Guests - Rep. Joseph Chaplik, Betsy Smith, Kelly Walker

Arizona Legislature Approves Controversial Bill for Axon's Multi-Family Housing Development in Scottsdale

The Battle Between Local Control and State Power

Arizona State Representative Joseph Chaplik joined the program to discuss the controversial Senate Bill 1543, which was recently signed into law by Governor Katie Hobbs. The bill requires cities with populations between 200,000 and 500,000 to allow hotels and multifamily residential housing to be built in areas zoned for light industrial use without requiring public hearings.

This legislation specifically benefits Axon, a company headquartered in Scottsdale that manufactures law enforcement technology including Tasers. The bill essentially overrides a local referendum effort that had gathered 27,000 signatures from Scottsdale residents who opposed Axon's plans to build 1,900 apartment units.

"This was not the proper role of our state government to interfere with a city issue," Chaplik stated. "I don't care what city it was. If it was a city I don't represent, I would have still voted no on this."

How the Controversy Began

The conflict started several years ago when Axon purchased land at a state trust auction for approximately $75 million with plans to expand their headquarters in Scottsdale. However, the company didn't immediately develop the property.

Fast forward to 2024, and Scottsdale experienced a significant change in leadership. Four incumbents on the city council, including the mayor, lost their re-election bids. According to Chaplik, this was largely due to voter frustration over excessive apartment development in the city.

"Scottsdale has been overbuilt with apartments. We've been overbuilding massive size apartments throughout the city," Chaplik explained. "Everybody got irritated with that type of development because we're more of a home community."

During their final month in office, the outgoing council approved a zoning change for Axon's property from light industrial to multi-family, allowing the company to build 1,900 apartment units. The newly elected council opposed the project but couldn't reverse the decision.

Citizens Respond with Referendum Effort

In response, Scottsdale citizens launched a petition drive to force a public vote on the development. They needed 15,000 signatures but collected 27,000 in just 30 days, successfully placing the issue on the November 2026 ballot.

"27,000 voters said, 'I want to have a say in the election of 2026,'" Chaplik noted. "So the Scottsdale residents can decide if Axon can build the largest apartment complex in the history of Arizona here in Scottsdale."

Rather than wait for the referendum, Axon took their case to the state legislature. According to Chaplik, the company's representatives had unprecedented access to legislators.

"They got to talk to every legislator, all 90 of them in the House and Senate," he said. "They had their own security details standing outside the offices of the reps... It was very odd to see the fact that they had that type of access."

How the Bill Became Law

The legislation initially failed to advance, but Axon's lobbyists managed to revive it through a procedural maneuver known as a "striker bill," where they took an existing bill and replaced its entire content with new language.

Chaplik described the narrowly tailored nature of the legislation: "The bill basically says they can build multi-family apartments on industrial light use land. But only if you're an international headquarters, and you have a size of company within the range they have, and you're in a city of 200,000 to 500,000 residents, and only if you're going to hire a certain amount of people at a pay scale above medium pay."

The bill passed the House by a significant margin (approximately 40-16) and squeaked through the Senate with 17 votes (just one more than needed). Governor Hobbs signed it into law.

Chaplik noted that all nine state representatives and senators who represent parts of Scottsdale—both Republicans and Democrats—opposed the bill, yet their unified opposition was ignored.

Concerns About Democracy and Local Control

Chaplik expressed concerns about the precedent this legislation sets. "The voters wanted to have an election. The legislature passed this bill to take the election away," he said. "This is why all your listeners should be concerned because this can happen in any city. Now you can have a wealthy developer come in, want to do something in a city that the residents don't want, and they're not going to have any recourse."

Chaplik challenged claims that the legislation was necessary to keep Axon in Arizona. "Nobody was running them out of Arizona," he said. "We just didn't want them building apartments. That's not their core business. They're not even in the development business."

