A new student organization was out on campus Tuesday hoping to gain support for Tempe Mayor Neil Giuliano as his recall election nears.
Students For Neil Giuliano members handed out informational fliers and answered questions from students about the Sept. 11 recall election.
David Klee, a political science and broadcasting senior, registered the club last week.
Giuliano’s opponents had gathered more than 4,000 signatures from Tempe voters who supported ousting the mayor.
Small business owner A.J. LaFaro headed the recall effort shortly after Tempe proposed to stop city employees from donating money to the United Way and the Boy Scouts because of the Scouts’ refusal to admit gays.
LaFaro was adamant that Giuliano’s homosexuality had nothing to with the recall effort and said there were other reasons why the mayor should be removed from office.
He blames Giuliano for wasting millions of tax dollars on projects such as Tempe Town Lake and Arizona Mills.
“Every time I look under a rock I find one more issue that appalls me,” LaFaro said.
New club member Jeremy Helper, a business senior and Associated Students of ASU president, said he joined Students for Neil Giuliano because he thinks the improvements on Mill Avenue and Tempe Town Lake have improved the city for ASU students.
The election has divided Republicans. LaFaro and others involved with the recall effort are backing Giuliano’s opponent and fellow Republican Gene Ganssle.
“Neil Giuliano is no Republican,” LaFaro said. “He’s a RINO. R-I-N-O, Republican In Name Only.”
Klee argues that political partisanship has little place in a mayoral race.
“This is not an issue about parties,” he said. “It’s about service.”
Students for Neil Giuliano plan to increase student awareness of the election by posting signs around town, wearing ‘therecalliswrong.com’ T-shirts and encouraging registered voters to make it to the polls.
Reach Lauren Carney at lauren_carney@hotmail.com.
