Volume
'08-21
Updated Sunday 2 pm
May
24, 2008
The Scottsdale Activist
will not publish allegations, libelous statements,
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Monday, May 26th, 2008 is Memorial Day.
We proudly and humbly Salute and Pray for the continued safety of all of our friends and family members who are currently serving our nation in the Military Services and to those who have paid the ultimate price to preserve our Freedoms as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
If you can read this, thank a teacher, If you can read and speak in English, Thank all who serve in our Military now and have served and given the ultimate sacrifice to make sure your rights, freedoms and our Constitution are protected from attack by any foreign powers on our home ground.
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Troop Gift Info, the USO Site, A Gathering of Eagles site, and other Local Websites and Newspaper links are now located in the "Information You Can Use" section of this website.
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Table of Contents Pick the Article in this Table of Contents that you wish to read, then Just Click ~ Support the Candidate of Your Choice
~ Guest Editorials ~ Weekly Editorial -- Staff
~ Living in the Land of Oz with Mike Merrill ~ Candidates Corner
~Council and Mayoral Candidates Information ~ Shout and Spout - Goons Back!! Law Suits? Osterman Appears ~ Thought for the Week -- Medal of Honor recipient Leo K. Thorsness ~ Quote of the Week -- James Madison ~ Food for Thought - Take It or Leave It ~Other Stuff of Interest ~ Information You Can Use
~ Look up Prior Editions? Click on a date to open. |
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Design Review Board Contacts Betty
Drake
bdrake@scottsdaleaz.gov |
Planning Commission
Contacts
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Above is the supposed contact list for the DRB and Planning Commission. If these links fail to work, blame the board members for participating in the super-secret government run my Manross and Dolan.
If you have any questions concerning any planned projects, don't hesitate to contact the ones above who make the decisions.
~ Support the Candidate of Your Choice!
As you all are fully aware, the current powers that be cannot allow Nan Nesvig or Tom Giller to be elected to the city council and will do anything to stop them or they will lose their power to do as they please with our tax dollars.
For that reason, we need to collect as many signatures possible for both candidates to make sure any petition signature challenge will be unsuccessful.
Due to the return of the "Goons" who are driving off Petition signers, we will be at various locations over the next week. If you see Petition Signature Gatherers, and they are collecting for Nan Nesvig and Tom Giller, Please sign their petition sheets so we have a chance to take back our city!!
~Guest Editorials
~ 41 Year Resident Speaks from Her Heart
Editor’s Note: This heartfelt letter was written to the Mayor and Council as a personal opinion by the author, not as a representative of any organization to which she may now or have belonged, but as a private citizen who cares deeply about and is deeply concerned about the future of her beloved Scottsdale.
OPEN LETTER TO MAYOR MANROSS AND CURRENT CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS:
You are OUR city leadership in 2008. You are NOT the city leadership for 2010 or 2030. You are responsible to provide CURRENT RESIDENTS and BUSINESS OWNERS with a safe, well-maintained, and livable city. Your public statements and City Council votes should support actions necessary to accomplish this. The thousands of volunteer hours provided by Scottsdale residents to serve on Boards and Commissions, Task Forces, in Town Halls, on Public Forums, and at city-sponsored events are the citizen commitments to this city NOW. The citizens of 2008 deserve respect for their opinions, deserve to be heard in public forums without the strangulation of structured "games" and deserve to stand before the City Council microphone without receiving a "you should be ashamed" (Scottsdale Tribune May 24th page A4) lecture from the Mayor.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/117023
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This was not a unique citizen exchange with the Mayor.
When I stepped away from the City Council microphone in March (after an appeal to the Council to stop voting approval of Amendments to the General Plan and rezoning for developers on a case-by-case basis until the Downtown Plan Update was completed) our Mayor Manross immediately commanded the stage and stated that she emphatically disagreed. She chastised my citizen concern and said that I failed to have a long-range vision for our city and that we need to "think of how our city will be ten and 20 years from now!"
Well, Mayor, I am 70 years old and I want you to pay attention to what myself and other residents will experience as "our city" while we are still alive. For my remaining years, I want to continue to enjoy the unique character of our downtown shops, walking pathways and parks, views of Camelback Mountain-McDowell’s-Papago Buttes, and importantly to participate in the DIRECTION of that visionary planning.
Visioning can assist in good planning for the future. However let’s define the ground rules:
(1) Whose vision will it be—the Mayor’s, the hired consultants, the city’s young staff transplanted from other states and cities, or the local home and business owners ?
(2) Will a select group define and determine the final written codes, zoning maps and regulations to support the vision?
(3) Will any part of the Vision include immediate actions, projects, and/or economic improvement?
