Carson Rose, Reid Umar Launch June 30 Presale for ATLYS Water Bottle With More Than Three Million Social Media Views and a 1,400+ Sign-Up Waitlist 

The ATLYS One, a patent-pending sports bottle developed by two Phoenix Country Day School students, has attracted a sizable following ahead of its June 30 presale launch, generating more than three million social media views, a 1,400+ sign-up waitlist and upwards of $140,000 in funding before selling a single bottle.

Lifelong friends Carson Rose and Reid Umar will launch presales Tuesday, June 30, 2026, for the press-to-spray ATLYS One, a 24-ounce, vacuum-insulated electric stainless-steel squirt water bottle that combines one-handed hydration with all-day cold retention.

The first 1,000 units are available at a discounted presale price of $49.99. After the initial production run, the bottle will retail for $54.99, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Inspiring Children Foundation, which helps young people navigate depression, anxiety, trauma and other mental health challenges.

The launch follows two years of product development and multiple design revisions, with the pair documenting

the process of building the company while balancing school, sports and everyday life.

The concept took shape after Umar had ongoing problems with disposable and reusable water bottles, including damaged lids, problems keeping liquids cold and mold buildup. As an athlete, he wondered if a better option existed and decided to design one himself. He ran the idea by his longtime friend, Rose, later that day.

Carson Rose

“I remember thinking there had to be a better way,” Umar said. “I called Carson and said, ‘Why doesn’t this exist?’ The idea stuck with us, and before long, we found ourselves spending most of our free time trying to figure out how to make it work.”

Rose and Umar were both 15 when they formed a 50/50 partnership and agreed to work together on a design that would solve issues associated with other popular water bottles. Now 17, they are preparing to bring the product to market after two years of development, testing and refinement.

While both Rose and Umar relied on disposable squeeze bottles during practices and games, they failed to keep

Reid Umar

drinks cool for long, especially during Arizona’s intense summer heat. Insulated metal models did a better job of keeping beverages cold, but lacked the ease and portability that athletes wanted.

“We looked around and realized there wasn’t anything currently on the market that solved these common issues,” Rose said. “Every bottle seemed to involve

Home Run Derby, Celebrity-Owned Teams and Championship Competition Headline Big League Wiffle Ball’s Signature Event

Scottsdale Stadium will once again host the biggest event on the Big League Wiffle Ball calendar when the seventh annual Western Wiffle Ball Classic returns Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. The tournament draws the country’s top wiffle ball talent, uniting elite pitchers, serious power hitters and teams willing to travel hundreds of miles for a chance to leave with a championship trophy. The league has taken off in recent months, drawing sold-out crowds and hosting games on ESPN, Fubo and other broadcast networks.

The Western Wiffle Ball Classic is the best-attended event on the Big League Wiffle Ball calendar and features Recreational and Competitive divisions, with teams of three to five players competing throughout the day for championship honors. All ages can enter for a day of fun.

Differences in strike zone dimensions, pitching distances and equipment define each division, helping produce a wide range of playing styles and strategies.

The tournament will also include a Home Run Derby, giving players an opportunity to compete for a separate trophy and prove who has the most power at the plate.

“This event has developed a reputation as one of the toughest tournaments we host all year,” said Big League Wiffle Ball Founder Logan Rose. “The level of competition is incredibly high, so if you want to see some of the best pitchers and hitters in the country compete against one another, this is one you don’t want to miss.”

Big League Wiffle Ball’s ownership group includes a growing roster of well-known athletes, entertainers, entrepreneurs and business leaders. Former NFL star Julio Jones and Grammy-winning hip-hop artist Nelly joined the league earlier this year as owners of the Atlanta Ballers, while other teams count Kevin Costner, Dude Perfect, Gary and AJ Vaynerchuk, Marc Lasry, David Blitzer, David Adelman, Ron Biscardi, Molly Bloom and Howard Warren Buffett among their ownership ranks.

Celebrity ownership may draw attention to the league, but the Western Wiffle Ball Classic has built its reputation on competition and fun. All 10 of BLW’s professional teams will be in attendance and participating in the pro division.

For more about Big League Wiffle Ball or to purchase tickets, check out BLWiffleBall.com or follow developments on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube.

For sponsorship inquiries or general questions, email LRose@blwwiffleball.com.

Highline Autos, Garaza Design and Compass Luxury Real Estate Veteran Frank Aazami Bring Collectors, Homeowners and Industry Professionals Together for a One-of-a-Kind Valley Experience

Some garages hold a couple of cars and a workbench. Others hold custom sports cars, meticulously restored classics and extensive collections that were decades in the making. Compass luxury real estate veteran Frank Aazami, Highline Autos and Garaza Design are giving Arizona’s automotive enthusiasts a chance to see some of the state’s most impressive garage homes firsthand during the Great Garage Homes Bus Tour, an exclusive, 50-person event highlighting a side of Arizona’s luxury real estate market few buyers ever get to see. Please RSVP here or by calling or emailing Frank Aazami at 480-266-0240 or frank.aazami@compass.com.

Set for 3 p.m. (please arrive at 2:30 p.m.) through 6 p.m. Friday, June 26, and departing from Garaza Design’s showroom (14201 N Hayden Road, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260), the Great Garage Homes Bus Tour gives attendees a peek inside high-end homes featuring exceptional architecture, upscale features and expansive garage amenities that reflect the lifestyles and preferences of serious collectors.

Aazami has seen automotive elements become a bigger part of the conversation in recent years, with many buyers increasingly seeking out homes with amenities of interest to auto enthusiasts, like car lifts, climate-controlled storage and showroom or auto shop space.

The state has long attracted car collectors, with the internationally known Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction taking place annually in Scottsdale and Arizona’s dry climate helping it appeal to those looking to preserve and drive classic and exotic and specialty vehicles year-round.

“Twenty years ago, a lot of luxury buyers wanted a three-car garage and called it a day,” Aazami said. “Today, I work with clients who design entire homes around their collections. The garage has become a destination space, and this tour gives others with similar interests a chance to see what’s possible when passion plays a role in the design process.”

While tour guests will get to see the homes and automotive amenities they feature, they’ll also get to network with fellow collectors, homeowners and automotive professionals while getting an inside look at a distinct and exclusive part of Arizona’s luxury market.

Space is limited to 50 guests, so interested parties should RSVP as soon as possible by registering here, calling 480-266-0240 or emailing frank.aazami@compass.com. For more about Compass in Arizona, visit AZHomes.com.

(SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.) – International polo rivalries, a new Arizona wine tasting event, new rugby and sports bar elements, Burning Man-style nightlife, a Nashville-infused “Cowgirl Couture” fashion show and a full day of luxury experiences will converge on the polo field at WestWorld of Scottsdale this fall when the Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships returns for its 15th Anniversary.

On Saturday, November 7, 2026, the nation’s most-attended polo event will deliver its biggest and most entertainment-packed edition yet, with three polo matches, two fashion shows, luxury lounges, an on-site sports bar where guests can catch college football, and an array of new experiences set to draw one of its biggest crowds to date.

Tickets start at just $45 and are on sale now at www.ThePoloParty.com.

Polo that day will begin with the Arizona Polo Club facing the New Orleans Polo Club, while Army vs. Navy will renew their rivalry just days before Veterans Day. In the event’s featured match, England’s Select will square off against France’s Select, the first time one of the world’s greatest rivalries will be playing in Scottsdale.

New this year, a rugby match will kick off the day’s festivities, with the nationally ranked Scottsdale Blues Rugby Team facing the San Diego Old Aztecs, a club that includes former national champions.
“We wanted to go bigger than ever for our 15th anniversary,” said Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships founder Jason Rose. “It’s been an extraordinary journey, and we have so many people to thank for it as we pack maximum luxury and fun into this milestone year.”

In addition to highlighting Arizona-made wines in a new tasting experience, organizers will also debut a new special-edition polo wine created exclusively for the occasion.

“For 15 years, the Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships has brought together international competition, luxury experiences and some of the best entertainment Scottsdale has to offer,” said Beli Merdovic, the general manager of Bentley Scottsdale, the event’s title sponsor. “We’ve been proud to support the event as it’s grown into one of Scottsdale’s most anticipated annual traditions, and we look forward to celebrating this notable year with the community, our clients and polo fans from across the country.”

