PAN Suffers Disharmony

NEWS & ANALYSIS

Inner Turmoil Threatens PAN Initiative

By Dennis Durband, Editor

May 31, 2004

Turmoil among the leaders of the Protect Arizona Now (PAN) initiative as the final month of the petition drive begins is threatening the likelihood of the organization’s success. Leaders within PAN are arguing over the legitimacy of an upcoming rally, and the director of the organization claims that an outside support group is trying to subvert PAN. The dissension came to light in recent email messages and a news release issued by the director of the initiative.

Kathy McKee, founder and state chairman of the Protect Arizona Now (PAN) petition said in a news release issued Sunday night that an outside immigration reform group is attempting to hijack the initiative movement intended to stop voting fraud and welfare fraud in Arizona. PAN's “Arizona Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act” would enforce laws that confine voting to citizens and limit welfare to legal residents of Arizona.

McKee’s news release did not mention the organization by name. However, she had issued recent email messages to supporters complaining about the Washington, D.C., organization known as Federation for American Immigration Reform – FAIR. This organization announced earlier this year it would inject $100,000 into the attempt to pay signature gatherers for PAN. The initiative needs more than 122,000 valid signatures by June 30 in order to be placed on the November ballot in Arizona.

McKee said: “This outside group is in possession of an unknown number of signatures needed to put the initiative on the November 2004 ballot -- signatures collected on behalf of PAN, with use of PAN's name, and with money largely donated on PAN's behalf. PAN has not received a single cent or a single signed petition from this outside group.”

McKee said that PAN will continue to collect signatures and will recover the “hijacked signatures.” "We're pursuing investigation of the activities of this outside group, as well as former PAN individuals' actions, including possible RICO violations," McKee said.

The “outside group” has used PAN's name in announcing a rally scheduled for Thursday, June 3 -- a rally McKee said she was not advised about or consulted on. She said she knew nothing about the rally until it was announced to the public and she says it is not an official PAN event.

“No outside group is authorized to call a meeting in PAN's name,” McKee said. “Actually, in PAN's organization, no one except the chairman does have the authority to consent to such activities, and everyone in any kind of PAN leadership position knows that."

PAN was registered with the Arizona Secretary of State's office on July 7, 2003, and McKee immediately put in motion an organization and process for collecting the signatures needed to put the initiative on the November 2004 Arizona ballot. A total of 122,612 validated signatures must be collected before a July 1 deadline.

"PAN is a grassroots, all-volunteer organization, including me," McKee said. "I can't tell you how sad it is to see well-intentioned people like some of our group leaders and volunteers get jerked off the high road by people who have lots to gain financially by trying to profit off our blood, sweat, and tears. While PAN greatly appreciates genuine help given from a good heart, I don't see any honor in cannibalism. Arizonans don't need an outside group coming here to try to run our politics. We want these self-serving political games to stop, and Arizonans want our signatures NOW."

At the most recent PAN press conference, less than a month ago, it was announced that PAN had secured approximately 60,000 signatures. The need is actually for 175,000 signatures because many signatures in petition drives are ruled invalid by the Arizona Secretary of State’s office. Protect Arizona Now is climbing an uphill road – and doing so without harmony in the upper ranks of the organization.