(4) Will current residents and business owners be victims of that Vision for the future?
I’ll be watching for the next edition of the Scottsdale Activist for your response.
Sonnie Kirtley
41 year resident of in-town Scottsdale
azsonnie@cox.net
I am out of town, luckily, but emails such as the one I received concerning illegal actions by the El Dorado Bar does do things to ones mood.
I am hoping that the position of General Manager of Neighborhood Services is finalized pronto. It has been vacant far too long.
The El Dorado Bar issue impacts a very large residential neighborhood. Raun Keagy knows what needs to be done and how to do it. Please untie his hands and let him do the job that he is capable of doing. That includes seeking prompt prosecution of cases like this and other problems that threaten the stability of the mature residential neighborhoods.
Over the last for or five years this area of City government has been left to flounder or attended to not at all because of the inability to lead by Jan Dolan and the total lack of attention and action by Manross and the council majority.
Ed Gawf got off to a running start on neighborhood issues, then staff
positions below him changed and response dwindled to a halt. Kick it
back in gear. It can be done.
There are good people in places now to see to it. Please, please get it done!!
The Neighborhood Enhancement Commission offers you a hearing opportunity for that flipping bar and the neighborhood, too, but NEC needs to know that it is allowed to participate and make recommendations to Council and not just be a means to funnel money for projects. It is in their by-laws, but they have not been encouraged to be concerned and thus recent members and chairs of NEC have not been proactive.
I can tell you right now that the intention of Mayor
Drinkwater was to have a strong program for neighborhoods to turn to
before things got out of hand and people became desperate.
NEXT............get it done. I want no more calls and emails coming to
me from irate citizens trying to enjoy an evening walk through that
neighborhood only to be confronted by unruly drunks lounging on cars and
couples having sex on the hoods of cars parked in the alley behind that
place. I know of one person who was accosted trying to get through the
patio area of that place leaving from work at another business. An
injury was involved and a lawsuit is being considered naming the City as
aiding and abetting. We don’t need another stupid lawsuit when common
sense and police action should have facilitated removing that particular
nuisance.
Mr. Little, I know that your plate is more than full, but you were around when Herb was mapping out his concerns for neighborhoods and how they might be addressed. You have an important missing link. We need your savvy and experience to shape a better response to these kinds of issues.
And I am not even in state.................Peace.
Nancy Cantor
Chair, Scottsdale Coalition
nancyanncantor@cox.net
~ Scottsdale Traffic Website Up Dated
The website, Scottsdale Traffic.com has been updated with new videos and comments from council members. If you want to know the opinions of incumbent City Council candidates regarding current events and hot topics, check out some of the videos on the website.
Check it out at: http://www.scottsdaletraffic.com/
Reportedly, Mayor "Queen" Mary Manross refused to be interviewed by the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce as long as any other candidates were in the room (Let'em eat cake attitude?).
Apparently, a former Cynthia Lukas supporter wasn’t welcomed either so a Manross supporter offered to leave the room to balance things to the "Queen’s" demands.
What won’t Manross do to keep things on her side of her Castle?
Hopefully, the rope she tries to use to hang others will somehow trip her into a major political loss in September.
~ Advertising Still Another Subsidy?
I was unaware that it was legal for the city to
promote businesses with taxpayer money.
I was also unaware that we would be promoting businesses with tax payer
money to businesses that have already received a city subsidy for their
project.
What is most notable is that Old Town which has always been the core of downtown and the real tourism generator has no video on this site.
Very interesting indeed.
Mike Merrill
See emails below:
Hi Pat,
Got this email, Can you tell me what the appropriate policies are regarding these queries?
Also, how is the website coming along regarding the historical photos of Scottsdale. I had hoped that would be completed by now.
Thanks,
Tony
From Pat Dodds:
Councilman, I think the short answer to the query from Mr. Merrill is that there are more videos coming and eventually we'll cover all the districts in downtown. I'm copying Robin Meinhart at the Downtown Office to confirm.
I'm going to have to beg forgiveness on the historical photos for the Web site and tell you that we will revive that effort this summer. *** We've been operating short-staffed because of vacancies and some other issues, so haven't had an opening where even the high-priority projects get the attention they deserve.
***
Editors Note: Now there’s some insight for you in the highlighted area!!From Robin Meinhart
Subject: RE: May 20 - Downtown Bulletin - Special Edition - City of Scottsdale
Yes, we have already done the taping for each of the 6 downtown districts. We are unveiling them as staff completes the editing. The video intros do not focus on any one business, but promote the unique attributes of each of the districts as well as highlight the main attractions in each area. The Old Town intro showcases the historic buildings, such as the Cavaliere Blacksmith Shop, the Ambassadors and the Information Cart, the livery stable and adjacent parking structure, and shows a panorama of the retail offerings in this area.
