Op-Ed: Barry Graham and Scottsdale City Manager Greg Caton Need to Go

By Larry Heath

It’s hard not to notice that the 2024/25 newly elected Council majority ran through Scottsdale quicker than the Germans ran through France in World War II.  Things moved so fast; plans must have been in place to attack Axon Enterprises and scuttle the planned roundabout at Scottsdale and Dynamite Roads.    

They also appear to have hired a henchman for City Manager – Greg Caton.  Under his reign, credentialed planning and transportation officials mysteriously departed under duress, and other department-heads followed.

The Council rejected $35M in federal funding to build the fully designed roundabout and raised Scottsdale’s transportation budget by roughly $40M to redesign and fund a standard intersection with stop lights. Two years later that intersection is still crawling towards conclusion!

They also fired Scottsdale’s PR firm and took it in-house to presumably save money.  I don’t know about you, but there appeared to be a bit of a rush on that unsightly decision.

Scottsdale is known for leaking sales tax dollars to the municipalities on our borders. Phoenix, Cave Creek, and the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community are gleefully siphoning off enormous spoils from Scottsdale’s City Council dysfunction.

Everyone knows Barry Graham’s recognized for ethics complaints.  To this day, he monitors municipal emails to and from Councilwoman Solange Whitehead via public information requests. While continually reading another person’s emails may be legal, it certainly doesn’t seem ethical.  It’s past time for a smarmy man like that to be shown the door!

Then there’s Jan Dubauskas, who behaves like she’s heir apparent for Mayor as she proudly highlights these outrageous municipal missteps.  Fresh off dodging a recall petition; she celebrated abroad on a Scottsdale funded junket for who-knows-what.

I’m voting for Raoul Zubia and Michelle Ugenti-Rita, with the hope she reassesses her support for Barry Graham and his misguided councilmates.