Guest Editorial: The Problem with Extremism

By Councilwoman Betty Janik Extremism was once considered an ideology, a belief system, outside of the common sense attitudes of society.  Unfortunately, it now seems to be the norm.  With the constant news stream of outrageous commentary, we are tempted to believe what we hear and frequently what we are shown.  Social media has been used effectively to promote extremist positions … Read More

An Interesting Potential Solution for Housing Affordability Crisis

We don’t need to tell you that the housing crisis in Arizona is one of the most important issues that impacts so many Arizonans. We have led the country in rent increases, and the median home price has risen exponentially and now tops an eye-popping $500,000. And we have spoken plenty about the need for more housing options; increasing supply … Read More

Ortega, Whitehead, Janik, Durham, Littlefield: Please Meet Kathleen Black

As recently reported by the Wall Street Journal Scottsdale now has the distinction of being America’s top city for inflation.  We can think of better accolades.  Related to this topic is something Laurie Roberts from the Arizona Republic recently wrote about:  rising housing costs. Here is something very powerful and disturbing she wrote:  “You’ve heard the stories, or maybe you’re … Read More

Scottsdale in Top 10 Nationally for Rent – When Will We Learn?

We have been shouting from the rooftops about the rental crisis here in Arizona and the inadequate responses from local leadership (and overreaching responses from Legislative leadership). If you’re a regular reader, this is nothing new to you. But now us here in Scottsdale have reached new heights in this regard; just not necessarily in the right way. According to … Read More

The Council of No Strikes Again – Ironwood 92 Forced to Withdraw

We had high hopes for Ironwood 92: a well thought out development that would have provided affordable housing for healthcare workers and helped drive down rent prices by increasing supply. We had high hopes, but they were dashed by the Council of No. Last week, the developers of Ironwood 92 asked for a simple continuance to help ensure that their … Read More

Sensible Sobriety In Scottsdale

We weren’t big fans of the Greenbelt 88 multi-family proposal to largely replace a shopping center at Hayden and Osborn with apartments.  But the way in which it passed the Scottsdale City Council last night on a 5-2 vote (with Mayor Ortega and Councilwoman Littlefield dissenting) was important and instructive. The majority seemed to get what Scottsdale voters expressed in a … Read More