Despite having a well-publicized lead foot, being "creepy around women," simulating a blowjob while dressed as a super hero, allegedly using a state voter-registration list to get a woman's address, getting accused of charging a political candidate $2,000 for Joe Arpaio's endorsement, and currently being unemployed, former Arizona Republican Party Executive Director Brett Mecum remains on the Phoenix Business Journal's list of the Valley's most "up-and-coming leaders" under 40 years old.
The PBJ released its "Forty Under 40" issue yesterday, in which, tucked in the very back -- as if PBJ editors hoped no readers would make it that far -- is Mecum.
One of the PBJ's most respected reporters, Mike Sunnucks, was pegged with the difficult task of making Mecum look admirable, but even his critique of the "young leader" acknowledges that Mecum "may be the most controversial of this year's Forty Under 40."
Sunnucks declined to comment about Mecum's accolade when reached by phone this afternoon, but his piece touches on a few of Mecum's public misdoings. We'll touch on all of them below.
Mecum got popped in 2009 for driving his blue 2008 Shelby GT 500 Ford Mustang 109 miles per hour down Loop 101 at 12:30 in the morning. The posted speed limit is 65 m.p.h.
That's nothin' compared to some of the other less-than-reputable things for which one of Phoenix's "best young leaders" made headlines.
In December 2009, Mecum was described as "creepy around women" in a stalking complaint filed against him after he showed up at a woman's house uninvited for a party.
The woman says she never gave Mecum her address, nor did she think he even knew where she lived.
A mutual female acquaintance of Mecum's, and ours, later confirmed that the assessment that he's "creepy around women" is spot on.
Just last month, Mecum was accused of telling a former Goodyear City Council candidate that she could get the endorsement of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, but there was a catch: She had to pay $2,000 to right-wing political consultant Constantin Querard.
Read more about Mecum's most-recent mess here.
And then there's the oral sex -- or simulated oral sex of a man dressed in a super-hero costume. That man: one of Phoenix's "best young leaders," Mr. Conservative himself, Brett Mecum (see photo above).
To top off the list of reasons Mecum never should have been included on a list with other accomplished "young leaders" is the fact that Mecum got canned from his job as the GOP's executive director earlier this month -- after the PBJ already had announced his "Forty Under 40" nod -- and is currently unemployed.
Needless to say, we have a pretty good feeling Mecum won't be included in next year's list of the Valley's most "up-and-coming leaders."
See the PBJ's complete "Forty Under 40" list here.
