Guest Editorial: Dubauskas Beats Lawfare

By Councilwoman Jan Dubauskas Dear Friends, We are winning! Last week, the AZ Bar dismissed a frivolous complaint made against my license to practice law in the state of Arizona. Yes – incredibly, lawfare has come to Scottsdale City Council – and WE WON! The AZ Bar found that I acted in “good faith.” Your conservative majority is extremely effective and has accomplished … Read More

Guest Editorial: Fighting Scottsdale’s New Enemies

Dear Friends: In last week’s newsletter I described how those of us who are fighting to protect Scottsdale’s special character and high quality have a new enemy, state government! Over the last few years our legislature and governor have passed legislation that, among other outrages, attempts to cancel the Axon apartment referendum, forces so-called “Accessory Dwelling Units” on Scottsdale, forces Scottsdale to … Read More

Guest Editorial: The importance of passing ideology-free budgets in Scottsdale

By Councilman Barry Graham City government works best when it’s anchored in its essential responsibilities: keeping residents safe, maintaining the city’s infrastructure and preserving public open space. That’s why I’m proud of the FY2026 budget that the city council is currently working on — a return to fundamentals that one of my colleagues calls “public safety, potholes and parks.” There’s … Read More

Guest Editorial: Scottsdale’s Budget Priorities

By Councilwoman Solange Whitehead Scottsdale’s 2025–26 tentative budget is poised for unanimous approval. With some notable exceptions, it funds long-standing community priorities. The fiscal discipline of past City Councils and voter-approved funding streams make this budget possible. In my six years on Council, we’ve reduced police retirement debt by $60 million, built a $120 million reserve, and lowered taxes. Our … Read More

Our Leaders are Fighting for Our City, and We Should Be Thankful

By Alexander Lomax Checks and balances are important in life. We need checks and balances in our government, checks and balances in our interpersonal relationships, and checks and balances within the corporate world. Complete overregulation is bad, but a world where corporations have no checks on their power isn’t any better either as the industrial revolution taught us (if you … Read More

Guest Editorial: Tears for Tolerance

By Betty Janik On February 11, 2025, Scottsdale City Council was asked to vote on Ordinance 4662 which ensured COS employees are hired and promoted based on merit and to discontinue DEI programs. Once again, certain members of Council fabricated a problem that does not exist in the halls of Council and concocted a solution that was totally unwarranted, but … Read More

Guest Editorial: Saying Goodbye and Thank You & Happy New Year!

By Councilwoman Solange Whitehead As we wrap up our four years together, I am writing to thank my outgoing colleagues Mayor David Ortega and Councilmembers Betty Janik, Tammy Caputi, and Tom Durham. Together we set Scottsdale on a winning trajectory that will deliver results for decades to come. I am so honored to have worked with all of you and wanted to highlight some of … Read More

Tearing Apart the Data of the Scottsdale Elections: City Council

In our series where we break down the election results from Scottsdale, we have already looked at the mayoral race as well as the ballot propositions. For our third of three pieces, we will take a look at the Scottsdale City Council races, typified by major upheaval as both incumbents on the November ballot were ousted (after newcomer Jan Dubauskas … Read More