While the big day takes place on Saturday, the festivities begin Thursday and Friday, November 5th and 6th with welcome parties and VIP receptions for sponsors, players and ticket holders. More details to be announced in the coming weeks.

During halftime at one of Saturday’s matches, the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show will host a Western Pleasure Competition – an event first. The special event will give spectators a look at one of the equestrian circuit’s most popular classes, with judges evaluating beautiful horses based on manners, movement and ride quality for prize money.

Moo Country, a Franklin, Tennessee-based Western glam apparel and statement hat retailer founded by model, actor and designer Dawn Ann Ritter, will also host a “Cowgirl Couture” on-field fashion show amid Saturday’s festivities. It will join a fan favorite – “The World’s Longest Catwalk” fashion show by Phoenix Fashion Week.

Million Dollar Mingle, founded by entrepreneur, philanthropist and former Oakland Raiders wide receiver AC Caswell. This event within the event will also return this year as a standalone experience, uniting entrepreneurs, community leaders and influencers for one of The Polo Party’s most anticipated elements.

The 15th annual Scottsdale Polo Party will also feature a series of returning fan-favorites, including the Barrett-Jackson Champagne & Jazz Lounge, which will again have open-air seating with umbrellas and unobstructed views of the polo field.

Throughout the day all the attendees can enjoy the fieldside Riot House DayClub, unique to Arizona polo. Following the matches, Walter Productions will host the Polo Party’s official Sunset After-Party. The festivities will feature Kalliope, Walter Productions’ massive mobile sound stage and one of Burning Man’s most recognizable art cars, creating a dramatic backdrop for dancing and photos.

Early Bird tickets start at $45 for general admission before increasing to $50. General admission tickets are also available at the gate for $60.

Guests looking for a more exclusive experience can choose from several premium table and ticket options. Admission to Prime, a Luxury Tent Experience by Bentley Scottsdale, Neiman Marcus, Barrett-Jackson and Maple & Ash, starts at $380, while access to The Scottsdale Maserati Drivers & Players VIP Lounge starts at $240. The Barrett-Jackson Champagne & Jazz Lounge returns with tickets starting at $105, and All Access passes start at $515. Sideline Parking packages are also available and start at $295.

VIP Tickets, tables, sponsorships and more information are available at www.ThePoloParty.com.

America’s First Professional Wiffle Ball League Launches 2026 Season With Celebrity Owners, Select Games on ESPN+ and Expanded TV Coverage; Tickets On Sale Now 

Big League Wiffle Ball heads to Atlanta next weekend with celebrity owners, nationally streamed games and a new hometown franchise led by two names sports and music fans know well: Julio Jones and Nelly.

Fans can attend Opening Day festivities Sunday, June 7, at Assembly Studios, when the professional wiffle ball league opens its 2026 season and the new Atlanta Ballers franchise makes its debut at 1 p.m. against the Los Angeles Naturals, the league’s top team.

Jones, one of the most accomplished players in Atlanta Falcons history, co-owns the new franchise alongside Grammy-winning hip-hop artist Nelly. The pair plans to attend Opening Day and stop by games throughout the season, giving fans opportunities to spot the celebrity owners around the ballpark.

During his 10 seasons in Atlanta, Jones earned seven Pro Bowl selections, two First Team All-Pro honors and three Second Team All-Pro honors. He also set multiple NFL records, including the most receptions and receiving yards through a player’s first 90 games, and became the fastest player in league history to reach 9,000, 10,000, 11,000, 12,000 and 13,000 career receiving yards.

Nelly was one of the best-selling artists of the 2000s thanks to hits like “Hot in Herre,” “Ride Wit Me” and “Dilemma,” securing three Grammys and nine Billboard Music Awards while making multiple appearances on TV and in films.

“Atlanta already has strong sports and entertainment scenes, and Big League Wiffle Ball brings both together in one place,” said Big League Wiffle Ball Founder Logan Rose. “Fans are going to walk into Assembly Studios and see fierce competition, famous faces and some of the best wiffle ball players in the country taking the field. There’s nothing else in sports quite like it.”

The Atlanta Ballers join a growing list of celebrity-backed Big League Wiffle Ball teams, including Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Costner’s Los Angeles Naturals, Dude Perfect’s Dallas Pandas, Gary and AJ Vaynerchuk’s New York Green Apples, Marc Lasry and David Blitzer’s Las Vegas Scorpions, David Adelman and Ron Biscardi’s Philadelphia Wiffle Club and Molly Bloom and Howard Warren Buffett’s Boston Harbor Hawks.

Big League Wiffle Ball’s 2026 season also leans heavily into the live experience. Each game day has two sessions – one from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and one from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. – with four games scheduled for each session.

League organizers also plan to incorporate fan-focused entertainment throughout the summer, including hot dog eating contests, talent competitions and interactive moments involving players and on-field personalities.

The league uses a “medium-pitch” format designed to create more contact and faster gameplay, leading to fewer walks and strikeouts and more on-field action.

In addition to national partnerships with ESPN and Fubo Sports Network, Big League Wiffle Ball has inked local TV deals with Gray Media, which covers Georgia, Arizona, Minnesota, Ohio, Hawaii, Alaska and other markets; NESN/SportsNet Pittsburgh, covering New England and western Pennsylvania; Chicago Sports Network; Angels Baseball TV in the Los Angeles region; and NBC Sports Bay Area.

Following the season opener, additional games will take place at Assembly Studios June 14, June 28, July 12 and July 26 — all Sundays.

For more about Big League Wiffle Ball or to purchase tickets, check out BLWiffleBall.com or follow developments on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube.

For sponsorship inquiries or general questions, email LRose@blwwiffleball.com.

Seventy-five years ago this June, a patch of sun-baked Arizona scrubland with 2,032 souls and barely a half-square mile to its name became an official municipality. Nobody could have predicted what it would become. That is the Scottsdale story: humble origins giving way to something genuinely extraordinary.

The area’s bedrock dates back 1.8 billion years, and Indigenous peoples called it home for more than 8,000 years before anyone else arrived. But the modern chapter began with a man of contradictions. U.S. Army Chaplain Winfield Scott purchased 640 acres in 1888 for $2.50 per acre, planted citrus trees, built a school, and gave the place his name. A soldier-turned-pastor-turned-farmer, he laid a foundation that somehow suited everything that followed.

From Farming Town to “The West’s Most Western Town”

Scottsdale’s first six decades were quiet ones: modest farming and ranching, a handful of tourist camps, and a scattering of artists’ studios tucked into the desert light. Then the postwar boom arrived, and the world discovered what locals already knew. The climate, the wide skies, the affordable land, and a certain sun-drenched glamour drew newcomers from across the country.

Photo Credit: AZ Central

The city’s 75th anniversary logo captures this perfectly: a spur at its center, a nod to the “West’s Most Western Town” that began its stride toward something world-class right there in Old Town.

An Arts City Almost From the Start

Frank Lloyd Wright arrived in 1937, purchasing property at the foothills of the McDowell Mountains and establishing Taliesin West as his winter home and school of architecture. It was a signal that Scottsdale would attract creative ambition, not just sun-seekers.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

The arts have been part of the city’s identity since Helen Scott herself emphasized the importance of cultural life in the community. That spirit endured. Today, Scottsdale’s arts scene spans world-class galleries, the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, and Canal Convergence: an annual waterfront light festival that transforms Old Town into something luminous.

Sports, Horses, and Spring Training

In 1951, the city launched what became the Parada del Sol, a beloved annual tradition now in its seventh decade. By 1956, the Arabian Horse Show had relocated to Scottsdale, becoming a signature event still held at WestWorld today. That same year, the Baltimore Orioles played the first spring training games at Scottsdale Stadium. Baseball and Scottsdale have been inseparable ever since.

Photo Credit: Parada del Sol website

A Preserve as Ambitious as the City Itself

Perhaps no decision better defines Scottsdale’s character than the voter-approved sales tax increase in 1995 to purchase land for the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, which now stretches over 30,000 acres and stands as the city’s signature landmark. A city that could have developed every inch of its horizon instead chose to protect it. That choice says everything.

