Scottsdale City Council Swearing-In Remarks: What We Learned

The Scottsdale City Council held its inauguration and swearing-in event last week, with two members (Kathy Littlefield and Solange Whitehead) being re-elected to a second term and one (Barry Graham) being new to the council dais. Each of the members was given an opportunity to speak, and as such gave an opportunity to peer in and speculate as to how … Read More

The Spirit of the Holidays is Alive and Well in Scottsdale

The holidays can often bring out the best of us, as our collective spirits look towards giving back and making the lives of others just a bit better, if only for a short time. And while politics often brings out the worst of us, when the latter can be used to bring light to the lives of others, then we … Read More

Guest Editorial: The Political Earthquake In Scottsdale No One Is Talking About . . .And Ramifications For The City’s Future

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

Local Election Recap: Money Didn’t Win in Scottsdale (and What Else We Learned)

Money is traditionally a significant determinant of a political campaign’s success, but as we are prone to saying, that alone doesn’t make or break an election; all the money in the world won’t matter if you don’t use it well, or your message doesn’t resonate. This lesson was as pronounced as it could possibly be in last week’s Scottsdale City … Read More

Scottsdale City Council Race: the YIMBY vs NIMBY Battle Lines are Drawn

The first election is thankfully right around the corner, so we will get a reprieve from the political ads for a brief few moments. But in the meantime, partially lost in the shuffle of the competitive primaries in Arizona is the Scottsdale City Council race. And some significant battle lines are being drawn around the issue of development. Indeed, the … Read More

How Does the Money Race Look for Scottsdale City Council Candidates?

The August election is almost within sight, and Q2 campaign finance reports were due on July 15th, giving us more insight as to how each of the candidates is doing in the vital money race. So how do the candidates stack up as we approach the election? We will start at the bottom, and two candidates are in very precarious … Read More

Guest Editorial: My Endorsements for City Council

By Councilwoman Betty Janik I am pleased to endorse Barry Graham for a first term on Scottsdale City Council. Barry has given generously of his time, serving on several boards and commissions, often as chairman. His experience on the Transportation Commission, the Building Advisory Appeals Board, and most recently the Planning Commission, are an asset to City Council. He is … Read More

Which Scottsdale City Council Candidate Has the Best Signs?

Street signs are perhaps the most obnoxious, useless and expensive form of political advertising around. As many politicos often say, “Signs don’t vote”. So why do we see so many of them every year? Because no one wants to be the one candidate without any signs. However in a politically contentious and highly charged atmosphere as we currently have, we … Read More

Scottsdale Candidates Participate in Candidate Forum: Who Nailed It?

Election season is heating up, and Scottsdale will be electing three Councilmembers to help guide the city. Our elected officials will face numerous critically important issues in their approach to leadership, and as such we were pleased to find that the Scottsdale Independent put all of the candidates on the record regarding their views of some of them. You can … 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