A Scottsdale councilman insists one of Scottsdale’s largest – and easily most prestigious – companies is trying to run the city.

Councilman Barry Graham says the “Bye Bye Barry” signs going up around Scottsdale are sponsored by a “big bad bully”: Axon Enterprises.

Graham, who is running for reelection, ramped up his long-running feud with the Taser maker

On June 23, Graham – joined by his unofficial running mates Bob Littlefield and Michelle Ugenti-Rita – fired off a letter to the Axon board of directors. The three who are running for Scottsdale City Council complained Axon executives are targeting them with “attack ads.”

“We write with deep concern regarding what appears to be a direct effort by senior Axon executives to influence the outcome of the 2026 Scottsdale City Council election,” the letter states.

The Progress asked Axon to comment on the letter sent to its board.

“We won’t be responding,” said Josh Isner, Axon’s president who has publicly blasted Graham on social media.

Later the same day, the Progress posted a photo of a “Bye Bye Barry” sign — along with a smaller sign next to it, stating “funded by Axon.”

In an escalating string of comments to the post, Graham first claimed Axon has a plan to double its planned apartments in North Scottsdale.

Graham then flat-out stated the Taser maker is out to tyrannically run the city: “…an Axon takeover means future City Councils will have to get permission from Axon before making major decisions.”

Axon also did not respond to a request for comment on Graham’s claims. The company is approaching $3 billion in sales and its stocks have been rocketing.

Graham summarized the letter: “It formally requests that Axon’s Board review what appears to be an effort by senior company executives to influence the 2026 City Council election …”

This echoed allegations reported in a June 22 Progress story, which quoted a Graham Facebook post: “Axon has officially entered the Scottsdale City Council race.

Graham alleged Axon “wants to destroy my resident-friendly reputation.”

The June 22 story quoted former Axon spokesman and current Better Together treasurer David Leibowitz. He scoffed at Graham as “making stuff up” and “hypocritical.”

As the Progress reported last year, Axon Enterprises and Axon founder/Chief Executive Officer Rick Smith each contributed $500,000 to Arizonans for a Better Future. 

Isner chipped in $100,000 to the political action committee.

The new PAC Better Together filed with the state June 5. Baker is its chairman.

Leibowitz, who as recently as May 14 responded to a Progress question as Axon’s spokesman, is listed as Better Together’s treasurer.

Baker and Leibowitz have similar positions with Arizonans for a Better Future.

According to the Graham/Ugenti-Rita/Littlefield letter, the Arizonans for a Better Future PAC “engaged in significant political activity, including support for legislators who backed the Axon Bill and attacks on Councilman Barry Graham, one of the two councilmembers who voted against the rezoning proposal.

“On June 5, 2026,” the letter to Axon’s board continues, “… the same officers formed Better Together PAC. This new committee has launched an aggressive campaign … targeting the only three candidates in the race who have consistently supported retaining Axon’s headquarters in Scottsdale while opposing the apartment component of the project.”

Response

Responding to Graham saying Better Together is funded by Axon and attacking him, Leibowitz told the Progress last week:

“Axon is not ‘officially’ or directly involved in the Scottsdale Council races.”

Leibowitz also took a dig at Graham’s June 9 approval vote of a One Scottsdale request for 350 additional “housing units” for a booming complex across the Loop 101 from Axon’s planned development, calling him “hypocritical.”

Graham opposed the original 2024 Axon rezoning for 1,900 units, as well as a “memorandum of understanding” with the city earlier this year, which reduced the apartments to 1,200.

Both passed, with Councilwoman Solange Whitehead – also up for reelection – enthusiastically expressing her support for Axon’s plans.

Meanwhile, Graham has been alleging Axon is aiming to “file another application and push it right back up to 2,500 units or more.”

After a series of “Barry bashing” posts last year, Isner went quiet, regarding Scottsdale politics.

A few days ago, he broke his trolling silence, re-posting something from Graham – and accusing the councilman/candidate of cringy self-promotion using fake accounts.

“The idea of Barry logging into all his burners to like and retweet his own posts,” Isner posted on X June 24, “will never not be amusing.”