This is part of our "Re-Discover Downtown" campaign -- with the intent to invite people to revisit this area and get acquainted with this revitalized area. The easiest and most effective way to do this is to provide a visual snapshot.
Let me know if there are any additional questions/concerns.
Robin Meinhart, X22647
From Mike Merrill:
You gotta love asking questions in this city as it comes up with some of the most interesting answers.
I guess Robin got it right and somewhat answered my question when she states "the intent to invite people to revisit this area and get acquainted with this revitalized area" which we all know has received city subsidies and proves my point that we are double dipping by trying to get people to come down to these areas and is indeed yet another subsidy we pay for.
I think it would have been better to have had the city wait until they had all the areas ready for display before they sent out the e-mail for the subsidized ones first. Not great thinking on the cities part when they know people like me are out there bird dogging these stupid acts.
I guess it means two things, people do not care for the Revitalized areas as they do not match the city uniqueness and maybe, like Ecton Manors, the people do not care for these shops either and are not doing well.
So, when do we give them taxpayer’s money to
advertise or have we already done that?
Just my thoughts in the matter, sure downtown merchants will also find
it interesting.
Mike
How come the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce and Osterman are so concerned about "air quality" now? For years the Maricopa County Air Quality Department has been trying to get Scottsdale to address air pollution issues and that very same Council Majority a deaf ear to their pleas.
Now we see them going after residents and horsemen owners with gusto without so much as inviting those folks to the table to put together a well thought out effective plan.
The statement by Pat Dodds, spokesman for the City, gives clear evidence that little thought went into preparing the Dust Control Ordinance, ".....The council has already started a process to soften the impacts on residents, but that process is on hold while the referendum process plays out."
If Osterman is really concerned about the loss of Federal funds for transportation, why hasn't he spoken to the issue of broadening the transportation study to include more than one main route north and south, known as Scottsdale Road so that a real comprehensive study can be done?
And you can include the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce in that question, too because they are paying all the costs for the suit according to the Scottsdale Tribune.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/117023
If they are so concerned why did they plead with the Council to remain focused on Scottsdale Road for all things regarding transportation in December 2006, when Councilman Littlefield tried to get a Council vote to include Hayden and Pima Roads and to include in the study the major east west roads for a comprehensive transportation plan to deal with traffic and environmental issues?
Don't look now folks but this is the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce's beginning effort to get light rail on Scottsdale Road back on the table and Osterman is part of that wrecking crew.
Still wondering how to vote in September?
~ Kevin Osterman Strikes Again
Election loser and former councilman Kevin Osterman has publicly reappeared to try again to bail out the Manross Administration by trying to keep the Dust Control Referendum from being allowed on the September Election Ballot.
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Rather than allow a public vote on the Dust Control Referendum as the City Council voted, and following in the sleazy footsteps of Hanover’s Eric Kenney, Osterman has challenged the successful Dust Control Referendum using Attorney Tom Irvine who it seems is the "Darling" of the Manross Election Team who is bound and determined to stop a major voter turnout in the upcoming election.
This can be verified by the number of phone calls Manross has made to the Dust Control Referendum petitioner to try to get her to stop the action. Amy Ganley has firmly stood her ground and will not back down in the face of a loosing effort by Manross to cajole her way out of this one; enter Attorney Tom Irvine and other political heavyweight friends of the Manross Administration.
Mary and Larry Manross as well as the Betty Drake and Ron McCullagh election teams have apparently determined that the only way they will win and maintain control of the city government is to challenge any ballot measure or council candidate that would bring out more than the average number of voters.
More than the usually low voter turnout would spell instant doom to the current out-of-touch, tax wasting Manross Administration and the plans of the developers to whom they have promised Lord knows what, probably including taxpayer dollars and special zoning accommodations for height and density which do not follow the General Plan.
For those of you who don’t remember, Tom Irvine is the attorney who worked for still unnamed, therefore secret, Manross and city insiders who successfully knocked campaign novice Nan Nesvig off the ballot in 2006 by challenging her petition signatures which she honestly thought were all OK. In reality after checking and recounting in the County Elections office, Nesvig was a paltry 21 signatures short of the number necessary. As confirmed by city records, Osterman was the councilman who bought and delivered the disc containing the Nesvig signatures to a still unnamed coward who delivered them to Irvine for the expressed purpose of a challenge.
Hmmm, What do you suppose would have happened if someone had challenged Osterman’s signatures?
