By Alexander Lomax
Axon’s Apartment Plans
An Unfinished Investigation
By now, most Scottsdale watchers are familiar with the broad strokes of the Lamar Whitmer matter. Whitmer, who served as Mayor Lisa Borowsky’s Chief of Staff, was let go in March following a 65-day city investigation that examined seven categories of alleged misconduct. Five of the seven allegations were substantiated. Two were not.
It is one of those two unsubstantiated allegations that deserves a much closer look… and the scrutiny it deserves is directed less at Whitmer than at Axon.
The Allegation Axon Chose Not to Address
According to the investigative report, Whitmer was accused of demanding a campaign contribution or possibly some other time of quid pro quo of future support in exchange for a favorable vote on the Axon development. The allegation was ultimately deemed unsubstantiated. But here is the critical detail: it was not unsubstantiated because investigators were able to clear anyone with confidence. It was unsubstantiated because Axon’s representatives declined to be interviewed, leaving investigators without the corroborating evidence they needed to reach a conclusion either way.
That is a significant distinction. Unsubstantiated is not the same as disproven.
The Question Axon Still Hasn’t Answered
Which raises a straightforward question that Axon has yet to answer: why would a company with nothing to hide decline to cooperate with a city investigation into an allegation directly involving its own project?
Silence in the face of a serious allegation is not exoneration. Axon’s decision not to participate left a gap in the public record, one that lingers over a development that was already generating considerable community concern. The project, a mega-apartment complex proposed for Axon’s Scottsdale campus, has faced significant opposition from residents regarding its scale. If Axon’s dealings with city officials were entirely above board, saying so on the record would cost them nothing and settle the matter cleanly.
Lamar Whitmer. Photo Credit: Scottsdale Progress
The Compromise That Was Left on the Table
There is also a broader question worth revisiting. At one point during negotiations, a compromise figure of around 600 apartments was reportedly on the table. Given the unresolved questions now surrounding this project: the community opposition, the scale of the proposal, and the unanswered allegation… it is reasonable to ask why that middle ground was set aside. Six hundred units represents meaningful development. It is also a number that may have had a realistic path to community acceptance.
What Needs to Happen Next
Until Axon addresses these questions directly, any joint public appearance between Axon representatives and Mayor Borowsky will carry an unnecessary cloud. That is not good for the Mayor, it is not good for Axon, and it is not good for the community. The straightforward remedy is for Axon to do what they chose not to do during the investigation: participate, answer the questions, and let the record speak for itself.
The city deserves that much. And frankly, so does everyone whose name has been caught up in this.