Politically, Scottsdale is a red city, with the exception of bluer-collar neighborhoods in the south that tend to hue similarly.
This is reflected on the Scottsdale City Council where some if not all City Councilmembers are usually Republican, and where a majority has long espoused pro-business policies, for lack of a better term.
But business as usual could be in for a rude awakening in 2018, elevating a slower growth council into the majority for the first time in recent memory. Big waves can reshape the shore line and Scottsdale, though a long way from the beach, might be no exception.
Consider the well-known opposition to President Trump and expected disproportionate turnout of Democrats nationwide. Arizona may actual eclipse the national trend thanks to a top of the ticket boasting the talented Kyrsten Sinema for the U.S. Senate and a favorable issue set that will populate the 2018 statewide ballot.
Consider that in good economic times Scottsdale voters tend to, oddly, look askance at those who supported such success and sympathize with voices that we can slow down, not develop so much and act more like Santa Barbara than Scottsdale.
But the biggest matter is the fierce and impressive opposition to the Desert Discovery Center. Backers say there is no doubt they will collect the signatures to force a public vote on the matter. They are due July 5th. If the matter does qualify, sharing the November ballot with candidates, the issue will go from being merely problematic for some candidates like in 2016, to a full-blown contagion for backers.
In 1994 a little known New York State Senator named George Pataki upset a legend and the Democratic Governor of New York, Mario Cuomo. Why? 1994 was a wave year for the GOP.
It’s a lesson for those who may be swimming upstream this year in Scottsdale and a reminder that while names like Solange Whitehead and Alyssa Robis aren’t well known, neither was Pataki