For all of you who weren’t here during the last election foray, Attorney Tom Irvine is a very close and long time friend and confidant of perennial Congressional candidate and former city council person Susan Bitter Smith. Do you suppose that could have anything to do with this situation to save the Manross Administration? One hand patting the other to help both candidates? Hmmmmmmm………
We think it’s time the voters looked behind the scenes by clearing out the smoke-filled back rooms apparently filled with secret deals, and ask hardball questions of the Manross Administration during the Candidate Forums. That would include Councilwoman Betty Drake and Councilman Ron McCullagh to see what’s REALLY going on in the sleepy city of Scottsdale. How about Drake’s involvement in a resort that will be built on Scottsdale Road at Indian bend; one part in Scottsdale and the other in Paradise Valley? If Drake and McCullagh become as rattled, cocky and ill-mannered as Manross does during these forums, you’ll have your answer.
If the Mayoral Forum at the Community Council of Scottsdale was any indication of the way Mary Manross feels about the "peasant voters" in Scottsdale, she and the others will not answer hardball questions and will not pay any attention to time limits as the other honest, respectful and sincere candidates have done all along.
Instead, they’ll deviate from the issues or avoid them all together and give you a typical diatribe on the subject of their choice.
Don’t forget this Manross Statement:
…… keeping citizens/residents outside the process is not enough of a reason to keep me from being re-elected.
Still don’t know how to vote in September?
~ John Little: Good Guy or Bad Guy?On May 9, the Scottsdale Republic headline read, "Little urges downtown decisions by fall". Not only does this appear that the new acting City Manager is usurping power from our elected officials, it is clear that he wants to get the dirty work done before a new council can be seated.
We have heard John Little take the question from, "Does Scottsdale want height and density?" to "Where does Scottsdale want height and density?" to "Where does Scottsdale NOT want height and density?" This literary slight of hand minimizes the citizen’s demand for a referendum on whether our community wants to be an urban center or a resort oriented downtown where you can shop and see Camelback while maintaining the World Class ambiance Scottsdale has historically provided to local and worldwide vacationers.
Westcor and Scottsdale Healthcare want "towers" while the City and council majority seen to be accommodating them by wanting to allow height and density to encroach even farther into the single family, low height, low density residential community by including OrchidTree and the shopping center at Miller and Camelback in the new downtown plan so that these sites can go vertical.
None who live here want this except those who profit through development or garner "spiffs" from the developers at taxpayer expense. (The use of the spiffs, while widely accepted in some industries, is of most questionable ethical nature by any civic or governmental entity.)
It's time the citizens put their foot down and reject these dishonest games continually played by City planning staff. Little may only be in the new job for a short time, but not short enough unless he can clearly and succinctly outline what he says and means concerning this issue!
To listen to our illustrious Mayor, property taxes are going down; well in actuality, the tax ratio is going down, but the actual taxes are going up again.
Maybe the city CFO can help us out as we’re a bit confused about the property tax issue posted on the agenda.
From everything we read it shows that there are increases in dollars, but yet the bottom line appears that there is a decrease in property taxes slated for this year; is that a correct assumption from what we read on the agenda? Or is it just another Manross half-truth and slight of hand?
Let’s review what’s really going on here:
The primary tax (LPV) shows, or is slated, to increase by approximately $1.2 million.
The secondary tax (FCV) shows, or is slated, to increase by approximately $6.1 million.
The combined rate shows a property tax increase of approximately $7.3 million.
However the section of analysis says the tax ratio will decrease to $0.0081 in FY 2008/09.
Full Cash Value (FCV) is used to compute secondary taxes, which may consist of bonds, budget over-rides, and special districts such as fire, flood control, and other limited purpose districts.
Full Cash Value (FCV) is a reflection of the actual market value of your property.
Limited Property Value (LPV) is used to compute primary taxes for the maintenance and operation of school districts, cities, community college districts, and counties.
Limited Property Value (LPV) is calculated according to a statutory formula mandated by the Arizona State Legislature and cannot increase more than a certain amount annually and cannot exceed the Full Cash Value.
The Assessment Ratio for residential property (Legal Classes 3 and 4) is 10% of the Full Cash Value (FCV).
The Assessed Value is the Assessment Ratio multiplied by the Value.
After doing some research, I now know that there is a huge difference between the LPV (Limited Property Value) versus the FCV (Full Cash Value) and the tax ratio, so we now see how Mayor Manross is telling us only half the truth.
Manross claims the city has reduced taxes when in actuality the city has only reduced the Property Tax Ratio. Because of increased assessed values, the actual property tax we pay has increased and will continue to increase as long as we have a mayor and council majority who continue to spend without public input.
