By Alexander Lomax
You, the voter, fairly overwhelmingly used your voice last election when you stated loudly at the polls that you wanted stable funding for our parks combined with a tax cut. Propositions 490 and 491 performed exceedingly well, thus securing our financial future. You also used your voice with your signature, with well over 25,000 of you signing the petition that stated that we should have a say in development and that Axon went too far with its bait-and-switch in its apartment megacomplex plans.
That said, not everyone is happy with that. There are forces that hate the fact that you are using your voice, and believe that you should simply sit down and shut up.
In a move that’s raising eyebrows, even among those who typically support taxpayer advocacy, attorneys for the Goldwater Institute are once again taking the City of Scottsdale to court. This time, the group is suing to block the implementation of the new “To Protect and Preserve” sales tax, which was approved by voters last November with 58.25% of the vote.
Goldwater had previously succeeded in forcing Scottsdale to revise what it called “misleading” ballot language. But now, less than a month before the tax is set to take effect on July 1, the Institute is asking Maricopa County Superior Court to step in and halt its rollout entirely.
Despite backing from the Yes Yes Scottsdale PAC and strong voter turnout, Goldwater argues the tax doesn’t meet the constitutional threshold for enactment. While the city maintains the correct take, that the measure was lawfully passed, Goldwater is doubling down, accusing the city of “again trying to sidestep the law.” It’s a surprising stance given the clear voter support—and one that could undermine future community-driven initiatives.
And then there is Axon; we’ve written a lot about it so we won’t regale you of all of the details (you can get up to date here). But in short, it was so outraged at the idea that you might have a voice in its plans that it went over your head to the state legislature and passed a bill, perfectly crafted to take away your rights as a Scottsdale voter, dictating that you could no longer challenge potential overdevelopment that negatively impacts your quality of life.
When you lose, you should take a moment to reflect on why you lost, how you weren’t aligned with the voters’ wishes, and adjust as necessary. But there is no reflection here, simply sour grapes combined with a disturbing attack on your rights.
Both of these actions are very clear in what they intend to do: they are taking away your rights. They are attacks on democracy.
Let’s be clear: Proposition 490 won, fair and square. But more than that, it provides some $1 billion in funding for city parks, preserves and public safety, and the city will and should hire legal counsel to robustly defend its position and voters’ will.
Similarly, the opponents of the Axon apartment megacomplex followed the Constitution and earned their right for a public vote. And while unfortunate, the city must protect our rights with whatever legal resources are necessary. Both examples are unprecedented assaults on Scottsdale citizens and democracy and must be treated accordingly.
If you believe that your right as a voter has value, as hopefully we all do, it is incumbent on us to defend democracy at all costs. At the risk of sounding cliched, our Founding Fathers didn’t put their lives on the line so a massive corporation and an ideological thinktank could strip you of the freedoms that they fought so hard for. We deserve better, but like all good things, sometimes you have to fight for them or else you’ll lose them. And now is our time to fight.