Because of some of our staff have moved out of the city because of their total disappointment in the totally wrong direction of Scottsdale city government, or took jobs elsewhere to better support their families, our staff has diminished accordingly. A few of us are still working 40 and 50 hour weeks to keep our heads above water economically which makes it hard to put in another 40 to 100 hours for every edition that we put out for you to get caught up with the closed door decisions.

For others, because of a demanded necessity for far more involvement (voluntary) in the city to try to stop the train wreck brought on by Mary Manross and now doubly troubling problems, very questionable changes, and erroneous decisions by Mayor Jim Lane where he has turned 180^o away from his campaign promises, they are very busy too. Biggest problem is Mayor Jim Lane and his majority cohorts on the city council controlled by the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce, plus a city management staff that has zero knowledge or caring for our rich city history. So, for personal reasons, we had to allocate our time differently.

With the city now in the throes of a possible dictatorship by a group seen as an uncontrollable few with ulterior motives, it became necessary to bring the Scottsdale Activist back as often as we can but with no particular schedule. Also the now desperate need to expose the far less then open city government Mayor Jim Lane promised, and the total takeover and rolling over of the city laws and ordinances without a public vote by our city council, city management team(?), and city legal department, we need to be back in the fight to save the city of Scottsdale from those that would destroy Scottsdale as we know it.

Some of you may not like the harsh tenor the Activist will now take but someone has to do something to stop the inevitable train wreck we see looming in the immediate future if we and the voters don’t make the changes necessary to stop the raping, pillaging, and destruction of the city.

We also would like to point out other on-line publications that have seen the problems and deserve attention too. When you have this many in opposition to the Mayor and city government, something has gone terribly wrong with the system.

My friends,

If you read the Head line news, it all sounds fairly innocent, until you read between the lines.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/2012/02/27/20120227-apartment-units-planned-scottsdale.html 

Your city council is on a mission to redevelop Scottsdale, complete with Height, Density, and Light Rail. Not only have they allowed developers every rezoning asked for, but are actually pushing property owners to rezone for the benefit of special interest groups.

In only 6 months, they have allowed rezoning for apartments totaling over 3,905 units in what is called the Scottsdale and McDowell Road Corridor. This is known as TOD, transit oriented development.

In order to get the billions of dollars in federal funding, the city needs to put in place a specific density to warrant transit alternatives, IE: Light Rail.

They have been catering to every special interest group regardless of what it is doing to our quality of life and standard of living in Scottsdale.

None is more egregious than the new General Plan.

The city, along with the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce, is aggressively promoting voters to say yes to the General Plan Update in the March 13 special election.

If you don't like what you are seeing now, just wait and see what happens if this new plan passes. We won’t even need a city council anymore, because there won’t be a reason to vote. Every item will already be according to the new plan, and therefore will automatically pass.

Please tell all your friends, neighbors, loved ones, and passers-by to vote no on March13th, and preserve our quality of life before it's too late!

Forward this in your email lists, and tell the others to do the same. The chamber will be spending thousands to convince voters how wonderful the new plan is, so we need to get out the truth fast!

If there is one thing you can do for your city, this is THE most important one.

You or anyone can contact me for further information if need be, but this is our final push. I have a PAC set up to buy signs, ads, and mailers.

Send to:

CPQL/Guy Phillips(committee to preserve our quality of life)
7131 E. Cholla St.
Scottsdale Az 85254

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Dear Friends:

Like all of you I am concerned that the current majority on the Scottsdale City Council is taking our city in the wrong direction. While I will continue to fight to preserve Scottsdale’s high quality of life and economic vitality I am pretty much a minority of one at this point on the Council and I need your help.

The only way to fix this problem is to change the membership of the City Council in the upcoming elections. Fortunately, we already have two resident-friendly candidates in the race, Guy Phillips and Chris Schaffner. Electing them to the Scottsdale City Council will go a long way to getting our city back on the right track and I support them both wholeheartedly.

Unfortunately, as resident-friendly candidates, Guy and Chris will be facing a Tsunami of special-interest money, not to mention the opposition of our local establishment newsletter posing as a newspaper. That means we are going to have to work hard to help them be elected, and at this stage of the campaign that means contributing money to their campaigns.

While a candidate does not need to have the most money to win, they do need to have enough money to get their message out to a very large number of potential voters.

