Typically in politics, enemy combatants are sly. Shots are very calculated and carefully done; after all, if your enemy assumes power, you don’t want to be the obvious target to which they can affix their ire and attempts at retribution.
But sometimes, people of importance simply don’t care to fly under the radar. They dislike the candidate so much that they refuse to hold back. That’s where a notable Scottsdale personality found himself recently when commenting on the Scottsdale mayoral race.
Enter this comment from John Little in the picture at the top with regards to mayoral hopeful Lisa Borowsky. This is about as damning and sharp a criticism as you are to see in the world of politics, where criticisms are typically vague and dull.
Many politically aware Scottsdalians will remember Little from his campaign for city council in 2020, when he ran a solid campaign but fell just short, placing in fourth in a year when the top three went on to city council. However he also had a 25-year career in city management, previously serving as the Chief of Staff to former Mayor Drinkwater as well as the city manager from 2008 to 2009.
The latter of which perhaps tells the tale of where some of his acrimony towards Borowsky stems from. As part of a disagreement on how retirement accounts should be handled, Borowsky was one of four votes to dismiss him from his role as city manager in 2009. It is not unreasonable to think that sour grapes may play a role.
That said, as city manager he undoubtedly saw then-Councilwoman Borowsky in action more than most, and had to work hand-in-hand with her frequently. To harbor sour grapes for so long is certainly possible, but it is hard to believe that such a charge from him is purely a result of that. Besides, he is not alone in his accusation of her being a vacuous person more interested in the aesthetics of leadership than actually leading.
Will this lead to anything more? One has to assume that Little, now 74 years old, won’t be too much of an active bomb-thrower in this race. But then again, one thing that retirees have is plenty of extra time, so we will be curious to see if more details are released as the mayoral race drudges on.