He also questioned the urgency, noting that even with the bill signed, it won't take effect until 90 days after the legislative session ends—likely five months from now. "We could have ran an election, a special election for Axon in Scottsdale this summer, two months from now, three months from now," Chaplik said. "They didn't want it."

Despite the setback, Chaplik believes legal challenges will follow. "I do believe there'll be some lawsuits filed from the city," he said.

Lieutenant Governor Position in Arizona's Future

A New Role in State Government

During the conversation, Representative Chaplik discussed Arizona's newly created Lieutenant Governor position, which will appear on the ballot for the first time in 2026.

"Arizona was one of the states that did not have a Lieutenant Governor. So our Secretary of State was second in command," Chaplik explained. "We put that to the ballot on the last election and it passed overwhelmingly."

The new position will function similarly to the relationship between a president and vice president, with gubernatorial candidates selecting their running mates during the campaign.

Chaplik Expresses Interest in the Role

When asked about rumors that he might be considering the Lieutenant Governor position, Chaplik confirmed his interest.

"I would be honored to be in that position quite honestly. I think I possess a strong background of business, a strong background of legislative experience as well, and the common sense of what I bring to the policies," he said.

Chaplik also revealed his support for Congressman Andy Biggs in the governor's race. "I think Andy Biggs is going to win the governorship," he stated.

He emphasized that the Lieutenant Governor would need to help bridge the gap between the executive office and the legislature. "We've never had a unified executive branch and legislative branch where there's been a lot of communication," Chaplik noted. "I know Ducey was there when I, my first term, he was a Republican, but I never saw him down at the House or the Senate. Hobbs is there now. We never see her. We don't even talk to her staff."

Background and Experience

Chaplik shared his extensive business background, starting in telecommunications with Sprint Communications in the mid-1990s, where he quickly rose to become a branch manager of the Los Angeles division. He later served as executive vice president at Allegiance Telecom before founding his own investment real estate firm specializing in multi-family brokerage about 20 years ago.

"I've done close to a billion dollars in sales volume over the last 20 years with my firm," Chaplik stated. "We specialize in multifamily brokerage, which is existing product, private industry."

In addition to his business experience, Chaplik has served in the Arizona Legislature for three terms. His committee assignments include chairman of the ethics committee, vice chairman of the appropriations committee, vice chairman of the commerce committee, and member of health and human services and transportation committees.

Chaplik has also been involved with law enforcement support organizations, serving on Sheriff Joe Arpaio's advisory posse that helped fundraise for fallen officers and currently with the United States Marshals posse.

"We're the only state in the country that has a posse for the U.S. Marshals," he noted. "It's a very rewarding opportunity to give back and help fundraise and support the community with law enforcement."

Judges and Prosecutors Facing Legal Consequences

Milwaukee Judge Charged with Helping Illegal Immigrant Evade ICE

Betsy Brantner Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association, joined the program to discuss recent cases of judges and prosecutors facing legal troubles for their actions.

"The federal government has arrested a Wisconsin judge for helping an illegal Mexican migrant evade ICE agents in her courtroom," Smith reported. "She just appeared before another judge in Milwaukee County, and she was charged with two felonies."

According to Smith, Judge Hannah Duggan in Milwaukee County had her bailiff ask ICE agents with a felony warrant to wait outside the courtroom until a hearing was over. She then directed the illegal immigrant, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, and his attorney out a side door to escape. When the ICE agents came in, she claimed not to know where they had gone.

"She was arrested, charged with two felonies, including obstruction of justice," Smith said.

New Mexico Judge Arrested for Harboring Gang Members

In another case, a judge in Las Cruces, New Mexico, was arrested along with his wife for harboring members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang that has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department.

Judge Joel Cano and his wife Nancy allegedly allowed a 23-year-old Venezuelan man named Christian Ortega Lopez to live in their casita, along with three of his associates. The situation began when Nancy hired Ortega Lopez to install a sliding glass door about six months ago.