So, all of us who care about Scottsdale’s future need to dig deep and send Guy and Chris some money. In this election cycle contributions are limited to ^$430 for individuals, ^$860 for couples.

Here is the info you need to contribute to their campaigns:

Please make checks out to:

7131 E. Cholla St., Scottsdale, AZ 85254

www.scottsdaleadvocates.com 

7346 E Sunnyside Dr., Scottsdale, AZ 85260

www.schaffnerforscottsdale.com 

I know money is tight, but this upcoming election will probably determine whether Scottsdale stays a special place to live or becomes just another bland Phoenix suburb. So, please support Guy and Chris as much as you can.

I will certainly appreciate your help.

Bob Littlefield
Scottsdale City Councilman
602-228-9145 mobile

www.boblittlefield.com 

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I want to let you all know that on Monday I opened my Exploratory Committee to consider running for Mayor in the upcoming city elections.

I do not take this step lightly. But, like all of you I am concerned that the current administration is taking our city in the wrong direction.

I have said many times, all of us who live in Scottsdale paid a premium to live here. Whether your house cost $200K or $20M, whether you live in the north, middle or south part of our community, you could have bought the same house cheaper in, say, Mesa or Surprise. We all paid that premium because Scottsdale has always been a special place to live, in fact the best place to live in the Valley of the Sun.

Unfortunately, under the current Mayor and City Council majority Scottsdale’s special character is being systematically eroded for the benefit of special interests who are willing to sacrifice Scottsdale’s future for their own short-term profit. City government is supposed to prevent that from happening.

But the current Mayor and City Council majority have ignored their responsibility to protect the residents’ quality of life. Every aspect of what makes Scottsdale a special place to live – established neighborhoods in the south, the rural/residential character of the north, high design and development standards, tough code enforcement, our status as the valley’s premier destination for shopping and tourism – is under assault by the special interests and their allies in city government. We all need to step up to the plate in this election cycle if we want to reverse this trend and preserve Scottsdale’s high quality of life and economic vitality.

The first question I need to answer is, can I raise enough money to compete? The special interests who want to destroy Scottsdale’s high quality of life have already thrown tons of money into the Mayoral race, and that will only get worse as the campaign shifts into high gear. While I do not need to have the most money to win, I do need to raise enough money to get my message out to a very large number of potential voters. So, I am asking those of you who care about Scottsdale’s future to dig into your pockets and contribute to my Exploratory Committee. In this election cycle contributions are limited to $430 for individuals, $860 for couples. I know money is tight for everyone right now, but any amount you can afford will help.

Make checks out to "Bob Littlefield Exploratory Committee" and mail them to 8926 E. Sheena Dr., Scottsdale, AZ 85260.

If I decide to run there will be plenty of non-monetary ways you can help. One non-monetary thing you could do for me today would be to pass the word about my Exploratory Committee to any of your friends and neighbors who you think would be interested in my possible candidacy.

This upcoming election will surely determine whether Scottsdale stays a special place to live or becomes just another bland suburb.

Please help me continue my efforts to prevent that from happening.

Bob Littlefield
Scottsdale City Councilman
602-228-9145 mobile

www.boblittlefield.com 

The new mayor has to be someone we as everyday residents and property owners can openly relate to and have access to any time it be deemed necessary to do so by us.

We need to make sure that money doesn’t buy the office of Mayor this time under any condition by watching closely who makes the contributions. Many of Jim Lanes contributions have apparently come from city commercial property owners or those with an interest in coming city ordinances which if passed will help fill their financial pockets.

That person needs to be honest, not self-serving, and must care more about the city then the office he/she holds. No one will ever be another Herb Drinkwater, but they must encompass his ideals.

That person needs to be divorced from any and all developers, and all campaign contributions need to be vetted to make sure there is no conflict of interest from those with money who can be "helped" by the contribution; i.e. someone owning property on McDowell or Scottsdale Road, or the owner of a privately owned public service utility, emergency organization, or companies making a major donation to a separate PAC or the candidate to gain favor with the candidates.

He/She must be someone who understands that there is always an open invitation to, and therefore attends all citizen organization meetings possible, discusses city issues honestly when asked, and is open to give direct answers to questions from attendees at such meetings.

Have you ever seen former Mayor Mary Manross or current Mayor Jim Lane regularly attend citizen meetings unless there is an election coming or a pet project they wanted supported? Rarely!!