75 and Still Sparkling

This anniversary year, a community art sculpture called Sonora, a 75-inch wire horse designed by Scottsdale Artists’ School, stands in Old Town, inviting residents and visitors to add fabric and memory to its frame as the year unfolds. It is a fitting symbol: a city still being built by the people who love it.

Scottsdale began as a chaplain’s citrus farm on cracked desert earth. It became something few cities ever do: genuinely itself, at every stage of the journey. Happy 75th.

By Councilwoman Solange Whitehead

Protecting Scottsdale’s Character

My job is to protect Scottsdale—not to cast meaningless “no” votes for political theater.

My record of stopping bad development is unmatched. Just as importantly, I’ve negotiated better projects and helped transform blighted, crime-attracting properties into vibrant destinations.

I’ve also changed rules and improved the baseline for development:

• Adopted building codes that reduce urban heat and conserve water.
• Increased development impact fees.
• Eliminated bonus height allowances and developer incentives.
• Required public open space and stronger landscaping standards.
• Ratified a General Plan that strengthens protections against urbanization.

Did you approve 4,500 apartments?

No.  Over the past eight years, I approved around 2,850. That is about 360 per year in a city of 240,000 residents.

I was able to stop many bad proposals. I’ve kept apartments away from neighborhoods. Where housing made sense, I negotiated better projects and expanded homeownership opportunities by approving roughly 1,700 condominiums and townhomes.

What is the biggest development threat in Scottsdale?

The Arizona Legislature.  Every session, the Arizona Multifamily Association lobbies for bills that would strip cities of their zoning authority. Every year, I’ve successfully fought back against the worst of these proposals.

Arizona has some of the strongest private property rights in the nation. That’s why effective leadership requires negotiating the best projects—not simply voting “no.” Councilmembers who oppose every project have made it easier for the Legislature to argue that cities can’t be trusted with zoning authority.

What are some of your successes in Old Town?  

• Successfully opposed several high-rise development developments.
• Revised the Old Town Character Area Plan to eliminate 150-foot bonus height allowances, require open space, shade and protect our character.

• Protected two historic buildings from demolition.
• Stopped the sale and development of the Rose Garden. It is now slated to be a park.
• Replaced vacant blight with quality hotels and mixed-use developments supported by local businesses.
• Opposed a $30 million parking garage without a parking study. Good government starts with data before spending taxpayer dollars.
• Kept Scottsdale’s Farmers Market in Old Town.

What other successes are you proud of?

• Protected Scottsdale by ending water exports and stopping a taxpayer-funded road in the Preserve – both of which benefited development in Rio Verde Foothills.
• Successfully stopped up-zoning projects citywide to protect neighborhoods.
• Initiated the successful thirty funding of parks, our Preserve and public safety.
• Turned a proposed water storage facility into a DC Ranch park.
• Negotiated the Crackerjax redevelopment to include a 2-acre public park, more trees, large setbacks, and lower building heights.

What about Axon: did you block the vote and approve 1,900 apartments?

No. Axon is approved to build 600 apartments, 600 condominiums, and must invest millions in community benefits including a dog park.  I voted to put the Axon referendum on the ballot.  Your vote was blocked by four on Council – including Barry Graham.

Other benefits:

• Having Axon in Scottsdale keeps us, and our police officers, safer.
• Scottsdale will now be the global destination for law enforcement training, research, and conferences—adding a recession-proof tourism sector that will keep our taxes lower.
• Protected high quality engineering and skilled labor jobs – these are the jobs that make Scottsdale and Arizona stronger.
• Stopped another 24-hour trucking and warehouse depot in North Scottsdale.

In Closing

Like you, I’m fiercely protective of Scottsdale’s unique character and low-density lifestyle.  And there is good news.  The apartment market has cooled, and many sites once planned for apartments are now becoming townhomes.

I’m an engineer trained to solve problems—I’ve spent my time on Council doing just that. It has been my honor to serve you and on July 21^st your continued support.

By Thyra Ryden-Diaz, PE, MPA – Scottsdale Water Interim Senior Director

Interim Senior Director of Water Resources

Recent discussion surrounding Scottsdale’s purchase of additional Long-Term Storage Credits prompted understandable questions about the City’s long-term water strategy. Water is one of our most valuable resources, and Scottsdale has planned for decades to assure the supply.

The most important thing residents should know is this: the City Council did not approve new groundwater pumping, new wells, pipelines or construction. Instead, it approved the purchase of water that already exists underground in the Harquahala Valley for future use.

This was not the start of a new project. It was another step in a strategy Scottsdale and some of its golf course partners started more than two decades ago.

In 2002, Scottsdale partnered with golf courses served by the city’s Irrigation Water Distribution System to create an innovative public-private water partnership. Together, they purchased land and groundwater rights in the Harquahala Valley, securing access to approximately 3,460 acre-feet of groundwater annually for the next 100 years.

What made the agreement truly visionary was not just the water rights it secured, but the structure of the deal. The participating golf courses agreed to fund the future infrastructure needed to recover and transport the groundwater to Scottsdale if it was ever the water was ever needed. The costs of developing the wells, treatment facilities, if required, and conveyance infrastructure would be borne by the golf course partners, not the Scottsdale taxpayers. More than two decades later, that long-term plan remains in place, with the infrastructure currently in the design phase.

As opportunities arose, the city continued improving the strategy. In 2012, Scottsdale sold the original property and purchased replacement land closer to the Central Arizona Project canal, reducing future transportation costs. The participating golf courses later expanded the property, further strengthening the City’s long-term position.

Last week’s Council action continues that same strategy by purchasing 15,000 additional Long-Term Storage Credits. These credits represent water that already exists in the aquifer. Buying them is much like adding to an existing savings account and increased the amount of water available to Scottsdale in the future without needing any new pumping or infrastructure.

Recovering that water remains part of the long-term plan established years ago, and the infrastructure needed to do so is now in the design phase and progressing through agency approvals for the delivery of water via the Central Arizona Canal.

Scottsdale’s approach to water security has never relied on a single solution. Instead, the City has adopted a five spoke strategy to reduce dependence on the Colorado River: investing in conservation and demand management to reduce water use; advancing Pure Water; expanding long-term groundwater supplies through the Harquahala partnership; supporting regional water storage projects such as the proposed Bartlett Dam expansion; and pursuing emerging water solutions as new technologies and opportunities develop. Harquahala is one critical piece of this larger strategy—a forward-thinking investment that complements, rather than replaces, Scottsdale’s diversified approach to securing a reliable water future.

As the Southwest faces increasing uncertainty on the Colorado River, communities throughout the region are looking decades ahead to secure reliable water supplies. Scottsdale has been doing exactly that in Harquahala for nearly 24 years.

Scottsdale made thoughtful investments with forethought decades before they were needed. This week’s Council action reflects that philosophy: not a new project, but another prudent step in a long-term commitment to protecting Scottsdale’s water future.

Thyra Ryden-Diaz is Scottsdale’s interim senior director of Water Resources and has spent more than two decades helping deliver critical water infrastructure projects for the Scottsdale community.

By Ronald Sampson

The seven states that share the Colorado River have now blown through two consecutive deadlines to renegotiate water-sharing rules. They missed November 2025. They missed February 2026. With the existing federal guidelines expiring this fall, the U.S. Department of the Interior is increasingly likely to impose its own interim framework on the basin, whether the states agree or not. For Scottsdale and the rest of the Valley, that is not a procedural footnote. It is a warning about the life we have built here.

We have covered this crisis before. The short version: the 1922 Colorado River Compact divided water that, in many years, does not exist. Scientists warned the negotiators at the time. The flows recorded in the late 1890s were already dangerously low. The negotiators chose optimism over evidence, and a century of over-allocation followed. The river is now down roughly a third from its 20th century average.

Photo Credit: Utah State University

Arizona Is First in Line for Pain

The Compact’s “first in time, first in right” doctrine sounds fair in the abstract. In practice, it means Arizona, as a Lower Basin state with younger water rights, absorbs cuts before California and Nevada feel a thing. This is not a hypothetical. Shortage tiers have already triggered real reductions to Central Arizona Project allocations, the system that delivers Colorado River water to the Phoenix metro and to Scottsdale’s taps.

