Jon Beydler is the political polar opposite of Russell Pearce, making him the unlikeliest of people to express disdain that Arizona's Senate President must defend his seat in a recall election.
Beydler, a former Fountain Hills mayor and staunch liberal, thinks that the Nov. 8 recall election will be "a costly, time-consuming, emotional drain" on Pearce, a Republican, and voters in District 18.
"I never heard a single word that Russell Pearce said or a single legislative initiative that he's been behind that I agree with, but that's not the point," Beydler said. "The point is that I believe the recall process undermines the entire democratic process. If you ignore left and right, liberal and conservative, Democrat and Republican, the facts are that a minority of people in a district can undermine the will of the voters and force a new election."
Those sentiments come from personal experience for Beydler, an East Valley Tribune contributing columnist. In 2003 - a year after his election as mayor of Fountain Hills - he was removed via a recall election. While that ouster stung, he said, it is not the primary motivation for his anti-recall stance.
"I think this is symptomatic of dysfunction in our politics," said Beydler, who now lives in Chandler.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 19 states and the District of Columbia permit the recall of elected officials.
The highest-profile recall election in recent years was in California in 2003. Then-governor Gray Davis was removed from office, and the ballot for his replacement had 135 candidates, including ex-child actor Gary Coleman, Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt and porn star Mary Carey.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had no previous elected-office experience, earned the most votes (4.2 million) and served eight years as governor.
In Wisconsin, nine state senators are up for recall, and Gov. Scott Walker is also being targeted. A recall attempt of Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is in the petition process.
Walker and Snyder were elected last November.
"Normally, recall is kept for high crimes and misdemeanors, something horrendous," Beydler said. "People who oppose Pearce's views might see him as a bad person, but all that is in the eye of the beholder. It's a partisan issue, and that's part of the problem ...
"I mean, how many do-overs should we get? People should live with their choice, especially right after an election."
A total of 10,365 valid signatures were certified by state election officials in the Pearce recall effort; 7,756 were needed. Pearce received 17,552 votes in last November's election to Democrat Andrew Sherwood's 10,663.
There is no formally-announced opposition for Pearce. On Friday, Jerry Lewis, assistant superintendent for Sequoia Schools, a Mesa-based charter school chain, said that he would announce his intentions in the coming days.
During the Fountain Hills recall process, Beydler said, his biggest mistake was not campaigning from the start.
"I didn't think it was legitimate," Beydler said. "I saw no cause to run again for office after I'd just won. I was trying to do my job. I ignored the process, I ignored the opponent. I refused to campaign because I thought it was a matter of principle.
"Trust me: Once the election is scheduled, all that goes out the window, and it's like a brand-new campaign."
Beydler did not realize that until it was too late. He said Pearce had better not make the same mistake.
"I know he likes to portray an image of bravado," Beydler said. "But if he belittles the process and belittles his challengers, that's a grave error.
"A very empowered minority can overcome the wishes of the majority easily. I imagine that there will be a lot more people energized to take him out than leave him in. That's typically the way it works."
wangly posted at 7:48 pm on Wed, Nov 7, 2012.
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In_God_We_Trust posted at 7:54 pm on Sat, Jul 16, 2011.
Please help a national and Arizona American Hero by donating to hid recall election campaign. Senator Russell Pearce the author of Senate Bill 1070 is under attack from the liberal left for giving the state the authority to enforce the laws President Obama and Secretary Napolitano refuse to enforce.
These liberal leaders, who support Amnesty for those who broke our laws, are recalling Senator Pearce because of his leadership to secure our border.
Stand with him today and send President Obama, Secretary Napolitano and their liberal friends a message that we will never give up the fight to secure our borders.
National liberal groups are pouring thousands of dollars into the effort to remove Senator Russell Pearce from office. He needs your immediate financial support. Please donate as much as you can to support a true American Patriot, the author of SB 1070, and a leading voice to secure our borders.
http://protectanamericanpatriot.com/
AmericanPatriot posted at 7:01 pm on Sat, Jul 16, 2011.
It's a shame people like daveofthedesert are able to post here at all. This type of person inevitable always gets banned, but he can come back later with a new nym and spout more filth around.
NothingButTheTruth posted at 6:21 pm on Sat, Jul 16, 2011.
bobunf said, "All of that is why it makes sense not to require more signatures than the maximum vote getter. Although, in this case, more signatures were collected than Pearce got in the last election."
