray Stern

July 2, 2009

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The Arizona Republic's Ceceilia Chan has an amusing story today about a meeting of west Valley mayors that was supposed to be for their ears only, and a mischievous mayor who brought a tape recorder.

The meeting was pushed by El Mirage Mayor Fred Waterman, (pictured), whose town has been affected by development restrictions near Luke Air Force Base. Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs told Chan she was suspicious of Waterman, so she asked -- apparently in the middle of the meeting -- if anyone had a recording device on them.

Waterman then pulled a tape-recorder from his pocket.

He claims he forgot to turn it on and that no recording was made. That didn't thwart the hurt feelings of other mayors.

In Arizona, it's perfectly legal to record any conversation you're part of. Still, Waterman would have had to lie to Scruggs to keep his secret after she asked.

Since he told the truth, that makes him an honest politician, right?

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Ray Stern is the former news editor of Phoenix New Times. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Arizona for more than two decades. He's won numerous awards for his reporting, including the Arizona Press Club's Don Bolles Award for Investigative Journalism.