Guests – Rachel Walden, Retired General Stephen Mundt

Rachel Walden: Dual Service in Education and Utilities

Mesa Public Schools: The Reality of Educational Decline

Rachel Walden brings a unique perspective to public service, serving simultaneously as an Arizona Corporation Commissioner and a member of the Mesa School Board. Her dual role provides insight into how federal policies impact both utilities and education at the state level.

Mesa operates as Arizona's largest school district, serving 53,000 students across what would be equivalent to Tucson having only one unified district instead of multiple smaller ones. The challenge facing Mesa—and districts nationwide—reflects broader educational decline following COVID-19 shutdowns.

"Since the shutdowns, we've seen a big drop in proficiency in students' abilities for reading, writing, math, those basic things," Walden explained. "The national data recently showed that the only students who really got caught up are the students who were already ahead."

Mesa's current proficiency rate sits at approximately 32% across all subjects—roughly half of what it used to be. The district performs as the worst among large East Valley cities in Maricopa County, with neighboring districts outperforming Mesa by double digits. Even those higher-performing districts haven't returned to pre-shutdown levels or early 2000s benchmarks.

The graduation rate tells a similarly concerning story. At just over 82%, Mesa's rate represents improvement from recent years but falls short of the 90-92% that should be standard for high schools. The increase largely reflects better record-keeping and locating missing students rather than genuine academic improvement.

"We lost kids. We don't know where they went, which is really scary," Walden noted about the post-COVID tracking challenges. "If somebody leaves the district but we don't know where they went, we don't know where to send the records to. In the records, they show as not graduating."

Superintendent Controversy and Workplace Retaliation

A recent incident involving outgoing Superintendent Tery Forness exemplified the culture problems plaguing Mesa schools. When a parent used public comment to express concerns about district policies, Forness contacted the parent's employer rather than addressing the concerns directly.

"To me that had all the signs of cancel culture," Walden observed. "People don't like what somebody did, and then they try to get them fired from their job. They contact their employer. They try to destroy their life because they don't like what they saw somebody do."

The superintendent claimed the parent's email contained "inflammatory" language and "false information," but Walden disagreed: "I got the email. I remembered the email she was talking about and it didn't sound any different than regular emails we get where people have questions and concerns. It wasn't inflammatory to me."

The parent's email concerned changes to high school scheduling, moving to a block schedule that would allow students to earn eight credits per year instead of six. While some parents expressed frustration about these changes, nothing in the communication warranted employer contact.

"The mom has provided some additional information to the board and she gave us the schedule, the times that she actually met with Superintendent Forness," Walden explained. "Forness knew exactly who she was. They met in person a couple of times about her concerns."

This incident reflects a broader "culture of fear and retribution" that teachers and community members have reported to the school board. Walden experienced this personally when running for the board while her daughter attended Mesa schools: "I felt like they took it out on my family and I had to pull her."

Forness's contract expires at the end of the current school year, with Dr. Matt Strom from Chandler taking over July 1st. Walden expressed optimism about the transition: "I was able to work with him on an issue and it was really exciting for me to be able to have a superintendent that valued my opinions and listened and followed through."

Arizona Corporation Commission: Energy Policy and Rate Protection

Transitioning to her Corporation Commission role, Walden serves on an all-Republican commission focused on protecting ratepayers while maintaining reliable energy supplies. The collaborative atmosphere contrasts sharply with typical political environments.

"It's very authentic that we have complicated issues. And each commissioner sort of has their own niche, their own background," she described. "The meetings, if you were to watch them, it's very unusual in government and politics to have a bunch of people that have been elected that aren't all there pontificating about their egos."

Governor Katie Hobbs recently vetoed SB 1119, bipartisan legislation that would have directed the Residential Utility Consumer Office (RUCO) to focus exclusively on minimizing utility rates rather than pursuing environmental policies that increase costs. The veto revealed priorities that contradict ratepayer interests.

"What we've seen out of the residential utility consumer office is a lot of green activism. And that's really not the reason that they were created," Walden explained. "Their role should be low rates and energy reliability, not picking and choosing their favorite energy product and then advocating for it like a lobbyist."

The Corporation Commission retains ultimate authority over rate-setting regardless of RUCO's activities, but the governor's veto demonstrates her commitment to green energy priorities over affordability concerns.

Utility Rate Management and Technology Innovation

Walden's approach to rate cases emphasizes removing costs that don't benefit ratepayers. The commission has successfully eliminated "fluff" expenses like board of director costs, excessive marketing, and brand promotion for monopoly utilities.

