Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009...8:49 am
Something Else on the Internet About ED…
Word has leaked out to this intrepid blogger that the search for a new executive director for the Arizona Democratic party has been winnowed (sort of, I’ll get to that later) to two candidates: former Raúl Grijalva staffer Luís Heredia and current acting executive director Devin Rankin.
One of the reasons for this drawn out process is that it was supposed to keep the decision of who the executive director is from being part of the coming food fight between Terry Goddard and Jim Pederson. Already I had one person contact me concerned that Heredia was too close to Goddard, and Rankin too close to Pederson. I think that any worries about loyalties to the two possible gubernatorial candidates are a bit exagerated: Heredia is seen more as a Grijalva person than a Goddard person after his years working in his Yuma office, and Rankin worked a very abbreviated stint with Pederson’s senate campaign before leaving for a job with the state party. People close to the process have pointed out that both Rankin and Heredia got support on the committee from people loyal to both sides.
One person more familiar about the process told me that it is possible that another candidate could arise. The winnowing process only involved candidates who were interviewed, which would exclude candidates that applied from other states. My source said that he thought this was unlikely, given that both Organizing for America and the White House are still hiring and many Democratic politicos in other states are waiting for those jobs.
46 Comments
April 22nd, 2009 at 10:39 am
Two amazing candidates — really. We’re in good hands either way!
April 22nd, 2009 at 11:06 am
Devan Rankin = Maria Weeg Part 2
April 22nd, 2009 at 11:18 am
Wow, there’s someone who has no idea what they’re talking about.
April 22nd, 2009 at 11:34 am
Sadly I agree with AntiCap. The status quo types at State HQ have the fix in.
More of the same, with similar results in legislative races.
Sigh.
April 22nd, 2009 at 11:49 am
Tough call, both are great.
April 22nd, 2009 at 1:01 pm
I vote Luis. He is from Yuma and its damn time we got away from Phoenix based E.Ds.
April 22nd, 2009 at 1:10 pm
under no circumstances NONE, should Devin be in charge. If that happens, all donors should just stop giving money permanently. That would spell doom for the party, that is the WORST decision ever. OK lets get Maria Weeg, and Mallory and Devin in a room together….then tell which one is which. We don’t hire 29 year olds who have never accomplished ANYTHING to run the 17th largest State Democratic party in the country. SORRY. WAIT I will retract….we can hire Devin at under 70,000 a year.
April 22nd, 2009 at 1:21 pm
I do not know either one of these people. I say I don’t want either of ‘em them because neither of them live in Tucson….and thats all I have to say about that.
April 22nd, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Two great candidates – but Devin Rankin is the strongest contender by far. Rankin as “status quo”? Hardly. She and her Finance/Fundraising team have been the only consistent glimmer of hope at party HQ. Smart, articulate, strategic, experienced, and well-respected – Devin would help us move beyond the muck and into a new day. The proof is in the pudding. While nearly every other piece of the party apparatus appears broken…and with donors having every excuse to not support the party…the Finance/Fundraising team has been rock solid. Without Rankin’s leadership…the wheels would have come off this ride a long time ago.
April 22nd, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Posting from “what” above — yikes! Sounds personal. Get over it.
I know both candidates well and Devin is the right woman for the right time. I really hope people will see that. Good luck!
April 22nd, 2009 at 3:29 pm
I’m a big fan of Luis, but I still think Devin would do a great job. There is no lack of talent here.
April 22nd, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Devin is well-known in the Phoenix scene to be far closer to Jim Pederson than is being let on in either the post or the comments. It is a known fact (and if it is not factual, it is at least a common impression) to have secured her tenure at ADP as a result of the patronage of Pederson during his term as Chair. She has been described on more than one occasion to me as having a relationship with Pederson that is like family.
Who knows if this is true, but Goddard fans should at least demand an accounting of the specifics of how she plans to be objective and a full disclosure of her relationship with Pederson.
If Luis is hired, the same standard should be used in terms of his relationship with Goddard, even though I at least have not heard that they have such a personal relationship, just that he is the favored candidate of Goddard loyalists.
She has always acted in the utmost professional manner in the past, and I have no reason to doubt that she would now, and there is something to be said for her performance as the only functioning, competent department head at ADP in recent memory–and I at least have a real fear that she would walk away with her extensive network of contacts to the Pederson for Governor campaign, potentially leaving ADP high and dry; she would be difficult to replace in terms of the skill set she brings.
That being said, this upcoming primary will be a battle for the soul of the Arizona Democratic Party, and the preservation of as neutral a staff as possible will serve us well in having an objective steward to make sure we survive what is sure to be a bloody battle.
April 22nd, 2009 at 4:04 pm
We still haven’t heard where either one of them stands on election integrity.
April 22nd, 2009 at 4:16 pm
They likely stand with the rest of us. Support election integrity…and annoyed by you.
