Fascinating was this recent article in the Phoenix Business Journal about Axon’s comments and challenges to the Scottsdale referendum challenging its hugely unpopular apartment proposal there, you can read the piece here.
Basically, Axon’s beleaguered CEO said that if the new Scottsdale Mayor and City Council taking office January 14th don’t schedule a special election in 2025 rather than hold it in November 2026 as the city charter mandates there is “zero” chance they will wait until 2026 and will instead go elsewhere. Yawn. Oh well. But let’s briefly revisit how outrageous this suggestion is.
First, Axon would be lucky to even have a vote after a record number of referendum signatures were submitted in opposition to what appears to be the largest apartment entitlement in Scottsdale history. The constitutional process allows City Council to rescind the apartment zoning upon verification of signatures, or the Council can refer it to the November 2026 ballot, as would be customary. Let’s also recall that the actual number of valid referendum signatures needed is not the 15,300 the City Clerk asserts – let alone the 27,000 that were submitted – but 6,500; the formulaic number based on the July 2024 primary election in which Councilwoman-Elect Jan Dubauskus was elected.
Second, a special election for Axon in 2025 would cost city taxpayers millions of dollars in election costs rather than if it were to join an existing election in 2026.
Third, Axon knew full well its timing when it sought approval during the 2024 post-election lame duck session. They knew the risk and when a referendum election would take place. It was no secret that a referendum against their 1,900 apartments was in the offing. To now complain that Scottsdale should grant more special favors beyond the stunningly unnecessary apartment entitlement, after it already manipulated the process once, is absurd.
Fourth, a special election would see a turnout one-third to one-half of what it would be in the gubernatorial election of November 2026, disenfranchising tens of thousands of Scottsdale voters from a landmark vote on the largest apartment project not only in city history but apparently the state as well.
Fifth, why should Axon get any additional special favors after its president purportedly threatened the job of a critical Scottsdale Planning Commissioner and still has not outlined how intends to repay the State of Arizona up to $150 million that it would have received if the land Axon now seeks to build a new city of apartments on had been auctioned that way before Axon’s bait and switch?
This issue should be real simple. After the referendum signatures are verified, rescind the previous council’s outrageous apartment zoning for Axon, or refer it to the November 2026 ballot as the charter directs. Anything else would be hypocritical after so many new councilmembers criticized the previous council for building too many apartments and being too cozy with developers.