By Christian Serena
Politics and passion often go hand in hand. But when passion replaces accuracy — especially by an elected official — our entire community suffers.
Residents deserve clarity from leaders we can trust.
In her recent Scottsdale Independent opinion, Councilwoman Solange Whitehead claims the council “silenced” the public by adjusting when citizens can speak during meetings. That’s not true. The council did not eliminate public comments. In fact, the council majority increased the number of residents who can speak. It was Councilman Barry Graham — the very person Solange called out in her opinion — who pushed to expand public participation.
Solange, on the other hand, voted against allowing more residents to speak. If Councilwoman Whitehead is genuinely concerned about resident input, then she should explain her own actions.
She recently helped eliminate the voting rights of more than 27,000 Scottsdale residents who signed the referendum opposing Scottsdale’s most massive apartment project. In the single most significant silencing of residents’ voices our city has ever seen, Solange led the effort to prevent the public from voting on the project.
Solange also supported waiving the developer’s obligation to pay for their own water usage — equivalent to 12,000 single-family homes. That decision directly contradicted the request of residents who demanded accountability and the protection of our valuable resource.
So, when Solange warns about others “ignoring residents,” what she is really doing is projecting her own record onto political opponents.
I respect that Councilwoman Whitehead is running for a third term, and her passion is clearly the cornerstone of her campaign strategy. But our community deserves leadership grounded in consistency and truth — not emotionally-charged narratives that rewrite facts after a vote.