April 22nd, 2009 at 4:25 pm
I read the post describing Devin Rankin as loyal to Jim Pederson when he was our Chair. That’s probably true. You can probably say the same thing about being loyal to our current Chair. And, you could probably say the same thing about being loyal to Gov. Napalitano….and (fingers crossed) a Gov. Goddard or a Gov. Pederson. In other words, Devin strikes me as a professional with tremendous integrity who is above all else, loyal to the Democratic Party and our shared ideals. She’d be a fine choice for ED. We should be so lucky.
April 22nd, 2009 at 4:54 pm
To all those yielding daggers, and criticizing without substance, put them away. To equate Weeg to Rankin is egregious nonsense. Weeg was hired outside of the “status quo” to satisfy the very same criticism you offer here. I was there when it happened, and simply put, it was a terrible mistake. The sustainability of the ADP will entirely depend on our ability to move beyond the circular firing squad, and behave like adults. Make Rankin the ED. We’d be lucky to have her. As stated previously, her leadership has been a singular constant despite said squad.
So again. Quit the name calling. Quit the finger pointing. Offer a hand instead of your middle finger and we can move along just fine.
To the ADP Headquarters staff,
Remember that this is politics, and no one is ever nice. Keep that in mind as you see your names pop up in random blogs. Devin Rankin, you will get them through this. Chris Brill, you are never mentioned (trust me, in this world, that means you are doing an amazing job). Justin, same goes with you (bright guy, and an even brighter future ahead of you). Keep your heads up. Keep the vultures at bay.
Yours in the fight!
April 22nd, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Two very qualified candidates – if in fact this rumor is true (that it is down to just these two). Both are great people, great democrats and would be great Executive Directors.
On the other hand, Mallory Hutchinson still needs to be fired. Period. No matter what the minority leadership thinks – she has been a bridge breaker not a bridge maker with the party, it’s volunteers and it’s candidates.
April 22nd, 2009 at 5:34 pm
“Sober Liberals” comment is right on the mark.
April 22nd, 2009 at 6:39 pm
SouthernAZLiberal–
Point taken, although the way the story goes, Rankin was given her job and entry into political work by Pederson directly as a result of hometown relationships (both are from Casa Grande.) My point was not that this makes her unqualified, just that I do not believe Terry Goddard personally served as his initial patron.
Additionally, it is worth pointing out in this conversation that in the term of the next Executive Director if not already, the Arizona Democratic Party will approach if not reach a point where a majority of its members (the registered Democrats of Arizona, who we as apparatchiks and staffers alike theoretically represent) will be Latino. This, needless to say, is not represented in our staff, and figures like Ben Miranda are not bashful about using this fact to drive a wedge between the Latino community and the State Party as an institution. The question we would be wise to ask ourselves is, what happens when this is pointed out by someone more in the mainstream, either inside or outside the Party?
This does not mean Luis should get the job based on these grounds, but this is a long-term institutional challenge, and if we are truly hiring someone to put down roots in the ED’s office, this issue of dissonance between the institution and a majority of its membership is something I hope the committee took into account. And, if Devin is reading this and does get the job, I hope she reveals her plan for addressing this from the outset, not merely as standard-fare tokenism.
April 22nd, 2009 at 9:10 pm
Sober Liberal-Thank You!
Drunk Liberal- Stop drinking!
What does EIC stand for again? let’s see.. Egomaniacs’ Indulgent Chest-thumping. oh wait, no, it’s Election Integrity Committee? Hmm somebody should really say something
April 22nd, 2009 at 9:54 pm
I really have trouble endorsing anyone from the current ADP staff. I think Seth Scott would be the best choice if we could afford him…..he is really the only person I think running away that deserves the job. Rodd McCleod, Zach Wineburg…….these are guys who walk the walk…….I am not sure about these two……I think the committee has failed in nominate 5 quality finalists and recruit the best poltical minds Arizona has to offer. Neither choice wins the press conference….sorry
April 22nd, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Lets get it straight. Devin is absolutely a continuation of Maria Weeg, just more pay. She was in lockstep with Maria the whole day and DESPISES the precinct committee people. Ask anyone whose been around any time. She was fired from the Pederson campaign for sucking so much, she went groveling to the Arizona Democratic Party for her old job she walked away from.
She is a fundraiser. She isn’t that great at that either. She only was succesful because of two words: Janet Napolitano. She has no experience in running an organization or grassroots.
She is the 100 storm that will KILL the democratic Party.
Luis is the grassroots hero from yuma county.
There really is no contest.
April 22nd, 2009 at 10:45 pm
Don’t they all hate the precinct committee people? And especially those on the State Committee? Devin, Mallory, Maria, they all were rude and nasty to me and others. My checks to the party stopped for good when Maria hired the off duty police in Prescott to keep the volunteers off the floor of the SC meeting and in the balcony (where they belong?). 30 year volunteers were in the lobby in tears about being relegated to the balcony just as they had in their youth. The white chicks in power didn’t care.
