Axon Spent Big in Scottsdale and Lost Anyway: Dissecting a Failure

By Alexander Lomax Scottsdale voters just handed Axon a lesson in the limits of money. By unofficial results, Michelle Ugenti-Rita and Barry Graham won the two open council seats. Raoul Zubia finished third. For the company and its allies, that was the worst case scenario, and it happened anyway. The Warning Signs Were There We saw this coming. In June, … Read More

Solange Whitehead Shows What Grace in Politics Looks Like

By Ronald Sampson A Gracious Note in a Rough Week Scottsdale just finished one of the more contentious council cycles in recent memory. There were attack ads, super PAC spending, a viral toilet-to-tap video and a debate where candidates traded barbs on stage. So when Councilwoman Solange Whitehead took to Facebook after Election Day, one could have reasonably expected more … Read More

Guest Editorial: Keep Scottsdale on the Resident-Friendly Path

By Councilman Barry Graham Today, Scottsdale residents choose whether we keep heading in a resident-friendly direction or get dragged backward to the days when ideology ran rampant, roads stagnated, and developers called the shots at the expense of your water security and quality of life. I’ve kept my word: High-density projects that change the character of Scottsdale got a firm … Read More

Guest Editorial: Zubia Stays Silent as Outside Interests Try to Rescue His Campaign

By Barry Graham With Election Day just days away, an unprecedented last-minute surge of outside special interests is rushing to prop up Raoul Zubia. Why? They know Zubia is their guy. He’s lobbied for thousands of high-density apartments, pushed for tax hikes and ideological bureaucracies, and taken money from the Bar District, the short-term rental lobby, and Axon’s apartment developers. … Read More

Guest Editorial: A Brief History of the Bloc Majority Actions

By Betty Janik In January, 2024, the Bloc (Dubaskas, Graham, Kwasman and Littlefield) became the dominant force on Scottsdale City Council with Barry Graham as their spokesperson.   Below is a brief summary of a few of their more notable actions: They voted the voluntary Sustainability plan down allowing no discussion. The plan included a chapter on water conservation which would … Read More

Op-Ed: Barry Graham Is Getting Desperate. And It Shows.

By Raoul Zubia Barry Graham is getting desperate. And with Election Day approaching, his campaign’s increasingly bizarre tactics are raising serious questions about just how far he’s willing to go to hold onto power. Consider recent developments. First, the Arizona Court of Appeals upheld Proposition 490, the voter-approved measure I helped develop to protect Scottsdale’s parks, preserve, and public safety. … Read More

Op-Ed: Before You Vote, Read What the Scottsdale Progress Just Reported.

By Councilman Barry Graham Residents deserve to know who is trying to buy influence in our city elections. In last weekend’s edition, the Scottsdale Progress reported that the Axon-linked Better Together PAC is under investigation. State officials found a reasonable likelihood that the PAC violated Arizona campaign finance laws and referred the case to the Attorney General. The alleged violations … Read More

Guest Editorial: We Choose Residents. Zubia Chooses Special Interests.

By Barry Graham and Michelle Ugenti-Rita A simple theme has emerged in this City Council election: We choose Scottsdale residents, while Raoul Zubia consistently chooses special interests. That difference is obvious on the water security issue. The city’s water experts say our supply is secure. We believe it must still be conserved, recycled, banked, and — most importantly — not … Read More