On Friday, January 11, 2013, Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik announced he would not remain on the Republican ticket for his re-election bid in an effort to seek greener pastures for this year’s primary season in the Democrat Party. Like many, I welcomed this news – not because I’m a Democrat salivating at the chance to see the TCC return to 100% Democrat control, but because Steve K (as he will be referred to throughout the remainder of this article) has not been the public servant he said he would be in 2009. It appears that Steve K has finally come full circle in his ever changing ideology in what appears to be a desperate re-election effort to be all things to all people – except to those who helped him enormously in 2009.
What many do not realize is that Steve K, though claiming in his article last Friday that he made it clear to the GOP leadership that he was a moderate, vigorously sought the help of those he now refers to as ‘ideologues’ and ‘the far right’ to elevate him to victory. And I should know. I’m one of the many ‘extreme’ people he reached out to for help.
In the summer of 2009, Steve K met with my colleague Jill Henderson and me to discuss ideas for his campaign. We were eager to help and did. We were part of Smart Girl Politics and our State Coordinator, Jennifer Leslie, invited Steve and his fellow Republicans (Shaun McClusky and Ben Buehler-Garcia) running for city council to have a meet and greet with the community. Steve K not only wanted assistance from us but was also invited to set up a table at the Tucson Tea Party Independence Day event in 2009. He wanted to be introduced to the keynote speaker of the event, conservative national radio talk show host and author Tammy Bruce, in an effort to be invited on her show (which, thankfully, did not occur). I was a regular listener then later, a writer for Tammy Bruce and invited her to headline the July 4, 2009 event on behalf of Smart Girl Politics and Tucson Tea Party.
A few months later, Steve K did not hesitate to appear at the October 2009 Tucson Tea Party event featuring Judge Andrew Napolitano who appears regularly on Fox News. He emailed Jill thanking her for her hard work. He also had no problem, less than two years ago, having a ‘PC Appreciation Party’ in which the following was stated on the invitation:
Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik would like to express his gratitude for the hard work that the Republican Precinct Committeemen and volunteers do for Conservative Republican candidates and the Republican Party.
Hindsight is 20/20. It is apparent that Steve K used Tucson Tea Party, Smart Girl Politics, The Jon Justice Show and many others in order to ride the wave of the tea party movement that swept across the nation beginning in 2009. Ironically, those of us he now refers to as extremists have not changed our hearts and minds on the issues of importance to us. We still believe in such ‘extreme’ things as smaller government, less regulation and more accountability of our elected officials at every level of government. We still want businesses to be invited to Tucson to offer employment to many struggling in the community. We still want transparency on the Rio Nuevo issue and to hold those accountable who have abused tax dollars and the public trust. We still want less intrusion into our daily lives by elitists who are paid through our tax dollars. We still want to be heard.
We are also still waiting for the potholes to be filled that Steve K included in his list of issues with the TCC in 2009. We still have not changed and neither has Jon Justice, Tammy Bruce or Judge Andrew Napolitano; however, Steve K would have the public believe that he’s the same guy he was four years ago. Everyone else – thousands of us – have all incredibly morphed into something he no longer recognizes. Fascinating.
Let us harken back to the daze of the first Tucson Tea Party (April 15, 2009) and see who has really changed:
By the way, I do hope Mr. K has apologized to Nina Trasoff for referring to her as ‘babe’ and ‘girl’ in the video as it is indeed sexist language. Why should it be surprising he would engage in such uncivil discourse toward his 2009 opponent considering the harsh accusations and falsehoods he has levied against all the thoughtful Independents, Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, No Party Affiliation (as I was at the time) who helped him to victory? All Tucsonans wanted was a principled voice in the city council. What they have is yet another narcissist in city government biting the very hands that worked hard for his campaign and continue to work hard every day to keep their businesses alive, their families fed and as much of their hard-earned money as possible.
Many in the tea party movement gave money to back The Koz in 2009 – not because they were rich and had loads of extra cash to dispense, but because they believed Steve K would be one reasoned voice on the city council. Many who worked for him were strapped for cash but willing to support him any way they could because he said he would stand up for taxpayers and businesses in Tucson. We did not expect him to change the council on his own, but we certainly did not expect him to completely change –or rather abandon – his positions (the ones he held in 2009 anyway).
Perhaps that’s why Mr. K has become a bit testy: he did not expect to be held accountable for his behavior and actions on the council; therefore, he has been prompted to view anyone who actually holds a belief and stands firm on it as an ‘ideologue.’ It is rather extreme these days to actually stand by something, isn’t it? How intimidating that must be for a council member whose finger is in the wind!
Obviously, Steve K, blinded by his own malignant narcissism, has become thin-skinned and irrational. Perhaps even a little bitter and clingy, too! After all, how dare we – the pesky little people – question his superior decisions and challenge his irrefutable statements!
While claiming the GOP establishments in the state and Pima County have somehow moved to ‘the far right’ (which is laughable at best), Kozachik appears to be completely comfortable with the far left faction in the state and Pima County. I say that because the far left has largely taken over the Democrat Party – just as Progressive Democrats of America stated in early 2011 as part of their platform (that they are not Democrats, but taking the Democrat Party where it needs to go). So while Steve K demonizes those who supported him in 2009 as ‘extremists,’ pay attention to the extreme changes in Steve K. The man doth project much!
So it appears that it is Steve K who has truly gone from one extreme to the other, finally leaving us all to conclude that Steve Kozachik has finally come ‘full circle K,’ and it is a circle void of integrity and having absolutely no regard for the hard working men and women of Tucson.
Steve K, you’re the one who is truly shameful and embarrassing – not to mention thoroughly undeserving of the seat of power you hold. You owe Tucsonans more than a party switch – you owe them an apology – and then a resignation.