Republican Russell Peace won the November, 2010 general election for State Senator by 17,552 votes. His opponent who lost received about the same amount of votes as signatures were collected. Try again?
NothingButTheTruth posted at 6:17 pm on Sat, Jul 16, 2011.
bobunf very interesting how difficult and expensive it is to recall a politician. Makes you wonder who paid the bills. La Ratza comes to mind as one potential donor.
NothingButTheTruth posted at 6:07 pm on Sat, Jul 16, 2011.
daveofthedesert you have gone too far now. If you think you can make sexual innuendos about me or anyone else here and get away with it you are very mistaken. Filth comes out of your mouth faster than a toilet can flush, and half the things you post get deleted. You must be proud of yourself.
As for the recall, only 18 states out of Obama's 57 states allow for recall elections. Arizona is one of the 18. Senate President Russell Pearce is the first sitting elected legislator who will face a recall election in Arizona history. Recalling a sitting legislator is not something the crafters of our constitution envisioned being done just because a few election losers wanted it. Like impeachment, it was meant to oust politicians who had shown complete incompetence or criminal corruption, and unless any of you want to state lies and other feeble attempts at discrediting Pearce, who was reelected in a landslide vote and was voted in as senate president by his peers, I suggest you have wasted much time and money over nothing.
bobunf posted at 5:16 pm on Sat, Jul 16, 2011.
Nothing wrote, "socialistas [?]...not being able to win by playing by the rules." The recall has been in the Arizona Constitution for 100 years (shy 7 months). It's been used hundreds of times in our state's history. How is that not playing by the rules?
Or do you think only some rules be followed?
bobunf posted at 5:11 pm on Sat, Jul 16, 2011.
Recall has been in the Arizona constitution for 100 years (shy 7 months). In that time over a thousand men and women have served in the legislature. Pearce is the first and only ever to be recalled. I'd say one per century is too few.
Signature gathering is not like voting. For one thing you have to have signature gatherers with maps, forms, lists, transportation, etc - none of it provided by the state. He or she has to approach complete strangers - sometimes hostile strangers - and interrogate them about where they live, their registration status and their willingness to sign. He or she has to be ready to explain who Russell Pearce is and convincingly why he needs to be recalled.
The signer has to write legibly, he has to get the date right. The petition has to be notarized correctly. All the petitions have to be kept tract of as they go through the hands of (in this case) 400 volunteers.
Money has to be found (in this case from 1100 donors, all but 60 from Arizona) for supplies and paid canvassers if they can be afforded. All this with no election set and no candidate.
All of that is why it makes sense not to require more signatures than the maximum vote getter. Although, in this case, more signatures were collected than Pearce got in the last election. But some were invalidated because of illegibility. You have to write legibly to vote. Some were invalidated because the dates were wrong. You don't have to date your ballot. Some were invalidated because something was wrong with the notarization. You don't have to notarize your ballot.
Hotcopone posted at 4:38 pm on Sat, Jul 16, 2011.
I believe recalls can be effective and keeps the politicians on their toes ( well at least it should) This particular recall in my opinion is a waste of money.
There's a good chance that Pearce will win the election again.... So what did it prove in this particular matter.??
If Pearce had a brain, he'd move the heck out of the Sanctuary City of Mesa and go somewhere else where he would be more appreciated.
So if he wins the election after the recall, how stupid are the backers of this recall going to look? I think pretty darm stupid. The good part of this particular recall is that if he does win it should pretty much shut down the group whos behind the recall.
NothingButTheTruth posted at 2:34 pm on Sat, Jul 16, 2011.
Sure daveofthedesert, someone take dave out to the garbage he's starting to reek again!
daveofthedesert posted at 2:23 pm on Sat, Jul 16, 2011.
When the GARBAGE reeks you take it out early. The limpwristed pearce is a waste of skin.
NothingButTheTruth posted at 2:13 pm on Sat, Jul 16, 2011.
These Citizens for a Better Arizona headed by their Co-founder & former Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Randy Parraz want to recall Pearce for,
Reasons listed for the recall:
1. Voted to terminate health care for seniors, struggling families and people with a disability. (Everyone in this country is having to bite the bullet. My pay hasn't increased in several years. How bout yours?)
