Wednesday, January 18th, 2006...9:59 pm
Good Jobs at Good Wages
Patty Weiss, although not a declared candidate yet, is apparently assembling a staff. As mentioned before, Frank Costanzo, formerly of the Howard Dean campaign, is on board. Dean’s campaign in Arizona was impressive, but collapsed when the national campaign went downhill. Costanzo also worked for Paul Babbitt’s unsuccessful 2004 campaign. To be fair to Costanzo on that one, he came on board when that ship was already sinking.
She also has apparently been talking to Monica Perez, a former officer of the Arizona Young Democrats who ran for legislature in 2004. She is originally from Douglas and maintains extensive ties in the area. She also worked on Sen. Alfredo Gutierrez’s gubenatorial effort in 2002.
The campaign has also evidently come to an agreement with the Strategic Issues Management Group, a local public relations firm headed up by former Dennis DeConcini campaign guru David Steele. SIMG’s offices are, oddly enough, located next door to Jim Kolbe’s local office. I mean, right next door. This has nothing to do with anything of course, it is just sort of funny. A state senate candidate tried to make this an issue a few years ago when Steele’s firm was working on an opposing campaign in a Democratic primary.
The firm has worked on a number of local campaigns. They handled media for the Democratic coordinated legislative race in 2000, which helped result in the 15-15 Senate that was elected that year (full disclosure: I worked for that campaign as well). They also did work on the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, but also were involved with more contraversial work for the Mount Graham Telescope project.
The campaign’s biggest pick up is former Arizona Daily Star reporter Rhonda Bodfield. Bodfield will, of course, be handling press. She interviewed me once years ago; it took me a week to recover. She has been covering local politics for a long time, thus has extensive connections with the local media. Of course, so does the candidate.
How is Weiss planning on paying for all this?
20 Comments
January 19th, 2006 at 8:50 am
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January 19th, 2006 at 11:52 am
Gee, thanks Ted! Maybe now Weiss and the gang will really bring me on board. Thanks for “outing” me and the plug about my near success in ‘04.
January 19th, 2006 at 12:34 pm
You should know not to tell Ted anything. His lips are always wide open yapping away.
January 19th, 2006 at 12:41 pm
good advice, anonymous…don’t know how Ted found out. wasn’t me! maybe gabby wants to hire me and asked about me…ha ha.
January 19th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
u forgot to mention she also interned w/ the enemy…i mean…Kolbe.
January 19th, 2006 at 1:41 pm
I guess anonymous #1 is mad that when I find out information that is interesting, I put it on here. Of course, you are reading this because I “talk too much,” eh?
I didn’t hear about Monica from her, and it wasn’t told to me in confidence. Given the source I heard it from, I guessed that it was something that was already part of the zeitgeist.
January 19th, 2006 at 1:44 pm
Ted, I’m just happy to be listed on this wonderful non-phoenix blog. Can you run a piece on Douglas or something?
Ted for Arizona ‘10
January 19th, 2006 at 1:51 pm
Im supporting whoever Carmen supports.
January 19th, 2006 at 7:35 pm
Monica- Writing about Douglas politics would just be dangerous.
Although I know a good story about a radio guy out there and the mayor…but see…it’s all about discretion.
January 19th, 2006 at 8:08 pm
I suspect that we’ll soon find out that Weiss may not be able to pay for much. It may still be a good race. I think the smart money is on Giffords.
January 19th, 2006 at 8:26 pm
Ted..I love ya. There are no hard feelings. If anything I’ll have 2 mins of fame and maybe my stock will go up with the CD8 candidates. I’m also glad some anony mentioned my intern days with Kolbe.
Please start a blog section on Douglas politics…I need to get dirt for my city council race. I’m the anti-Borane.
January 19th, 2006 at 9:42 pm
thank god Monica is not working for Weiss! I was beginning to get worried that Weiss was getting people who lost their own campaigns to run hers
January 19th, 2006 at 10:36 pm
hillarious, anony # 534.
Ted-are you going to post the Celinda Lake poll?
January 20th, 2006 at 6:49 am
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January 20th, 2006 at 10:30 am
Anonymous said…
thank god Monica is not working for Weiss! I was beginning to get worried that Weiss was getting people who lost their own campaigns to run hers
19 January, 2006 21:42
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I didn’t know the Tucson Weekly commented on your blog Ted.
January 20th, 2006 at 2:53 pm
Right now I’m a Latas supporter. My mind was made up in Patagonia. I would still like to know what Gabby has done. I’ve tried to find something and all I find is zip.
January 20th, 2006 at 4:30 pm
The first poll of the CD-8 election just came out and it shows a two person race with no other candidate having a legitimate shot. Believe it or not, neither Gabby or Jeff was anywhere near the front runners. The only two candidates with a shot to win the primary are Patty Weiss and Eva Bacal - both have support in the low 40% range of likely voters. All of the other candidates are closer to * than double digits. This website would have us believe the also-rans, like Gabby and Jeff actually have a shot. Save your money - this race does not involve them. It does not matter what kind of machine is in place if there are no voters to go along with them. Good people like Ted and Grijalva sometimes back losers (see Clark and Dean), but they are still great guys.
January 20th, 2006 at 8:44 pm
Can anyone answer how Gabby has delivered for Southern Arizona and LD28 in her years in the AZ Senate? Every one talks about her record, but has she really brought home the bacon to LD28/S. AZ???
January 20th, 2006 at 8:48 pm
I was one that was polled. Believe me, this poll had nothing to do with issues, nothing.
No issues were in the poll. It was about names. Latas was only mentioned once in the entire poll.
The vast majority of the poll was Patty. The finial questions were if Patty had to run agianst Gabby. No one else! I wouldn’t vote for either.
This is a meaningless poll for everyone with the exception of Patty. I could have done the same poll with Stalin and he would have been the winner.
January 21st, 2006 at 1:50 am
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