Op-Ed: Barry and Michelle Will Protect Our Water. Will Zubia Give It Away?

Living in the desert means drought is always a concern. The Colorado River cuts were lighter than feared, but the drought is real, and Scottsdale must stay vigilant. That is why water sits at the center of this election.

Councilman Barry Graham and Michelle Ugenti-Rita treat water as supply and demand. They back conservation, smarter irrigation, rules for large users, and stronger recycling. On demand, they have pushed to stop high-density apartment rezonings.

Compared with homes on the same land, large-scale apartments not only worsen traffic, but use far more water — often five to ten times as much — and diminish residents’ quality of life.

Raoul Zubia talks about finding more water, but not using less of it. I did some digging and learned that he has accepted large donations from apartment developers and housing lobbyists, and an out-of-state super PAC linked to those developers has spent heavily to promote him.

That matches what he said at a forum: “unless we grow,” Scottsdale will “stagnate.”

Mr. Zubia’s silence on using less water concerns me. I believe he will give our water away to apartment developers — so I will be voting for Barry and Michelle.