Guest Editorial: Mickey Mouse

By Scottsdale Pinetop Dubbed “the happiest place on earth,” Disneyland used to be a place for nearly everyone to enjoy. But today, with skyrocketing ticket prices, the long promoted place “made for you and me,” seems increasingly made for someone else. If we aren’t careful, McDowell Sonoran Preserve could become a desert Disneyland. Adding to their long list of half-truths, … Read More

Guest Editorial: How Dumb Are They?

By Scottsdale Jersey Boy So we know desperation is setting in with Desert Discovery Center sycophants in Scottsdale.  After all, they have renamed their project (Desert Edge), tapped the worst city manager in Scottsdale history to lead their new efforts and have deceitfully labeled their opposition campaign to Proposition 420 “Protect Your Preserve.”  Mind you, supporters of Proposition 420, the … Read More

A J.D. In BS

So a political action committee has formed to oppose the right of Scottsdale citizens to vote on new development in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve known as Proposition 420.  It will appear on Scottsdale’s November ballot.  Quite unbelievably, or fortuitously, it is being led by the worst city manager in the city’s history and a former zoning attorney.  We’re not making … Read More

Not Playing With A Full Deck

51. That’s the number of ballot statements opponents of allowing people to vote on development in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve submitted to the Scottsdale City Clerk. The vote will take place in November and is now known as Proposition 420. 51. That’s also the miniscule number of people that may actually vote against the measure at the ballot box in … Read More

Backbone

Once upon a time one of us involved with this blog had an opportunity to listen to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker in a small setting.  A pretty boring guy who reminded us more of a Republican Michael Dukakis he nevertheless piqued our interested when talking about how and why certain voters in his state voted for him, but then opted … Read More

Guest Editorial: It’s Official! It’s On The Ballot.

By Scottsdale Pinetop   It has been a long time coming, but finally it looks like the end is in sight. This week, the Scottsdale City Clerk announced that the Protect Our Preserve initiative has more than enough valid signatures to qualify for the November ballot. Voters will see it on their ballot as Proposition 420. This means that the … Read More

Nattering Nabobs Of Nonsense

Excuse us if we borrow and take license with the “nattering nabobs of negativism” phrase patented by Vice President Spiro Agnew in his critique of media. We invoke a related phrase now because the recent missive from the “Desert Edge Advocates” in their “Views” eblast earlier this week demands it.   To a small extent we feel sorry for the … Read More

Irascible vs. Intuition

Bob Littlefield meet Kathy Littlefield. The former served for many years on the Scottsdale City Council before term limits prompted him to run for the Arizona State Legislature.  But he lost in the 2014 Republican primary to Jay Lawrence.  And then Bob decided he wanted to become Mayor, running against popular incumbent Jim Lane while his wife, Kathy, served on … Read More

Alexander The Great

Carla.  Jane Rau.  Nancy Cantor.  Hannah Goldstein.  Bob Mayhew.  Mike Merrill.  Lida Stewart.  Bob Vairo.  Linda Whitehead.  Alan Kaufman.  Sonnie Kirtley.  Mike Norton.  Barbara Espinosa.  Howard Meyers. Scottsdale has a rich history of civic activism over its many years, ranging from fighting hockey arenas to fighting for what became the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.  Some activists famously impacted noble pursuits in … Read More

Guest Editorial: It’s Time To Say Goodbye

By Scottsdale Pinetop In the West’s Most Western Town, we know a thing or two about horses. Scottsdale is home to a number of equestrian centers, the Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships, the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show and the Scottsdale Quarter Horse Show, to name a few. The city even installed a beautiful Ed Mell statue of a bucking horse with … Read More