Facts or Fudging? · Article 5
They Created an Unconstitutional Mess. Finchem Fixed It. Now They’re Claiming the Credit.
Who Really Saved the Prescott Rodeo?
In 2023, Reps. Quang Nguyen and Selina Bliss directed $15.3 million in public funds (your tax dollars) to a private rodeo nonprofit — and a court ruled it unconstitutional.
On May 29, 2025 the court ruled the appropriation violated Arizona’s Gift Clause on two separate constitutional counts — not one. It had no clear public purpose. It required no consideration whatsoever from the private group in return. The law gave the rodeo $15.3 million of your money with essentially zero guardrails on how — or even whether — it had to be spent.
That is not a minor paperwork error, that is an action that would have bypassed the constitutional protections that exist precisely to stop politicians from playing favorites with taxpayer dollars.
The money sat in legal limbo. The rodeo grounds got nothing. You got to pay the bill for the resulting mess. And then Senator Mark Finchem had to step in and clean it up.
“I want to extend my thanks and recognition to Senator Finchem, along with the support of Representatives Nguyen and Bliss…” — Mayor Phil Goode, City of Prescott official press release, July 10, 2025
The City’s own words put Finchem first and Nguyen & Bliss in the “support” role. Because that is exactly what happened.
They broke the rules. He fixed it. Now they want to share credit for the cleanup.
Why the Gift Clause exists — and why getting around it matters
Arizona’s Gift Clause is not some dusty technicality. It is a hard-earned guardrail against cronyism and waste. It says government cannot simply hand public (taxpayer) money to private groups or insiders as a free gift. There must be a real public purpose and the public must get something real in return.
When politicians route millions straight to a private nonprofit with no standards, no timelines, no accountability requirements, and no requirement that the group actually deliver anything, they are telling you the rules don’t apply when the cause is popular. That attitude is dangerous. It normalizes the idea that “good intentions” justify ignoring constitutional limits. It opens the door to bigger abuses later. And it treats your tax dollars like a slush fund.
That is exactly what Nguyen and Bliss did here. They didn’t structure the funding through the City of Prescott with proper contracts and oversight, they went the easy, sloppy route. With the Goldwater Institute participating, as a friend of the court, the court called it what it was — unconstitutional. The Goldwater Institute is Arizona’s leading conservative, free-market legal watchdog.
Even popular local projects do not get to ignore the Constitution.
The Bottom Line — Painfully Clear
- Nguyen & Bliss created an unconstitutional giveaway of $15.3 million.
- The money became stuck in limbo. The rodeo got nothing while the legal fight played out.
- You paid the legal bills.
- Finchem had to engineer the fix that finally made the rodeo funds legally available by routing it through the City.
- As a result, the rodeo was saved and so were your tax dollars.
- The Prescott Mayor’s official statement credits Finchem first.
- Nguyen & Bliss have publicly accepted credit for solving the problem they caused without volunteering any clarification as to what the problem was.
Fudge Factor: 75%
Where the facts end: It is true that the legislature funded the Prescott Frontier Days rodeo, and that the rodeo generates roughly $27 million annually in economic activity for the Prescott area. Those are documented facts. Where the fudging begins: Nguyen and Bliss directed $15.3 million in public funds to a private nonprofit in a way that a court — supported by the Goldwater Institute — found unconstitutional. Senator Finchem then engineered the legal fix that restructured the funding. The City of Prescott’s own press release credits Finchem first, with Nguyen and Bliss listed as “support.” Claiming equal or primary credit for a solution to a problem they created is where the needle climbs toward the red.
But they didn’t just make a paperwork mistake. They tried to get around the very guardrails designed to protect you from politicians treating your money as if it was theirs to hand out. That is why this matters — and why voters should remember it when they fill out their ballots.
FUDGING
Reps. Nguyen and Bliss directed a $15.3 million appropriation to a private nonprofit that a court ruled unconstitutional. Senator Finchem engineered the 2025 legislative fix that redirected the funds legally to the City of Prescott. The City’s own press release — the official government record — credits Finchem first, by name. Nguyen and Bliss are described as providing “support.” Taking co-equal credit for fixing a problem you created, when the official record names someone else as the primary architect of the solution, is fudging.
Sources & Documentation
- City of Prescott official press release, July 10, 2025: prescott-az.gov
- Goldwater Institute — “AZ Court Strikes Down $15.3M Prescott Rodeo Gift,” May 29, 2025: goldwaterinstitute.org
- Full court ruling (PDF): Decision CV2023-009364
- Arizona Constitution, Article IX, Section 7 (Gift Clause): azleg.gov/constitution
- Arizona Legislature, 2025 session budget — restructured appropriation: apps.azleg.gov
- AG Mayes defended appropriation in court — Arizona AG official records, azag.gov
Defend Life — Defend Freedom — Yavapai County First
Paid for by Wildman for State House District 1 Committee. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee other than Wildman for State House District 1.
