Scottsdale Deserves Better, Even From Its Best

By Ronald Sampson

We ran a guest editorial from Scottsdale Councilwoman Kathy Littlefield this week, “Steady Water Management, Not Campaign Rhetoric.” It’s exactly what it sounds like: a policy argument about how the city should handle its water future, written by someone with a vote on the council. Worth reading, worth debating.

Instead, the comment section produced this, aimed at Littlefield’s husband, Bob: “It must be eating Bob up inside that he can’t hog the mic for 3 more months. Bye Bye Bob, take your one faded red dress shirt with you.” It came from a regular commentator and someone we know, a person who has long been a commentator on the city.

Jason Alexander Knows Better Than This

That name should carry weight in this conversation, not because of a dress shirt joke, but because Jason Alexander was one of the leading voices opposing the Desert Discovery Center back when that fight over the McDowell Sonoran Preserve was one of the more consequential land-use battles in Scottsdale’s history. He showed up, made a substantive case in public, and helped shape a real outcome. Agree with him or not on that fight, he’s an accomplished, engaging guy who has earned a seat at the table in this city’s politics.

Which is exactly why a line about somebody’s shirt is beneath him. It doesn’t engage a single argument in Kathy Littlefield’s editorial. It doesn’t even try. A guy capable of making the Desert Discovery Center case deserves better material than a wardrobe jab, and so does Scottsdale.

Aim for the Bowl, Not the Floor

There’s an old bit of bathroom wisdom that applies here: aim for the bowl, not the floor. Criticism belongs on the argument, not on someone’s shirt or how long they’ve been in the room. Missing the target doesn’t make the point sharper. It just makes the whole conversation dirtier for everyone who has to clean up after it.

Scottsdale has real debates to have this cycle, water chief among them. Mr. Alexander has shown he can make a real argument. So can the Littlefields, whether you’re a fan of theirs or not. The city is better served when people who are capable of the real fight actually have it, instead of taking the easy shot because it’s sitting right there.