I'm on my way to a function I must attend tonight, but I just saw that Matt Tolman's anti-recall committee Citizens Who Oppose the Pearce Recall has filed its financials with the Arizona Secretary of State's Office.
Total receipts: $72,610, with one of the largest contributions coming from a union, specifically the Phoenix Police union PLEA (i.e., the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association), which ponied up $5,000.
So whenever you look for the union label, look inside state Senate President Pearce's pocket.
(The Mesa Fraternal Order of Police shelled out $250, likely just to say it gave something.)
Individual contributions came in from all across the country: Texas, California, Arkansas, Virginia, etc. I reckon that "outsider" money is a-okay as long as you're the one receiving it.
There were local donors as well, of course, including Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who gave $1,200. Ain't that sweet? And everyone tells me he wants your job, Joe. Maybe it's Joe's way of making sure Pearce never runs for sheriff.
As far as expenditures go, the big winner was Integrated Web Strategy, owned by Max Fose, a former political aide to U.S. Senator John McCain and a political operative who helped pimp the one cent rise in the state sales tax. Fose scored $50,633 from his work for CWOPR, according to the report.
Pearce spokesman and former weatherman Ed Phillips garnered $2,500 for selling his soul to Old Scratch. (Phillips is a moderate Republican, also known as a RiNO, you see). Really, Ed, you should have held out for more.
The P.I. firm Specialized Investigations pulled $750. For what, you've got to wonder? Maybe they were hunting whomever it was who threw that padlock at Pearce-foe Jerry Lewis? Um, yeah, probably not.
I'll look over the filing further when I have more time. Feel free to take a gander yourselves, and make your own observations. You can access it, here.
