Mecham: Arizona Has Been Embarrassed

Ousted Gov. Evan Mecham adopted the words of his critics Friday, saying Arizona has been embarrassed nationally even though he disagreed about the cause.

Mecham, who has been accused of making Arizona the laughingstock of the nation during impeachment proceedings, gave the Oro Valley Republican Women’s Club his view.

“I don’t feel sorry for myself,” Mecham said. “I do feel sorry for Arizona. We are a national embarrassment--not because of a governor.”

Presenting himself as a man of the people battling higher taxes, Mecham, who was removed from office Monday at the end of his state Senate impeachment trial, blamed his troubles on a self-serving Phoenix Establishment.

Successor Challenged

“The embarrassment is that it is now revealed that Arizona has been so lackadaisical that we continued to allow a small, greedy group of people in the center of the state to operate our state government for their benefit instead of doing what’s best for ours.”

Mecham, a Republican, challenged his successor, Democratic Gov. Rose Mofford, to fire Public Safety Director Ralph Milstead, a key witness against Mecham in the impeachment trial.

Mecham said Milstead has done a poor job of leading his officers.

“Breaking the laws of the state of Arizona continually and living the kind of a life he does, he certainly isn’t exemplary,” Mecham said.

‘To Her Discredit’

“I would publicly state to Mrs. Mofford today that if she persists in backing this particular person, then it will be to her discredit,” he said.

Mecham said if his attorneys had been permitted to present all the evidence during the impeachment trial, they would have proved “24 points on which Ralph Milstead lied on the witness stand under oath.”

Now that he is out of office, Mecham predicted that some legislators will vote for a 10% tax increase this year. He said all taxes eventually are paid at the consumer level.

Mecham urged the 70 Republicans attending the luncheon meeting to make sure that a primary race is fought in every district this fall.