Guest Editorial: Treating Your Money As If It Were Our Own

By Councilwoman Jan Dubauskas

Dear Friends,

In business and in our personal lives, we seek the best deal – the biggest bang for our bucks. And, we shake our heads at cushy government contracts.

This week, Scottsdale City Council faced that exact situation. We are working to revitalize our Old Town area. And one aspect of it is a $1.3M advertising budget that will bring locals to dine, shop, and play in Old Town.

We were very excited for the opportunity to have a tremendous impact on Old Town… until we saw the contract. Of the $1.3M – after expenses, overhead, commissions – it was expected only 1/3rd of our dollars would actually go toward advertising.

Scottsdale deserves better than that! In the meeting, I highlighted these expense issues and urged my colleagues to reject the contract so that we can get a better deal for Scottsdale. I made the motion to deny the contract and although some wished to proceed, practical business-sense won the day.

My thanks to Councilwoman Littlefield, Councilman Graham and Vice Mayor Kwasman for standing strong throughout the session on this issue. We asked the city to do better and get more for your dollars.

And guess what?! The very next morning, the vendor reached out to us, offering to sharpen the pencil and deliver measurable results for Scottsdale.

Treating your dollars like we would treat our own – and being willing to say NO works. We are delivering results for you. 

Christmas At The Quarter

The more than 100 retail, dining, and entertainment businesses located in the Scottsdale Quarter welcomed the Christmas season by hosting the Santa Social. The event included photo opportunities with Santa, children’s entertainment, face painting and a variety of holiday crafts, games and music. Visits and photos with Santa will continue through Wednesday, December 24 with weekend entertainment, including live music, carolers and other seasonal family activities through Saturday, December 20th. For more click here.