Mayor Herb Drinkwater certainly did and reveled in working with peers and constituents alike. Herb would meet you at the drop of a hat any time anywhere and the city is not that much larger then it was then, so Mayor Lane has no excuse. Drinkwater met with the resident property owners, not the power brokers.

How many council members have you ever seen regularly attend citizen meetings unless there is an election coming or a pet project they want supported? Rarely if ever with one exception - Bob Littlefield!!

Whether it’s a meeting of the Scottsdale Coalition, The Community Council of Scottsdale, or COGS (Council Of Greater Scottsdale), and some northern citizen groups, the ONLY elected person who can be found at any and all meetings of these groups is Councilman Bob Littlefield!!

We all need to make a concerted effort to make sure Councilman Bob Littlefield runs for the office of the Mayor of Scottsdale Arizona. We can do that by supporting his Exploratory Committee and contributing as much as we can to his Exploratory Committee.

Councilman Bob Littlefield only has 2 years left on the city council until he is forced out by term limits, and he has to fight to even get 1 other council member to agree with him on most issues fully supported by the residents and voters.

Councilman Bob Littlefield honestly cares about the city of Scottsdale and its residents, and has proven that over his many years of service to the city. Sure we don’t agree with him some of the time but at least he listens and will explain his decision and why he feels the way he does, and he is open to change his mind because he is owned by no one as seemingly others are.

Let’s face it folks, we are now under the total control of an out of control Rogue Scottsdale City Council controlled by council members who are either members of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce, totally support the Chamber, or seem to be in bed with developers and political advisors who advocate for developers. The city management team Cow-Tows to that same rouge council and mayor, so they need to be fired immediately after we elect a new council and Mayor.

We also need to make sure we contribute to the campaigns of Chris Schaffner and Guy Phillips for City Council, who both follow the philosophy that Scottsdale needs to return to being the city we all moved here to raise our children with a respectable Downtown that caters to families and family businesses. They are against light rail and want to force a full crackdown on the expansion of density and illegal bar activity in the downtown as well as the expansion of commercial areas to North Scottsdale as well as many other issues the current Rogue Council fails to care about.

All other candidates are totally tied to the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce with a couple of exceptions who still haven’t made up their minds whether they want to get into the mess or not.

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From everything we can see and hear, those with the money are going to try very hard to literally buy the next city elections.

If that happens, you can kiss the Scottsdale you knew and loved a final and disastrous farewell.

From the Bond and General Plan election to the Mayoral election for Jim Lane and the city council majority, those with the money and a vested financial interest in the city of Scottsdale will spend 100’s of thousands of dollars to convince the voters that they MUST vote for these issues which will cost every property and business owners many more dollars in property taxes then anything those property or business owners will ever get in return for their vote…......

In addition, Prop 430 will change the General Plan and give a wide open area to grow Scottsdale taller, denser, and get it ready for light rail which is the ultimate goal of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce and has been as long as we all can remember and will destroy the Scottsdale we know and love................

….WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THOSE TRYING TO BUY THE ELECTIONS WHO WILL REAP RICH REWARDS WITH THE PASSING OF ANY OF THE ISSUES WHICH TAX US MORE!!

Look at the two political posters above. One is by those private citizens who love and are trying to protect and save the city while the other is from a business (or a number of businesses) who will reap great rewards if any of the tax increase issues pass in the elections.

One with "No on 430" is a small sign paid for by individual citizens with their own money, while the other "Yes on 430" is a very large sign bought and paid for with corporate or big business dollars, very probably from outside the city of Scottsdale.

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Mayor Lane has declared that:

Here is the new ordinance: http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/asset43297.aspx 

Oh Really???

Isn’t it Mayor Lane and his cohorts who made the downtown the "bar district" and the Hell Hole it has become as directed by Lane, the city council and city legal department acting like the 3 monkeys; See no Evil, Hear no Evil, and Speak no Evil? (In the Western world, the above phrase is often used to refer to those who deal with impropriety by looking the other way, refusing to acknowledge it, or feigning ignorance.)

Isn’t it Mayor Lane and his cohorts who have allowed the developers and Power Brokers to trump the neighborhoods and family businesses surrounding the downtown area by bringing in unwanted and uncontrolled crime, gang bangers, filth, graffiti, unbearable noise along with the continuing destruction of what tourists formerly visited Scottsdale to enjoy?

