One of the bigger surprises of the November election was the relative trouncing that incumbent Mayor Dave Ortega received at the hands of Lisa Borowsky. Most pundits figured it would be a close election but that the power of incumbency would win out; instead, the mayoral race mirrored a significant rightward shift across American politics, and Borowsky won by over … Read More
How Not to Lose: David Ortega Does No Favors for His Legacy
by Ronald Sampson Many times history won’t judge you based on how you act after you win, but how you react to a loss. It’s easy to be gracious after a victory, but after a bitter, grueling effort that results in an unfortunate outcome, do you offer best wishes for your opponent or do you claim malfeasance and attempt to … 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
What Now for the Soon-to-be-Former Mayor? Mayor Dave Ortega’s Next Potential Steps
For winners of political campaigns, the to-do list is a fairly clear one: prepare themselves for the office, consider the staff they’ll need, and be ready to hit the ground running. What is next for elected officials who lose their re-election campaigns is far less frequently talked about. What about Scottsdale Mayor Dave Ortega? After what was presumed to be … Read More
Lisa Borowsky’s Path to Victory: How’d She Do It?
In a season of many election surprises locally, few were as surprising at the Scottsdale Mayoral race, where Lisa Borowsky overcame a significant deficit in the August primary to win a decisive victory over incumbent Mayor Dave Ortega. Now that we have the value of hindsight, it’s worth considering how this significant upset happened. So how did it? First, it’s … Read More
Scottsdale Mayoral Campaign Update: Where Do the Candidates Stand?
The Scottsdale Mayoral run-off between Mayor David Ortega and Lisa Borowsky is entering its final stages, and there are a number of things we can glean from the final stretch. First, the last campaign finance reports of note have been released, and that offers crucial insight. Q3 was a very strong fundraising quarter for Mayor Ortega, raising $113K and leaving … Read More
Early Election Results: Potential Shocks, Numerous Surprises
By Alexander Lomax The initial primary results have come in, and at the time of writing there are still a few questions but also a number of answers. There were a couple shocks, some more surprises, and increased clarity as to how the November elections will shake out. First off, Republican turnout was robust both locally and throughout the county; … Read More
Former Mayor Jim Lane, Misguided Opponents to Popular Scottsdale Initiative Get Smacked Down in Court
By Ronald Sampson Regular readers and most Scottsdalians are aware of Proposition 490, the Protect and Preserve Initiative that will expand maintenance and upgrades for our city’s many parks while simultaneously reducing our collective tax burden, a situation that’s as much of a win-win as you will ever find in government. But of course, you will never make 100% of … Read More
Sparks Fly in Recent Scottsdale Mayoral Debate
As you almost certainly know, Scottsdale voters will decide on July 30th whether or not to give David Ortega a second term. Former councilmembers Lisa Borowsky and Linda Milhaven are taking him on and attempting to make it to a run-off election in November, and a recent forum demonstrated both that the knives have officially come out, and what specific … Read More
Will Mayor David Ortega Win Outright on July 30th?
Amongst the many partisan primaries that will be decided in the July 30th election, Scottsdale will also have its municipal races on that same ballot, both mayoral and city council races. While perhaps one city council candidate will avoid a run-off and win outright in July (Tammy Caputi has the best chance with an enormous fundraising lead), the mayoral race … Read More