“Our code of conduct now matches our openness and Western hospitality. We are raising awareness, guarding individualism, providing safe work and living spaces. With sincere effort, we improve Arizona one city at a time.” — Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega, speaking in support of the city’s new non-discrimination ordinance, passed unanimously on April 20, 2021

This week it took a newly constituted Scottsdale City Council to do what should have been done years previous:  pass a non-discrimination ordinance providing greater protections for the community’s LGBTQ community. Kudos to Mayor Ortega and a unanimous City Council for a job very well done.  We won’t say it was a politically easy vote.  Look what is going on … Read More

By Scottsdale Pinetop At one moment or another, we’ve all wished for our own fairy godparent to grant our deepest wishes. Made popular by Disney’s Cinderella, a fairy godmother is the physical embodiment of hope and is devoted to making dreams come true. And while they may not fit the traditional depiction of a “fairy godmother”, one non-profit organization known … Read More

A Message Sent On Behalf Of Scottsdale Police District 2 Command Staff  In an effort to continue collaboration on safety in our community, we wanted to alert Old Town businesses, including bar and hotel security and staff, to be vigilant in the coming days as the potential for civil unrest could again occur within our city. The difference between this … Read More

Is a city or town the better when their teachers, police officers, firefighters, healthcare workers and others can no longer afford to live in the place they serve?  This is a question facing many Arizona cities, but most especially Scottsdale, as rising rents and home values are creating unprecedented problems. Kudos to Arizona Republic real estate reporter Catherine Reagor for … Read More

By Alexander Lomax As a liberal with a science background, I have had myriad things to say about this pandemic. Initially, my beef was with the politicization of it, primarily from the right. The desire to nullify it, compare it to the flu, and to reject simple modes of reducing transmittance was at least somewhat a top-down driven movement, led … Read More

By Gilbert Guru Arizona Community Colleges are on the rise. Dr. Casey Durandet, a professor at Paradise Valley Community College, was recently one of 23 faculty nationwide to be awarded the 2021 Dale P. Parnell Distinguished Faculty Award. The award is a national recognition for those making a difference in the classroom, presented by the American Association of Community Colleges. … Read More

By Scottsdale Pinetop Rosie the Riveter – one of history’s most recognizable cultural (and feminist) icons since its inception in World War II with a message to women everywhere that “We Can Do It.” Women have continued to play increasingly important roles in all branches of the U.S. military, as history can attest for more than 80 years. And Arizona … Read More

The year was 2004.  The City Council consisted of Mayor Mary Manross and Councilmembers Wayne Ecton, Bob Littlefield, Cynthia Lukas, Ned O-Hearn, Roberta Pilcher, Tom Silverman and then Councilmember David Ortega. That March, Scottsdale voters were asked to consider a major change to the way its City Council would be elected.  Instead of 6 councilmembers being voted in by a city-wide majority Proposition 100 … Read More

By Alexander Lomax I recently spoke about Rep. Kirkpatrick’s retirement and how the race to succeed her will almost certainly become crowded. We received a bit more clarity recently with Randy Friese’s official announcement of his candidacy. Friese joins Kirsten Engel as the two stated candidates to succeed Kirkpatrick. Like Engel, Friese has spent plenty of time in the state … Read More