Getting to Know Your Candidates: AP&G’s Exclusive Interview with Scottsdale Councilman Barry Graham

We reached out to all Scottsdale City Council candidates with the same questionnaire but with two questions personalized for each candidate at the end. The submissions have been posted in the order they were received back.

Do you support the Axon development as originally proposed, including up to 1,900 residential units, or the compromise proposal of around 600 units? If not, what conditions would you require before lending your support?

I’m the only candidate who voted against the original 1,900-unit Axon proposal and opposed the so-called compromise Councilwoman Solange Whitehead is bragging about. I also testified against the “Axon bill” at the State Legislature. I rejected the compromise because it canceled the 27,000-signature resident referendum, waived Axon’s water requirements, and granted unprecedented self-certification perks that undermine resident protections.

In your opinion, has the amount of apartment approvals and construction in recent years been too little, too much, or just about right?

Too much. I have voted against thousands of apartments. But that hasn’t stopped Councilwoman Solange Whitehead from voting for over 6,000 high-density units that challenge our city’s character and harm residents’ quality of life.

In your view, is development in Scottsdale currently proceeding at the right pace, too quickly, or too slowly, and what principles would guide your votes on major development proposals?

Too quickly. Development must prioritize tourism, enhance our city’s character, and—most importantly—gain resident support. 

The Colorado River faces a deepening crisis, with Lake Powell at historically low levels. What specific policies should Scottsdale pursue to protect its long-term water security?

City leaders should not sow the seeds of panic. Our water professionals have planned for drought for decades through proven conservation and banking unused water, and we’ll continue to pursue acquisition, expansion and conservation. Unfortunately, Councilwoman Solange Whitehead and others are pressuring our water professionals to fast-track a $250M experimental “toilet-to-tap” program, which I believe should be a last resort. Her agenda would isolate Scottsdale as the only Arizona city to “give it a try” and I believe it would harm our tourism industry once affluent visitors learn that Scottsdale stands alone in direct potable reuse. Residents are rightly asking if Whitehead’s real goal is to greenlight even more apartments. We should not mix politics with water.

What is your position on the boundaries of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, and under what circumstances, if any, would you support changes to land currently designated as preserve?

We must protect the Preserve as a permanent community asset. Any change must comply with Prop 420 and receive voter approval.

How would you approach funding police and fire services, and are there areas of the current public safety budget you would change?

I have shown in both words and deeds the importance of fully funding essential police and fire services as the top budget priority, which is why I’m proud that crime rates have dropped and the Scottsdale firefighters have endorsed my reelection. Any changes to our public safety budget should be coordinated with our police and fire leaders and aligned with what’s best for residents.

Old Town is always a centerpiece of the conversation regarding Scottsdale. What (if anything) would you do to improve it?

I’ve supported Old Town by replacing a poor marketing contract with a more effective approach, approving two new parking garages, voting against harmful downtown density, and supporting the updated Old Town Character Area Plan to keep heights lower. The conservative majority also pushed street paving and infrastructure improvements and ended the “stand down order” from the prior Solange Whitehead-bloc that enabled excessive homeless activity and panhandling, as well as her plans to replace substantial parking spots along 2nd Street with a bike lane. We must continue listening closely to stakeholders to protect Old Town’s vibrancy and visitor appeal.

Scottsdale faces competing demands on its budget. What are your priorities for city spending, and are there areas where you would cut or redirect resources?Councilmembers must check ideology at the door on the budget. We deliver efficient public safety, maintain a lean resident-focused workforce, carefully review quality-of-life spending, and keep capital projects on track so roads, infrastructure, and technology don’t degrade. This means paving roads instead of chasing ideological projects like city-run homeless shelters, the divisive Scottsdale Road roundabout, and road diets.

What is your approach to addressing homelessness in Scottsdale, and what role should the city play in expanding access to affordable housing?

Homelessness efforts should be handled regionally, with targeted local measures led by non-profits and faith-based groups in coordination with the city. Our council majority ended the failed ideological push to fund city-run shelters because it failed to balance compassion with effective measures that residents supported. 

If elected, what is the single most important thing you want to accomplish during your term, and how would you measure success?

Thanks to the conservative majority, Scottsdale enjoys record tourism and sales tax revenue, home values rising faster than surrounding communities, a strong economy, and historic low crime. In a second term, my priority is taking fiscal responsibility and accountability to the next level.

What is your favorite thing about the city?

Our outstanding citizens. No community does more to volunteer, stay engaged, and give back.

Tell us about the best restaurant, bar, shop or spot that not enough people know about.

The lesser-trafficked trails in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve—quiet, breathtaking hikes that remind us why we fight to protect our open spaces.

You are seeking a second term having voted to close the city’s DEI office and to end city-run homeless shelters, among other consequential decisions. How do you respond to critics who say those votes reflect a council that is more focused on ideology than on practical governance?

It’s the opposite. Those votes—along with stopping the road diet agenda, the extreme “Climate Plan” passed during the lame duck session, and other divisive projects—stopped ideology and restored residents’ values to City Hall. The four members not returned in 2024 lost because they put ideology and unwanted apartment-density before residents. Ours were practical, common-sense decisions focused on results.

Your background is in accounting and you have served on the Planning Commission and Transportation Commission before joining the council. In your first term, where do you feel the city’s finances are most vulnerable, and what would you prioritize in a second term to address that?

With my CPA background and experience on the Planning, Transportation, and City Council, our finances are most vulnerable to rising pension liabilities, water infrastructure costs, and non-essential spending. We’re also catching up on deferred road maintenance after years of neglect. In a second term, I’ll continue rigorous budget scrutiny to deliver efficient services and secure our financial future.