Painful memories upon former governor’s passing

It’s never pleasant to speak badly about the deceased. But it would be an insult to history to note Thursday’s passing of former Gov. Evan Mecham without acknowledging some of the most disturbing moments behind the 15 months that led up to his impeachment and removal from office by the state Legislature.

First, let’s focus on the good in Mecham’s life. He was a decorated military veteran who honorably served his country during World War II. He built an auto dealership from the ground up. He was a Republican Party activist who consistently argued in favor of smaller government, lower taxes and less business regulation. And he always had the love and support of his family and friends, an accomplishment that never should be discounted or ignored.

But Mecham’s public legacy to Arizona is anything but distinguished. His far-from-convincing victory in 1986 over the Democrat and independent candidates inspired a one-time experiment with run-off elections for governor that eventually brought Fife Symington into the office. Mecham’s first act after his inauguration in 1987 was to revoke the newly created holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr., a stand on legal principle that became a political disaster for Arizona. The state was subjected to national ridicule and economic boycotts for years that relented only after voters brought the holiday back.

Mecham also seemed to have perfected a knack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, including his defense of a racial slur and his claim that the state attorney general was beaming microwaves into the governor’s office to spy on him.

But it was shady business dealings intersecting with Mecham’s public role that prompted the Legislature to eject him from the governor’s chair, the only time that has occurred since Arizona became a state in 1912.

Mecham would later claim an acquittal verdict from a jury proved his impeachment had been an unjustified political witch hunt. But he conveniently glossed over the fact that the criminal charges the jury considered also had been dismissed by the state Senate while it acted on other allegations.

Despite his downfall, Mecham’s supporters remained fiercely loyal to his political outlook. His administration aided the launch of other political careers including those of state Sen. Karen Johnson and U.S. Rep. Trent Franks.

However, given the bitter isolation that Mecham endured during his brief tenure, returning to private life might have been the best thing to happen to him. It certainly was for the rest of Arizona.