A Nice Trip Down Memory Lane

Feeling like a bit like famed DJ Casey Kasem we received a nice request from Scottsdale City Council candidate Betty Janik to repost this piece. As campaign dialogue begins to deteriorate Betty reminds us that it doesn’t always have to be that way, and hasn’t. Thank you for the productive thoughts Betty.  Rise of The Guardians Every community has its … Read More

Impressive

What a difference between nearby jurisdictions. The Town of Paradise Valley’s Mayor is being unopposed on the 2020 ballot.  And there is only one challenger to three incumbents seeking re-election to the Town Council. And when it comes to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors two have no challengers at all.  The other three have meaningless, other party opposition that … Read More

Bueller?

Imprinted on pop culture by a cultish comedic movie, “Bueller?” is a phrase meant to convey waiting for a response when there is none. And that’s how we feel nearly one week after stating in no uncertain terms how deficient Scottsdale leadership has been to aid decimated tourism-related businesses despite having the means to do so. Think about it.  Congress, … Read More

Exemplary

Unlike some of its union counterparts, the Scottsdale Fire Fighters Association leads with quiet dignity. It was the first contributor to the successful campaign in November to update and enhance the city’s infrastructure. It annually hosts an impressive charity dinner each September that raises money for important causes and inspires attendees with amazing speakers. Its members are obviously on the … Read More

Rise Of The Guardians 2

Anyone with children likely knows the movie “Rise Of The Guardians.” It’s the tale of our holiday heroes (Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, etc.) banding together to defeat darkness threatening happiness in the world. Awhile back we wrote a piece entitled after the movie mentioned above, discussing the role activists have played over the past many years to shape Scottsdale.  It … Read More

Virginia Korte’s Trump Card, If She Knows How To Play It

Scottsdale city government isn’t the only thing being paralyzed by a pandemic.  So are political campaigns. Traditional ways of electioneering and fundraising have been upended.  Precise messaging is going to matter more than ever, especially with the contest to be Scottsdale’s next Mayor taking shape.  We’ll know on Monday who is in and who is out.  That’s when candidate petitions … Read More

Scottsdale’s Indecisiveness Pandemic

We get Scottsdale city government has many priorities right now, especially to its first responders and health care infrastructure. But when an industry like tourism, which is 35% of the city’s economy, cries out for help it is shocking and infuriating no one at the City of Scottsdale is showing the type of leadership desperately needed. It is not as … Read More

Guest Editorial: COVID-19 Job Losses Are Scary; It’s Up To Us How We React

By Recker McDowell — The Coronavirus threatens 19.8 million jobs nationwide by July and could take the U.S. unemployment rate up to 15.6 percent, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Close to 396,000 jobs could be impacted in Arizona and the state unemployment rate could hit to 15.4 percent with layoffs, job cuts and furloughs. Arizona’s unemployment rate was 4.5 … Read More