Why hasn’t Mayor Lane asked City Prosecutors to explain why so many citations for urinating in public are being waived or dismissed in City Court (they used to be enforced until recently)?

Since when is the area where the bars are located called the "Entertainment District" when that area has never been given that designation in the General Plan or the Downtown Character Area Plan?

Isn’t it Mayor Lane and his cohorts who have destroyed the Downtown retail and Gallery District piece by piece where the tourists formerly stayed in local hotels and spend their money instead of having gang bangers and unruly boozers coming from outside the city to party and in the process denigrate the city, then leave a mess in their wake?

Isn’t it Mayor Lane and his cohorts who chose the addition of a plethora of bars over family oriented business knowing full well that the life of a bar is 5 years at the most, while family businesses when supported by the city and tourism live far longer with some lasting as long as 30 to 40 years?

Why hasn’t Mayor Lane ordered a review of our liquor license application policies and procedures for updates since the process has been updated in over 15 years?

What will Mayor Lane and his cohorts do when there is a shooting in the bar district as happened in Tempe? ……..Or a murder which must be in the foreseeable future per many law enforcement agencies because of the way the Bar District is attracting the most undesirable of humans, who are deteriorating the ambiance and family oriented attitude of the Downtown area?

Isn’t it Mayor Lane and his cohorts who blindly(?) allowed City Manager Richert to reduce the payroll and budget for the Police Department that has now lost over 17 officers with more to leave due to a very unsatisfactory and possibly unsafe employment situation while Richert hired 5 new people with questionable qualifications for a total of about a $1,000,000 per year to a totally unnecessary department in this economy?

Isn’t it Mayor Lane and his cohorts who have allowed City Manager Richert and his unqualified(?) or under qualified puppet Connie Padian to run roughshod over the historically in-place northern city zoning and building rules, stiff NAOS regulations, and allowable tree, shrub, and plant ordinances?

Isn’t it Mayor Lane and his cohorts who have literally used City Attorney Bruce Washburn and the city legal department to totally disregard and dodge many city laws and ordinances through bogus or unique "legal opinions"?

Wasn’t it Mayor Jim Lane who campaigned and won by a slim margin (a little over 400 ballots) on the theme that Mayor Manross was destroying the city and that he would reverse those actions and bring back the family oriented and internationally renowned Scottsdale of Mayor Herb Drinkwater?

Hmmm…it seems that Mayor Jim Lane has totally slammed a nonsensical hammer over the head of, and then slapped the faces of those who supported him in a very minuscule victory over Mary Manross doesn’t it?

Do we really want to have this Turn-Coat around for yet another disastrous 4 tax ridden years?

To quote a Fox News Channel: "We Report, YOU Decide"

We thought it was very interesting and extremely enlightening to find who the co-chairs for the Jim Lane for Mayor Election Committee were and what they own or who they are associated with in the city, city government, the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce, or Rick Kidder and Virginia Korte, don’t you?

Could it be that many individuals and companies below are possibly members of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce which Councilman Jim Lane railed heavily and often against before he drank the Kool Aid after being elected Mayor?

It would be very interesting to see how many people of companies below have contributed to Lane’s current ^$130,000 dollar election war chest wouldn’t it?

Wouldn’t it also be interesting to know how many listed below contributed to only Lane’s campaign or how many might get political favors or zoning preferences for donating based upon their affiliations?

How many conflicts of interest could one surmise could possibly exist based upon the list below?

We won’t know unless Lane gets re-elected will we? Of course and unless that happens before the election? Or if Lane doesn’t get elected? We may then never know will we?

Here is a supposed list of the Lane for Re-Election Co-Chairs as we were told exist of late:

1. Ruben Alvarez,

2. Co-founder and managing partner of The Molera Alvarez Group (MAG) a business development and consulting firm specializing in government affairs, public relations and community outreach. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

4. Lyle Anderson,

5. Developer based in Scottsdale: Desert Highland's; Desert Mountain; Superstition Mountain; and The Reserve: Eco Resort; and other developments in New Mexico and Hawaii as well as Loch Loman Golf Club in Scotland which ran into financial difficulties and they divested. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

7. Tom Anderson,

8. Owner Upperdeck Sports Bar and Grill; owner Club Tropican (Papago Plaza McDowell and Scottsdale Rds.- Type (genre):Bar, Dance Club, Live Music, Outdoors / Patio, Special Events. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

9. Music: Latin, Reggaeton, Bachata, Merengue, Rock en Espanol, Salsa

10. Inside Info: Status: Open

11.  

