By Paula Sturgeon By now the word of my departure from the race for Scottsdale City Council has made the rounds. Even Rod Pritchett at The Edge has published the news. I announced it on my Facebook page but wish now to share beyond that circle, both my choice and the reasons therefore. Recently, a new gentleman came into my … Read More
Spring Training is Likely Dead in 2022: What Does It Mean for Scottsdale?
It’s been an extremely unfortunate time for baseball fans. If you count yourselves amongst them, I don’t need to tell you that Major League Baseball is currently in a lock-out. This time of year is typically a great one for Arizona, as Cactus League games are in full force with fans taking in games with our fantastic early-spring weather. As … 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
Guest Editorial: Scottsdale Promised and Scottsdale Delivered
By Co-Chairs Andrea Alley, Dana Close, Mike Norton, Dennis Robbins, Paula Sturgeon “For The Best Scottsdale”, a Political Action Committee “Early 2019, our group formed the Political Action Committee that supported our City’s efforts to approve General Obligation Bonds funding Capital Improvements in our City. As we campaigned, we made some strong commitments to voters, as did our City Council … 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
Join the Growing Scottsdale Jazz Festival For the 11th Annual ‘International Jazz Day’
Saturday, April 30th From 3pm – 10pm at Scottsdale Civic Center (Northeast) Lawn Enjoy Legendary Jazz Musicians Richard Elliot, Rick Braun and Nayo Jones, to Name a Few Courtesy of the expanding Scottsdale Jazz Festival, make plans now to celebrate the 11th Annual International Jazz Day at the Scottsdale Civic Center (Northeast) Lawn from … 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
Assisted Living Care Rezone Hits Snag in Planning Committee – Another Example of Anti-Growth Policies?
We have spoken frequently about the lack of affordable housing and Scottsdale leadership’s refusal to rectify the problem. However, it seems as though this issue is manifesting itself in ways other than NIMBYism and no movement on potential developments. In a recent case, even an assisted living center is finding the pathway difficult. A recent application near the intersection of … 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