April 23rd, 2009 at 6:01 am
If these rumors are true, we are definitely in good hands. Both Devin and Luis are competent, smart, strong administrators.
However, wouldn’t it be great if we shifted the conversation here to what we would like to see them do? The overblown Pederson/Goddard divide aside, what are the hopes and concerns people have for either of these individuals.
I think we all recognize things have to change at ADP. I hope that if Devin is selected she will have the fortitude to stand up to an apparatus she has been a part of for some time(even though she’s not the problem) and make the tough decisions. If Luis is selected, I hope that he won’t be marginalized and cut out of the loop. Both of them show great promise for the future of AZ.
April 23rd, 2009 at 6:50 am
Excellent Point Mherlihy
April 23rd, 2009 at 6:55 am
“Hero” – I find it a riot that you say that Luis is a “Hero” and yet your posting name is “Hero” as well. Too funny. Luis would be a great ED but I think this blog would have to discuss with you what you think “hero” really means – since it’s a word I don’t have to use everyday – because very few people are “heros”… yet you have yourself and luis marked as “heros” in one posting. Now that’s impressive.
April 23rd, 2009 at 7:16 am
hahaha. Man. It is days like these when I feel so vindicated I left the ADP. Circular firing squad go!!!!!! Team Fail Whale! This is why you don’t do things by committee.
April 23rd, 2009 at 8:03 am
Circular Firing Squad, indeed!
Sometimes it is nice to have a little anonymity. Like, when your life or livelihood could be threatened.
But sometimes we just over-use it and it just serves to undermine everything we have worked for.
If you have criticisms about Maria or Jim or Dem Leadership or Miranda or whomever, fine. I think that, despite the personal issues, all of these people are trying to do the right thing, but criticism goes with the job.
However, exchanges like these only make it more difficult to do that and it gives our opponents lots to work with. This only exaggerates divides that really need not be so deep.
In the end, our ability to succeed is a function of our ability to pull together.
I would like to see more discussion about that. After all, it is what we will have to do regardless of who becomes ED.
Well, we don’t have to pull together, I guess. After all, we don’t need to fund quality eduction, provide healthcare, clean the environment and protect personal freedom.
Who else but a unified Democratic Party will do these things?
April 23rd, 2009 at 8:42 am
Amen, Ken. Amen.
April 23rd, 2009 at 8:55 am
I am posting under anonymity because of backlash from staff. We all saw how it worked for Paul Eckerstrom. As I posted above, (not happy) I am very very uncomfortable allowing anyone in the existing Power Structure a promotion, and I feel the new/old chairman has let the out counties and activisim arm of the party down by not cleaning more house. This is the lack of leadership that put a hiccup in his coronation in the first place. If Devin gets the job-she will not be followed with sentiments of optimism from ANYWHERE except the Maricopa County minority leadership and inside the ADP. This move would weaken the Arizona Democratic party compromise the parties chances for the 9th floor, a US Senate seat, and the any of the an AG, SOS, Treasurer and Superintendent. I will continue on why
April 23rd, 2009 at 9:01 am
So Devin gets the job, that immiediately makes a divided race for Governor, because Pederson will more likely decide he is in play. If Devin can convince her old boss not run….than hire her…..but I doubt that is happening…….now we do not have a hit the ground running campaign for Goddard…..
The ADP will backhand any run by Tucsonan Vince Rabago, and after Vince wipes the floor with underqualifed and NVGA(not very good attorney) David Lujan, in the AG primary Vince will get no cooperation because of snidely attitudes. These are two scenarios that I see playing out. While I appreciate you liking ADP staff, the question is do they win? the answer is a resounding NO. We need someone with nothing to gain but a good reputation for winning; someone who is an operative; not a candidate. My apologies if I think we can do better….but we can do better…..proud to stay anonymous……
April 23rd, 2009 at 10:25 am
Doesn’t that gal Devin have even less campaign knowledge than the e.d. from the last election? I don’t believe that panned out too well for you Democrats now did it?
April 23rd, 2009 at 11:44 am
Well. We have not had too many wins recently sure, but I was there when we did ( I was a peon, taking no credit here ) but the biggest difference between now and then was simple long term planning, scientific analysis and POLLING ( something that we apparently didn’t do in 2008 ). But the most important thing is that Devin was apart of ADP too back then, so if people attack her for being apart of the bad times, you also have to acknowledge she was there for the good times.
Luis is the KING of Yuma. The man handed us victory in 2006 by whipping enough votes to put several of our leg candidates over the hump via VBM collections. He was also there as Team Grijalva for the victories in 2002 and 2006.