12. Dave Andrea,

13. Restaurant broker for 3 DOWNTOWN Scottsdale restaurants with liquor licenses. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

15. Joe Arpaio,

16. Maricopa County Sheriff

18. Reg Ballantyne,

19. Senior corporate officer Vanguard Health Systems

21. Jane and Bill Barker,

22. American Gem Trade Association

24. Will Barnow,

25. Nominee for AirPark Advisory Commission not, appointed; Maricopa Co. Intergovernmental representative.

27. Phillip Bell,

28. Development & Acquisition P.B. Bell has developed over 2,500 apartment units in 15 communities in the greater Phoenix area. Four P.B. Bell communities including Reflections at Gila Springs, High Desert Village, Desert Parks Vista at DC Ranch and most recently Ashton Pointe have won Arizona Multi-housing awards for best development project over a multi-year period. In addition, High Desert Village won the prestigious NAA Paragon award for best garden style community developed nationwide in 2001. Chuparosas Luxury Apartments was the recipient of The City of Chandler's architectural award in 2007.

29. Led by CEO Philip Bell and President Chapin Bell, the development and acquisition division directs all service as it pertains to these two areas. Philip and Chapin oversee the planning and execution of all acquisitions, new development and rehabilitation projects. Their vast array of services includes market analysis, pro forma development, financial analysis, project design, entitlement process coordination and project construction management.

30. P.B. Bell's continued success in development led to the birth of sister company MT Builders, formed in 1995 with Michael Tarver and Philip Bell as principals. CEO Mike Tarver and many of the staff members have more than 30 years of experience in the Arizona construction industry and have completed over ^$500 million of construction work. MT Builders provides exceptional general contracting, construction management, and design-build services for multi-family and senior living communities, retail centers, churches, schools, and office/industrial buildings.

31. MT Builders is recognized as one of Arizona's top contracting companies. They have been included multiple times in the Phoenix Business Journal's list of top commercial contractors, the ACE Awards for the largest privately owned companies in Arizona, and Ranking Arizona's list for best multi-family builders. In addition, several of the projects they have built are recipients of local and national awards. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

33. Mike Bidwill,

34. Speaks for itself. Pres. AZ Cardinals and Immediate Past Pres. of Greater Phoenix Economic Council

36. Susan Bitter-Smith,

37. Executive Director, Arizona-New Mexico Cable Communications Association, owner of Technical Solutions public relations consulting who has worked closely with many businesses, builders and land owners in the Bar district and the downtown Scottsdale area. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

39. Michael Blaire,

40. Owner Diamondback Drugs and candidate for state Legislature, Dist. 8

42. Michael Block,

43. Co-founder of the BASIS Scottsdale and BASIS Tucson charter schools.

45. Eric Borowsky,

46. President of Sun West Holdings, father of Todd Borowsky (Bar district bar owner) and Scottsdale City Councilwoman Lisa Borowsky. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

48. Barry Broome,

49. Pres. and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economics Council

51. Drew Brown,

52. Founder and chairman of the board, DMB master planned community developers: One Scottsdale, Silverleaf, DC Ranch, Center Pointe on Mill, Superstition Springs, Verrado, Power Ranch. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

54. Kurt Brueckner,

55. Founding partner Titus, Brueckner & Levine, PLC; several positions on Board of Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce

57. Jim Bruner,

58. Exec. VP of Mutual of Omaha Bank, founding member Museum of the West. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

60. Doug Bruhnke,

61. Founder and CEO of Growth Nation, international marketing, Scottsdale Sister Cities, World Affairs Council, Scottsdale Cultural Council. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

63. Issac Bunney,

64. Stock broker with UBS Global Asset Management - Swiss Global financial service company, Basel and Zurich home offices.

