Guests – Anthony Dunham, George Khalaf, Joel Strabala, Betsy Smith
Wildcats Advance to Sweet 16 as Tucson Celebrates March Madness Success
Kathleen Winn opens the show reflecting on the Arizona Wildcats' thrilling tournament run, advancing to the Sweet 16 after a hard-fought victory. She notes the team's consistency throughout the season and the excitement of watching competitive basketball. "Who doesn't like winning?" Winn emphasizes the joy fans feel when a local team succeeds, stating the Wildcats have made history this year and urging the community to continue supporting them toward the Final Four and national championship.
Anthony Dunham's Campaign for LD17 State Senate: Filing Signatures and Key Priorities
Anthony Dunham, candidate for Arizona State Senate in LD17, joins to discuss his successful petition filing at the Secretary of State's office. He needed 676 signatures and submitted 1,571, exceeding the requirement. "I ended up with what I thought was 1,563... got an email late last night... we actually found eight more. You actually submitted 1,571." Dunham describes LD17 as one of Pima County's largest districts, covering Vail, Summerhaven, Oro Valley, Marana, and extending into Pinal County. "You can drive for 45 minutes and never leave the district."
His top priorities include education and proactive student protection. "Being proactive and protecting our students... why are we not proactive? There's so many things in our life that we protect with law enforcement... why are we not protecting our future by protecting our students?" Dunham plans to propose placing law enforcement on every campus. He also stresses election integrity, affordability, job growth, and conservative values. On his military service, Dunham notes his time as an Army veteran in Operation Iraqi Freedom, bringing leadership principles like loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. "Those will help you not just in any leadership position, but also in any service position."
Dunham highlights the district's conservative lean and high voter turnout potential, particularly in Oro Valley after the recent RTA election. He supports working with a potential Republican governor like Andy Biggs to advance reforms. Dunham's website is DunhamForArizona.com, and he is reachable at 520-261-0523.
Pima County Leadership Crisis: Sheriff Chris Nanos Faces Mounting Criticism and Recall Effort
Dave Smith addresses the ongoing controversies surrounding Sheriff Chris Nanos. He criticizes inconsistent officiating in basketball but quickly pivots to local governance failures. On the upcoming Board of Supervisors meeting, Smith notes an agenda item examining Nanos's original application. "In Arizona, the two crimes that don't have a statute of limitations, one is homicide murder... and the other is falsifying a public record."
Daniel Butierez, leading the recall effort, reports over 122,000 signatures collected through drive-through events and volunteers. "The people signing the petitions are not Republicans. They're independents. They're Democrats. They're everybody. Democrats are fed up." Butierez describes community feedback, including a man who approached to shake his hand after initially refusing to sign: "I wasn't getting out of the truck to sign that. But I am getting out of the truck to shake your hand, sir... I haven't seen the city this fired up since Trump was running for president."
Joel Strabala provides an update from the Board of Supervisors meeting, noting 21 public comments, with 11 addressing Nanos. He highlights Aaron Cross's testimony on the vote of no confidence from 249 deputies. "Zero percent of the people working there came out in favor of keeping the sheriff." Strabala urges attendance at future meetings.
Betsy Brantner Smith echoes the frustration with Nanos's leadership. She describes the hostile work environment and abuse directed at deputies like Aaron Cross and Heather Lappin. Smith notes broad community support for the recall: "The people that are signing the petitions... Democrats are fed up." She connects it to national attention on the Nancy Guthrie case and calls for accountability: "He has literally terrorized our own elderly community with his incompetence."
Election Integrity and Voter Turnout: LD17 as a Pivotal District
Dunham stresses election integrity as foundational. "If we really can get our election secure and trusted in Pima County... we can get the right people into office." He notes LD17's importance, with its large voter base and conservative advantage. "There's seven districts in Pima County but that LD17 has the largest voter presence." Dunham encourages engaging independents and younger voters through values-based conversations on family, faith, and affordability.
George Khalaf on ESAs and Education Reform: Pushing Back Against Media Misinformation
George Khalaf, candidate for LD3 House seat, responds to recent media claims of 20% fraud in the Empowerment Scholarship Account program. He cites the Arizona Department of Education's randomized sample showing a maximum of 2% unallowable spending, with only 0.3% egregious. "The department's recovered 1.2 million already." Khalaf defends the program's flexibility for parents and accountability for taxpayers. "Name me one public school... that has to release transaction level data." He criticizes opponents for political attacks rather than facts, noting other states are modeling Arizona's ESA program.
Khalaf prioritizes academic improvement across all education methods, including public schools. He supports bills requiring 60% of funding for instructional purposes and opposes indoctrination. "We need to be teaching reading and writing and math and science and history, not racist stuff like DEI."
Call to Action: Engaging Voters and Building Grassroots Strength
Strabala and Smith urge participation in the recall and upcoming elections. Smith notes the recall's cross-party appeal and calls for attendance at the supervisors meeting. Dunham and Khalaf encourage voter registration and turnout, particularly among younger voters and independents. The conversation emphasizes the need for strong Republican turnout in LD17 and across Pima County to secure legislative majorities and advance conservative priorities.