Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Evan Mecham/Archive1

Evan Mecham
Self-nom. Biography of one of the more unusual political figures of the 1980's. Has been through peer review, and I believe that all issues raised have been addressed. --Allen3 talk 15:09, 5 November 2005 (UTC)


 * Object. Awkward writing in a number of spots, including poorly-written passages like "calls for Mecham's resignation were made from a variety of state political leaders" and "served only to strengthen allegations of Mecham's racism allegations." Also still a rather one-sided presentation, with heavy emphasis on his public perception (racist buffoon) and almost nothing on his substantive political agenda. Case in point, the "Economic impact" section, which in one sentence lists some accomplishments and then spends two paragraphs on the fallout from the Martin Luther King Day controversy. Apparently he resolved a sizable budget deficit, which is rather interesting from somebody who campaigned to reduce taxes, but that's all the information we get. How did he do this (and for that matter, how much of it did he do as opposed to state legislators)? Did he end up raising taxes after all, or cutting services, or did the revenue picture change, or what? This is the sort of thing that would provide a more complete picture of his career; the caricatured version we already know about, even if the caricature was well-earned. --Michael Snow 22:16, 5 November 2005 (UTC)
 * I have copy edited the text and added more information on Mecham's positive accomplishments. Hopefully what I have been able to find will satisfy your concerns.  There are more details about the governor's time in office, but the items I have left out tend to just add to the common caricature without exploring any new territory. --Allen3 talk 00:49, 11 November 2005 (UTC)


 * Comment. And I thought Bob Taft was a bad governor. I'd recommend that you define some of the people and groups you mention -- the ultraconservative John Birch Society, Republican U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater. A lot of readers will be unfamiliar with American politics, and you can't expect them to click on every bluelink. -- Mwalcoff 04:41, 6 November 2005 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the comment. I believe that all such links have now been better defined. --Allen3 talk 01:03, 11 November 2005 (UTC)


 * Support.  PedanticallySpeaking 18:04, 8 November 2005 (UTC)
 * Support. I wondered what had happened to him. Only thing, fix some of your sentences like,"The 1992 election also saw the passing of an initiative that created a paid Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday in the state of Arizona.".Daniel Case 03:07, 13 November 2005 (UTC)
 * Object. Much of the content is good, but it reads like a history of Mecham's controversies, as opposed to a more complete biography. The governorship section could do with a serious rewrite for structure, and I wonder if the early life, political career, and after office sections could all be exapnded slightly. The "efforts to remove him" section, however, is great. Ambi 00:16, 18 November 2005 (UTC)