66. Kelly and Charlie Byxbee,

67. Principals in McDowell Windgate Holding LLC recently purchased at auction state trust land at Bell Road and Thompson Peak Parkway to complete development of Windgate Crossing area. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

69. Sam Campana,

70. Former Scottsdale Mayor

72. Les Corirei,

73. Owns and/or co-owns Axis Cigar Bar, Myst, Suede, RnR, The Mint. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

75. Susan and Don Cogman,

76. Chairman of PulsePoint Group, public affairs and crisis issues management; vice chair Scottsdale Cultural Council. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

78. Eric Crown,

79. Investor at Global Cabling Concepts (venture capital & private equity)

81. John Dawson,

82. President and managing director of Scottsdale Plaza Resort, LLC. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

83.  

84. Mike Dee,

85. Arizona Foothills Magazine, President and publisher

87. Mario Diaz,

88. President of Mario E. Diaz & Associates, full-service government and public relations firm that serves a client base of political candidates, government entities, corporations, non-profit and labor organizations

90. Patricia DiRoss,

91. Intergovernmental rep Salt River Project

93. Jeff Dunn,

94. Co-founded Olley Trolley. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

96. Margaret Dunn,

97. Olley Trolley owner. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

99. Steve Ellman,

100. Invested in many investment considered failures of many to the best of our knowledge, Skysong, Westgate, Coyotes and others.

102. Eric Filsinger,

103. Planning Commissioner

105. Royce Flora,

106. Maricopa County Finance Manager

107. President of Integrated Web Strategies

109. Elliott Glasser,

110. Real estate development, investments, (bought Scott Toyota property got rezoning; done nothing yet)

111. Glasser owns properties up and down McDowell Road (and the downtown area, too).

112. Gets rezoning and then sits on the property.

113. Properties owned: Scott Toyota site at 6850 E. McDowell Rd.; old El Camino Theatre site on Scottsdale Rd. and others. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

115. Tom Frenkel,

116. Commercial real estate management and development Scottsdale.ax Fose, Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

118. Sasha Glassman,

119. Attorney, Tucson, Arizona

121. Barry Goldwater, Jr.,

122. Chairman of the Board Studio One Media, Inc. general entertainment

124. Max Haechler,

125. Swiss Consul for Arizona, real estate

126.  

127. Sharon Harper,

128. Chairman and CEO of Plaza Companies (developers[?] of SkySong). Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

130. Jim Hayden,

131. President and CEO, Jim Hayden & Associates; past positions Regional Vice President at Rural/Metro Corporation; Regional vice President Southwest Ambulance. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

133. Mike Hoffmann,

134. Executive Vice President Arizona Benefit Plans

136. Randy Kendrick,

137. Retired lawyer (resident of Paradise Valley)

139. Suzanne Klapp,

140. City councilwoman, owner of frame shop in Scottsdale, member of the Scottsdale Area Chamber?

142. Trif Kupanoff,

143. CEO of Phoenix Woman Magazine

145. Scott LeMarr,

146. Mayor of the Town of Paradise Valley

148. Alex Malatesta,

149. Owner of Paradise Valley Property Maintenance

151. David Maniatis,

152. Attorney

154. Mike Manson,

155. Retired Vice President of Johnson Bank and Treasurer for Lanes 2008 election campaign.

157. Pat McGroder,

158. Attorney; member of Scottsdale Silverado Golf Club, a public/private partnership with the City of Scottsdale. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

159.  

160. Cora and Paul Messinger,

161. owner Messinger's Mortuary. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

163. Steve Moak,

164. Vice President of Sales for Powerchalk

166. Jaime Molera,

167. Former state School Superintendent, found member of Alvarez Molera (see first name on list)

169. Sean Noble,

170. Former chief of staff for John Shadegg

172. Ryan O'Daniel,

173. Associate partner at Kyle Moyer & Company, corporate and political consultants. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

175. Jonathan Ornstein,

176. Chairman and CEO Mesa Air Group, Inc.

178. Dean Riesen,

179. President Riesen & Company, investments. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

181. Dennis Robbins,

182. Scottsdale City councilman, owner of Midas Muffler shops, and Scottsdale Area Chamber member

184. Jordan Rose,

185. Attorney; President of Rose Law Group. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

187. Jason Rose,

188. President of Rose + Moser + Allyn Public and Online Relations, political consultants, reportedly for Jim Lane. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

