By Ronald Sampson
Axon CEO Rick Smith. Photo Credit: Jim Poulin, Phoenix Business Journal
Axon has developed quite a reputation for bullying its way through Scottsdale. Its attempts to shoehorn in its unwanted apartment megacomplex (apparently the largest apartment complex in the history of the entire state) into the city met stiff resistance, so it ignored the will of the people and leaned on a lame duck City Council. Once the affected citizens organized and made their voices heard, the ridiculous whims of this bully of an organization were imperiled.
But Axon CEO Rick Smith isn’t about to be deterred from his need to vanquish his enemies, i.e. the citizens of Scottsdale. Any response from the citizenry is simply an excuse to escalate.
So what is King Rick’s most recent move? Now he’s escalating matters to the state legislature by leaning on them to take away your ability to have your voice on unpopular zoning matters.
Yeah, you heard that right…instead of simply allowing the people to make their voice heard, they’re choosing to take away your voice.
I fondly remember the last time the legislature took away local control at the behest of specific corporations and their army of lobbyists. After significant lobbying and lots of dollars spent by the short-term rental industry the legislature took away the ability for municipalities to regulate out-of-control party houses. What was the result? A lot of parties, a lot of pissed off residents, a lot of ineffective politicians whose hands were tied, and a lot of upheaval.
Despite what was obviously an incredibly unpopular move, the legislature and their infinite wisdom is yet again weighing in on how little they respect your opinion, all at the behest of King Rick.
Perhaps one of the most beautiful aspects of Arizona and its constitution is the empowerment that it provides you, the average everyday citizen, to stand up to the potential tyranny of legislators. It provides We the People power.
But King Rick can’t have that, because your power threatens his whims.
Putting in the biggest apartment complex in state history would be more than bad enough as it is. But if it directly attacks one of the core aspects of Arizona’s constitution and strips you of your right to speak up against any bad projects in the future? This is tyranny, and it must be rejected.