$75K didn’t ‘corrupt’ Kate Gallego
Are campaign contributions to a Phoenix mayoral candidate proof that a businessman is buying political support in his contested bid to overhaul the Chinese Cultural Center?
That is the question being posed by the businessman’s foes — namely, a segment of the Chinese-American community that wants to preserve the center.
More accurately, that is the accusation his foes are putting forth.
In an updated post on its “Save the Chinese Cultural Center” petition on change.org, the opposition group asked Kate Gallego why businessman David Tedesco and his associates would pour tens of thousands of dollars into her mayoral race and “for you alone — why — for what promised favor?”
An accompanying graphic outlining the contributions carries the heading, “Corrupted Kate Gallego took $75K+ from True North.”
Posing it as a question is one thing — and there are reasons and context that explain Tedesco’s contributions.
Posing it as an accusation is another, because the veiled charge amounts to a misguided, irresponsible smear that ends up hurting both the accused and the accuser. There simply isn’t any “there” there.
The contributions certainly make for campaign fodder — the issue made its way into a televised mayoral debate Monday night. Why would Tedesco and his associates back Gallego and no one else?
Gallego answered indirectly, then executed a bit of jujitsu by turning the question into a broader one about other candidates (Danny Valenzuela and Moses Sanchez) receiving disproportionate support from parties (executives of the Phoenix Suns and the Arizona Diamondbacks) who may be seeking the city’s help on new sports facilities.
In context, Tedesco backs more candidates and issues than Gallego. He has given at least $5,400 to former Mayor Greg Stanton in his congressional run. And he has given at least $10,000 — he says the figure is more like $25,000 — toward Terry Goddard’s Outlaw Dirty Money initiative, which since has been ruled ineligible for the ballot.
Tedesco shares Gallego’s progressive politics and appreciates her efforts to court more tech companies like his to the city. They both attended Harvard University. That he fundraises for her is neither a secret nor a surprise.
It's understandable why Citizen Voice, the umbrella group opposing Tedesco and True North companies, is targeting Gallego. She was the city councilwoman representing the area where the Chinese Cultural Center sits, and the group doesn’t believe Gallego shared its concerns — namely, the desire to ensure that no changes are made to the architectural elements and aesthetics of the cultural center.
The group was thwarted at every turn. The group pleaded with the City Council to preserve the center by declaring it a historical structure and, later, by denouncing Tedesco and True North over strong-arm tactics in their disputes with two Chinese restaurants that remained tenants at the center.
The opposition, however, wasn’t turned down by Gallego alone.
It enlisted the help of then-Mayor Stanton and Councilman Sal DiCiccio, as well as former Mayor Phil Gordon, among others, but the efforts went nowhere.
It’s not that the council is unsympathetic to the notion that the center was built with much cultural goodwill and expense, and that features such as the roof tiles and decorative elements were made with scarce material.
The council did not intervene because Tedesco and True North bought the property without stipulations. The case is one of property rights — and one that will likely be determined by the courts (a number of lawsuits and appeals remain pending).
The opposition group unfairly holds Gallego responsible for the outcomes it didn’t like. It links her to the city granting permits for Tedesco to put up a chain-link fence to prevent the ChineseAmerican community from accessing the pavilion and garden and to allow him to change the roofline of the structure.
Those decisions are made by city departments based on rules and guidelines — not carried out at the direction of an elected official.
Would Tedesco have not supported Gallego if she were hostile against him and fought to prevent him from exercising his property rights to convert the cultural center into a corporate headquarters? Probably.
But suspicion of a quid pro quo for his campaign contributions would require Gallego to have leverage as mayor. And regarding the Chinese Cultural Center, that leverage is little to none.
In opposing Gallego’s candidacy, Citizen Voice could simply declare its emotional hurt and frustration over its lost iconic center and the impotence of government to intervene. It would be more honest and to the point. Reach Kwok at akwok@azcentral .com.