2. Opposes the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. (Anchor Babies)
3. Voted to require American citizens show a Government ID for emergency care. (Heaven forbid we should want people to show identification when so many illegal aliens cannot afford to steal others identities)
4. Opposes access to public education for all Arizona children. (Just whose education are we talking about that we all are paying for? Truth is that all we wanted was to know the citizenship of children enrolling so we could determine the high cost of educating illegals.)
That's the reasons they list on http://tucsoncitizen.com/community/2011/05/15/recall-state-senator-russell-pearce-campaign-needs-help/
But we all know they are pro illegal aliens, open border zealots that want this state to run over by illegal aliens from the south, and they hate Pearce for the legislation he has enacted trying to get rid of the parasitical vermin that are taking over this country. If you do not believe that just look closer at what is happening right next door in California.
Reelect a man who has fought for AMERICAN citizens rights over the illegals that stole into our country. http://protectanamericanpatriot.com/
NothingButTheTruth posted at 1:48 pm on Sat, Jul 16, 2011.
Republican Russell Peace won the November, 2010 general election for State Senator by 17,552 votes. Pearce was elected State Senate President shortly after his November election. This is his 2nd term in AZ State Senate, having served before in the Arizona House of Representatives. The following January, socialistas dissatisfied with losing once again, began the recall effort. This is about cry babies not being able to win by playing by the rules. Very pathetic effort to circumvent the democratic process. You people should be ashamed of yourselves.
NothingButTheTruth posted at 1:41 pm on Sat, Jul 16, 2011.
Bass Virus, the only method the public has of getting rid of nutballs like Pearce...? Pearce ran for election in 2010. Did you miss that method? Does the rhythm method confuse you and give you headaches? He plans to finish his term as state senate and then probably will run for Flake's US House seat. Pearce's senate seat has a term of only two years. Can't you libertards wait a year or so and do it right? Is your hatred of Pearce so strong that you would wast so much resources just to get rid of him a little sooner than if you used the democratically approved method? Really pathetic.
AmericanPatriot posted at 1:01 pm on Sat, Jul 16, 2011.
Yeah let's spend 154,000 dollars circumventing the democratic process. Pearce will still win, but at least we'll show them how much we hate him for enacting SB1070 and helping to jump start a national effort to get control over an out of control immigration problem.
Bass Virus posted at 11:15 am on Sat, Jul 16, 2011.
Yeah lets just ditch the only method the public has of getting rid of nutballs like Pearce...[rolleyes]
NothingButTheTruth posted at 11:08 am on Sat, Jul 16, 2011.
THE COST: The state will pick up the estimated $154,000 cost of the election, which will be conducted by Maricopa County. That is what the open border, pro illegal aliens are costing us to have this recall election.
NothingButTheTruth posted at 11:00 am on Sat, Jul 16, 2011.
"A very empowered minority can overcome the wishes of the majority easily. I imagine that there will be a lot more people energized to take him out than leave him in. That's typically the way it works."
Fascism by the minority. Law needs to be changed so that signatures required to trigger recall match or exceed the number of votes challenged politician received in the REAL democratic election.
"A total of 10,365 valid signatures were certified by state election officials in the Pearce recall effort; 7,756 were needed. Pearce received 17,552 votes in last November's election to Democrat Andrew Sherwood's 10,663."
Looks like they almost just got all the democrat votes that went to Sherwood in the REAL democratic election.
Leon Ceniceros posted at 9:29 am on Sat, Jul 16, 2011.
MANY MESA CITIZENS DON'T KNOW THAT SENATOR PEARCE'S SON WAS SHOT BY AN ILLEGAL ALIEN.
MARICOPA COUNTY SHERIFF DEPUTY PEARCE WAS SHOT BY AN ILLEGAL ALIEN .....WHILE ON DUTY.....ON...DECEMBER 17TH, 2004.
BUT TO THE.....MORMONS, THE PHOENIX DIOCESE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, THE ILLEGAL ALIEN "RIGHTS" ACTIVISTS AND THE LIBERAL-PROGRESSIVES AND DEMOCRATS OF MESA.............HAVING A LOVED ONE ALMOST KILLED BY AN..........ILLEGAL ALIEN FROM MEXICO.....MEANS NOTHING.......THEY DON'T WANT TO LOOK AT SENATOR RUSSELL PEARCE AS A .........HUMAN BEING, A FATHER.......THEY JUST CARE ABOUT THEIR .."PRO-ILLEGAL ALIEN AMNESTY" ...AGENDA.