"The judge and his wife were both posting this Venezuelan, a Tren de Aragua gang member who had an AR-15, had a suppressor, you know, all these things," Smith explained. "Remember in New Mexico, they want to get rid of the guns, and this illegal immigrant, he was posting on social media and admitting to people on social media, 'I probably shouldn't be in possession of this firearm.'"

Smith noted that Ortega Lopez had visible Tren de Aragua tattoos and wasn't trying to hide his gang affiliation. All four men have been taken into custody, according to Smith.

Minneapolis Prosecutor Accused of Political Bias

Smith also discussed a case involving Mary Moriarty, a county prosecutor in Minneapolis who declined to charge a man who vandalized six Tesla vehicles, despite the fact that he caused $21,000 in damage and confessed to the crime.

The suspect, Dylan Adams, a 33-year-old state government employee who works for the Department of Human Services, was caught on video keying six Teslas in late March. Instead of prosecution, Moriarty offered him diversion, despite her office's own guidelines limiting diversion to cases with property damage under $5,000.

"Her own department guidelines, she didn't want to use her guidelines that day," Smith remarked.

Smith pointed out that Moriarty had prosecuted a 19-year-old woman with no prior criminal record for keying one car belonging to a co-worker, causing just over $7,000 in damages.

"This is one of the thousand reasons that Donald Trump was elected because we see this two-tiered justice system and it frustrates people," Smith said. "People feel like our justice system is supposed to be exactly what the founders intended it to be, blind."

Smith predicted that Moriarty might run for office, potentially leveraging her stance as a political asset rather than facing consequences for it.

Federal Weaponization Against Parents During COVID

A Parent's Fight for Justice

Kelly Walker joined the program to discuss his ongoing efforts to address what he describes as the federal weaponization of law enforcement against concerned parents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Walker shared that five members of Congress have signed onto a letter sponsored by Representative Abe Hamadeh addressing this issue. The signatories include Representatives Eli Crane, Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs, Jim Jordan, and Andy Ogles from Tennessee.

"Kash Patel is absolutely going to investigate this," Walker stated, referring to Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. "Senator Josh Hawley in Kash Patel's confirmation hearings said point blank if we confirm you, are you going to investigate this targeting of parents? He said yes."

Walker's Personal Experience

Walker described his own experience being treated as a "domestic terrorist" after speaking out at a school board meeting in Vail, Arizona during the COVID-19 pandemic. He and other parents were concerned about mask mandates and other policies being implemented in schools.

As a result of speaking out, Walker faced serious consequences. "Your business was ruined. Your family had to leave. You've been through a lot and nothing really ever happened to the people in the school system that caused this for you and your family," observed host Kathleen Winn.

Walker confirmed this assessment and added that there was "perjury committed" in his case. He also noted that Judge Geraldine Hale, who presided over his case, had been unanimously rejected by the Magistrate Commission in Tucson, which said "she doesn't offer due process" and "doesn't have basic understanding of the law."

Call for Accountability and Restitution

The letter from Representative Hamadeh calls for "restitution for those impacted" through an executive order. It states that "convictions embedded in these politically motivated actions" should be exposed.

Walker expressed hope that this effort would lead to genuine accountability. "The people who think that they got away with this, that they silenced concerned parents, they're already being investigated and they ought to be really nervous right now," he said.

He specifically mentioned John Corruth of the Vail School District, claiming that district officials "ignored the pleas of parents saying, look, our kids are committing suicide, ignored the stats that were published even at that time because they were receiving millions of dollars from the CDC to keep force masking kids, to keep taking kids out of school and ostracizing them."

Walker also criticized media coverage of these issues, stating that he is currently in discussions with the Arizona Daily Star about removing what he describes as "defamatory salacious" articles about him.

Despite the challenges he has faced, Walker remains committed to his advocacy. "I want people to see that even somebody who's been canceled, all the jobs, very much attacked, doesn't have money can make a difference," he said. "This is what America is supposed to be about, not necessarily just relying on our representatives, but being involved."