190. Tom Sadavary,

191. CEO Scottsdale Healthcare, Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

193. Matt Salmon,

194. Former Congressman; attorney, lobbyist

196. Bret Sassenberg,

197. CEO of Ground Up Development, (Scottsdale Waterfront). Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

199. John Shadegg,

200. Former Congressman; Senior Fellow at Goldwater Institute

202. Billy Shields,

203. Former Pres. of Phoenix Fire Fighters Union; lobbyist; and a boat load more this one needs more investigation

205. Larry Sifert,

207. Brian Sperber,

208. Phoenix International Raceway President Bryan R. Sperber has been named as the No. 7 power broker by MVP Magazine in the second annual list of Top 30 Power Brokers in the Valley’s sports market

210. Ray Torres,

211. President, Torres & Associates, LLC, boutique business consulting, technology, and communication solutions firm to small to med-size companies. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

213. Steve Twist,

214. Father of Lane's chief of staff, J. P. Twist; VP and General Counsel at Services Group of America, Inc., Phoenix, Arizona Area Food & Beverages industry; He is a founder of the Goldwater Institute, Arizona Voice for Crime Victims, and the Arizona Economic Forum. He served as a member of the State Board for Charter Schools, also serving as its President, and the Arizona Juvenile Justice Commission, both gubernatorial appointments. He serves on the board of two charter schools, Basis, with schools in Tucson and Scottsdale, and e-cademie, a school operated by the Goodwill of Central Arizona.

215.  

216. Tommy Walker,

217. Pres. Arizona Business Aviation Association; General manager Scottsdale AirCenter (aeronautical services: fueling, chartering and maintenance. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

219. George Weisz,

220. Co-owner, Wolfley’s Neighborhood Grill & Majerle’s Sports Grill. Scottsdale Area Chamber member?

221.  

222. Chad Willems,

223. Russell Pearce's political consultant; Summit Consulting; runs Arpaio's re-election campaign.

224.  

225. Jess Yescalis,

226. Development Director Goldwater Institute; political consultant

ATTENTION READERS: This article IS NOT and indictment or any indication that ANY of these Citizen donors or Co-Chairs of or to Jim Lane's Re-Election Committee has or will ever do anything wrong, just merely information as to who is supporting Jim Lane for mayor and if there could possibly be even the slightest chance for Jim Lane to consider any remuneration of any kind because of their help or contributions. It is up to you, the reader, to decide if a conflict of interest exists.

Readers; These are just a sampling of the letters we have received over the last few months concerning the deterioration of the city and we think they speak volumes about the condition of the downtown area specifically under the direction of Mayor Jim Lane and his Cohorts on the city council, city management and city legal department. We think these letters speak volumes that Mayor Lane and company refuse to address or have any concern about at all. 

We also had letters from countries in Europe, Australia, etc. who suggested that there were much friendlier locations and cities to visit in the United States and they were shocked at what they found or heard from friends who had visited Scottsdale recently.

What do you Readers think? Editor@scottsdaleactivist.com

~ City Treasurer

Re; Statements made by some that the city treasure is lying about the amount of revenue from the bar district.

The city treasurer is the singularly and legally responsible city official by IRS, Federal, State, and City Laws, with the actual and legal handle on revenue and expense and his figures are correct. When such a serious problem exists, why would a city official put out information that totally backs up and verifies what the opponents of the area have been preaching for at least 2 years if it's not legally correct?

The problem is the totally out of touch mayor who seems to have been bought lock, stock and barrel by the bar owners/operators as have a number on the city council and the city legal department who are turning a blind eye to the obvious multitude of legal problems caused by the out of control bar scene.

Why did the mayor and chamber controlled council reduce the police budget to the point that they have lost 16+ officers, refuse to give cops a raise in pay for a number of years, have no money to train the cops on bicycles, don't have enough officers to cover the city when the bar scene is in full bloom, and the Police department staff members are never consulted about the controls and ordinances or staff needed when still another bar opens?

At the same time, the city manager spends over a million dollars per year to hire 5 people to the Economic Vitality Group who may or may not be qualified to serve, have zero historical background about Scottsdale, or even have a real reason to be there? How many cops would that have allowed the city to hire?

If all the laws and ordinances of the city, county and state were being enforced, the problem would have been solved long ago. Greed, indifference and pure insolence on the part of the bar owners/operators as well as total ignorance and failure to take charge by the Mayor, city council and city legal department are the obvious villains here.

