Get to Know Your Candidates: Our Exclusive Q&A with Scottsdale City Council Candidate Bob Littlefield

In the name of helping our readers make more informed decisions and better understand the people who want to lead our city, we sent out questionnaires to all Scottsdale City Council candidates. All of the questions were the same for each except for two questions that were customized for each candidate. Mr. Littlefield declined to answer two of the questions. Here are his submissions.

Do you support the Axon development as originally proposed, including up to 1,900 residential units, or the compromise proposal of around 600 units. If not, what conditions would you require before lending your support?

No, no, there are thousands of apartments already approved nearby to Axon, they don’t need to build any more apartments.

In your opinion has the amount of apartment approvals and construction in recent years has been too little, too much or just about right?

Way too much.

In your view, is development in Scottsdale currently proceeding at the right pace, too quickly, or too slowly, and what principles would guide your votes on major development proposals?

According to our city Planning Department there are upwards of 10K apartments (depending on how you count them) approved by previous Councils that have yet to be built. No more are necessary for the foreseeable future.

The Colorado River faces a deepening crisis, with Lake Powell at historically low levels. What specific policies should Scottsdale pursue to protect its long-term water security?

If Scottsdale faces a water crisis it is because of overdevelopment. Our water department – the best in AZ – does a fine job of providing water for current businesses and residents. But even they cannot find enough new water sources to support unlimited future development. The most obvious example of what not to do is the recent action by the City Council majority to approve 1200 apartments for Axon. Even worse, that City Council majority waived Axon’s water requirements—enough for 12,000 single family homes—which will leave less water for every other Scottsdale resident.

What is your position on the boundaries of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, and under what circumstances, if any, would you support changes to land currently designated as preserve? 

The voter-approved boundaries should not be tampered with. Scottsdale voters made it clear with Prop 420 they want politicians to leave the Preserve alone!

How would you approach funding police and fire services, and are there areas of the current public safety budget you would change?

We should continue funding public safety out of the general fund, The only thing I would change would be to increase pay for some PD officers to keep them competitive with other cities.

Old Town is always a centerpiece of the conversation regarding Scottsdale. What (if anything) would you do to improve it?

Marketing of Old Town has not been as effective as it should be, but over the last year pressure from merchants has forced some improvements, which give me hope for the future.

Scottsdale faces competing demands on its budget. What are your priorities for city spending, and are there areas where you would cut or redirect resources?

The only change I would make to the internal city spending would be to increase pay for some PD officers to keep them competitive with other cities. Externally, I do think we spend too much on outside contractors and that spending needs to be closely scrutinized.

What is your approach to addressing homelessness in Scottsdale, and what role should the city play in expanding access to affordable housing?

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled we can’t just remove the homeless. But cities are allowed to limit activities such as panhandling and urban camping and we should do that as much as the law allows. We should also support treatment options for those homeless with substance abuse issues.

If elected, what is the single most important thing you want to accomplish during your term, and how would you measure success?

Rein in overdevelopment.

You served three terms on the council between 2003 and 2014 and are now seeking a fourth. Scottsdale has changed considerably in the intervening decade. What have you observed about how the city has evolved since you left office, and what do you think went wrong during your absence that motivated your return? 

For years overdevelopment has taken a heavy toll on Scottsdale’s special character and high quality of life. Clogged roads, blocked views, higher taxes and overburdened infrastructure have been the legacy of the overdevelopment previous City Council majorities have approved. That is what motivates my return, reining in overdevelopment.

You founded the Taxpayers Against Awful Apartment Zoning Exemptions PAC and have long been one of the most prominent voices against large-scale residential development. Given the region’s housing affordability challenges, how do you respond to those who argue that opposition to density is making the Valley less livable for working families? 

This is a completely BS argument designed by developer PR people to justify more overdevelopment.. None of the thousands of tall, dense ugly apartments built or proposed over the last 15 years has been affordable. If you really want affordable housing outlaw STRs!