If you could remove the personalities for a second, I would always go with the field experienced guy over anyone but I’m a little biased towards field =)
April 23rd, 2009 at 2:50 pm
I don’t know her well, but I’ve heard Devin was fired from the Peterson campaign because she couldn’t bring in big bucks from national sources (and I don’t know that Luis guy can either to be fair, but that will be the job of a fund raiser). Has she ever worked a race other than raising money? And when the money came in, how much of it was because of her and not her staff or the old governor?
I hear also she gets double paid a regular check and a consultant fee, someone needs to take a long look at the books during her time to see where all the money is going before they keep her on full time, she’s already to expensive. I’ve heard her at the state committee meetings and while my 60-plus-year-old brain ain’t what it used to be, its clear this girl is too young and making it up as she goes along. Says a few nice words to sound smart, but its not all there. This would be a step backwards into Maria territory, and didn’t we just go through two elections to get here, where is the change? Don should think twice about this, she must look good on paper to get this far but I haven’t seen what all the fuss is about.
Maybe if she made it over to Yavapai once in a while I would know better. I seem to remember her being up for this before Maria was hired too, must have been some serious reasons for David Wade to pick Maria over Devin?
April 23rd, 2009 at 10:22 pm
This is ridiculous. Age has nothing to do with this, both are young Democrats and have each done great things. If you have disagreements about ideas, its fine, but don’t hate on young people. We’re the only age group that supported the President in the last election here in Arizona.
April 24th, 2009 at 7:11 am
Mary is right. Devin should have driven to Yavapai County on a regular basis to meet with any activist with a greivance. In my book, this is the most critical part of a fund raiser’s job.
She also hits the nail on the head when she points out that Devin (and this Luis guy as well) has the same character flaw as Maria and Mallory, namely her youth. She is also pretty, and I suspect that she may have a sense of humor. I don’t trust anyone who isn’t as old, frumpy and bitter as me.
As for this Luis guy, I’ve never heard of him. I’m sorry, what some guy did in Yuma doesn’t impress me. I don’t know where it is.
April 24th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Thus spoke Old Hand!
R!
April 24th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Well Played ignorant Joseph. Your point is well made, still you have done nothing to convince me that Devin or Luis are qualified to run ADP. I am not sure it is in the interest of pary to pick either of them. It seems both will cause some political backlash. I suspect that ADP staff need to be completely removed and we need to start over…..except Amanda…..she can stay.
April 24th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
I see very few suggestions or ideas here but many personal attacks. We have a job to do (electing democrats) why don’t we leave the hiring (and firing) to those elected to that job? We have lost several months because some felt they were better suited to pick our next E.D. Than the people who actually were elected to run the party.
Get to work and quit your b*itching!
April 25th, 2009 at 8:59 am
I think that Ted Downing would be an excellent E.D. Not only is he the only living human being who has the intelligence and integrity to do the job, but he is also the only one who will stand up for the issue of election integrity.
April 25th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Downing for Gov? This must be sarcasm???
April 25th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
That is a great idea. Then the Democratic Party can adopt spousal rape for its platform! /snark
April 26th, 2009 at 10:31 am
Downing? As in the one Dem who voted against the spousal rape bill? Are you friggin serious? I wouldn’t want him to represent anything! He should go away, far far away; he’s a pain in the a@* and he’s only concerned about election integrity because it can be all about him! (His agenda is always more important than any issue out there)
Do your homework!
April 26th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
I don’t think Ted Downing is the right guy either. BUT, “Stop It!”, posted that he was sick of personal attacks. The you made one against someone else. Your are entering Dick Cheney territory. Wanting the ADP staff or most of the ADP staff dismissed is not a personal attack. It is a call-out on people who are ineffective at their job have yieled no results, and some have acted inappropriately in doing there jobs.
April 26th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Not a joke, how is it a personal attack to point out that Downing voted against punishing spousal rape? And that was AFTER he tried to insert harsh penalties against a spouse for “false reporting”, thus discouraging victims from bringing charges lest they couldn’t be absolutely certain of a conviction. IOW, making spousal rape de facto legal.
Frankly, your characterization of support for spousal rape as a mere personal peccadillo is rather offensive, if you must know.
April 26th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
I did not comment on Spousal rape, nor the do I disagree with the notion that Ted Downing is often accused of making it about him, I just don’t think you can call for a moratorium on personal attacks and then make one yourself. I have consistently posted on this website that I have major concerns with current ADP staff, specifically the potential promotion of Ms. Rankin and with the contraversy that surrounds Ms. Hutchinson everytime her name comes up. Ms. Rankin, it is nothing personal but I don’t think you are ready for the responsibility of ED and you have given me no reason to believe you are. Maybe in the next 2 or 3 years. Ms. Hutchinson I actually think you hurt the ADP more than you help it by being employed there. You need to resign.