By Alexander Lomax
Former Scottsdale City Councilmember Tammy Caputi recently raised concerns about proposed changes to the city’s Rules of Council Procedure, scheduled for consideration on December 2. Her message has sparked an important conversation about what it means to truly engage with residents, even when that engagement is messy, time-consuming, or uncomfortable.
The proposed amendments would restructure public participation at council meetings, including consolidating two public comment periods into one, moving comments to the end of meetings, reducing speaking time from three to two minutes, restricting audiovisual equipment use, and requiring two weeks’ advance notice for citizen petitions. City staff has framed these changes as improvements to transparency and efficiency.
But here’s the thing about democracy: it’s supposed to be a little inefficient. It’s supposed to take time. It’s supposed to accommodate the unpredictable rhythms of civic life, not just the orderly progression of agenda items.
The real measure of “resident-friendly” government isn’t how smoothly meetings run or how quickly agendas move. It’s whether ordinary people with jobs, families, and limited time can still make their voices heard on issues that matter to them. It’s whether the process bends toward inclusion or convenience.
Transparency and public participation are most meaningful when they’re most accessible. That means accommodating the unpredictable, the unpolished, and the urgent. It means recognizing that sometimes the most important feedback comes without two weeks’ notice, and that visual presentations can communicate what words alone cannot.
Former Councilmember Caputi’s message serves as an important reminder: the goal should always be more engagement, not less. Better engagement, certainly, but never at the cost of accessible engagement. Local government works best when it actively invites participation, even when that participation is imperfect, inconvenient, or critical of the council itself.
The strength of Scottsdale’s civic culture will be measured not by how efficiently it can move through agendas, but by how authentically it can engage with the full spectrum of community voices—especially those that challenge, question, or simply show up unprepared but passionate about their city.
That’s democracy in action, and it’s worth protecting, even when it’s imperfect.