It’s no secret that we preferred other candidates to new Scottsdale Mayor Dave Ortega prior to his election in November. His rhetoric was too anti-business, his track record on the McDowell Sonoran Preserve questionable and his style potentially awkward to lead one of the most dynamic cities in America. Those concerns remain. But we also believe the 48% who didn’t vote for Ortega should give him a chance.
So far, so good. We wrote previously of our agreement with Ortega’s pursuit of a long-overdue non-discrimination ordinance as well as some form of districting for Scottsdale.
But a hat trick of agreement? We’re surprised yet that is where we find ourselves as we applaud Ortega, again, this time for re-instating a mask requirement in the city.
We never understood former Mayor Lane’s aversion to the policy, let alone his decision to rescind the wearing of masks during the depths of a pandemic. No one likes to wear the damn things but not responsibly requiring them is like ending speed limits.
Liberty is always worth fighting for. But so are human lives and the livelihoods of small businesses. Kudos to Ortega, and others on the City Council, for getting this.