Arizona Morning Briefing, 10-13: Who Is Sending “Official” Campaign Texts? Why Did Corp. Comm Delete Open Meeting Video? Scottsdale Debate. And More

•MYSTERIOUS POLITICAL TEXTS–Arizona voters are receiving unidentified pro-Republican texts presenting an “official” independent voter guide that lists only GOP candidates. Another message reproduced a KJZZ story about Democratic superintendent candidate Teresa Leyba Ruiz but altered its headline and text to characterize alleged campaign misconduct as illegal conduct, despite no official finding. Perhaps that’s what KJZZ itself investigated these texts. The investigation surfaced a few possible culprits: The Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, which it ruled out, a PAC called No Going Back, and Turning Point PAC Arizona, which has spent nearly $200,000 on texts this year and therefore seems…likely.

•DID CORPORATION COMMISSION VIOLATE STATE OPEN MEETING LAW?–Autumn Johnson, who works in the solar industry, filed an Open Meeting Law complaint with the Attorney General’s Office over the Corporation Commission’s decision to redact its October 7 public meeting recording. What happened in that public meeting anyway? It was public, after all. “We’re kind of in a gray area here,” said Corporation Commission attorney Thomas Van Flein.

•SEND IN THE CLOWNS–Scottsdale City Council candidates, always a source of high amusement, debated in an Arizona Republic forum on Monday night. The main attractions were incumbent Barry Graham, former state senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita and “moderate Raoul Zubia, who are competing for two council seats. The principal disputes concerned development, Colorado River water, and Scottsdale’s advanced water-purification program. Ugenti-Rita opposed apartment sprawl, saying, “People don’t move here to look like Tempe.” Zubia said he wanted to bring back “civility” to City Hall. Ugenti-Rita pointed out that at one point he said that “clowns, cowards and chaos extremists” were who ran the city government. “Depends on the clown,” Zubia said.

•THE SIGNS OF FOUNTAIN HILLS–Fountain Hills Councilman Allen Skillicorn, last seen in these pages calling for an end to Sharia law, says he filed a report with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office alleging that signs supporting a Fountain Hills school-budget override obstruct signs opposing it. Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce President Betsy LaVoie responded by challenging Skillicorn to produce photographic evidence. She also criticized his decision to involve law enforcement in the dispute. The measure would extend an existing school operating-budget override. The Chamber supports continuation; Skillicorn opposes it.