Our editorial picks for local personalities and media consumables. 

Best Press Guy 
Andrew Wilder

Ask any journalist – there’s no guarantee that a media rep will ever return a call. Or email. Or text. Or Facebook message. But Andrew Wilder, who runs comms for for the Arizona House of Representatives’ GOP majority, is friendly and helpful even when the legislators he’s chasing aren’t. He makes a difficult job a bit easier, while helping his caucus get its word out. azleg.org

Best Aisle-Crosser 
Arizona GOP Chair Gina Swoboda 

It’s not every politician that switches allegiance from Bernie Sanders to Donald Trump and doesn’t mind talking about it. Swoboda is smart, funny and reasonable. If she ever meets herself in the middle, she might make a pretty good candidate for public office in her own right. azgop.com

Best Grande Dame of the Arizona Legislature 
State Senator Lela Alston

Lela Alston was elected to the Arizona Legislature in 1976 and has served off and on since, as well as on the Phoenix Union High School Board, spending her career fighting for the little person. Moreover, the Democrat’s knowledge is unmatched. Even when you retire, Senator Alston, you’ve still got our vote. azleg.gov 

Best Advocate 
Kathleen Muldoon  

Not all advocates are created equal. Some do more damage than good. But Kathleen Muldoon is the woman you want on your side. Whether the medical school prof is fighting for members of her own family, teaching her students compassion, or defending Arizonans with developmental disabilities at the Legislature, she is eloquent, educated and on fire. @kathleenmuldooncoaching 

Best Music Man 
Jason P. Woodbury 

Not only is the former Phoenix New Times music editor a walking encyclopedia of the music scene (local and beyond), he’s also a talented musician himself. It feels like every week Woodbury’s got a new project – making music, interviewing other musicians for a podcast or collabing on a new project. We don’t know when the guy sleeps. jasonpwoodbury.com

Best Legit Climatologist
Randy Cerveny 

ASU climatologist Randy Cerveny knows his stuff, particularly when it comes to the worst weather. His recent book, Judging Extreme Weather: Climate Science in Action, documents how experts like Cerveny measure and track weather conditions on our messed-up planet. And – we can’t resist the pun – he’s just getting warmed up. search.asu.edu/profile/10976

Best Morning Weather Gal
Ginger Jeffries

Move over, morning espresso – meteorologist Ginger Jeffries is all the caffeine we need. A spirited San Diego transplant and night owl, she moved to the Valley in 2022 to take over as the weekend evening meteorologist at 12News, ultimately finding a better fit with her dynamic weather reports on Today in AZ, the NBC affiliate’s high-tempo morning show. Whether she’s tossing in sports tidbits, spotlighting local businesses, or cracking up her morning team, Jeffries infuses energy and curiosity into everything – from school bus driving to getting cozy on the D-backs pitcher mound. 12news.com

Best Candy Drawer 
U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego 

Ruben Gallego joined the U.S. Senate at a particularly trying time. But when it came time to re-stock the office “candy drawer” that’s been around for 60 years, he made a sweet gesture, posting a photo on Instagram of an assortment of spicy Mexican candy. Well played – we could all use a sugar fix right about now. gallego.senate.gov 

Best Local Author
TJ Newman

As with her two previous novels, an airplane graces the cover of TJ Newman’s latest book, Worst Case Scenario. You could accuse the former flight attendant and Changing Hands employee of repeating herself, but a plane crash is just the start of this nail-biter about ordinary people trying to stop a Chernobyl-size nuclear disaster. Good luck putting this one down. tjnewmanauthor.com

Best Injury Lawyer Jingle
Rafi Law Group

Marketing is how you stand out as a personal injury lawyer in the Valley. While other firms have the billboard and television game well-covered, Brandon B. Rafi’s radio jingle is an earworm you can’t escape. It includes a call-to-action and phone number in one annoyingly catchy package. Multiple locations, 602-207-1555, rafilawgroup.com

Best State Political Publication
Arizona Agenda

National politicians dominate the conversation, but state-level lawmakers and their actions also impact your daily life. Former Arizona Capitol Times reporter Hank Stephenson and his team of reporters offer insightful coverage of the State Capitol on this daily Substack newsletter, explaining how these events affect you, often with a touch of humor. arizonaagenda.com

Best Father/Son Newsletters 
Bob and Billy Robb 

Is good writing genetic? Maybe so, if you consider longtime political consultant and columnist Bob Robb and his son, Valley teacher Billy Robb. Each writes about politics, public policy and philosophy in his Substack newsletter – Robert Robb and Cholla Express, respectively – and both are truth-tellers whose ideas make sense to Phoenicians of just about all political persuasions. robertrobb.substack.com; chollaexpress.substack.com

Best Twentysomething Newsletter 
Audrey Treon 

Wise beyond her years, Audrey Treon is still an undergrad at ASU – but you’re going to want to read this young woman’s no-prisoners take on fashion, gender and culture in her occasional Substack. If Gen Z’s the future, we’re happy to be in Treon’s super-stylish hands. substack.com/@audreytreon

Best Arizona Newbie
Sam Dingman of KJZZ’s The Show

Brought on a year ago to deepen the station’s enterprise reporting, Dingman – a celebrated podcaster and Moth Grand Slam winner from Brooklyn – approaches every story about our state, from reptile scientists to polygamists, with an endearing wide-eyed optimism. Our jaded Arizona asses could use more of that. kjzz.org 

Best Local Musician
Veronica Everheart

Angsty and intimate, the song “NO LOLITA SHIT” perfectly encapsulates what we adore about this indie Phoenix singer. This enigmatic track boasts loud synths, soft acoustic tones, and sarcastic and poignant lyrics. With her latest EP set to release this July, it’s only a matter of time before the songwriter has her breakthrough moment. veronicaeverheart.com

Best Media Man-About-Town
Nick Ciletti 

When he’s not on TV, ABC15 Mornings anchor Nick Ciletti is all over town: reading to elementary school kids, browsing local farmers markets, taking photos at Desert Botanical Garden, and enjoying himself at Pride festivals, book signings, charity events and more – and he’s always nice, always happy to chat and snap a photo. abc15.com

Best Campaign Glamour Shot
Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky

The upside of Lisa Borowsky’s campaign posters in 2024: They popped! Imbued with the exquisite lighting and feature-flattening professionalism of a high-class realtor headshot, the posters were hard to miss and very likely helped the former litigator get elected. The downside: You might not recognize Borowsky if you saw her walking down the street. scottsdaleaz.gov 

Best Political Emails
Phoenix Council District 6 News

We don’t remember subscribing to Phoenix councilman Kevin Robinson’s newsletter, but now we can’t imagine our inbox without it. The retired law enforcement executive corrals the usual district news – community events, public programs and new initiatives – but he also peppers in his personal recommendations for local restaurants, books and movies. It’s a wholesome, humanizing dispatch that feels like reading an email from your favorite uncle. phoenix.gov/administration/mayorcouncil/district6

Best Political Entertainment if You’re a Republican
The Arizona Democratic Party 

You would think having your behinds handed to you during a very winnable election cycle would be fuel for reflection, focus and improvement. Not if you’re the Arizona Democratic Party. Disenchanted with the poor performance of former chairperson Yolanda Bejarano, the party voted to install Laveen insurance salesman Robert Branscomb, who wasted little time starting a media war with the party’s most influential, important office-holders – over fundraising disagreements, reportedly. Hey, terrific look, guys. azdem.org