Guest Editorial: Digging Into Jobs

By Recker McDowell — Arizona added 84,400 jobs over the past 12 months, according to year-end employment numbers. More than 80,000 of those new jobs were in the private sector. Arizona’s private sector job growth for the year was 2.8 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Only Utah (3.1 percent and Idaho (2.9 percent) posted better job … Read More

Guest Editorial: Turning Around The Negative And Nasty

By Recker McDowell — There is never a shortage of the nasty, negative and disparaging these days in politics, the 24/7 news cycle and on social media. So, it was refreshing to see the warm wishes for U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Arizona) when she recently announced her health battles with alcohol dependency. Those included some positive vibes from the other … Read More

Developers Aren’t The Black Hats; They Are The Marketplace, Proof of Concept

Real estate developers are often cast with the black hats. But aren’t they the people who build the homes we live in? Their bulldozers, political maneuvering and redevelopment plans are often contrasted with concerned neighbors, small business owners and the preverbal local townsfolk. It’s the stuff of old ‘Murder She Wrote’ and ‘Scooby-Doo’ episodes. But developers are not actually the … Read More

Guest Editorial: One of Arizona’s Annual Rites

By Recker McDowell — The Arizona Legislature is back in session. That means the annual ritual of media coverage of conservative bills cast as detrimental to Arizona’s image. You probably have already seen stories on bills from Republican lawmakers related to limiting sex education curriculums, guns and the posting police officers at polling places on election days. These types of … Read More

Real Estate Developers, Dealmakers Bankrolling Suzanne Klapp’s War Chest Highlights The Early Scottsdale 2020 Contribution Reports

Scottsdale City Councilwoman Suzanne Klapp has the early financial advantage in the 2020 race for Scottsdale Mayor. Scottsdale City Councilwoman Virginia Korte who is also running for mayor as well as candidates for three council seats up for election this year are still ramping up their fundraising efforts, it appears. That is according to fourth quarter campaign reports filed with … Read More

Guest Editorial: Barrett-Jackson Is Key To Scottsdale’s Tourism And Brand; Let’s Not Jeopardize That

By Recker McDowell — Barrett-Jackson 2020 is in full swing in Scottsdale with more 1,950 luxury and vintage cars on the auction block. Barrett-Jackson is one of the signature events for Scottsdale. The auction puts Scottsdale in an international spotlight and feeds into the city’s tourism and economic brand. Barrett-Jackson is the king of Scottsdale’s car auction, helping attract tourists … Read More

Auerbach Is Back. Repeat Candidate. Repeat Offender

Michael Auerbach is returning to the political stage.  Despite being pummeled when he ran for a council seat in 2014, Auerbach, who is a member of the Scottsdale Parks Commission, has formed an exploratory committee to seek one of two open seats on the Scottsdale City Council in the August primary. His past, besides an abysmal political showing, raises a … Read More