Dear Mr. Smith: As you are no doubt aware thousands of Scottsdale residents from conservatives to liberals have come together to put the recent Scottsdale City Council approval, awarding Axon the largest apartment complex in Scottsdale history, to a public vote. What you may not be aware is that as of today, the halfway point of the 30 day period the … Read More
You Can’t Make This Stuff Up
Axon’s own renderings for its apartment city
Local Democrats Pivot Towards Awful Policy, Demonstrating Why They Lose
By Alexander Lomax It was a tough year for Democrats all around this year, and Arizona was yet another example of this. They lost ground in the state legislature and have made Governor Hobbs’s intention to get a majority in at least either the State House or Senate a pipe dream. Perhaps the biggest issue nationally was a question as … Read More
Guest Editorial: Scottsdale’s Green New Deal & Axon Referendum
By Councilwoman-Elect Jan Dubauskas Dear Friends – It’s time to count our blessings, express our gratitude, and spend time with dear family and friends. Please know that I am extremely grateful for YOU. Your activism, enthusiasm, and grassroots work secured a historic victory for the city of Scottsdale and for our future – THANK YOU! As you could probably guess, we … Read More
Outgoing Mayor and City Councilmembers Add an Unfortunate End to Their Legacy with Axon
By Alexander Lomax A lame duck session in politics is the period after the election but before the inauguration of new members. It’s when leaders who either did not run for re-election or lost their re-election raves are unencumbered by future expectations and criticisms, where they can defy the expectations of their constituency with few repercussions. It’s also a time … Read More
Scottsdale’s Least Favorite Bully Returns
By Ronald Sampson Just when I had hoped that it would be the end of it, that the city of Scottsdale would get a reprieve from the constant harassment, it persists. Like a woman at a club who keeps getting hit on by a guy that won’t take no for an answer, regardless of her friends and her beefy boyfriend … Read More
ASM versus Optima: Where Economic Growth Battles Quality of Life
We all want economic growth, and Arizona (and Scottsdale, more specifically) has been on fire in that regard recently. This has been optimized by the massive recent announcement by semiconductor-adjacent giant ASM, which recently announced an absolutely mammoth expansion in Scottsdale (you can learn more about it here). But as with anything mammoth, there will be winners and there will … Read More
BREAKING NEWS: They’re Back…
A movie phrase made famous by Poltergeist apparently is the long rumored reality as Axon is purportedly readying to return its immensely unpopular apartment plan to Scottsdale decision-making dais. And in the “you can’t make this up” category, they are apparently targeting Planning Commission and City Council hearings immediately after the election on November 13th and November 19th. Too cute by half, but more … Read More
Lessons to Learn from Jan Dubauskas and the City Council Elections: The Merits of Opposing Egregious Overdevelopment
The Scottsdale City Council election results were an illuminating one; while Jan Dubauskas was expected to perform well, given strong fundraising compared to most of the rest of the pack and previous experience as a candidate (nearly upsetting John Kavanagh in a 2022 GOP primary for the state senate), she was an early front-runner to at least go on to … Read More
Axon President the Highest Paid Executive Officer in Arizona (While They Continue to be a Thorn in the Side of Scottsdale)
What a wonderful year it has been for Axon. Every quarterly earnings report seems to come with it blockbuster financials, with massive revenue, huge profits, and a skyrocketing stock price. Everything seems to be going wonderfully for the company, even as it threatens and bullies the city of Scottsdale to get everything it wants (read the whole story here). How … Read More