"The philosophy is he who benefits pays," Walden stated. "In the past we've seen utilities have things like board of director costs into their rates. What does that do for a ratepayer that doesn't benefit the ratepayer? It's a way for them to kind of hide an expense that they're forcing onto the taxpayer."

Administrative law judges have begun proactively removing questionable expenses before cases reach the commission, recognizing the commissioners' commitment to ratepayer protection. This saves time and ensures focus on legitimate service costs.

The commission maintains a "technologically agnostic" approach to energy sources, refusing to pick favorites like solar or wind. Recent approvals include a virtual power plant pilot program with no cost-shifting to consumers, demonstrating openness to innovative technologies that benefit ratepayers.

Arizona benefits from California's energy policies through grid interconnection. When California has excess solar power, they pay Arizona utilities to take it. During peak evening demand, Arizona sells power back to California at higher rates. These transactions provide direct savings to Arizona ratepayers through pass-through mechanisms.

Federal Policy Impacts and Coal Plant Decisions

The Trump administration's energy policies directly affect Arizona utilities and ratepayers. Federal agencies are working with state utilities on coal plant decisions, evaluating which facilities can remain economically viable.

The Cholla power plant closure exemplified these complex decisions. Despite Trump administration willingness to fund reopening, the plant's age and lack of pollution control equipment made renovation prohibitively expensive. "They looked at all the facts on Cholla and they realized because they're like, 'well, we'll just give you the money to reopen it,' and then they got all the facts on it and they're like, 'yeah, we're not going to do that,'" Walden recounted.

Future planning includes potential conversion of coal plants to natural gas and site evaluation for nuclear power. Arizona's three largest utilities—Tucson Electric Power, SRP, and APS—have received Department of Energy grants for nuclear site exploration.

The nuclear workshop held by the Corporation Commission demonstrated the complexity of site selection. "Why does that cost money? Why can't I just look around the state and try to figure out where I want to put a nuclear plant? It's not that simple," Walden noted about the detailed geological and regulatory requirements.

2026 Election Challenges

Looking ahead to the 2026 election cycle, Walden expects Democrats to mount aggressive campaigns to regain Corporation Commission seats. Two current Republican commissioners—Chairman Kevin Thompson and Nick Myers—face reelection.

"I think we're going to hear some different messaging from them. They might change their tune on some issues," Walden predicted about Democratic candidates. "But the two commissioners, they've done what they campaigned on. They are getting the job done. They are fulfilling their campaign promises."

Walden received the most votes statewide in 2024, demonstrating voter support for conservative energy policies. Her message focused on policy specifics rather than political rhetoric: "I think what people really want to hear is policy. Here's what needs to be done. Here's where we can make improvements and why are you the best person for the job."

Her approach to public service emphasizes accountability to voters over political advancement: "I wanted to be the politician that I deserved, that my family deserved, because I felt like I've been lied to from government for years of my life or let down by the choices that people I supported had made in office."

This commitment includes willingness to walk away rather than compromise core values: "At any point I don't have to do this and I have a great family and a great life. If you can't compromise your values, if your actions don't match your words, the public figures that out very quickly."

General Stephen Mundt: Army Aviation Transformation

Rapid Change and Bureaucratic Challenges

Retired General Stephen Mundt provided insight into the Army's aggressive transformation plans, particularly affecting Army Aviation. The pace of change reflects the Trump administration's approach to breaking bureaucratic inertia, though it creates implementation challenges.

"In some ways, it's very, very good because it breaks old paradigms. It's forcing people to change," Mundt explained. "If you go through the process, he could be president for eight consecutive years, and you won't get through the bureaucracy."

The Army Aviation Association of America Warfighting Summit in Nashville highlighted these tensions. Despite attracting over 12,000 participants and 600-700 vendors, many senior Defense Department leaders couldn't attend due to a civilian travel moratorium that prevented even permissive temporary duty.

"Someone made that decision, and it wasn't efficient," Mundt observed about the travel restrictions. The bureaucratic complications extended to prohibiting officials from conducting business while on personal leave, creating absurd situations where attendance required vacation time without the ability to engage professionally.

Force Structure Reductions and Equipment Changes

Major General Clara Gill's attempts to address concerns about abrupt announcements reflected genuine uncertainty about implementation timelines and details. The Army plans to eliminate cavalry squadrons from aviation brigades while reorganizing attack battalions from 24 aircraft (three companies of eight) to 30 aircraft (three companies of ten).

