Several weeks ago it seemed the demagogues were about to drive Scottsdale down by driving away the top school in the country and Scottsdale. Economic developers in other cities were frothing: if the best city in the Valley said bye-bye to BASIS would or should any company say hello?
Then Governor Ducey weighed in . . . and the Wall Street Journal . . . and late today Attorney General Mark Brnovich. Necessary legal threats were made. Mayor Jim Lane showed leadership, bringing together neighbors and school backers. Virginia Korte, once a skeptic, showed the temperament and prudence of a future Mayor. Councilwomen Klapp and Milhaven showed their usual, steely resolve. Even those acting supremely demagogic previously, Smith and Littlefield came around in the end leaving only the confounding Guy Phillips. He the supposed Tea Partier. He the supposed constitutionalist. As the lone vote against BASIS he ignored the law and in one issue transformed himself from Scalia to Sanders. Council candidate rival Dan Schweiker will surely make him feel the burn in the upcoming election.
But for tonight there’s reason to celebrate that Scottsdale didn’t ultimately fumble and the adults stepped forward to govern, as they usually do in Arizona’s most dynamic city.