By Betty Janik
The first 6 months of the new Scottsdale City Council have been tumultuous with no end in sight. With a shift in the majority, expectations were for smooth sailing ahead. Instead, we have witnessed internal power struggles, jealousy, and even legal charges filed with the county attorney by council members against each other. Unfortunately, this is consistent with their malicious attacks on social media against anyone who dares disagree with them. The newest controversies include an attempt to change the appointment process for Boards and Commissions (B&C) and elimination of the Public Comment section at Council meetings. Is the new majority attempting to limit citizen input and stifle our voices? Are they fearful of hearing what citizens think of the state of Scottsdale’s affairs?
B&C members are appointed in a time-honored process that has served us well. Openings are announced and applications from interested volunteers submitted. Council makes nominations from these submissions and then votes on appointments following a showcase of their credentials at a Council meeting. This is the general appointment process. It has proven very successful in securing quality individuals, often experts, to represent the citizens. They provide knowledge on issues facing the City and offer Council perspective and recommendations on solutions.
The new proffered proposal is to have individual appointments by each Council member to B&C positions, a direct appointment process. Concerns for direct appointments include the potential for nepotism and lack of diverse opinions; reduction in transparency, omission of most qualified individuals, and in general, not representing the needs of the community it serves. Additionally, on the first direct appointment experiment – the Budget Review Committee – the Mayor appointed the Chair permanently. There is currently no required internal annual Commission election, so in effect creation of a fiefdom.
Next on the hit parade is a possible attempt to eliminate the in-person spoken public comment section of Council meetings on non-agendized items. It is reserved for Scottsdale citizens, business and property owners. It calls attention to issues of citizen concern for possible Council action. While the criticism levied against Council members is very uncomfortable at times, open communication is essential. Freedom of speech is a time-honored right of citizenship. Hearing criticism of your actions in a public forum is humbling and under reasonable circumstances should prompt introspection and correction if warranted.
To make matters worse, trusted employees with a wealth of institutional knowledge continue to resign to the detriment of our city. Rule by intimidation in a chaotic environment will continue to disrupt the once smooth operations of City Hall. Going forward, let mutual respect prevail.
Betty Janik, Former Scottsdale Councilwoman