The water crisis in the Rio Verde Foothills has been the political football that keeps getting punted back and forth.(get up to date here). Politicians at all levels of government have weighed in, and the result has been slow progress. It now appears as though the stand-off is in its final stages, as the city of Scottsdale has voted to … Read More
Guest Editorial: Galvin Applauds Law Addressing Rio Verde Foothills Water Crisis, But Has Concerns
By Supervisor Thomas Galvin Maricopa County Supervisor Thomas Galvin says he’s “cautiously optimistic” about a new law that seeks to end the water crisis in Rio Verde Foothills (RVF). Governor Katie Hobbs signed Senate Bill 1432 yesterday, which should, hopefully, get water flowing to RVF quickly. SB 1432 sets up a standpipe district that will enter into an agreement with … Read More
Guest Editorial: Statement about Maricopa County TikTok Ban
By Maricopa County Supervisor Thomas Galvin Government agencies possess a lot of sensitive data—some of it private in nature—and one of our core jobs is making sure that data is secure and cannot be compromised. Unfortunately, we live in a time where privacy is more difficult to achieve than ever, whether you’re an individual or a large organization. We know … Read More
Lessons in Leadership: What Really Happened to the Rio Verde Foothills Water Plan
You are very likely aware of the ongoing Rio Verde Foothills water crisis; hopefully you’ve read some of our coverage, but regardless you’re likely aware of the highly concerned citizenry in the unincorporated town on the outskirts of Scottsdale, as well as the political bickering between the city of Scottsdale and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. A new story … Read More
The New Battle Lines with the Rio Verde Foothills Water Crisis Emerges: the City of Scottsdale v. Maricopa County
For a few moments, we thought that the Rio Verde Foothills water crisis was mostly resolved. We thought we had turned a corner, and that an agreement had been largely agreed upon. But to the detriment of the citizens of the Foothills and to the benefit of the pundits who appreciate good stories to write about, the story is clearly … Read More
Rio Verde Foothills Updates: Mayor Ortega is Softening His Tone, and New AG Mayes Weighs In
The ongoing water crisis with the Rio Verde Foothills is indeed a very difficult situation for the residents there with many moving parts from the legal and legislative side, especially with summer coming. As the residents seek any good options, the battle lines had been drawn with Mayor Ortega taking a staunch position against using city resources to help. Given … Read More
A Showdown in Scottsdale City Council – Will the Rio Verde Foothills Get Access to Water?
We don’t have to tell you that water is a subject of critical importance in our little slice of desert heaven, a subject that we have spoken about at length. Perhaps the one area that is the most intense and contentious Ground Zero for the water debate in our county and perhaps even the entire state and further is right … Read More
Featured Editorial: Taking Responsibility, Thwarting Misinformation, Advocating for Change
By Maricopa County Supervisor Thomas Galvin I’m proud that 1.56 million Maricopa County residents voted in the 2022 election. It’s the second-highest midterm election turnout for Maricopa County in the last 50 years. Here are some additional interesting statistics. 52% of the votes cast were sent in early by mail 22% of the early ballots returned were dropped off at … Read More
Thomas Galvin to be Steve Chucri’s replacement at BoS – A Reasonable Choice
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors is easily one of the most important elected boards that manages to fly under the radar of the overall electorate. These are the five people that are in charge of the people who run the 4th largest county in America; their inherent importance shouldn’t be understated. They manage a multi-billion dollar budget allocated to … Read More