Brad Udall, a senior water and climate researcher at Colorado State University, put it plainly in a recent CBS News report: “We have too many straws in this glass.” He also noted that roughly 70% of Colorado River water goes to agriculture, and that the path forward likely includes paying farmers not to irrigate. That is a significant economic disruption. But for urban Arizona, the disruption could be even more personal.

Photo Credit: ABC15

What This Means for the Way We Live

Scottsdale’s Advanced Water Purified Recycled Water program represents genuine forward thinking. The city has invested meaningfully in diversifying its supply. But recycled water is a supplement, not a substitute. If federal guidelines impose significant cuts to Lower Basin allocations before a new Compact is in place, no amount of local innovation fully closes that gap.

The question worth sitting with is this: what does Scottsdale look like with substantially less water? The golf courses, the lush landscaping, the growth projections, the development approvals, the very character of this desert city as it has chosen to present itself. None of that was designed for scarcity.

A Temporary Fix Is Not a Real Fix

Udall believes a lasting agreement is unlikely before 2027 at the earliest. He expects the federal government to issue a management protocol that carries the basin through next year, then real negotiations to resume. That is the best-case scenario: another year of delay while the river continues to decline.

Scottsdale has done more than most cities to prepare. But preparation and complacency can look similar from the outside when the water still runs freely. It will not run freely forever, and the people making decisions in Washington and in seven state capitals are not moving with anything close to the urgency the situation demands.

This story is not going away. Neither is the drought.

(MESA, Ariz.) The East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT) will comply with a mixed ruling issued Monday by Judge Christopher Coury regarding Career and Technical Education (CTE) satellite programs operated by nine member school districts.

The ruling does not resolve the issue of transportation for thousands of students who travel from their home campuses to EVIT’s Mesa campus.

The court ruled that EVIT’s elected Governing Board retains its legal authority over the content and quality of Career Technical Education District (CTED) programs. The court also found that CTED funds are restricted to career and technical education and may not be used for unrelated district expenses.

At the same time, the court ruled that, in the absence of an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA), the satellite programs operated by the nine districts that filed the lawsuit, and the CTED funds already distributed to those districts, are not subject to EVIT’s oversight.

According to EVIT, the nine districts involved in the lawsuit continue to decline to provide transportation and have not accepted EVIT’s offer to cover the full estimated $4 million transportation cost, even though those districts previously provided transportation.

EVIT’s Governing Board is reviewing the decision and evaluating whether to appeal.

The ruling recognizes the Legislature’s framework that assigns EVIT responsibility for ensuring the educational quality of CTED-funded programs. EVIT believes that consistent oversight helps ensure students receive high-quality career and technical education, provides accountability for taxpayers who fund those programs, and carries out the responsibilities established in state law. While the court affirmed EVIT’s authority over program quality and content, it also concluded that existing law limits how that authority applies when an IGA is not in place.

Judge Coury also ruled that school districts may use CTED funds only for vocational programs at their high schools, regardless of whether those programs have been approved by EVIT’s Governing Board.

The court also emphasized that CTED funds are dedicated to career and technical education:

“The Court agrees with EVIT: money in Fund 596 accounts are intended to expand and supplement vocational, career and technical education programming for students, rather than being used as a proverbial ‘piggy bank’ to mitigate historical or structural deficits in a school district’s budget.”Read More

Daran Wastchak is an entrepreneur, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He has lived in Paradise Valley for over 20 years and is now a candidate for the PV Town Council.

You’ve lived in Paradise Valley for 20 years. What first drew you here, and what has kept your family rooted in this community?

As a native of Arizona, I have always been fascinated by Paradise Valley’s rural feel, nestled amongst Camelback and Mummy mountains, with one-acre lots that leave lots of space between homes, and all in the middle of the natural desert, like you typically see only on the outskirts of the Valley. Whenever I drive home, whether from a surrounding city, returning from a trip out of state, or from another country, I’m always happy to be back home in Paradise Valley.  My daughters were one, three and five years old when we moved to PV, so this is the only home they’ve really known.  Being in the center of everything, close to the airport, world-class restaurants, and downtown Phoenix, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

You hold a Master’s and PhD in Public Administration and Policy. How has that academic background shaped the way you think about local government?

I’ve been drawn to public service for over thirty years, since I completed my bachelor’s degree at ASU. Graduate work in public administration greatly increased my knowledge of government management, budgeting, and policy setting, providing a practical background and appreciation for how government can operate efficiently and effectively.

While state and federal government operates remotely from most people’s daily lives, local government impacts us each and every day.  This makes it all the more important to maintain an open dialogue with Town residents, explaining complex issues, and being as responsive as possible to feedback, input and ideas that are shared with Town Council and staff.

You’ve been a small business owner for over 25 years. What’s the most important lesson from running a business that you’d bring to the Town Council?

People are the most important ingredient to any organization’s success, whether that’s public, private or nonprofit.  Take care of those on your team, be inclusive in decision making, provide opportunities for personal and professional growth, go out of your way to recognize and praise success, and treat every mistake as an opportunity to improve and do a better job.  The Town Council is one part of a large team that is integral to the success of the Town of Paradise Valley.  The positive example it sets for everyone to see, based on civility, respect, and positive working relationships, leads directly to a positive culture in the Town’s staff.

You served on Paradise Valley’s Planning Commission for six years, including two as Chairman. What were the most consequential decisions you were part of, and what did that experience teach you about how the town grows?

The most consequential decision I participated in on the Planning Commission was for the Five-Star Ritz Carlton Special Use Permit application. This development was controversial even before it was considered by the Commission, but we had a clear Statement of Direction from the Council that we worked very hard to comply with. Unlike most resort developments, the Five Star project was much more than a resort, with various for sale, higher density components.  While this may have made sense for Five Star, on such a large piece of property, we are not likely to see another project like it in the future in the Town of Paradise Valley.  Many new residents will be added by the time the development is fully completed, contributing to the Town’s growth in residents, and also revenue.  Future growth will be much more limited with so little vacant land left to build on, leaving the vast majority of projects as redevelopment of existing properties, both single-family and other resorts.

Paradise Valley’s resorts are central to the town’s identity and its tax base. How do you strike the right balance between being a good partner to resort developers and preserving what makes PV feel distinct?

The partnership balance between the Town and resort developers truly is a two-way street.  The Town provides $2.6 million each year, collected from sales tax, to Experience Scottsdale to help promote our resorts, and we also ensure the Town infrastructure (e.g. roads and landscaping) and services (e.g. police and fire protection) are of top quality to contribute to the resort’s success.  In turn, the resorts help maintain the high quality of life for residents by adhering to all Town ordinances for lighting at nighttime, sound levels from events on property, traffic and parking, and generally being good neighbors for those residents living on their borders.

You’ve flagged the Annual Expenditure Limitation as an unresolved fiscal challenge. Can you explain what that means in plain terms for residents, and how you’d approach it on the Council?

In February, the Town Council approved sending two expenditure limitation measures to the November ballot, one for a $20 million permanent base increase, and the other creating a Capital Projects Accumulation Fund that is exempted from the expenditure limit.  As a member of the Council, I would have voted in favor of the Accumulation Fund as a targeted tool for managing expenditures.  In the long term, funding capital projects from this new fund will remove CIP expenses from the base budget, and in turn reduce significant pressure from expenditure limitations on the base budget.  In the short term, as the accumulation fund takes time to build a balance, a permanent base adjustment is very helpful.  For this reason, and for a hedge against unforeseen base budget needs in the short term, I would have voted for a lower permanent base increase, perhaps $10 million.

Infrastructure and capital improvement projects are a priority in your platform. Where do streets and public spaces stand today, and what would you do differently in how the town funds and prioritizes that work?

The Town follows a rigorous process of identifying, scoring, and raking all capital improvement projects (CIP) so they are properly prioritized and funded within the Town’s budget.  Streets are evaluated every five years to score their condition using a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) rating.  In the most recent evaluation in 2023, the average PCI for the Town’s streets was 73, which is well above the national and state average.  The CIP process is working very well, and I see only a few minor adjustments to make it better.  If the Town Public Works could cost effectively bring the average PCI for streets up to 80 or higher, I would push for that.

Public safety is foundational to quality of life in any community. What’s your vision for the town’s relationship with its police and fire services going forward?

