One of the strengths of the tony Town of Paradise Valley is that it micromanages everything about hotels and non-residential uses.  The approach helps ensure a commitment to quality with volunteers at commission and council levels that rarely let something improper or poor fall through the cracks. And, one of the bad things about the Town of Paradise Valley is … Read More

By Recker McDowell — Scottsdale ranks as one of the top cities in the country for ‘staycations’. WalletHub ranked U.S. cities for their recreational amenities (parking, hiking) as well as factors such as homes with pools. Scottsdale ranked 7th best nationally on the list. Plano, Texas near Dallas was first. Local vacations and attracting tourists from California, other Western states … Read More

There are many tragedies from the pandemic.  Cancelation of high school graduations and all of the smiles and memories that come with them is certainly one of them. That pomp and circumstance is something none of us forget, our entire lives. While some school districts have not yet thrown in the towel it seems that so many have.  That’s a … Read More

By Virginia Korte — The past few weeks I have spent a lot of time talking about the need to diversify our economic structure in Scottsdale, bringing in different industries and high paying jobs so we don’t have an over reliance on tourism. I truly believe that we have been hit harder and remain overly vulnerable because of our lack … Read More

By Recker McDowell — The psychology of COVID-19 is as impactful as its direct impacts on public health and lost jobs. The pandemic has stirred fear, worry and anxiety. Those have been magnified by daily case and death counts as well as dire predictions of more cases and future outbreaks. Beyond all the health worries, fear is driving everything from … Read More

By Recker McDowell — Elon Musk is promising to move Tesla’s headquarters out of California to Texas or Nevada over his frustrations with the Golden State’s COVID-19 shutdowns. Musk will not be alone in evaluating and re-evaluating where to locate and land jobs after the pandemic ends. COVID-19 has already cost the economy more than 21 million jobs. Some of … Read More

By Recker McDowell — The U.S. economy lost 20.5 million jobs in April. The unemployment rate is 14.7 percent and could hit 20 percent or higher due to the impacts of COVID-19. Economies and businesses are gradually opening (including in Arizona). But it is going to take time for businesses to rehire workers and ramp back up operations. Consumers will … Read More

City managers are a lot like baseball pitchers.  You’re not going to win every political and policy game. But if you go 21-5 during the course of a year on important decisions you are municipal Cy Young Award winner. And Scottsdale City Manager Jim Thompson, over the past many years, has helped Scottsdale win.  A lot. He’s earned the respect … Read More

By Recker McDowell — Nordstrom is closing its store at Chandler Fashion Center permanently. The Chandler store is among 16 locations Nordstrom is shuttering. Other retailers will also be permanently closing stores with COVID-19 hastening the demise of some already struggling brands and locations. Nordstrom’s closure at Fashion Center is a blow to Chandler. The East Valley suburb has worked … Read More