She Won by a Landslide. Then Her Own Neighbors Tried to Remove Her From Office.

Julie Spilsbury was known around Mesa, Arizona, for two things: her city council seat and her cinnamon rolls. Then one public decision turned people she'd known for twenty years — church members, fellow moms, neighbors down the street — into the architects of an unprecedented recall campaign. And the man leading the charge against her was about to make a move nobody saw coming, including him. This is Episode 3 of Dispatches from the Divide — true stories of  ordinary people in extraordinary situations that take an unexpected turn. Hosted by Monica Guzman.  —----- Dispatches from the Divide is a co-production of BYUradio, Disagree Better and Braver Angels. Connect with us on social media @DispatchesfromtheDivide If you’re enjoying the podcast, you’ll love the new documentary “A House United.” Find a screening near you: https://www.jojofilm.co.uk/ahouseunited More about Disagree Better: https://disagreebetter.us/ More about Braver Angels: https://braverangels.org/ More podcasts from BYUradio: https://www.byuradio.org/ Listen to Monica Guzman’s other podcast “A Braver Way” https://www.moniguzman.com/abraverway CHAPTERS (0:00) Recall Petition Shock (2:00) Why Politics Feels Like War (3:03) Cinnamon Roll Diplomacy (5:13) First Big Council Vote (7:13) Governing by Conscience (9:19) Endorsing Democrats Publicly (11:31) Bob Sparks the Recall (17:01) Signatures and Obsession (19:26) Community Fallout and Hurt (21:48) An Unexpected Meeting Setup (22:41) Next Time and Credits #JulieSpilsbury #MesaArizona #PoliticalPolarization #LocalPolitics #RecallElection #DispatchesFromTheDivide #BraverAngels #DisagreeBetter #BYUradio