In 2007, the Town of Paradise switched from Rural Metro to a contract with the Phoenix Fire Department to provide emergency fire and medical services for the Town, a move that has provided higher quality, cost-effective services for residents.  Maintaining the highest quality fire station facilities, trucks and equipment for this contract is essential.  The Town’s Police Department has recently achieved full staffing, where most cities and towns in Arizona are understaffed, and the positive culture under Chief Freeman Carney is a key to recruitment and retention of officers and other support personnel. With the number one concern from residents being traffic and speeding in town, I want to work with Chief Carney to find cost effective solutions to tackle this problem.

Paradise Valley sits in the middle of a major metro area but manages to feel apart from it. What’s the biggest development or growth pressure facing the town right now, and how do you think the Council should respond?

While there is modest growth potential within the Town of Paradise Valley, primarily from increased activity at our resort properties, the greatest pressure from growth comes from the surrounding metro area, primarily from traffic passing through town on our major and minor arterial roadways.  Photo radar, red light cameras, and sufficient officers trained specifically on traffic control are essential tools for managing the increased traffic.  We can do little to stop increased traffic, but the Council must support the Police Department fully when they present cost-effective, creative solutions and recommendations that will help to mitigate the challenges caused by these increases in traffic.

You wrote an op-ed for the Paradise Valley Independent about civility in local politics. Why does that topic matter to you, and how do you model that approach when you’re in the room for a tough decision?

Civility is an essential ingredient to an efficient and effectively run organization, whether it’s public, private or nonprofit. It’s how I’ve always operated my businesses, how I’ve handled myself as a member of many nonprofit boards, and also when I served as Chairman of the Paradise Valley Planning Commission.  Civility is modeled by openness to and respect for contrary points of view, a positive and encouraging approach when working with others to solve problems, and support for a decision that represents the will of the majority, whether I support the decision or not.

What would a successful first term on the Town Council look like to you? What’s the one thing you most want to be able to point to?

The Town Council has endured some unfortunate inner conflict over the past several terms, and many town residents I’ve spoken to have expressed concern, and a wish that relationships would become more positive and collegial.  A successful first term would be one where I can play a helpful role in bringing increased collegiality to the Council that results in a more positive culture within the Council, which will naturally ripple out to Town staff, and ultimately to Town residents.

When you’re not focused on town business, what are your favorite things to do around Paradise Valley, and where do you find yourself spending time in the community?

Whenever I am away from the Town of Paradise Valley, be that in the surrounding metro area, elsewhere in the state or the United States, or traveling internationally, I always love returning to my hometown which feels like a calm oasis in the middle of hustle and bustle.  When the weather is cooler, and sometimes when it’s not, I truly enjoy going for a walk in the evenings, when the sun has gone down behind Camelback, and I can walk in the cool shade of the mountain.  At this time of day, I enjoy the openness and tranquility of the streets around Kiva Elementary School, and saying hello to my neighbors who are also out walking before dark.

Scottsdale is drawing some new lines in its parks, and they make sense. The city announced pedestrian safety zones that will prohibit e-bikes and other motorized devices in high-traffic sections of Chaparral Park, Mountain View Park, and Scottsdale Ranch Park.

Signage and dedicated e-bike parking will mark the new no-ride areas, giving riders a clear place to park before walking in. The move follows a year of resident complaints about near misses between e-bikes and pedestrians in crowded park spaces.

A Pattern, Not an Overreaction

This isn’t Scottsdale’s first move on e-bike safety. The city already bars riders under 16 from operating Class 3 e-bikes, the higher-speed models capable of hitting 28 miles per hour. Phoenix, Chandler, and Gilbert have adopted similar restrictions. A citywide pattern is forming, and it’s the right one.

E-bikes are genuinely useful. They flatten hills, shorten commutes, and get more people outside and moving. None of that is in question. The problem is speed and density, not the technology itself.

The Numbers Behind the Decision

Scottsdale Fire Department has already responded to eight “e-biker down” calls in 2026 alone, all involving juveniles taken to the hospital by ambulance. Nationally, the Consumer Product Safety Commission recorded 193 e-bike-related deaths between 2017 and 2023. Those numbers explain why a fix was overdue, not why the city is overreacting.

Parks like Chaparral and Mountain View pack walkers, kids, dogs, and riders into the same narrow paths during peak hours. A bike capable of 20 to 30 miles per hour does not belong in that mix, no matter how much fun it is to ride.

A Sensible Middle Ground

What makes this approach reasonable is its precision. Scottsdale isn’t banning e-bikes citywide or pulling them off the multi-use paths that connect neighborhoods to shopping and trailheads. It’s drawing tighter lines in the specific spots where conflicts have actually happened.

That’s the right instinct for local government: identify the real friction points, then regulate those, rather than reaching for a blanket ban that punishes responsible riders along with reckless ones.

E-bikes aren’t going anywhere, and they shouldn’t. But a crowded park walkway during a Saturday morning rush is not the place for one. Scottsdale found a reasonable line between convenience and safety, and drew it in the right spots.

Someone in Scottsdale looked up at exactly the right moment. A bald eagle perched in Scottsdale on top of a wooden power pole, talons gripping the crossarm, framed against a flawless desert sky. No filter needed. No caption required, really, though the one on Reddit got plenty of attention anyway.

It’s a simple photo. A bird, a pole, some wire, a stretch of blue. But the timing is what makes it land.

A Backyard Reminder of Something Bigger

Bald eagles aren’t exotic visitors to Arizona. They nest along the Salt and Verde Rivers, and sightings pop up in Scottsdale every so often. Still, there’s something different about catching one mid-perch on an ordinary utility pole, doing nothing more dramatic than surveying the neighborhood. It reads less like wildlife photography and more like a postcard.

The Timing Couldn’t Be Better

America’s 250th birthday lands this coming Fourth of July, and the country is gearing up to mark it. At the same time, the World Cup is generating the kind of cross-country enthusiasm soccer rarely gets here, with red, white, and blue showing up on flags, jerseys, and front porches alike.

Layer a national mood that’s been heavy for stretches of this year on top of that, and a photo like this one does real work. It’s not trying to make a political point. It’s just a bird that happens to be the national symbol, perched calmly over a quiet Scottsdale street, at a moment when people could use the reminder.

A Small, Necessary Bit of Good News

Nobody needs to overthink a picture of an eagle on a power pole. That’s part of the appeal. It doesn’t ask anything of the viewer beyond a second look and maybe a smile.

Coverage of this city tends to focus on council votes, water allocations, and development fights, and that coverage matters. But every so often it’s worth pausing for something smaller. A local resident pointed a camera at the sky, and the sky delivered.

With a big anniversary ahead and a tournament giving the country something to cheer for together, a Scottsdale eagle picking this exact week to show up feels less like coincidence and more like good timing. Sometimes that’s enough.

By Vanessa Rogers

A Public Company Playing a Very Expensive Local Game

Axon Enterprise is no stranger to big bets. But its latest wager may be the riskiest one yet: pouring money into Scottsdale city council races through a political action committee, while the company’s stock sits roughly 27 percent below where it started the year.

That is not a great time to be making political enemies.

Axon and CEO Rick Smith each contributed $500,000 to a PAC called Arizonans for a Better Future, with Axon president Josh Isner adding another $100,000. That PAC has already spent $582,000, including funds directed at TV ads attacking Councilman Barry Graham. As the East Valley Tribune reported, Graham alleges Axon “wants to destroy my resident-friendly reputation.”

This is the definition of dark money politics: a corporate-funded PAC targeting local candidates who oppose a rezoning deal that benefits the company. It is aggressive. It is expensive. And history suggests it may not work.

The Stock Is Already Under Pressure

Axon shareholders have had a rough year. AXON shares currently trade around $471, down 38.6 percent over the past year. The stock hit a 52-week low of $339 in April, including a 10 percent single-day drop. Against that backdrop, Axon president Isner sold over $6 million in company stock in early June. Investors paying attention to insider transactions rarely find comfort in that kind of activity.

Axon’s own 10-K filing flags that litigation, government inquiries, and regulatory actions may result in significant costs and divert management attention. The company wrote that disclosure about its core business. The political spending in Scottsdale adds an entirely new layer of reputational and regulatory exposure on top of it.