How many of the bars/lounges/restaurants in the area of the bars have had a county health inspection since they opened? How many liquor licenses have had the supposed "owners" or operators fully vetted by an independent outside legal organization or police department to determine the legality of the person represented as the owner to operate the business? How many bars are either owned or operated behind the scenes by those who cannot own or operate any establishment where alcohol or gambling are part and parcel to the operation? The city refuses to do these in depth investigations for obvious reasons don't ya think???

As with the national political scene, it's time the voters of Scottsdale throw out every current member of the city council up for re-election and replaced them with candidates who ARE NOT connected to the Chamber or any developer or others with a heavy financial interest in the city political scene. The new council and mayor can immediately fire city manager David Richert as well as his partners in crime Connie Padian and city attorney Bruce Washburn as the first order of business of the new council.

The total Uber arrogance, ignorance and apparent stupidity of the mayor, city council and city management as well as the owners and operators of the offending bars and lounges needs to be legally addressed by a legal entity other than the seemingly inept or possibly compromised city legal department ASAP!

George Knowlton,
30 year resident and home owner
Scottsdale AZ

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~Shouts and Spouts 

~What happened to the Scottsdale Activist?? All of a sudden you disappeared and we have no way to know what's going on in this city because you cannot trust the AZ Repugnant to repot  anything accurately without favoring Lane and his legion of liars and thieves.

~What the hell are those ugly looking shady things on some corners on Scottsdale Road in the southern portion of the city? What's their purpose? If that's art I'll eat it! That money could have been used for something better then that. How long before a wind blows the stupid things down. OMG what a waste of taxpayers money!

~Why is it that Bob Littlefield and his wife are the only ones we see at COGS and other citizen organization meetings? It would seem that the other council members would at least show up once in a while....Oh, I forgot, the Chamber tells them what to do so they don't have to listen to the citizens.

~My wife and I didn't believe you at all when you wrote about what was going on in the downtown area. We sincerely and profusely apologize!! We were embarrassed and actually freighted with what we saw! We didn't dare go to the back of the clubs for fear of what would happen to us. There were people hanging in the shadows that didn't look very savory at all. Why don't we tie the mayor and council members to a stake like the Indians did right in front of one of those loud, obnoxious bars and let them spend Friday and Saturday nights down there. Maybe the punks, drunks and gang bangers will use them as a relief station like they do the planter boxes, sidewalks and doorways.

~What's it going to take to get Littlefield to run for Mayor? He's the only one who gives a damn about the everyday residents of Scottsdale. I've called the council and he's the only one who calls back, then he actually listens to what I have to say and tries to do something about it. Thank you Councilman Littlefield even though you are the Lone Soldier out there.

~Where are all the cops to patrol and control the filthy mess in the bar area? I was there and their presence was really wanting. One cop I spoke to said they could only do what they could do because the city attorney wouldn't prosecute most tickets or arrests they made, so why bother as long as it wasn't too bad and no one was hurt? Wow, this city has gone to the dogs in a real hurry under Lane hasn't it?

~Being a frequent visitor to city facilities, I'm continually amazed at how unhappy the employees look and act. They are polite and helpful but you can certainly tell that there is a serious undercurrent of dissatisfaction with the way the city and departments are now being run.

~I just heard that the Chief of Police is now the Fire Chief, Police Chief and the head of Emergency Services. What's that all about?  And a lady who doesn't have a clue is now in charge of many departments? So the city cuts back to the point of making the downtown unsafe yet hires people to do jobs we don't need as well as  combining departments with a supervisor who doesn't have a clue. Boy I can tell you that with the next election, the voters better throw out the current council and mayor or the city is in seriously bad shape which will cause property values to crash and tourist dollars to drop even more then they have already.

~Mayor Jim Lane and the City Council along with city management need to be congratulated! In less then 4 years they have done more damage to the city reputation nationally and internationally then mayors Manross and Campana did in 12 years. All because they were apparently paid off to allow the bars to run rampant in the downtown area. Do you suppose we could get the "Rassie" award for them as they get their butts handed to them as they leave after they are defeated in the next election? 

~Thank you Scottsdale for 25 years(?). The last 10 have been the beginning of a nightmare and the last 3 took the cake which is now totally spoiled and unacceptable for most long time residents. We're sadly moving to a safer and more sane city because the family oriented All American City we so loved when we brought our kids here to raise is no longer and All American City and has deteriorated into a den of iniquity and the home of thieves and uncontrolled sin as well as corrupt politicians. Enough is enough...we're done and gone.