Op-Ed: The Raoul Zubia I Know

By Doreen Reinke

Campaigns have a way of reducing people to mailers, slogans and thirty-second advertisements. But the Raoul Zubia I know is much easier to describe: he is a good man who genuinely cares about Scottsdale.

Raoul was born and raised here. Scottsdale isn’t someplace he moved to and decided to get involved in; it is home. His memories are here. His friendships are here. His family is here. And his commitment to this community didn’t begin when he decided to run for City Council.

For years, Raoul has quietly done the work.

He has served Scottsdale through the Human Services Commission, the Protect and Preserve Scottsdale Task Force, Partners for Paiute, our schools, charitable organizations and community events. If there is work to be done, Raoul has never needed his name at the top of the program before agreeing to help.

That tells you something about a person.

I’ve also watched how Raoul treats people. He listens. He asks questions. He doesn’t assume the person across the table is an enemy simply because they disagree. In today’s politics, that quality is becoming far too rare.

Raoul isn’t interested in turning every disagreement into a fight. He wants to understand the problem, gather the facts and figure out what will actually work.

Scottsdale City Council could use more of that.

This election will feature plenty of arguments about policies and votes, as it should. But character matters too. Temperament matters. Judgment matters.

I’ve known Raoul outside the campaign spotlight. The person voters see today is the same person his friends have known for years: thoughtful, dependable, hardworking and deeply proud of this community.

That’s why I’m supporting my friend Raoul Zubia for Scottsdale City Council.

Doreen is a Community Philanthropist