Mark Flatten/Tribune file

If Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox think they can just ignore the new investigative writer for the Goldwater Institute, then they have forgotten who Mark Flatten is. Especially Wilcox, as Flatten seems to clearly prove she used her political connections to land and keep a lucrative restaurant contract at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and she violated federal rules while doing so.

Unlike Gordon and Wilcox, I haven’t forgotten Flatten. He was one of the best investigative journalists in the state during his years with the East Valley Tribune, and possibly one of Arizona’s best ever. He’s methodical, relentless and has amazing organizational skills. And he never allows an investigative report to be published until he’s sure he has covered all of the angles.

But given the uncertain future of the Tribune, Flatten decided this summer to strike out on a new venture. In an evolution from the traditional model of political think tanks, the Goldwater Institute hired Flatten to continue pursuing his craft which includes following the ethical tenets of journalism. But many Arizona journalists have wondered if Flatten really would have the freedom to objectively pursue a story to its logical conclusion, or would the Goldwater Institute subtly (or overtly) coerce Flatten’s writing to fit the institute’s libertarian outlook.

I think there’s some evidence for both points of view in Flatten’s first report for the institute — a detailed looked at the process of providing access to Sky Harbor concessions contracts for minority-owned and disadvantaged businesses. Goldwater Institute was an early advocate for a proposed state law that would end race-based preferences in government contracts and other policies. Flatten makes clear the proposed law, which the Legislature has asked state voters to consider in November 2010, played some role in inspiring his report.

But Flatten’s investigative work also shines through, especially when it comes to Wilcox. In a nutshell, Flatten reports Wilcox got a sweetheart deal to gain 30 percent ownership of a Chili’s restaurant at Sky Harbor. The master airport contractor who owns 70 percent of the restaurant used the fact that Wilcox is a Hispanic woman to help the contractor meet Phoenix’s minority-ownership rules. In return, Wilcox didn’t have put any money into the business for her 30 percent and she doesn’t have any clearly defined role in operating the restaurant, both of which are a violation of rules from the Federal Aviation Administration, Flatten reported.

Wilcox flat-out refused to answer any questions from Flatten, claiming he was delving into a private business matter. Huh? Wilcox is making money from a taxpayer-funded airport that’s heavily regulated by various governments, and she’s an long-time elected public servant. But she wants to claim privacy? Ridiculous.

Gordon and most administrators at the airport refused substantive interviews with Flatten as well. That might possibly might make more sense, as the Goldwater Institute has been suing that city in a separate, high-profile case. To Gordon’s credit, he gave definite, if brief, answers when Flatten tracked him down for a walking hallway interview. (”No. No, sir,” was about Gordon had to say.)

But Flatten refused to allow those closed doors to stop him. He dug through contracts, email and thousands of other public records to get the story. The great thing about the Internet is some of the most important records are posted with links embedded right into the Goldwater Institute report. So we don’t just have to take Flatten’s word on what he found, we can read the evidence for ourselves.

We continue to miss Flatten here at the Tribune. But it’s great to see that he’s still serving the public by uncovering flaws and undue political influence in government.