This year’s Scottsdale mayoral race won’t be anywhere near as wild as it was in 2020. Back then there were five competitors, including five current and past city councilmembers, vying for an open seat. This year it is much more tame, with an incumbent running against two former councilmembers. As is often the case in politics, the campaign finance reports … Read More
Who is the Heck is Mason Gates?
Scottsdalians who use social media have almost certainly been confronted with Mason Gates; he is a Scottsdale city council candidate who has seemingly come out of nowhere, spraying digital ads throughout the city, highlighting videos of him speaking and what he touts as an army of kids willing to do his bidding. While digital political ads are nothing new, his … Read More
Scottsdale Mayor David D. Ortega Files for Second Term
Editor’s note: this is the press release sent out by the Ortega campaign this morning The Right Mayor at the Right Time for Scottsdale Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega files to run for a second term. Under his leadership, Scottsdale’s reputation as a beautiful, safe, clean and health-driven, world- class community has been strengthened. Mayor Ortega focuses on supporting public safety, … Read More
It’s Official: Tammy Caputi Not Challenging David Ortega for Mayor
Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega will be facing what could be a tough re-election campaign next year, with a number of strong known and potential candidates looking to unseat him. However his path towards re-election looks as though it will be a bit easier with a recent announcement. In a reversal from what was long rumored but ultimately found to be … Read More
Scottsdale Making Itself an Even Better Place to Work with Parental Leave
We all know that Scottsdale is a great place to live, to raise a family, to vacation, and to spend your weekends. We rarely think about how it is to work for the city of Scottsdale however; little is said about city employees, which often is a positive. But city leadership has found room for improvement, and in the process … Read More
Looking Forward: The Scottsdale Mayoral Race
Next year will present many interesting electoral races; along with a Presidential race, Arizona will showcase what is likely to be one of the most interesting Senate races in the country, as well as all of the countywide races. But there will also be a host of local races, and for those of us in Scottsdale, the headline municipal race … Read More
Guest Editorial: Defending Scottsdale water is no vice
By Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega This week, two significant water-related issues made the headlines. First, Governor Hobbs acted to stop Fondomonte, the Saudi Arabia-owned alfalfa farm, to halt it from draining billions of gallons of Arizona groundwater. Secondly, the Rio Verde Standpipe District met state statutes and City of Scottsdale’s stringent requirements to operate, serving Rio Verde Foothills (RVF). Supervisor … Read More
Why is Banner Health Looking to Short-Change Arizona? A Story of Zoning Chicanery
The world of zoning rules and regulations can be arcane, byzantine, and frankly…boring. That said, there are times when it truly matters, as it can impact quality of life both locally and for the entire state. A couple of recent developments demonstrate exactly how, and how some of our potential business neighbors may not be the best of neighbors. A … Read More
Finally! The New Scottsdale Civic Center is Done: What Can You Expect?
It has been a long and winding road when it comes to the much ballyhooed Scottsdale Civic Center upgrade. It has been behind schedule with early reviews being less than generous, especially with regards to shade. However, it would seem that early unveilings were a false start of sorts, and the completed project is now finalized and ready for the … Read More
Is Low Growth Here to Stay in Scottsdale?
It has been no secret that the current make-up of the Scottsdale City Council has been what could be called “growth hesitant”; that there is a concerted effort to focus on what are deemed to be unimpeachably high-quality projects to the detriment of overall growth. We have labeled them “the Council of No” before, where they sometimes seem to look … Read More