A Scottsdale Institution Puts Insight On The Menu

Most readers have heard of or been to AZ88, a local eatery of artistic and culinary ingenuity and reliability near Scottsdale City Hall.  But during a recent visit it wasn’t either of those attributes that caught our attention.  Instead, it was an observation by the restaurant’s long-time General Manager.  When asked how business was going he said “terrific.” Why? We queried as such. … Read More

Sour Grapes from the City of Phoenix

As reasonable capitalists, or at the very least not communists, we hope for a government that is reasonably limited. We prefer that government doesn’t unduly hurt the business climate, as unreasonable red tape and bureaucratic nightmares are readily available one state to the west for those who want it. For the most part, Arizona has been a beacon of reasonably … Read More

The Iron Lady

There once was a woman in England that had this nickname.  It’s appropriate for Scottsdale City Councilwoman Linda Milhaven too.  Next month will be the first time in 12 years the dais will not benefit from her determination, grit and smarts.  Term limits are the culprit. Milhaven is the type of person every City Council needs.  Learned.  Unafraid. She has been an indefatigable proponent for … Read More

HonorHealth Goes Hard in the Paint, Says Hell No to Banner

We don’t typically focus too much on business moves on this blog, as there is so much in the local space of politics and culture. Besides, corporate battles rarely become public or are blatantly obvious in the public eye at the local level. Every once in a while, a move comes by that is such an undeniable power move to … Read More

Hades on an Ice Rink: Is the Council of No Learning to Say Yes?

I know that on occasion that I can be a broken record about the need for more development, that building more will alleviate our pressing housing crisis and benefit so many. We have also been somewhat dismayed at the Scottsdale City Council’s recent inclination to get in the way of good developments moving forward; we coined the term “the Council … Read More

Lessons to be Learned in Abject Failure: What to Glean from the Julie Gunnigle Campaign

By Alexander Lomax All things told, this election was extremely positive for Democrats in Maricopa County. Despite her campaign’s best efforts to lose, Katie Hobbs kept Trump-wannabe Kari Lake out of the Governor’s seat, and Adrian Fontes kept unhinged conspiracy theorist and otherwise unhireable former Kalamazoo cop Mark Finchem away from our elections. And even though State Superintendent Kathy Hoffman … Read More

Elections 2022: What We Learned About Arizona Based on Proposition Votes

As the dust settles on this election, conclusions and general punditry are coming out of everywhere and anywhere. Shoot, we even did so regarding what we believe Arizonans told us about the statewide candidate campaigns. But no one is talking about the various propositions that Arizonans also voted on, so we’re here for you on that subject. 1. A Little … Read More