For months, Scottsdale residents watched a deep-pocketed group push around three council candidates. Now someone with a badge is paying attention. According to The Arizona Republic, the Attorney General’s Office is reviewing a complaint that Better Together, a PAC with close ties to Axon, failed to properly disclose its donors on signs and ads. As we asked back in July, … Read More
Guest Editorial: Tourism is Big Business in Scottsdale
By Michelle Ugenti-Rita Fall has always been one of my favorite times of year in Scottsdale. Growing up here, I remember the excitement as tourism season kicked into gear. Throughout high school and college, I worked at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort, now the Kimpton Miralina Resort and Villas, where we’d watch occupancy rates climb as business conferences, weddings, and other … Read More
Op-Ed: South Scottsdale Is Scottsdale. Period.
By Becca Linnig Raoul Zubia has called Scottsdale home his entire life. He was raised here, educated here, and today lives in the same South Scottsdale home where he grew up, having returned to care for his aging mother. It’s a story familiar to many Scottsdale families: deep roots, generational ties, and a commitment to the community that raised them. … Read More
Op-Ed: Elections Have Consequences. So Do School Closures.
By Jeanne Beasley Elections have consequences. This week, Scottsdale families saw just how significant those consequences can be when the Governing Board voted 3-2 to close two more neighborhood schools. Copper Ridge and Laguna will join Pima and Echo Canyon as schools our community is losing. Four schools in less than a year. Behind every closure are students, teachers, families, … Read More
Op-Ed: Scottsdale Deserves a Council Member Above Suspicion. That Isn’t Graham.
By Susan Salvaterra Public office runs on trust. Barry Graham has spent that trust down to almost nothing. Graham is at the center of an Attorney General investigation into whether Scottsdale’s council violated open meeting law. According to the Arizona Republic, five of the six citizen complaints involve him. They allege that he used personal email accounts to coordinate talking … Read More
Former Scottsdale Planning Commissioner Christian Serena Weighing in on the Scottsdale City Council Race
I served on Scottsdale’s Planning Commission when Axon asked us to approve roughly 1,900 apartments at Hayden and the Loop 101. I read every page of the plans. I listened to the residents who filled our hearings. And I voted no. What followed was documented in a letter from the city attorney: pressure aimed at my private employer over that … Read More
Scottsdale Needs Real Control Over Short-Term Rentals
By Raoul Zubia I have lived in this neighborhood since the 1960s. For the past few years, I have been living in my childhood home to help my aging mother. In all those years, I had never heard gunfire on our street until early Sunday morning. Shots were fired in the front yard, the backyard and the street of a … Read More
Op-Ed: Scottsdale’s Future Depends on Getting Water and Growth Right
By Ana Landeros I’m proud to be a Scottsdale resident. I attended our schools here, graduated from Coronado High School, and now attend Scottsdale Community College. My family and I moved to Scottsdale because of its promise of community and opportunity. Now, at 18 years old, I know that the decisions made about Scottsdale today will impact my generation and … Read More
Old Town Farmers Market Move – A Success!
By Councilwoman Jan Dubauskas Scottsdale’s treasured Old Town Farmers Market has a vibrant new home at City Hall – and the results are better than anyone expected! The expanded site now offers seating, shade from trees and solar canopies, and more space for vendors and families. On opening day Oct. 3, the market drew an estimated 2,700 visitors—about 1,000 more … Read More