Guest Editorial: Has This Election Now Become the Nastiest in Scottsdale History?

By Bob Littlefield

During the last 20+ years I have waged eight campaigns for City Council and Mayor for Kathy and me. Each of them had some level of lying and personal attacks directed against us. Even Councilwoman Kathy, whose record re-election victory in 2022 showed how popular she is with the voters, was subjected to lies and personal attacks from special interests who didn’t want her on the City Council.

At the beginning of this election cycle, I predicted Axon would fund 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 (over $1M on street signs, mailers, social media ads, and even cable TV spots) to defeat Barry Graham, Michelle Ugenti-Rita and me because we 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. In addition, the viciousness of the personal attacks against us in this current campaign has lowered the bar for civility and honesty to new depths.

Nobody (including me) likes being publicly insulted, especially at this scale. But I believe the voters of Scottsdale are savvy enough to see through this dirty, ugly campaigning. After all, in 2024 Scottsdale voters fired all the Council incumbents and challengers who supported overdevelopment. So, I am optimistic the voters will make the right choices again in 2026. Scottsdale voters have learned the hard way that it matters more than ever who you elect to City Council! 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