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
Guest Editorial: Thank You Scottsdale
By Councilwoman Tammy Caputi The results of the general election are complete, and the outcome is disappointing. We never let up after the primary, talking to residents and businesses all over the city. We maintained a positive, forward-thinking, Independent message and refused to get drawn in to negative campaigning, but unfortunately this was an anti-incumbent cycle that seemed to value … Read More
Repost: Finally, an Arizona politician does the right thing. He quits.
By EJ Montini (original article can be found here) Scottsdale City Council member Tom Durham did something Thursday night that anyone who follow politics on any level would find to be shocking, even bizarre. It’s called … the right thing. I know. I had a hard time believing it myself when I read the article by The Arizona Republic’s Sam Kmack. Durham … Read More
Guest Editorial: Prop 490 No Longer in Limbo
By Councilwoman Betty Janik Prop 490, the sales tax measure to protect and preserve open space, will be on the November Ballot. It has been a tortuous path. The Goldwater Institute filed suit late in the game on behalf of Mayor Lane, Yvonne Cahill, and Susan Wood to block it from the November ballot alleging misleading information. The lower court … Read More
How are the Scottsdale City Council Races Looking in the Final Stretch?
Now that Q2 campaign finance reports are in for all candidates, as are many of their required “pre-primary” reports showing financial activity between July 1st and 13th, we have gotten some additional insight into the strength of the campaigns of Scottsdale City Council candidates. Again, Tammy Caputi is dominating the competition raising an impressive nearly $89K during Q2 and spending … Read More
The Scottsdale City Council 2022 Race is Now Set: How Does It Look?
As with every campaign, it’s easy to say that you’re running for office; you can even file some paperwork to make it official. However actually getting on the ballot is a very different matter, involving the collection of a significant number of signatures from voters. Since the signature deadline has now passed, unless a candidate’s signatures are challenged we have … Read More
Scottsdale City Council Outlines Their Priorities – Are They In Touch With the Needs of Scottsdalians?
Last week, the Scottsdale City Council convened on a retreat in order to outline some of their priorities as they apply to the implementation of the Scottsdale General Plan 2035. It is a good window into the mind of the members of the Council, and we are here to dig deeper into them. First, we seem to get some insights … Read More
Longtime Scottsdale Activist Paula Sturgeon Entering 2022 City Council Race, and We Could Do Much Worse
It is definitely not too early to start looking forward to the 2022 Scottsdale City Council elections to kick the tires a bit on potential candidates. We will have three seats up for election: those seats are currently held by Kathy Littlefield, Linda Milhaven, and Solange Whitehead. As a reminder, we do not currently have a district system, so all … Read More
Featured Editorial: Mayor Ortega is Setting Scottsdale Up for a Major Loss
By Larry Kush Yet another battle is taking shape between property rights advocates and our cities mayor over the mayor’s goal of gutting the Old Town Scottsdale Character Area Plan (OTSCAP) which was adopted in 2018. In case you have not heard of it, OTSCAP serves as the regulatory long-range plan that guides growth and development in downtown Scottsdale, and … Read More