A bi-partisan coalition of Arizonans from all walks of life is speaking out against Governor Ducey’s attempts to convince the Arizona Supreme Court to invalidate hundreds of thousands of petition signatures which are in support of the anti-dark money initiative on the November ballot. Five of the seven judges on the Arizona Supreme Court are Ducey appointees. The current situation … Read More
Lessons Learned & Potential Reforms For Paradise Valley
On August 2nd Paradise Valley voters said adios to long-time Paradise Valley Councilman Paul Dembow. Long a skinny dipper in the cesspool, Dembow’s demise is both reason for celebration and opportunity to make reforms due to his abuses and abhorrence. The first is term limits. The new Town Council should take the notion up as one of its initial orders … Read More
Tempe’s Loss is Scottsdale’s Gain for Nightlife
It’s funny how poor zoning decisions can lead to unexpected conclusions, like a truncated Butterfly Effect. For instance, when a retirement community inexplicably sets up shot right next the Arizona State campus and it leads to added nightlife and tax revenue for Scottsdale. We are talking about the Mirabella/Shady Park fiasco in Tempe. For those who are unaware, Mirabella is … Read More
Reversing Climate Change Locally – Scottsdale Looks to Make City Cooler
Let’s be honest: in the midst of worsening climate change, Maricopa County might not be the ideal place to be. We have spoken at length about the worsening water crisis perpetuated by the current megadrought; combine that with the fact that 110 degree days in the summer are already difficult enough, and it starts to turn into an existential crisis … Read More
The Water Crisis Intensifies with Incoming Cuts: Here’s What to Expect
Regular readers know that the Arizona Progress Gazette has been screaming about the incoming water crisis from the rooftops. It began as volunteer requests for water reduction, which were not insignificant in impact, but nowhere near enough. As the Colorado River suffers another light year of melted snowpack, the crisis has recently escalated. In a recent blockbuster announcement with significant … Read More
News Conference Tuesday: Let Voters Decide Dark Money Not Governor Ducey
**News Conference** Tuesday, August 23rd 11:00am in Phoenix The Governor Wants To Take Away AZ’s Right To Vote On Anti-Dark Money Ballot Initiative A bi-partisan coalition of Arizona residents, business leaders, and political leaders will hold a news conference on Tuesday, August 23rd 11:00am at 668 North 44th Street at the Outlier Center (near 44th and Van Buren) responding to … Read More
Guest Editorial: The Political Earthquake In Scottsdale No One Is Talking About . . .And Ramifications For The City’s Future
By Jason Rose I ran my first successful campaign in Scottsdale in 1994. Two years later I consulted on the campaign that elected the city’s first female mayor, Sam Campana. Ever since I have been heavily involved in the Scottsdale political scene leading elections for other mayors, hockey arenas and bonds to fund new infrastructure. I offer these credentials not … Read More
Guest Editorial: Mark Kelly is Pivoting on the Border – Is Anyone Fooled?
By Ronald Sampson It’s late August in an even-numbered year, which in Arizona can also be known as “pivot season”. Now that primaries are out of the way, winning candidates will traditionally move towards the political center to appeal to those across the aisle. Blake Masters celebrated this holiday as ostentatiously as the person on your street whose Christmas lights … Read More
Scottsdale’s Tourism Plan Just Dropped. What Do You Need to Know?
You almost certainly know how important of an economic driver tourism is to Scottsdale. It fills our coffers, puts Scottsdale on an international map, and provides myriad jobs in the hospitality industry. And like any well-run city, we have leadership that recognizes its importance and puts together regular plans to help guide best practices to cultivate it. Recently, the city … Read More
Signs, Signs, Everywhere There’s Signs…Still
Political street signs are one of the most prevalent forms of political advertising, and simultaneously one of the most obnoxious. For half a year every high-traffic corner in the county turns into an arms race to see who can get the best placement, and as a result as many as a dozen signs crowd out every free square foot of … Read More