"Red" Victory

In the twelve years since City Council Candidate Barry Goldwater led it into office against a scandal-spotted Democratic administration, Phoenix's staunchly conservative, nonpartisan Charter Government has cleaned up the city's fabled old gambling and vice rings and won at least 50 civic awards for its efficient ways. With that kind of record, Charter Government should have waltzed to re-election this year. Instead, Phoenix's Mayor Samuel Mardian Jr. and his incumbent city councilmen found themselves in a bitter fight over an improbable, implausible issue. The charge: that Charter Government's candidates--as well as Barry Goldwater--were soft on Communism.

The accusation came from an ultraconservative organization called the Stay American Committee. Formed last October to "combat Communism in Phoenix," the committee put up a slate of city councilors, chose as its mayoralty candidate Insurance Man W. Buckner Hanner, 45. To start off his campaign, Hanner, a World War II fighter pilot who boasts of his membership in the John Birch Society, charged that Charter Government's city manager system was part of a plan launched by the National Municipal League (a thoroughly respectable association of U.S. civic leaders who work for such reforms as urban renewal, Metro government and modern budgeting) to further "the aims of internationalism and Communism." Hanner added that the league was "uninformed about Communism." At a press conference, a reporter asked if Hanner meant to include Senator Goldwater, who is a regional vice president of the league. The answer: "I believe every single one of them is uninformed."

That was too much for Mayor Mardian, a Republican, who denounced the charges as "sheer nonsense." Also appalled were Phoenix's powerful, conservative Gazette and Arizona Republic, which at first were reluctant to attack the committee, although they had given Charter Government strong support in the past. Despite the backing of Phoenix newspapers, Charter Government ran scared, spent more time defending itself against the pro-Communist charge than boasting of its solid civic record.

Last week Phoenix and Charter Government breathed easier. Carrying his six councilmen with him, Mayor Mardian defeated Hanner 32,880 to 13,019. But the battle was not necessarily over. Lacking money and experienced candidates, the Stay American Committee had done surprisingly well with its odd charges against responsible conservatives. "We've just begun to fight," said Kay Westermann, a housewife and a founder of the committee. "We ain't beat yet."

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