By Ronald Sampson Scottsdale voted for change in this past election; it rejected a couple sitting councilmembers and the incumbent mayor. And it only took about one week, but Scottsdale is already getting a strong whiff of that change. Last week was a very busy one at the council dais, and the new iteration of council is setting its sights … Read More
Guest Editorial: Saying Goodbye and Thank You & Happy New Year!
By Councilwoman Solange Whitehead As we wrap up our four years together, I am writing to thank my outgoing colleagues Mayor David Ortega and Councilmembers Betty Janik, Tammy Caputi, and Tom Durham. Together we set Scottsdale on a winning trajectory that will deliver results for decades to come. I am so honored to have worked with all of you and wanted to highlight some of … Read More
Guest Editorial: Promises Made, Promises Kept!
By Councilwoman Jan Dubauskas Dear Friends, THANK YOU! It was an honor to be sworn in on Tuesday as your new Scottsdale City Councilwoman!! Scottsdale is an incredible city – the jewel of the American southwest. From our spark of Western spirit, our thriving business and tourism economy, and our beautiful preserve – we are blessed to live here and … Read More
Guest Editorial: Jaw Dropping Disrespect, Lies and Deaf Ears Mark the First Meeting of Scottsdale’s New City Council
By Linda Milhaven At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Barry Graham and Adam Kwasman led one of the most disrespectful displays I have witnessed in 30 years of watching City Council meetings. Jan Dubauskas and Kathy Littlefield were complicit. They stifled discussion by preventing their colleagues from speaking and disputing Graham’s misstatements. They shouted over colleagues taking control of the meeting … Read More
Pragmatic Solutions to a Sticky Subject: Rep. Wilmeth and the Diamondbacks
Renovations or construction of sports stadiums are amongst the stickiest of subjects in all of America. Far too often, hyper-wealthy sports team owners have strong-armed municipalities into unfortunate agreements that load the city with debt in order to capture additional revenue with no risk but all cost to the taxpayer. It creates hard feelings for a fanbase, which then has … Read More
Can Laurie Roberts Keep Her Complaints Straight? Her Wrong-Headed Approach to Education Spending
By Alexander Lomax Laurie Roberts is perhaps the local media’s most prominent and prolific crap-talker. Her style is one of consistent bear-poking; you will almost never read her give kudos to politicians, but instead take them to task about some perceived injustice. And there’s a role for that; politicians are good enough at spinning their supposed successes and hiding their … Read More
New Management in Scottsdale: Who is Greg Caton?
It’s a time of change in Scottsdale. Most everyone knows of our new mayor and knows that there will be some new city councilmembers in the council dais this year. But many people don’t realize that it’s the city manager that calls most of the shots regarding how the city is managed. In the wake of Jim Thompson’s exit from … Read More
How Not to Lose: David Ortega Does No Favors for His Legacy
by Ronald Sampson Many times history won’t judge you based on how you act after you win, but how you react to a loss. It’s easy to be gracious after a victory, but after a bitter, grueling effort that results in an unfortunate outcome, do you offer best wishes for your opponent or do you claim malfeasance and attempt to … Read More
Is a Massive Scottsdale Company’s Success Fraudulent? A Prominent Short-Seller Believes So
Carvana has become a bit of a local success story. The Scottsdale-based company had one of the most novel, moonshot ideas of our time: what if we sold cars in a vending machine? An idea that seems crazy on its face has been a wild success, with its car towers facilitating car sales all over the country. But what if … Read More
BREAKING NEWS: New Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky Names Long-Time Northeast Valley Media Personality and Digital Free Press Editor Terrance Thornton as Chief of Staff
An unorthodox, savvy move by someone who may be making more surprising announcements soon.