FOLLOWING MONEY IN ARIZONA'S POLITICS: Arizona Firefighters Set To Blanket Phoenix Airwaves With Anti-DiCiccio "Issue" Ads As Early Voting Begins

(UPDATE, 9:45am: A 2nd Phoenix TV station has filed its FCC reports on the ads. KSAZ - Channel 10 - indicates that it has sold $34,000 of ad slots to Phoenix Truth and Safety.  That nearly matches the $39,000 filed by Channel 12, and accounts for 1/3 of the stated $231,000 ad budget.)


Tomorrow marks the first day of early voting in Phoenix City Council races.  And, it marks the first day of a $231,000 advertising campaign to be unleashed by an Arizona firefighters' union.  The ad - which has yet to be unveiled - will attack Phoenix Councilmember Sal DiCiccio, who is facing union-endorsed Karlene Keogh Parks.

Arizona's Politics learned of the advertising blitz from FCC documents filed by KPNX (Channel 12) yesterday.  The TV station and Phoenix Truth and Safety - the committee organized and financed by the Professional Firefighters of Arizona ("PFFA") union - lists the 30-second spot as an "Issue/Non-Ballot" related commercial.  The timing of the spot certainly makes it appear otherwise, but Arizona's statutes and case law has given organizations wide latitude in that regard.

The anti-DiCiccio ad is currently scheduled to begin running Thursday morning during the Today Show and will continue airing during news blocks through August 23.  Election day is August 27.  The ad will likely be running on other Phoenix television stations, but that is either not firm or they have not yet filed their reports with the Federal Communications Commission.

Phoenix Truth and Safety is also visible in their anti-DiCiccio campaign by the perhaps-too-clever signs blanketing Council District 6 (central Phoenix and the Ahwatukee area of Phoenix) "boasting" that "lobbyists" and "developers" support DiCiccio.

Arizona's Politics will update this article once a copy of the ad becomes available.


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