"We're not buying more Apaches. So you go, well, where are those numbers coming from?" Mundt questioned. "If it's not a current Echo model, then we're going to get rid of it."

The implications for National Guard units remain unclear, particularly regarding Apache helicopter assignments. Guard units possess significant political protection through state congressional delegations, making force structure changes politically complex.

The Army announced cessation of new Blackhawk purchases, planning to reduce the fleet by 8% from approximately 2,400 aircraft. The Lima model program faced cancellation, along with the Victor model upgrade program, leaving only the Mike model for future production.

"Both Clark Hill and others have their opinion. My opinion is that the Victor model was a better performing aircraft," Mundt stated, noting disagreement within Army Aviation leadership about aircraft selection.

Medical Evacuation and Strategic Concerns

Plans to reduce medical evacuation capabilities particularly concern Mundt, given lessons learned from Iraq and Afghanistan. Proposals to reduce Medevac units from 15 to fewer Blackhawks contradict previous determinations about battlefield medical support requirements.

"We went through that going into Iraq and Afghanistan and knew we did not have enough Medevac aircraft in the formation to take care and get people off the battlefield to the point of care within two hours," he explained.

The Surgeon General's opposition to these reductions reflects medical professionals' understanding of casualty evacuation requirements. The "golden hour" principle—getting wounded personnel to advanced medical care within one hour—drives aircraft positioning and availability decisions.

Reserve component changes include eliminating aviation from the Army Reserve entirely and moving National Guard aviation from "operational reserve" status to "strategic reserve." This change significantly restricts Guard unit availability except during declared wars.

Future Long Range Assault Aircraft

The Army accelerated plans to field the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) to the 101st Airborne Division by 2027. This timeline represents ambitious procurement goals that require removing bureaucratic obstacles.

"Bell had to say, 'well, you've got to pull certain of these bureaucratic things off our plate so we can do that,'" Mundt noted about industry requirements for meeting accelerated schedules.

The FLRAA addresses fundamental military challenges related to global force projection. Current platforms require extensive logistics support and time-consuming preparation for deployment to distant theaters.

"If I want to put an Apache on a C-130, I can put one on a C-130. I've got to take the blades off of it. I've got to lower the tires. I've got to do all sorts of things. Then I've got to take it out the other end. I've got to build it all back up," Mundt described the current deployment process.

The Pacific theater particularly highlights these challenges, where distance and limited basing options complicate traditional deployment methods. The FLRAA's extended range and speed capabilities would reduce dependence on forward basing and lengthy preparation times.

Equipment Modernization and Waste Reduction

Army Chief of Staff General Randy George's mandate to eliminate unused equipment addresses decades of accumulated materiel that units cannot practically employ. Motor pools across the Army contain equipment that never deploys with units during actual operations.

"George has had, since he became Chief of Staff of the Army, a mandate out to go through. And if it doesn't literally support your go-to-war mission and what you've got to do, then you need to get rid of it," Mundt explained.

This effort reflects broader efficiency initiatives aimed at reducing force structure while improving capability. The process includes opportunities for federal, state, and local agencies to acquire excess military equipment before disposal or auction.

Industry practices contribute to equipment proliferation through free testing programs that often lack adequate support chains. "All of a sudden, you have this in combat. It breaks or it fails. There's no support chain. There's no supply chain. And all this stuff just ends up in big warehouses," Mundt described.

Command Structure Consolidation

Planned consolidations include combining TRADOC (Training and Doctrine Command) with Army Futures Command, eliminating one four-star general position while returning requirements development to TRADOC's traditional mission.

Geographic combatant command changes include merging Northern Command and Southern Command, reflecting resource constraints and efficiency priorities. These moves aim to reduce overhead while maintaining operational capabilities.

The acquisition authority remains with appropriate certified agencies due to legal requirements, ensuring proper oversight of major procurement programs while streamlining command structures.

Memorial Day Reflection

Mundt emphasized Memorial Day's significance in remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country. His message extended beyond veterans to include their families who continue bearing the cost of service.

"While we remember them and their loss, we also need to remember the families of them, and the loss that they've suffered," he stated.

His travel across the country reveals consistent patriotism and common ground among Americans, despite political polarization. "I find more patriots, I find more commonality with people if you can talk, and the problem is when you get to the extreme, regardless of which direction you're talking about."

The upcoming Army's 250th anniversary celebration on June 14th represents an opportunity to honor military service and American values. The event coincides with President Trump's 79th birthday and Flag Day, creating a meaningful convergence of military and national celebration.