Voting for Raoul Zubia safeguards Scottsdale’s AAA bond rating

By Councilwoman Solange Whitehead

The nation’s credit rating agencies just provided another compelling reason to elect Raoul Zubia to the City Council.
In less than two years, the current Council majority has caused lasting damage including their unprecedented politicization of water and defunding of Scottsdale’s Advanced Purified Recycled Water program.
These actions have dealt a dual blow to our community, undermining our physical water security and threatening Scottsdale’s coveted AAA bond rating—the premium status that keeps local taxes low.

Credit rating agencies like Fitch Ratings and S&P Global analysts will penalize cities overly dependent on a single, depleting source like the shrinking Colorado River. Conversely, these agencies explicitly identify advanced purified recycled water (“pure water”) infrastructure as the premier hedge against supply risk.

By blocking this vital infrastructure, the Council majority signaled to Wall Street that Scottsdale lacks a viable strategy to replace lost river allocations. This failure triggers severe fiscal vulnerabilities:
• Skyrocketing Borrowing Costs: If Scottsdale’s AAA rating drops even one notch, interest rates on future bonds for roads, parks, and safety infrastructure will surge.
• Taxpayer Penalty: Higher interest rates mean millions more in debt-service costs. The city will be forced to raise property or sales taxes to fund basic services.
Turning our backs on pure water treatment doesn’t save money; it forces a far more expensive scramble for dwindling water rights in the future. This is short-term political posturing traded for long-term fiscal instability.

As Arizona State University water law professor Rhett Larson explained, the most effective way to secure our water future is to make water our top priority at the ballot box. In Scottsdale, that means electing Raoul Zubia.
Note on the Election: It is hard to overstate my gratitude after voters overwhelmingly re-elected me in July. Serving Scottsdale is the honor of my life—I love this job, and I take this responsibility to heart every day. Thank you!