Op-Ed: Graham Can’t Pick A Narrative On Water

At a recent City Council candidate forum, Barry Graham sat next to running mate Michelle Ugenti-Rita nodding his head in approval while she criticized Raoul Zubia for trusting experts. Michelle’s message: She doesn’t need experts or science when it comes to deciding water policy, just her own brain.

But now Graham is out campaigning on what the experts say about Scottsdale’s water.

So, which is it, Barry?

You can’t run as the candidate of expertise while at the same time agreeing and sharing a ticket with someone who not only waves off subject matter experts but creates and spreads politically motivated lies about the issue.

In contrast, candidate Raoul Zubia has done precisely what Barry pays lip service to and Ugenti-Rita mocks. He has listened to people who actually know water. That’s why CAP Board Members Ylenia Aguilar, Ben Graff, and Terry Goddard are all backing Zubia.

The facts tell the story. Scottsdale gets 70% of its water from the Colorado River — more than any other city its size or larger in Arizona and California — and that supply is shrinking. Yet the current council majority, led by Barry Graham, ignored warnings from experts, residents and even former city leaders and passed a budget that removed $233 million for planned water infrastructure projects. This includes additional investment in Advanced Water Treatment (AWT) which Scottsdale has been doing successfully for more than 20 years. Zubia says it was a mistake for the city to walk away from its commitment to building a secure water future and he’s right.

In fact, Zubia has been right on the water issue from the start. The experts have noticed and that’s why they are backing him. Meanwhile, his anti-science opponents have been and continue to be wrong. But now they want credit for listening to the very experts they decided to ignore when they cut funding for water projects from the budget.

Notwithstanding the willingness of Graham and Ugenti-Rita to reject the recommendations of experts, Scottsdale can’t build a secure water future with policies based on instinct, ideology or personal preference.

Vote for the only City Council candidate who has consistently demonstrated a commitment to water policy that is grounded in facts, science and expertise.

Vote for Raoul Zubia.