Phoenix 40 Records

Publisher Eugene Pulliam, lawyer Frank Snell, and KOOL owner Tom Chauncey founded the Phoenix 40 in 1974 in order to promote transportation, education, and criminal justice initiatives in the city of Phoenix. 40 prominent leaders, including Governor Raul Castro, attended the organization’s inaugural meeting in early 1975. Although the group operated largely out of the public eye, it wielded tremendous influence: one journalist described it as “an unholy alliance that elects and defeats our political candidates” and “a secret politico-business trust which controls our lives without being elected.” Its membership became public in 1984 and its first female and Hispanic members were added in 1986. Although the group’s power declined during the 1980s and 1990s as the city grew and older hierarchies were undermined by the social changes of the 1960s, it retained much of its influence and currently operates under the name Greater Phoenix Leadership.