Beneath a mane of long brown hair and glasses is Tempe’s most sarcastic and irreverent “caveman,” Jack Maverik. Working in information technology by day and playing Fred Flintstone by night, Maverik wants to see change in Tempe, and he’s hell-bent on using humor and irony to do so.
In the past month, he launched a funny take on candidate interviews that has drawn some attention in the city, after doing several things in the past to use comedy and irony to draw attention to activities of the Tempe City Council.
That started in January 2025, when Maverik, wanting to make a statement, bought a second-hand Fred Flintstone costume and went before council as “a humble caveman,” quoting a 1991 “Saturday Night Live” skit with Phil Hartman.
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Beneath a mane of long brown hair and glasses is Tempe’s most sarcastic and irreverent “caveman,” Jack Maverik. Working in information technology by day and playing Fred Flintstone by night, Maverik wants to see change in Tempe, and he’s hell-bent on using humor and irony to do so.
In the past month, he launched a funny take on candidate interviews that has drawn some attention in the city, after doing several things in the past to use comedy and irony to draw attention to activities of the Tempe City Council.
That started in January 2025, when Maverik, wanting to make a statement, bought a second-hand Fred Flintstone costume and went before council as “a humble caveman,” quoting a 1991 “Saturday Night Live” skit with Phil Hartman.
The move was in reaction to online recordings of councilors and others referring to “C.A.V.E” people, or “citizens against virtually everything” during a 2022 executive session discussing the Arizona Coyotes plan for an arena in the city.
His latest endeavor involved inviting Tempe council challengers to be interviewed on a “Between Two Ferns”-style made popular by comedian and actor Zach Galifianakis, a show with “no editorial discretion and lots of gotcha questions.”
Call to the challenger candidates posted on a Tempe Facebook group.
Jack Maverik
Within hours, all the challenging candidates reached out to him willing to do interviews.
Maverik said in preparation, he watched every episode and the movie to mimic Galifianakis’s tone, cadence and subtle digs at the candidates’ work and personal lives.
He also did his homework on each candidate, but had some fun as well. He told Brooke St. George she looked like a young Hillary Clinton in her pantsuits — which he asked her to wear for the joke — and compared Elvis Taska to Wednesday from “The Addams Family” for his braided hair.
He asked Bobby Nichols why he couldn’t afford Ozempic during a discussion about his salary and only referred to Joe Forte as “MAGA Joe” following his previous statements in support of President Donald Trump.
Maverik says of the four, he most aligns politically with Nichols and least aligns with Forte, but that he supports Forte’s campaign as he sees a need for change on the dais.
Though he takes pride in his work, he also says that he believes he was taking time away from others.
“I kind of feel bad because so many people at the meeting gave really amazing and heartfelt speeches about Danelle Plaza and Shalimar and I’m just a goofball dressed in a caveman costume. But now that I have the attention, I want to reflect it back to something that matters,” he said.
Maverik has grown frustrated with council, particular after the July 1 meeting when, after more than seven hours of discussion and hundreds of people filling in the council chambers, councilors voted unanimously to pass a park ordinance that required fees and permits for groups of 30 or more.
“For them to lecture us and talk down to us and say that we, the people who packed the house on a weeknight until 2 in the morning, are in the minority, every single person on that stage needs to not just get out of government, but get out of Tempe,” he said.
He argues the council has gotten too serious and wants to approach this election season differently.
“City council is a local election where you elect your neighbors. You’re hiring your neighbor to help you with the roads and the cops. You should get to know who they are as people.”
To Maverik, a self-proclaimed internet troll, that means learning about candidates’ sense of humor.
With the help of friends Nick Gonzaga and Evan Short, they had three cameras, editing equipment, and microphones to make his vision a reality.
The candidates said they enjoyed the project, sharing their admiration for Maverik and his nonprofessional comedy and commentary on Tempe government issues.
Forte played into the bit and brought Maverik a hat that said “Make Mill Avenue Great Again,” a nod to his platform to improve the entertainment and business on one of Tempe’s busiest streets.
Forte said while he did vote for Trump, he doesn’t defend his actions and saw him as the most viable candidate in all three elections.
“I have no fealty to any politician or party, but I’m trying to get past Donald Trump,” he said.
Forte also said that while he has conservative opinions, he “out-progressed progressives” as he started a nonprofit called Keep Tempe Beautiful and has worked with the NAACP before the campaign.
Nichols didn’t mind the Ozempic joke, but was flattered by Maverik’s comparison of him to Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist recently elected mayor of New York City, and both of their font choices in their campaign literature.
“Tempe and NYC have many differences, but Mayor Mamdani’s mission — creating a city that everyone can afford by concentrating city resources on proven public programs — is absolutely something that I aspire to achieve for my hometown,” Nichols said via email.
Nichols said he wished the final product had included more discussion about policy.
St. George said she enjoyed that she was able to speak candidly about her experiences working as an assistant for Councilmember Jennifer Adams.
In the interview, St. George says, “she ruined my life,” referring to being let go from the position after sharing with Adams that she was looking for another job. She alleges she was fired without cause.
St. George also said despite what some voters think, she is not running out of spite, but rather for the love of Tempe.
“Tempe deserves better than Jennifer Adams,” she said.
Taska said while he enjoyed the interview, he would have liked to see the incumbents participate.
“I believe that there should be more ways to learn about our candidates, the softball questions that get lofted to the incumbents only show one side of who they are,” he said via email.
He said he believed the creativity was admirable and Maverik’s idea showed a different side of the candidates.
Maverik said none of the incumbents reached out, but he would include them if they did.
Maverik said that, as fun and funny as the joke was, it could be easily overdone, but he does not plan to stop holding public officials and political candidates accountable for their actions in front of and behind closed doors.
“I hope that after the election, there are three new faces up there that I can bully,” he said.
Madeline Bates joined Independent Newsmedia in 2025 as a Phoenix/Tempe reporter. Before graduating college, she spent a semester in Washington as a Congressional reporter in the first 100 days of the second Trump administration. But local news is where her heart is. She is excited to be in Phoenix full time and exploring new parts of the city (as long as they have AC).
Community: After living in East Phoenix for two years, she fell in love with Paradise Valley, Mesa, Tempe, and everywhere in between. She recently discovered the beauty of the South Mountain Reserve and hopes to continue exploring should the weather comply.
Education: Madeline has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and a certificate in Political History and Leadership.
Random Fact: She is a self-taught nail tech. No, she cannot do your nails.
Hobbies: Hiking (when its not 100 degrees), fiction writing, cooking, baking and trying new coffee shops.
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