Facts or Fudging? · Article 5
They Created an Unconstitutional Mess. Finchem Fixed It. Now They’re Claiming the Credit.
Who Really Saved the Prescott Rodeo?
In 2023, Reps. Quang Nguyen and Selina Bliss directed $15.3 million in public funds (your tax dollars) to a private rodeo nonprofit — and a court ruled it unconstitutional.
On May 29, 2025 the court ruled the appropriation violated Arizona’s Gift Clause on two separate constitutional counts — not one. It had no clear public purpose. It required no consideration whatsoever from the private group in return. The law gave the rodeo $15.3 million of your money with essentially zero guardrails on how — or even whether — it had to be spent.
That is not a minor paperwork error, that is an action that would have bypassed the constitutional protections that exist precisely to stop politicians from playing favorites with taxpayer dollars.
The money sat in legal limbo. The rodeo grounds got nothing. You got to pay the bill for the resulting mess. And then Senator Mark Finchem had to step in and clean it up.
“I want to extend my thanks and recognition to Senator Finchem, along with the support of Representatives Nguyen and Bliss…” — Mayor Phil Goode, City of Prescott official press release, July 10, 2025
The City’s own words put Finchem first and Nguyen & Bliss in the “support” role. Because that is exactly what happened.
They broke the rules. He fixed it. Now they want to share credit for the cleanup.
Why the Gift Clause exists — and why getting around it matters
Arizona’s Gift Clause is not some dusty technicality. It is a hard-earned guardrail against cronyism and waste. It says government cannot simply hand public (taxpayer) money to private groups or insiders as a free gift. There must be a real public purpose and the public must get something real in return.
When politicians route millions straight to a private nonprofit with no standards, no timelines, no accountability requirements, and no requirement that the group actually deliver anything, they are telling you the rules don’t apply when the cause is popular. That attitude is dangerous. It normalizes the idea that “good intentions” justify ignoring constitutional limits. It opens the door to bigger abuses later. And it treats your tax dollars like a slush fund.
That is exactly what Nguyen and Bliss did here. They didn’t structure the funding through the City of Prescott with proper contracts and oversight, they went the easy, sloppy route. With the Goldwater Institute participating, as a friend of the court, the court called it what it was — unconstitutional. The Goldwater Institute is Arizona’s leading conservative, free-market legal watchdog.
Even popular local projects do not get to ignore the Constitution.
The Bottom Line — Painfully Clear
- Nguyen & Bliss created an unconstitutional giveaway of $15.3 million.
- The money became stuck in limbo. The rodeo got nothing while the legal fight played out.
- You paid the legal bills.
- Finchem had to engineer the fix that finally made the rodeo funds legally available by routing it through the City.
- As a result, the rodeo was saved and so were your tax dollars.
- The Prescott Mayor’s official statement credits Finchem first.
- Nguyen & Bliss have publicly accepted credit for solving the problem they caused without volunteering any clarification as to what the problem was.
Fudge Factor: 75%
Where the facts end: It is true that the legislature funded the Prescott Frontier Days rodeo, and that the rodeo generates roughly $27 million annually in economic activity for the Prescott area. Those are documented facts. Where the fudging begins: Nguyen and Bliss directed $15.3 million in public funds to a private nonprofit in a way that a court — supported by the Goldwater Institute — found unconstitutional. Senator Finchem then engineered the legal fix that restructured the funding. The City of Prescott’s own press release credits Finchem first, with Nguyen and Bliss listed as “support.” Claiming equal or primary credit for a solution to a problem they created is where the needle climbs toward the red.
But they didn’t just make a paperwork mistake. They tried to get around the very guardrails designed to protect you from politicians treating your money as if it was theirs to hand out. That is why this matters — and why voters should remember it when they fill out their ballots.
FUDGING
Reps. Nguyen and Bliss directed a $15.3 million appropriation to a private nonprofit that a court ruled unconstitutional. Senator Finchem engineered the 2025 legislative fix that redirected the funds legally to the City of Prescott. The City’s own press release — the official government record — credits Finchem first, by name. Nguyen and Bliss are described as providing “support.” Taking co-equal credit for fixing a problem you created, when the official record names someone else as the primary architect of the solution, is fudging.
Sources & Documentation
- City of Prescott official press release, July 10, 2025: prescott-az.gov
- Goldwater Institute — “AZ Court Strikes Down $15.3M Prescott Rodeo Gift,” May 29, 2025: goldwaterinstitute.org
- Full court ruling (PDF): Decision CV2023-009364
- Arizona Constitution, Article IX, Section 7 (Gift Clause): azleg.gov/constitution
- Arizona Legislature, 2025 session budget — restructured appropriation: apps.azleg.gov
- AG Mayes defended appropriation in court — Arizona AG official records, azag.gov
Defend Life — Defend Freedom — Yavapai County First
Paid for by Wildman for State House District 1 Committee. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee other than Wildman for State House District 1.
Defend Life. Defend Freedom. Yavapai County First.