Axon CEO Rick Smith. Photo Credit: Jim Poulin, Phoenix Business Journal

What Investigation Risk Looks Like

The Arizonans for a Better Future PAC has been aggressive in its spending and its attacks. If that spending attracts scrutiny from Arizona campaign finance authorities or triggers a complaint to the FEC, Axon could face exactly the kind of government inquiry its own SEC filings warn investors about.

We have written previously about how big-money campaigns in Scottsdale elections have backfired. Forceful outside spending has a spotty record here. Voters who feel they are being pushed around often push back. The July 28 primary will test that thesis again.

The Apartment Angle Makes This Worse

The entire point of Axon’s political operation is to protect its residential development plan. A city council compromise brokered by Mayor Lisa Borowsky cut the original proposal of nearly 1,900 units down to 1,200 apartment and condo units. That deal is still under legal challenge, with TAAAZE arguing the city’s MOU with Axon bypassed required public hearings and granted Axon new exemptions, including relief from water storage requirements.

Critics have also noted there are already roughly 10,000 apartments under construction or approved within five miles of the Axon site, raising real questions about whether those units ever generate the returns Axon is counting on. If the apartments never get built, or get tied up in litigation for years, Axon will have spent over a million dollars in local political campaigns for nothing. The reputational cost of being seen as a corporation trying to buy a city council could follow the brand long after the ballots are counted.

Axon Rendering

The Math Does Not Favor This Strategy

A stock down nearly 30 percent. A president selling millions in shares. Ongoing litigation over the very development the political spending is meant to protect. Legal exposure from aggressive PAC activity. And a track record in Scottsdale that shows outside money often backfires.

Axon makes exceptional products. But its leaders appear to be making a poor bet: that attempting to dominate a local council race is worth the scrutiny, the spending, and the shareholder risk that comes with it. Scottsdale voters have long memories. So do institutional investors.

By Dr. Chad Wilson, EVIT Superintendent

Compromise and sacrifice for the greater good. That was the thinking behind the East Valley Institute of Technology’s (EVIT) decision to offer $4 million to the nine member districts suing EVIT for the entire cost of transportation, to help ensure high school students can continue accessing our central campuses next school year.

We made this offer because the stakes are too high to do otherwise. EVIT provides students with hands-on, high-quality career and technical education that prepares them for college, careers, and the workforce. For many students, these programs are not available anywhere else. Without reliable transportation, access to these opportunities is at risk. EVIT has stepped forward with a meaningful commitment to take on this expense. We hope our district partners will do the same. Students come first. The bus stops here—hopefully.

EVIT did not create the current transportation crisis. Several school districts involved in litigation against , a service they had provided for years. Those notifications arrived just as students were preparing for final exams, creating understandable anxiety and uncertainty for families who had already committed to attending EVIT next school year.

Last year, nine member districts sued EVIT after negotiations over a new intergovernmental agreement (IGA) reached an impasse. The districts are seeking a larger share of EVIT funding and greater discretion over how voter-approved career and technical education dollars are spent.

The impact falls hardest on families with limited financial resources, many of whom rely on district transportation to access educational opportunities. Without reliable transportation, students may lose access to career and technical education programs that prepare them for high-demand careers as electricians, construction professionals, medical assistants and other skilled trades.

To help provide transportation, EVIT will Admittedly, that money would have better served ALL the students within the EVIT Career Training Education District. But we feel making the sacrifice is worth ensuring all who want to attend EVIT can do so. We hope the East Valley school districts will respond in kind.

Unlike many school districts, EVIT has not asked voters to approve a bond or budget override, nor do we receive state funding for transportation. EVIT cannot solve this problem alone. To keep buses rolling and students learning, our member districts must be willing to do their part to resolve the crisis their decisions created. It is time to put learning ahead of litigation.

The districts suing EVIT have approximately $50 million provided by taxpayers within the EVIT Career Technical Education District and authorized by the EVIT Governing Board for transportation purposes. (The $50 million is based on their most recent Annual Financial Report from June 2025.)Read More

June has been a good month to be in Scottsdale. Between new storefronts, a long-awaited dining announcement, and a couple of summer events worth circling on the calendar, there’s a lot to like about what’s been happening around town. Here are four highlights worth knowing about.

New Faces at Fashion Square

Scottsdale Fashion Square added three new tenants this month, including Arizona’s first stand-alone BALMAIN boutique, a new ZENGA location, and an Athleta store. The mall continues to lean into first-to-market retail, and BALMAIN’s arrival in the luxury wing is a notable get for the Valley.

A Japanese Food Hall Worth the Wait

Restaurateur Huy Truong announced Atashi Yokocho, a 14,000-square-foot Japanese food hall headed for The Sydney development near Loop 101 and Pima Road. Truong, the force behind Mensho Ramen’s Valley locations, plans to fill 15 to 20 stalls with authentic Japanese concepts spanning yakitori, kaiseki, and more. The opening is still a few years out, but the announcement alone has Valley food fans paying attention.

Little Edge Gallery Opens Its Doors

Little Edge Gallery celebrated its grand opening on June 18 in Old Town, adding another stop to the neighborhood’s growing gallery scene. The space follows up the same week with an exhibit from emerging artist David Hyman, giving art lovers two reasons to wander Old Town’s galleries this June.

Sip and Shop in Old Town

Hotel Valley Ho’s Sip + Shop Summer Market Series returned June 19 and 20, pairing a Friday celebrity chef dinner with a free Saturday market featuring local purveyors, live music, and tastings of wine, beer, and spirits. It’s become one of the more reliable summer traditions in Old Town, and this weekend kicked off the 2026 run.

None of these are headline-grabbing in the way a council vote or a budget fight tends to be, and that’s sort of the point. A new gallery opening its doors, a mall landing a first-to-market brand, an ambitious restaurant concept taking shape, and a hotel bringing back a beloved summer tradition: these are the small signs of a city that keeps building on itself.

Scottsdale’s bigger stories will keep coming, and AP&G will keep covering them. But every so often it’s worth taking stock of the smaller wins too. June delivered a handful.

Statement from Axon Apartment Opposition Group, Taxpayers Against Awful Apartment Zoning Exemptions, About Current and Future Scottsdale City Council Elections

(Scottsdale, Ariz.) Amid all the other rancor in Scottsdale, we had not intended to spend money to influence the outcome of the Scottsdale City Council elections in 2026. Unfortunately, Axon has ruthlessly decided to do the opposite. It is spending lavishly to oppose the three people in the race who opposed its plans to build the largest apartment complex in city and state history—an obscene and horribly designed request that has nothing to do with a multibillion-dollar company being able to finance its previously approved corporate headquarters.

Axon Rendering

The candidates who stood with the vast majority of Scottsdale residents opposing the massive apartment scheme were and are Bob Littlefield, Michelle Ugenti-Rita, and Barry Graham. They also opposed Axon’s bait-and-switch with the Arizona State Land Department to make the apartment scheme possible, shortchanging Arizona public schools—the beneficiaries of state land sales—by more than $100 million.

Now, Axon is attempting to purchase a Scottsdale City Council that will be beholden to its massive apartment ambitions. In the past, other corporations and developers have attempted similar tactics to build more and more in the city. Voters have rejected such efforts.

As long as Bob Littlefield remained chairman of our political action committee, which was formed to put Axon’s massive apartments to a public vote and has subsequently sued to stop the plan on multiple levels, our committee could not engage in the City Council races because doing so would violate campaign laws governing independence and coordination. This is why noted Valley attorney and former chief of staff to a Scottsdale mayor Tim La Sota will be replacing Bob Littlefield as chairman of TAAAZE, effective today.Read More

By Betty Janik

At the June 23 Council meeting, Scottsdale is poised to purchase 15,000 acre-feet of long-term water storage credits for $8.25 M ($550/acre-ft) from the Vidler Water Company.  This equates to approximately 1 year’s worth of water for about 45,000 families (less than half our population) at a cost of $182 per family. The Harquahala Basin is the source of this water.  It is located about 60 miles west of Phoenix.  The Arizona Department of Water Resources recently made the water available for purchase.  The price of the water is very favorable.  However, there is a major issue that must be addressed before the water can be used – transport to the destination. There are two options.  The water must be treated to remove toxic arsenic and nitrates before it is allowed to enter CAP canal enroute to Scottsdale Water.  Or construction of a separate cross-valley pipe line for deliver to Scottsdale for treatment and distribution.  Both options are expensive and financing difficult.  The process would take about 3-5 years before actual water delivery to end point.

