Disclaimer: The comments in this blog are my personal opinion and may or may not reflect an adopted position of the city of Glendale and its city council.

Since there had been no whisperings of continuing a recall against Councilmember Baldenegro of the Ocotillo district many thought the opposition had realized that the regular election for the office was only a year away. That appears not to be the case.

Apparently, the opposition is actively collecting signatures for their recall petition. It won’t be difficult as only about 400+ signatures are needed. Another sign that the opposition hasn’t quit is that this week Rory Goree pulled papers to run as a candidate in the Ocotillo district.

Having done a Google search on Mr. Goree, I found the following public record from the Mayer AZ Justice Court:

Court Criminal Records

Case Activity

He was charged with two offenses. The first was reckless driving with a prior violation within 24 months and was dismissed on a motion by the prosecutor. Apparently, in return for this dismissal he pleaded guilty to speed exceeding 85 mph. He was fined $580.00 and mandated by the court to attend a Lifeskills Program.

I also did a Google search on Mr. Baldenegro and found nothing in his background of either a criminal or civil nature.

Rory Goree desperately wants that Ocotillo district council seat. It appears he had always planned on running once Jamie Aldama left the position.  It is interesting to note that he did not apply for the vacant seat after Aldama resigned. Could it have been because he knew that he would probably be rejected by a majority of city council?

Goree’s treasurer is Warren Wilfong. Mr. Wilfong established a Political Action Committee called Responsible Leadership for Ocotillo on February 12, 2025. He is listed as the Chairman and Kathleen Collins is the Treasurer. It can be expected that this PAC will support Goree’s candidacy. Mr. Willfong has no love for the City of Glendale and especially its Code Department. Willfong rejected Baldenegro after he realized that Baldenegro would not be supporting Willfong’s entire agenda regarding code compliance.

Both Goree and Willfong had been strong supporters of Jamie Aldama’s attempt to run for mayor of Glendale. Unfortunately for Aldama, many of his petition signatures were found to be invalid for various reasons and that prevented him from becoming a mayoral candidate. That action killed his opportunity to run for mayor…this time. Make no mistake, he will be back and is expected to run for mayor again in 2028.

Right now Goree is distancing himself from Aldama as Aldama is not that popular with the electorate in his former Ocotillo district. Goree remains a strong supporter of Aldama and when Aldama makes his move to run for mayor, Goree will be right behind him.

There are good reasons as to why this impending recall election is foolish and wasteful. The regular election for the Cholla, Barrel and Ocotillo seats will occur in a year. Council candidates for the Ocotillo district seat will have to pull nominating petitions this Fall. Forcing the city to spend approximately $250,000 for a special district election is wasteful and frivolous. If the recall election occurs, no matter who wins that person will still have to go through the process to run again in 2026.

Councilmember Baldenegro has proven to be a good councilmember. He listens to his constituency. Hence his reversal on the Velma Teague library issue. He is thoughtful and reasoned. He is adapting to his role as councilmember very well. He is smart and tactful in his speech (something I never learned!). He has lived in Glendale his entire life and his family does as well. He truly cares about Glendale and especially the people of the Ocotillo district. It shows. He has never been a supporter of Aldama. He has an unblemished record both criminally and civilly.

Rory Goree is not a lifelong resident of Glendale and moved here from Phoenix. He is a past State Racing Commission member and past President of Greyhound Rescue. It’s one thing to advocate for horses and dogs. It’s quite another to advocate for people. Mr. Goree is an Aldama supporter although right now he is doing his best to hide that fact. He seems to love the spotlight as seen by his speaking during citizen comments at every single council voting meeting. He loves that face time. His record is blemished with a plea of guilty for a criminal traffic violation and he seems to be a repeat offender. Rory Goree may think he is the right man for the job of Ocotillo councilmember but he is not.

Why reject a man who is doing an excellent job of representing the people of the Ocotillo district for a man who craves the notoriety of the job? When you are offered the opportunity to sign the recall petition, do not.

I support Councilmember Leandro Baldenegro, and I urge you to do so as well. He has earned your confidence and your vote.

^{© Joyce Clark, 2025}   

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