On Eve of Criminal Trial, Ex-Governor Lays Plans to Oust Foes : Mecham Recruiting New Political Army

Evan Mecham is plotting something of a revolution.

Six weeks after his historic impeachment and heading today into his criminal trial, Arizona’s banished governor scoffs: “So what should I do, fold my tent and quietly leave?”

Undaunted by the threat of six felony counts that could send him to prison for 22 years, Mecham is busy recruiting right-wing supporters for a new political army to upset his foes in the November elections.

He is also looking into the possibility of starting a new morning newspaper to battle the unfriendly Phoenix press, which he largely blames for his downfall. And, of course, he will be writing a book and hitting the lecture circuit.

Chimp in a T-Shirt

The former Pontiac dealer hatches his plans from a crowded command post stocked with, among other things, a jumbo bottle of vitamin C, a framed ode to fighter pilots, a bear trap, birthday cards, a small cactus and a stuffed chimp wearing a tiny T-shirt that urges: “Hang in there.” Clearly, he has taken the chimp’s advice.

His determination to keep a high profile was evident within hours of what he calls the coup d’etat that removed him from the office he sought for 20 years and held on to for barely one.

The morning after he became the nation’s first governor in nearly 60 years to be ousted by impeachment, Mecham stunned a local Kiwanis Club by showing up for a luncheon speech that had been scheduled before the Senate voted to convict him.

Since then, the conservative 64-year-old Republican has won yet another election--as one of Arizona’s 33 delegates to the Republican National Convention this summer in New Orleans, where he will support George Bush and urge the vice president to select a Western running mate such as California Gov. George Deukmejian or Interior Secretary Donald P. Hodel.

Notoriety in Comic Strip

And he has committed yet another faux pas, in the shoot-from-the-lip style that once brought him notoriety in the “Doonesbury” comic strip. He narrowly avoided a fresh criminal charge after flippantly suggesting to a roomful of Republicans that they should feign “a lapse of memory” to appear impartial if called as potential jurors in his criminal trial.

At issue in the trial, opening today in Maricopa County Superior Court, is Mecham’s alleged concealment of a $350,000 campaign loan from developer Barry Wolfson, who has offices in Tempe and Los Angeles.

The Arizona Senate dropped that charge against Mecham during its five-week impeachment trial, but on April 4 it found him guilty of misusing public funds and obstructing justice, causing his removal from office.

Now, Mecham and his co-defendant, Willard Mecham, his campaign treasurer and older brother, are accused of perjury, fraud and filing false documents.

The defense contends that the Mechams are victims of selective prosecution, improper grand jury proceedings and an honest mistake.

Denies Criminal Intent

Mecham argues that there was no intent to commit a crime because the money was, in fact, reported as part of a lump sum of $465,000 listed as a contribution from himself.

Prosecutors are expected to argue that a letter from Evan Mecham to Wolfson promising that the loan would remain confidential is evidence of criminal intent.

When the Wolfson loan came to light, Mecham filed an amended disclosure--a practice that the secretary of state’s elections office says is fairly common in Arizona politics.

Mecham’s successor, Gov. Rose Mofford, a Democrat, is now under investigation as well for several omissions on her own financial statements, which she corrected with amended forms. No charges have been filed.

Mofford has been subpoenaed by Mecham’s attorneys to appear as a witness at his trial, and her testimony apparently will be used to buttress the claim of selective prosecution.

Recall Campaign Started

Angry Mecham supporters have started a recall campaign against state Atty. Gen. Bob Corbin as well as some of the legislators who voted to impeach Mecham.

“I’m accused of abusing my power,” Corbin said in a telephone interview. “Anybody who does anything or says anything about this guy is targeted for recall. I’m the reincarnate of the devil.”

But, with November elections looming, the pro-Mecham forces are concentrating on the ex-governor’s new political action committee, Forward Arizona.

The conservative organization is rallying like-minded candidates to oppose Mecham foes and, in Mecham’s words, “rely on the inspiration from God to show them the way in all things.”

Mecham himself dodges questions about seeking public office again but insists that he is the one to mend fissures in the Republican Party.

Sees Self as Unifier

“I think I’m the only one who really can bring unity to the party,” he said in an interview. “If they try to throw me out, a lot of my supporters would take a hike.”

Just how many followers Mecham still commands is difficult to pinpoint. Mecham claims that they form the majority of the 717,000-member party.

GOP spokesman Joe Izbrand puts the number at “upwards of 25%.”

Although Republicans control both the House and Senate, enough party members turned against Mecham to convict him by a large margin.

In the aftermath, Izbrand said, the party remains sorely divided between conservatives and moderates, but Mecham “still has significant influence on this party.”

Sen. John Mawhinney, a Republican from Tucson who voted to impeach Mecham, is not surprised by Mecham’s continued support and traces it to the ex-governor’s “conspiracy theory” that special interest groups and a corrupt ruling elite were out to get him because he wanted to “clean up Arizona.”

“His people are dedicated, absolute, unthinking supporters,” Mawhinney said. “He explains the failures in a lot of people’s lives by casting blame on things that are out of their control. It’s the Democrats, or the homosexuals or big business--the reason you’re not a millionaire or the reason your children have problems with drugs . . . is not your fault.”

Devotion to Service Cited

Sen. Wayne Stump, a Republican from Phoenix who voted to acquit Mecham, compares Mecham’s devotion to public service to that of “a lot of our founding fathers.”

“He just is not a quitter,” Stump said. “If they convict him and put him in jail, I think he’ll work from there.”

Mecham says he is not angry or bitter, but, on the eve of his criminal trial, the usually feisty grandfather seemed subdued.

“I still feel good about Ev Mecham,” he said. “I feel kind of sorry about people who would sell their souls to do what they did. I’m not happy about the results, but I don’t think any less of Evan Mecham.”

He plans to attend the trial and testify, taking a break on May 27 to address the graduating class of Alta Monte High School, his alma mater in rural Utah.

What will he tell an audience of 18-year-olds?

“The world is theirs for the taking. Great opportunities ahead,” he said. “They should prepare themselves and don’t let roadblocks stop their progress.”