Previous stakeholders include two private Scottsdale golf courses (water rights purchased in 2013 @ $10m) and City of Scottsdale (water rights purchased in 2015 @ $3M). Recently Buckeye and Queen Creek have made purchases and now Scottsdale will be adding to the list.

While this purchase will help round out our water portfolio, it is NOT a replacement for Advanced Water Purification “PURE WATER” which could be available in less than 3 years as outlined and passed in the 2025-2030 CIP, and abruptly removed from the 2026-2027 budget.  Of significance, Pure Water is a renewable resource that keeps on giving, unlike Harquahala, a one and done resource.  WE ARE THE STATE LEADERS IN PURE WATER TECHNOLOGY!  Let’s proceed as originally approved.  PURE WATER is foundational for Scottsdale water resilience.

Betty Janik

Sonoran Sage

By Alexander Lomax

via A Department of Water Resources

The Numbers Are Not Subtle

Scottsdale gets roughly 70 to 75 percent of its tap water from the Colorado River via the Central Arizona Project canal. The current agreement governing CAP allocations expires at the end of 2026. Negotiations among the seven Colorado River Basin states have stalled. The federal government may impose cuts when that agreement lapses. Water experts have warned that cities like Scottsdale need to be prepared for a potentially 100 percent cut in CAP supplies in the years to come.

One hundred percent. Not a rounding error. It may be a worst-case footnote but it’s also a plausible scenario that water policy professionals are saying out loud, in public, at city meetings.

So naturally, Scottsdale just defunded its water recycling program.

What the City Had and What It Chose

In 2024, the Scottsdale City Council adopted a six-year strategic water plan. It included a program called Advanced Purified Recycled Water, known as APRW, which would have made Scottsdale the first city in Arizona to implement direct potable reuse: purifying wastewater and sending it back into the taps. Experts described it as cost-effective, shovel-ready relative to other options, and the most logical near-term replacement for diminishing CAP water.

Photo Credit: Utah State University

Last week, the council unanimously passed a $2.1 billion budget for fiscal year 2026-27. The budget excluded $233 million for various water projects, both active and planned. In its place: a $100 million line item for “water source and supply,” a phrase flexible enough to mean almost anything.

Council member Solange Whitehead, to her credit, raised the alarm directly. She told the council that the budget had defunded two of the four critical water projects the city needs, and that city manager Greg Caton, by omitting them, had effectively changed city policy without a policy vote. The city’s response was that the “source and supply” funding could potentially include APRW. Could. Potentially.

Politeness Has Its Limits

The public comment session at the budget meeting included Bruce Hallin, the former director of water supply for the Salt River Project. His assessment: Scottsdale is not yet in a crisis. The implication of the word “yet” deserves more attention than it apparently received.

Part of what drove the defunding was misinformation. The APRW program, sometimes called “toilets to taps” by its critics, became a target for the kind of social-media-driven panic that treats water recycling as somehow less acceptable than running out of water entirely. It is worth noting that Phoenix, Mesa, and Glendale are all pressing forward with purified water reuse programs. They seem to have done the math.

The Question That Needs an Answer

Scottsdale’s leaders are not indifferent people. Several have shown genuine concern about the city’s long-term water position. But concern and action are different things. Defunding the program the city’s own strategic plan identified as the priority solution, in the same budget cycle that water experts are warning of potential catastrophic CAP cuts, requires an explanation more substantive than a flexible line item.

The current agreement expires in months. The clock does not care about budget cycles or talking points. The question is whether Scottsdale’s leadership understands the urgency with the same clarity the experts do.

Scottsdale City Council is set to vote on next year’s property tax rates at its June 23 meeting. If you own a home here, now is a good time to understand what that means for your bill.

How Scottsdale’s Property Tax Works

Your annual property tax bill doesn’t come from one place. Scottsdale homeowners pay property tax to multiple overlapping jurisdictions: Maricopa County, the city of Scottsdale itself, school districts, and other special-purpose districts. The Maricopa County Treasurer combines those rates into a single bill. The median effective property tax rate in Scottsdale is around 0.47%, well below the national average of 0.91%.

What’s Happening on June 23

The city held a public hearing on its proposed tax levies at the June 9 Council meeting. The Council meets again at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23, at Scottsdale City Hall’s Kiva Forum, 3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd., where members are expected to formally adopt the new tax rates and levies by ordinance. If adopted, the rates would take effect for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027.

What the Proposed Changes Include

The city’s proposed primary property tax rate of $0.4891 per $100 of assessed valuation may actually decrease to as low as $0.4801, largely because net assessed property values have risen across the city. In other words, the levy itself may grow modestly under state statute, but the rate per dollar of value could drop. These are related but distinct numbers, and the difference matters for what you actually owe.

The city also proposes adjustments to the Municipal Streetlight Improvement Districts levies, which vary by neighborhood.

How to Review the Details

Detailed rate schedules and supporting reports were posted on the city’s website in April and remain available at ScottsdaleAZ.gov. The June 23 meeting will be broadcast on Cox Cable Channel 11 and streamed live at ScottsdaleAZ.gov. Residents can find agenda details and instructions for submitting public comments under “Agendas & Minutes.”

Know Your Assessment

Before the vote, it’s also worth understanding how your bill is calculated. The Maricopa County Assessor estimates your property’s value and handles classifications, exemptions, and informal reviews, while the Treasurer sends the actual bill and collects payments. Seniors, veterans, and those with disabilities may qualify for exemptions that reduce the taxable value of their home. Check the Assessor’s website for current eligibility requirements.

The June 23 vote is routine, but it’s your tax bill. Knowing how the numbers work puts you in a better position to ask questions.

Lastly, it’s a well-built system that manages to lower your taxes without a massive fight. Many places around the country it’s the expectation is the opposite: your taxes will increase until you put up a fight. We should consider ourselves fortunate to live where we do.

By Bob Littlefield

Dear Friends,

For 25 years, overdevelopment has been the dominant issue in Scottsdale elections — and the biggest threat to our city’s character and quality of life. Clogged roads, blocked views, higher taxes, and strained infrastructure are its lasting legacy. In 2024, voters delivered a clear message by rejecting every pro-overdevelopment candidate: Ortega, Durham, and Caputi were defeated, and Janik didn’t even run.

Yet incumbent Councilmember Solange Whitehead, along with 2026 challengers Raoul Zubia and Ethan Knowlden, continues to support more overdevelopment — especially the controversial Axon apartments. Whitehead has voted for the project eight times!

Unable to win honestly on their real platform (more apartments), Whitehead, Knowldon and Zubia are now depending on their patron Axon to defeat Barry Graham, Michelle Ugenti-Rita and I – the only Scottsdale City Council candidates in this election who stood up for you to oppose Axon’s massive apartment complexes – by spending literally hundreds of thousands of special interest dollars to run attack ads against the three of us.

Since Axon got all they asked for (and more) from Whitehead, Ortega, Durham, Caputi and Janik, you might wonder why they are working so hard to literally buy our City Council? Because they want more! Bottom line, if Axon defeats the candidates who told them “no,” Axon will NEVER hear “no” from the Scottsdale City Council again! If Axon manages to defeat us their current approval for 1200 units will magically revert to what they originally requested, 2500 units. Or even more – the sky will become the limit on how much they will be allowed to build!

The big lesson here is it matters more than ever who you elect to City Council! The whole reason we are in this mess is because in 2024 five Councilmembers (Whitehead and lame ducks Janik, Durham, Caputi and Ortega) went back on their campaign promises to be resident-friendly and approved the largest apartment complex ever proposed in the entire state, despite massive opposition from Scottsdale residents!

That’s why, if you want to preserve Scottsdale’s special character and high quality of life, I ask for your support me in the upcoming city election. For twelve years I served on the City Council and have a documented record of fighting overdevelopment. In the last ten years as a private citizen, I have been involved in every major resident-driven battle to keep Scottsdale special. Bottom line, I am the proven commodity you can trust to stay true to my resident-friendly promises once I get in office!

