by Scottsdale Pinetop
The Highs
*Councilmember Kate Gallego leads Phoenix mayoral race fundraising with more than $1 million raised.
*Councilman Daniel Valenzuela has been endorsed by five former Phoenix City Councilmembers: Peggy Neely, Claude Mattox, Peggy Bilsten, John Nelson and Maria Baier.
*Bill Crawford has given back to the community by donating school supplies to Vista Del Camino Community Center for the City of Scottsdale’s Back-To-School Supply Drive on July 25th at Scottsdale Stadium.
The Lows
*Councilmember Linda Milhaven and Solange Whitehead came in fourth and fifth for Scottsdale City Council race fundraising with $26,000 and $23,908 raised respectively.
In-Betweens
*The Tea Party Scottsdale announced that they will be hosting a Scottsdale City Council Forum Thursday, September 20th at 6:30pm at the Tea Party Scottsdale Headquarters.
*Councilwoman Kate Gallego will be hosting petition drives Friday July 20th at 4pm and Tuesday July 24th at 4pm at Starbucks on Baseline Road.
*The Town of Paradise Valley Independent reached out to each candidate to offer its fourth installment of an eight-part series focusing on local issues. This installment focuses on the pending development of a Ritz-Carlton. Click here to read the full interview.
Do you believe the development agreement — and subsequent construction stipulations — is a good deal for the Town of Paradise Valley and its residents?
Vice-Mayor Jerry Bien Willner: “In short, I was concerned about and did not support the 2016 amendments to the project entitlements because I believed then — and continue to believe — the town could have arrived at a better deal with greater compatibility with our overall community standards.”
Anna Thomasson: “I support the council’s decision to execute the Jan. 14, 2016 development agreement for a number of reasons. One of these reasons being there are numerous provisions to ensure compliance including financial penalties associated with nonperformance.”
Paul Dembow: “I voted against the current version of the development agreement. The Town had a better deal, already approved, on the property! I don’t understand what anyone was thinking when the agreement was approved with a split 4-3 vote of council.”
James Anton: “Provided the resort is completed as promised, this will be a good deal, perhaps not a great one, for our town. Unlike the original proposal that stipulated the resort be built before the housing, this agreement allows for housing to go in first with the resort to follow.”
Ellen Andeen: “I do believe they did the best they could considering the complexity and number of stakeholders involved. However, with my finance background, if any further details need to be negotiated or revised, I will do my best to ensure a fair and realistic outcome for the town.”
Candidates in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, and Phoenix should feel free to send me tips and information at stayabreastaz@gmail.com