Local Control vs. Corporate Power: Rep. Chaplik Details Heated Capitol Confrontation with Axon CEO Over Scottsdale Development Dispute

State 48 News Exclusive: Inside the fight over Axon’s Scottsdale campus, a citizen referendum, and a bill to strip voters of their power.

Mar 21, 2025

Under Arizona’s desert skies, a quiet storm brews over land and local power. In Scottsdale, Axon’s bold plan for a 74-acre headquarters faces backlash, while controversial anti-referendum legislation gains traction at the Capitol — threatening to curb the public’s ability to challenge developments like this.

At the center is Rep. Joseph Chaplik, a Republican from Scottsdale’s District 3 — breaking with some in his party to oppose both the anti-referendum bill and Axon’s vision for a sprawling 74-acre campus near Hayden and Loop 101. As Axon’s ambitious project threatens to reshape Scottsdale’s landscape, Chaplik has emerged as a strong challenger. Unlike some of his Republican colleagues, Chaplik has voiced firm opposition to the twin bills that could silence community pushback.

Like many of his constituents, he rejects Axon’s vision for the land where city officials already approved a rezoning. But the story isn’t over: outraged residents collected enough signatures to launch a referendum, freezing Axon’s plans in place until voters can weigh in — likely not until late 2026. Faced with the possibility of years of uncertainty, Axon CEO Rick Smith issued a sharp counterpunch, hinting that the company may abandon Scottsdale altogether rather than sit idle as the ballot clock ticks down.

THE EVENTS OF MARCH 3RD

On March 3rd, Axon’s battle with Scottsdale spilled onto national airwaves when Fox Business host Stuart Varney confronted Axon President Josh Isner about the stalled headquarters project. “You’ve got a problem in Arizona,” Varney said. “They don’t want you to expand.” Isner didn’t hesitate.

“Yeah, sadly it looks like we might be headed to a new state,” Isner replied, suggesting Arizona must decide “is this going to be a state that creates exciting new tech jobs? Or is this going to be a state that caters more to the retirement community?” But the conversation quickly sharpened as Isner named names. “There’s a representative in Arizona named Joseph Chaplik… dead set against our campus because it has apartments on it for employee housing.” Then, with a pointed smile, Isner added: “Now Stuart, do you want to take one guess as to what Joseph Chaplik does in his full-time job outside of politics?” Varney pressed him to spill. “He’s an apartment broker, Stuart. Can’t make this stuff up.”

State 48 News Senior Investigative Journalist Jennifer Barber spoke exclusively with Rep. Joseph Chaplik today, who recalled watching the March 3rd exchange live on air — followed by his phone lighting up with calls.

Chaplik tells Barber, “If you’re an effective legislator, on the Republican side, and you’re conservative, you’re gonna get called out. This is just part of the business. It’s a blood sport.”

The next day, Fox Business gave Rep. Joseph Chaplik the opportunity to fire back. “Scottsdale residents DO NOT want another massive apartment project (1,900 units) after years of overbuilding,” Chaplik said, standing firm against Axon’s narrative. He accused Axon of pushing through a favorable rezoning deal by working with the outgoing city council, sidestepping the original intent for the land and avoiding $150 million that, Chaplik claims, should have gone to Arizona schools.

Chaplik also blasted the controversial bill he says would overturn a citizen-driven referendum effort — one that gathered 26,000 signatures — calling it an attack on Arizona voters and a gift to developers. “This is a horrific, unconstitutional policy for our state,” he said, pledging allegiance to Scottsdale residents over “private special interests and lobbyists.”

Taking a final swipe at Axon’s public pressure campaign, Chaplik declared, “Scottsdale voters will not be intimidated by the President of this company going on cable news to push his behind-the-scenes apartment agenda.”

🚨 But the heated words didn’t end on national television. Chaplik told State 48 News that later that afternoon, March 3rd, Axon CEO Rick Smith confronted him at the Arizona Capitol, as witnesses looked on during a tense 20-minute exchange. Chaplik says the situation escalated to the point where he felt compelled to call security.