Learn how you can help at: https://www.boblittlefield.com/help.html

Former Councilman Bob Littlefield

By Councilmember Barry Graham

Justin Heap

Justin Heap campaigned for Maricopa County Recorder on a simple promise: he would restore trust in elections that he and his allies claimed had been mishandled. It was a message built on suspicion of process, chain of custody, and procedural integrity. Eighteen months into the job, those very concerns are now being raised about his own office.

A Scanner, a Pickup Truck, and Fifty Minutes

In March, during ballot tabulation for a Tempe local election, security cameras at the county’s election center recorded two Recorder’s Office employees removing a ballot scanner and loading it into a personal pickup truck. The equipment was gone for roughly an hour before being returned. County officials say the scanner was compromised by the unexplained removal and had to be replaced, at a cost of $70,000 to taxpayers.

Helen Purcell, who ran the Recorder’s Office for 28 years, said she had never heard of anything like it. Board Chair Kate Brophy McGee called it “hideous” and described the chain-of-custody problem as deeply disturbing.

The Irony Writes Itself

Heap rose to office warning voters that election officials couldn’t be trusted with the basic mechanics of vote counting. Now his own staff is under criminal investigation for taking equipment out of a secured facility during an active count, and Heap has responded not with an explanation but with a lawsuit against the county supervisors, accusing them of retaliating against his employees.

It is hard not to think back to Stephen Richer and Adrian Fontes, the recorders who spent years patiently explaining, often to hostile audiences, that Maricopa County’s elections were secure and well run. Both told the truth about an office that, whatever its imperfections, was not engaged in the kind of chaos now unfolding. Both lost politically for their trouble.

Maybe the Job Is Just Hard

There’s a version of this story where Heap is the victim of a politically hostile Board of Supervisors. There’s another version, increasingly well-documented, where Heap’s office has struggled with the basic operational discipline the job requires, and where the response to every problem has been litigation and blame rather than accountability.

Running a county election office turns out to be a serious administrative undertaking, not a campaign talking point. The people who told voters that, plainly and without spin, are no longer in office. The people who promised something different are now explaining unmarked trucks and missing scanners weeks before a primary. Whatever else is true, the irony is not subtle.

By Mike Vreeland

I’m grateful that in Scottsdale the distance between you and your elected leaders is small. You can ask — and expect — an answer from the City Council to your questions. Most Councilmembers can address the issues and opportunities we face, but the sign of a strong leader is someone willing to ask back, “What do you think?” Time and again, I’ve seen Councilwoman Solange Whitehead listen to residents, hear their concerns, and then ask for their thoughts, feelings, and ideas.

From Councilmember Solange Whitehead

Councilmember Solange Whitehead

The City Manager’s new budget reverses Scottsdale’s tradition of conservative financial stewardship: planning ahead, investing in infrastructure, and maintaining strong reserves.

Operating spending is up. The budget also reflects the consequences of four Councilmembers forfeiting $31 million in federal transportation grants, resulting in higher project costs, traffic congestion, and the diversion of local road funds away from street maintenance.

In the budget, most of Scottsdale’s funding for public safety, parks, and infrastructure were secured through years of my collaboration with residents and former Council colleagues — measures opposed by all current Councilmembers except Councilwoman Maryann McAllen.

Rather than confronting known costs, the budget hides them. Critical infrastructure projects are eliminated, project reserves are inadequate, and future obligations remain unfunded. The result is not true savings, but higher costs, deferred maintenance, and greater pressure on future budgets.

Most concerning are the steep cuts to Scottsdale Water conservation programs and infrastructure projects. The timing could not be worse as Scottsdale faces imminent reductions in Colorado River supplies. The budget effectively overturns the Council-approved Water Strategic Plan by eliminating its funding. No public outreach, no Council discussion, no vote, no alternative plan—no transparency.

These actions, combined with inflammatory rhetoric from some on the Council, have drawn sharp scrutiny from KTAR, 12News’ Sunday Square Off, and other media outlets. Reporter Brahm Resnik warned that they may impede “Scottsdale saving itself from a water crisis.”

Water infrastructure takes time. Scottsdale is well positioned to secure a future with safe, reliable, and affordable water. We cannot squander this opportunity—the downside risk is too great. Watch Sunday Square Off HERE.

Scottsdale’s prosperity was built by making prudent investments before they became emergencies. This budget moves in the opposite direction.

For more information on water, read this week’s newsletter HERE.

By Councilman Barry Graham

 

Dear Friends, First and foremost, I thank all of you for the support, ideas, and concerns you have given me over the past 12 years that I have served you on City Council. Thank you so very much for this opportunity to serve our fair city! I am termed out this year and will miss this wonderful opportunity to serve that you have given me. Together, I believe we have made a difference.  Scottsdale is my hometown: I was raised here, went to school here, and raised my family here.  Over the years my husband and I have fought many battles alongside you to keep our beautiful city special and unique.  Long ago we fought for the creation of the Preserve, unique in its concerns for both the maintaining of the land and the animals that live there.  Today we continue that commitment.   We have worked with you to Keep Scottsdale Special. This summer in the primary election, I ask that you vote for my husband, Bob Littlefield, to take my place on the Council.  He has previously served 12 years on the City Council and understands the ins and outs of all the procedures, policies and opportunities this position requires to help you keep our city beautiful and first class.  He has been active over the years in ALL of the major, resident-driven battles we have fought to keep our city beautiful, unique, and special.  Some examples of this are: He fought commercial development in the Preserve by opposing the Desert Discovery Center and working to pass Prop. 420. He fought overdevelopment in the 5th Ave. shopping center downtown by opposing the Southbridge II development and helping to get it referred to the ballot. Most recently, he fought to prevent Axon from building the largest apartment development in the history of Arizona by gathering enough signatures to put the issue on the ballot.  (That vote was denied by the State Legislature). We need Bob’s common sense and thoughtful analysis on these and other issues that face Scottsdale in the future. I ask that you vote for him, Bob Littlefield, for Council so we all can continue to profit from his insight, hard work, and dedication to our beautiful city and the great people who live here. Again, thank you for your support of both Bob and me.  Hopefully, we can continue creating a beautiful and unique desert city for us all. Scottsdale City Councilwoman Kathy Littlefield kathy@kathylittlefield.com

 

By Councilmember Barry Graham

 

New Campaign Video: Click Here!

 

Dear Friends,

At the beginning of this election cycle, I predicted Axon would run a negative campaign against those candidates who opposed their massive apartment complex proposal. Well, that prediction has come true beyond my wildest expectations This year Axon is spending lavishly to defeat myself, Barry Graham and Michelle Ugenti-Rita who opposed their plans to build the largest apartment complex in city and state history—a request that has nothing to do with their being able to build their previously approved corporate headquarters.

As long as I remained chairman of our Taxpayers Against Awful Apartment Zoning Exemptions (TAAAZE) political action committee, which was formed to put Axon’s massive apartments to a public vote and has subsequently sued to stop the plan on multiple levels, TAAAZE could not engage in the City Council races because doing so would violate campaign laws governing independence and coordination. This is why I am stepping down as Chairman of TAAAZE, effectively immediately. TAAAZE will remain in good hands under the chairmanship of experienced elections lawyer Tim La Sota.

The big lesson here is it matters more than ever who you elect to City Council! The whole reason we are in this mess is because in 2024 five Councilmembers (Whitehead and lame ducks Janik, Durham, Caputi and Ortega) went back on their campaign promises to be resident-friendly and approved the largest apartment complex ever proposed in the entire state, despite massive opposition from Scottsdale residents! Bottom line, if Axon defeats the candidates who told them “no,” Axon will NEVER hear “no” from the Scottsdale City Council again!

That’s why, if you want to preserve Scottsdale’s special character and high quality of life, I ask for your support in the upcoming city election. For twelve years I served on the City Council and have a consistent record of fighting overdevelopment. In the last ten years as a private citizen, I have been involved in every major resident-driven battle to keep Scottsdale special.

Bottom line, I am the proven commodity you can trust to stay true to my resident-friendly promises once I get in office!

Learn how you can help at: https://www.boblittlefield.com/help.html

Former Councilman Bob Littlefield