The Scottsdale city council took a strong turn away from growth and development-focused dais under Mayor Lane to a rather development-hesitant one under Mayor Ortega starting in 2020. Many projects have failed to secure the needed votes to come to fruition, frustrating numerous developers and other professionals involved. So a new proposed project raised both eyebrows for its ambition and … Read More
SUSD Drama Continues: When Adults Start Resembling the Students They Govern
The Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board has been quite the magnet for plenty of…interesting activity over the last couple years. From protests to calls for a new superintendent from partisan challenges, there has been no shortage of drama. And that drama recently took a new turn that is something closer to a scene from a high school movie than … Read More
A Marathon at the Legislature: This Arizona Legislative Session is Now the Longest Session in History
For those who have spent time at the Arizona legislature, you’re probably aware that “sine die”, the official close of the legislative session, is a day that is highly looked forward to by most legislators and staffers. It’s the day that they can go back home, return back to their side jobs, or just generally not have to deal with … Read More
Tidal Wave
Wow. Just wow. Over the past several political cycles the Scottsdale City Council has taken a decided turn towards “slower growthers.” Indeed, the body now has a clear 6-1 majority that leans in this direction. There are a variety of reasons but perhaps the biggest is the realization of the electorate that Scottsdale is indeed a pretty special place and just doesn’t … Read More
The Scottsdale Diamond Fire: Lessons in Bravery, Vulnerability and Recklessness
The recent Diamond Fire in North Scottsdale struck serious concerns, if not outright fear, into many area residents. It is entirely contained at the time of writing, but many residents still can’t claim to be completely out of the metaphorical woods yet when it comes to emotional damage. Widespread fires are not an issue that plague the Valley very often, … Read More
No Spiking the Football Just Yet: Rio Verde Foothills Demonstrates How Legislation Isn’t the End-All Be-All
The Rio Verde Foothills got some good news recently in their fight for secured water; Senate Bill 1432 was signed by Governor Katie Hobbs last week, thus ending a tumultuous time for the embattled community. But there was a reason why we had some degree of hesitation when it came to declaring victory, and this article exemplifies that concern very … Read More
The Cost of Lies: Recorder Stephen Richer Makes the Ultimate Stand
By Ronald Sampson In what is almost certainly one of the biggest blockbusters in party infighting in recent Arizona memory, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer has officially put his foot down in one of the most gutsy ways possible: he is suing Kari Lake for defamation. You don’t need to be an insider (or even an Arizonan) to guess why. … Read More
Scottsdale is for Lovers? Apparently, According to New Top 10 List
We know that Scottsdale is a great place to retire, raise a family, golf or party. You may have never thought of it as an ideal place for a romantic getaway for couples, but apparently we also rank highly for that, at least according to a new survey. CuddleNest, a website that appears to be a travel deal website focused … Read More
More Than Just Veto Power: Governor Hobbs Finds New Power via Attorney General
Governor Katie Hobbs has had a rough half-year as Governor, but that seems as though it may have been halted by the hire of Chad Campbell as her new Chief of Staff (learn more here). And it seems as though the fruits of that change are already blooming with a new executive order, and in the process demonstrates that her … Read More
Your Property Taxes are Going Up, Scottsdale. Is It Justified?
Uhh ohh Scottsdale homeowners…your taxes are about to go up. And it’s not just because your home values have risen quite a bit in value either. Indeed, your property tax rate will rise as a result of a 4-3 vote in city council, with Betty Janik against joining Barry Graham and Kathy Littlefield in forming what seems to be an … Read More