GRAHAM COUNTY — With five days to go before the Nov. 8 General Election, the man who successfully got Prop 401 on the Graham County ballot said he will not disclose who is funding the No on 401 campaign.
“Look, right now our state allows, and until the foreseeable future, our state allows individuals to fund political action committees from organizations that don’t have to disclose their donors,” said George Khalaf, chairman of the group Respect The Will Of The People: Graham County Voters & The Arizona Public Integrity Alliance Encourages A No Vote On Massive Marijuana Expansion In Our Area.
In the most recent campaign finance report received by Gila Valley Central — the pre-primary report through July 16 — Respect the Will of the People had receipts of $206,225.
Of that total, $206,200 came from an organization named the Arizona Public Integrity Alliance.
According to the Arizona Corporation Commission, the Arizona Public Integrity Alliance was formed Aug. 17, 2012, as a domestic nonprofit corporation, conducting “civic” business.
Arizona Public Integrity Alliance lists an address of 534 N. Orange St. in Mesa, and list three persons on its board: Tyler Montegue as a director and president, who also lists the Orange Street address as his address; Pace Ellsworth as a director and treasurer, who lists an address in Woodridge, Ill.; and Steve Cox as a director.
On Feb. 6, 2017, the Corporation Commission dissolved Arizona Public Integrity Alliance due to failure to file an annual report, but the nonprofit organization was reinstated on Feb. 7, 2018.
On its website, the organization lists its mission is “to promote integrity in the behavior of government officials and institutions. We use both public education efforts, and actions through the legal system to call attention to unconstitutional, unethical, unfair, or illegal behavior, and to bring about needed change.”
In 2014, Arizona Public Integrity Alliance failed in a suit against then Secretary of State Ken Bennett, seeking to change the requirement of a set percent of signatures from each county for those seeking statewide election.
However, in 2020, Arizona Public Integrity Alliance successfully argued to the state Supreme Court that the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office could not include instructions with mail-in ballots on what to do if a voter makes a mistake on his or her ballot.
There is no phone number for the Arizona Public Integrity Alliance listed on its website or social media pages. E-mail inquiries were not immediately returned.
During an appearance on Voice of the Valley, Bryant Ambelang, executive chairman for NatureSweet, said the Yes on Prop 401 campaign is entirely funded by Bayacan and NatureSweet, the beneficiaries if voters approve 401.
A yes vote on Prop 401 will affirm the vote by the Graham County Board of Supervisors to re-zone two greenhouse complexes in Bonita, allowing NatureSweet to sell the complexes to Bayacan for the purpose of growing medical-grade cannabis.
A no vote will overturn the Board of Supervisors’ decision.
