It was the landmark ABC show a few years back. And it clearly describes landlord lobbyist David Ortega’s quinquennial-like standing for Scottsdale Mayor.
There are many reasons Ortega will never be Mayor of Scottsdale. But the latest may be our favorite and take the cake.
Despite Ortega’s campaign resembling one Rip Van Winkle might have run, he actually did get a voter question on his Facebook page recently. It queried whether he was opposed to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, as the voter had correctly heard. Because there is a never a need to alter Ortega’s words, deeds, or hypocrisy we reprint his response here, in its entirety:
“I have always supported the Preserve from initiation forward. I love Nature, we all do. In 2004 I was brave enough to question “What is the Plan–the End Objective” but they would not answer. On council then, I voted to bring the Preserve Tax hike on the ballot and kept saying, “We all know the tax is not sustainable. What is the Plan? In 2004, the tax hike passed, and I lost the election for mayor. And sure enough in 2005, they rolled out the Desert Discovery Center, concepts for commercialization of the Preserver. It kept growing from 2,500 sq. ft. ramadas to a mega 70,000 sq. ft. monster. Until Prop 420 finally killed it. The “Plan” was finally exposed, they wanted to exploit the Preserve. Whatever happens in the Preserve (Nothing) is up to us. There is a PAC which is slinging untruths because they want to control City Hall. I am in their way from blading Old Town, so they distort 16 years ago falsehoods.”
It is always hard to decipher what Ortega is saying. But let’s try. Despite his best obfuscation, it is FACT that Ortega led the opposition to the 2004 vote that provided necessary funding for the McDowell Sonoran Preserve we all enjoy today. We have written about this previously with citations from leading newspapers at the time. Ortega’s selfish opposition was a primary reason he got destroyed by then Mayor Mary Manross. For him to state or suggest otherwise is simply false. No “untruths” are being slung.
Ortega then tries a coattail pivot to the ill-conceived Desert Discovery Center which dominated discussion during Scottsdale’s 2018 elections. As activists deeply involved in the proper defeat of that project have observed, Ortega was never heard from during the impressive grassroots efforts and election victory. Was he for it? Against it? No one really knows and David Come Lately doesn’t cut it.
As he is want to do with most any subject, Ortega’s response above rambles to the following conclusion: Pointing out his opposition to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, the greatest thing Scottsdale has done or will ever do, is really about him getting in the way of those who want to “blade Old Town.” Who is he speaking of? Us? We didn’t weigh in on the Southbridge 2 referendum. We thought there were good arguments on both sides. But when it comes to “blading Old Town” we need to look no further than David Ortega. While a councilman two decades ago Ortega supported scraping small businesses off the land where the Scottsdale Waterfront now stands in favor of two 150-foot buildings, tied for the tallest in Scottsdale.
If you miss watching Lost on television don’t worry. Just tune in to David Ortega’s campaign in Scottsdale. But you will only have until about 8 p.m. on August 4th to do so.