By Jason Rose I ran my first successful campaign in Scottsdale in 1994. Two years later I consulted on the campaign that elected the city’s first female mayor, Sam Campana. Ever since I have been heavily involved in the Scottsdale political scene leading elections for other mayors, hockey arenas and bonds to fund new infrastructure. I offer these credentials not … Read More
The NIMBY’s Actually Lost a Battle in Scottsdale: How Positive of a Sign Is This?
We have griped quite a bit about the Council of No in Scottsdale and the sacrifice of reasonable growth for the holy grail of perfect developments; letting perfect be the enemy of good, in essence. So imagine our very deep surprise when a mixed-use development passed through the Council recently! What looks to be an intriguing mixed-use project near Marshall … Read More
Scottsdale State of the City Address: What To Glean From It
Mayor Dave Ortega recently had his State of the City address, done via Zoom and available for viewing on YouTube. Generally an avenue to brag about accomplishments and talk about initiatives for the future, it’s often a way to get insight into the priorities of the Mayor. So how about this one? For those who don’t want to watch the … Read More
Street Racing Comes to Scottsdale – City is Wisely Clamping Down on It
We all know that Scottsdale typically strikes a nice balance between being a quiet place to live and raise a family and having a robust party scene. When that robust party scene turns into streets being blocked off with street racing, and thus imperiling others, it has gone too far. Street racers recently took over the intersection of Camelback and … Read More
The Battle Lines are Shaping Up for Scottsdale District Idea, with Some Surprises
Last week we talked about the impending push to turn Scottsdale city elections into a district system instead of the current at-large election system. While there is still a long way to go, as sufficient signatures still need to be collected before it can even go to a public vote, the difficulty that the future proposition will likely face is … Read More
A District System for Scottsdale? It May Be Headed for the Ballot; Who Wins and Loses
As you very likely know, when you vote for a Scottsdale city councilmember, you don’t vote for one in your district. There are no voting districts in Scottsdale; all councilmembers are voted in “at large”. That might change for the 2024 election, as a local group will attempt to put the issue on the ballot for a public vote. 3-2-One … Read More
Conflict in Scottsdale City Council: Are They Looking for a Lawsuit?
It hasn’t been a big secret that Mayor David Ortega has had a sometimes contentious relationship with a few other members of the city council. That has recently come out in the open even more however, with a recent tift with Councilwoman Tammy Caputi coming to light and with potential stakes including a significant lawsuit. The most recent conflict is … Read More
Scottsdale City Council Living Up to Promises and Doing What the State Won’t: Regulating Short-Term Rentals
We have recently written about the town of Paradise Valley’s attempts to curb short-term rentals (STRs) in the face of inaction by our state government. Now Scottsdale is getting in on those attempts in the fight for preservation of a high quality of life. The Scottsdale City Council recently unanimously voted to close loopholes in STR laws in the city, … Read More
Scottsdale’s State of the City Address: What We Would Like to See
Scottsdale Mayor Dave Ortega has his first State of the City address coming up next month. Typically such addresses, like you’ve often seen at the Presidential level, are both a celebration of successes (both touted and actual) as well as a declaration of future initiatives. With it being Ortega’s first, after a not-uninteresting first year in office, we are deeply … Read More
Scottsdale Votes Yes on Proposition 463
As you are likely aware, yesterday was Election Day, and aside from some big-ticket bellwether races across the country, Scottsdale cast its vote for or against the Scottsdale General Plan 2035, or Proposition 463. While votes are left to count, it appears to be on its way to victory. After the first batch of votes counted, which typically includes nearly … Read More