Chaplik continues to explain the details of the exchange to Barber, “I stood my ground and talked to him about it. I’m not a confrontational person. But I’m going to defend myself and talk actual points with him. And that’s what I did.”

Chaplik says Smith backed away and apologized and he wanted to “reset the meeting.”

“I’ll give him that. He wanted to start over. But, you know, just cause you want to start over doesn’t mean none of that occured,” Chaplik explains. “It ended with us kind of at a stand still. I’m going to keep opposing these bills. And he said he’s going to keep jamming them through because if he doesn’t get these bills through, he’s going to relocate to Florida because Arizona doesn’t want him. Which I honestly don’t believe.”

State 48 News asks Chaplik if the concept Axon is proposing is looking like a 15-minute city. Chaplik says, “If it walks like a duck, it is a duck. It kinda looks like that. When you put shopping, restaurants, living and work altogether, with no cars. And you advertise that we’re not going to have congestion for cars on the streets that everybody’s worried about, it kinda feels like that.”

Here is the unedited version of Chaplik’s comments regarding this event. A full podcast will be coming soon.

A Party Divided – Republicans in Favor of SB1352 Face Backlash Over Limits on Citizen Rights and Local Control

SB 1352 | Introduced by Senator David Gowan (R-LD19)

HB 2925 | Introduced by Representatives Michael Carbone (R-LD25): Leo Biasiucci (R-LD30), Chris Lopez (R-LD16)

In February, TPA Scorecard issued a “key vote alert” opposing SB 1352 and HB 2925, saying they strip citizens of the right to challenge rezoning, weaken community input, override an active petition, and expand government power—going against conservative principles of limited government and individual rights.

State 48 News reached out to Arizona Senators Gowan, Leach, Shamp and Payne yesterday for comment. We have not heard back. State 48 News welcomes them on to our podcast to discuss their stance on zoning and development in the state of Arizona.

Meanwhile, sources tell us SB 1543 - introduced by Senator Frank Carroll (R-LD28), may soon be overhauled with a strike-all amendment to include anti-referendum language. Today, we invited Senator Carroll to appear on our podcast or provide a written statement on whether he intends to use SB 1543 to insert the provisions from SB 1352. We are awaiting a response.

We also asked Rep. Chaplik for his take on the potential move. He describes all that’s happened since the March 3rd event.

“It lingers on for two more weeks as we’re trying to jam this bill through just to help one company. And I think it’s absolutely the wrong thing we should be doing as legislators,” notes Rep. Chaplik.

Arizona’s Constitution Shields Voter Power Over Local Laws — Now That Power Faces New Challenges

Arizona’s Constitution gives everyday people the power to directly shape laws, both at the state and local levels, through initiatives and referendums. This means voters can propose new laws or force unpopular laws passed by the government to a public vote. The governor can’t veto these actions, and lawmakers can’t easily undo them without meeting tough requirements. Importantly, this power also applies to city and county issues, like zoning or development, where local voters can challenge decisions made by city councils. In essence, it’s a built-in check on government power, meant to protect community input — and it’s at the heart of current debates over efforts to limit local referendums in Arizona.

In regards to the legislation he opposes, Chaplik contends, “If they change the zoning, it’s bad for everybody. In this situaiton, we’re opposing a development on land use we don’t want in Scottsdale. But it could be just the opposite. There could be companies out there that want to build something really good that the citizens want - and the city council is blocking them. The citizens will not be able to a signature petition, put it to a vote on the ballot for all their residents, to approve something they want, too. So it does work both ways.”

THE MORE YOU KNOW.

State 48 News reached out to Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen regarding SB 1352 - known as the “Anti-Referendum” Bill.

AWAITING AXON RESPONSE

State 48 News has reached out to Axon’s CEO Rick Smith and President Josh Isner for interviews. We have not heard back. Both are welcome to join us on our podcast to discuss these developments.