This is a typical slight of hand and a fully intentional hiding of the full truth by our illustrious mayor who refuses to explain the entire tax bill thinking the taxpayers will buy her half-truths. The real truth is that the mayor and council majority will continue to spend like drunken pirates without explaining how they do it until we throw the mayor and council majority out of office.
Still wondering how to vote in September?
~ Lisa Haskell is an Admitted Activist
Lisa Haskell who always rants about the "Dreaded Activists" has publicly admitted to being one in Saturday’s Scottsdale Tribune! ("Dogged Activism Gets Positive Results")
She sings the same tunes as the other Activists on many occasions, just does it more poetically and with a little more panache, and a tongue-in-cheek style including a dry sense of humor. Most catch on and chuckle, but certainly not Manross and company who blindly go about their usual secret city business not paying one bit of attention, or even understanding what she said.
Concerning her article this week, Congratulations on a great job and hitting the nail on the head Lisa!
~ Loser Osterman ChallengesKevin Osterman has reappeared to publicly do nothing more than to pander to the Manross Administration to help strangle still another attempt to allow the Scottsdale voters to express their rightful voice on important city issues.
Below are the details. Click on the blue link to see the actual court filing.
From: Jagger, Carolyn
Sent: Monday, May 19, 2008 11:54 AM
To: Drake, Betty; Ecton, Wayne; Lane, Jim; Littlefield, Robert;
Manross, Mary; McCullagh, Ron; Nelssen, Tony
Cc: Robberson, Deborah; Little, John C.; Norman, Paul M; Dodds,
Pat; 'apachepeak@gmail.com'; Gray, Frank; Padian, Connie; Ellison, David
L
Subject: Dust Control Referendum
Your Honor and Members of the City Council,
A lawsuit has been filed in Superior Court challenging the dust control referendum petitions
(copy attached).Carolyn Jagger, City Clerk
~Letters to the Editor
letters@scottsdaleactivist.com
~ Mayor and Incumbents in Trouble
It is obvious that Mayor Manross is up to her eyeballs in campaign problems and a heavy loss of supporters. From ill-advisedly going off on local activists at events where she is the guest, not the ruler, who have been "dead-on" with their comments and questions, to the half-truths and total misstatements she concocts to try to protect herself, to her ill-advised and pompous ability to always have the last word even when she has been asked to wrap it up or has been timed out by the bell. Her campaign is going downhill like a snowball headed for hell as is Drake’s.
That was very obvious to all who attended the Community Council of Scottsdale meeting and Manross’s reported rants at the Scottsdale Area Chamber interview where apparently she demanded that no other candidates or their supporters be allowed to witness what she said.
Her and Drake’s vote to put the Dust Ordinance on the ballot is just another in a long list of ruses to confuse the voters and to make the two of them look like the saint’s they definitely are not when you look past the political dust screen they are both raising to protect their images.
Osterman is an underhanded, sorry excuse for an opportunist who is being unwittingly used by the power structure to do their dirty work hoping to receive a pittance to make his efforts look plausible and meaningful. Osterman, with others who are too cowardly to come forward, took down Nan Nesvig at the last election which was admittedly due to some novice errors and miscalculations on Nesvig’s part. How many of Osterman's signatures were bad? Probably many more than Nesvig's.
Drake and Manross through their operatives are up to their eyeballs in the Osterman challenge of the dust ordinance and it is as plain and the nose on your face.
What could the Drake and Manross campaigns been offered politically and monetarily to make the dust ordinance a reality?
There’s a question we can all speculate on isn’t it?
"Pioneer"
Long time Scottsdale resident
Dear Editor:
Even after all of the nonsense that we’ve come to expect from Mayor Manross and her inner circle, I was still shocked to hear Kevin Osterman and Rick Kidder had filed a challenge to the Unjust Dust referendum.
First, what on earth is Rick Kidder thinking? He represents a group of Scottsdale-based businesses. From the businessmen I’ve talked to (some Chamber members and some not), none were in favor of the Chamber trampling on the democratic process. The members of the Chamber were upset their dues are going to pay for a guy like Tom Irvine to circumvent the peoples process.
Second, I think it’s time for an intervention. Clearly, Manross and her group just can’t help themselves. Why challenge this referendum? None of their developer friends are at risk. I think they are seriously concerned about an average citizen having any voice in Scottsdale politics. These folks think they are still freshman and sophomores back at Scottsdale High School and they don’t want to give up their hold on the student council.
Remember the Sexually Oriented Business ordinance? After an embarrassingly immature attempt to put two local cabarets out of business, Manross said they were under pressure to change the ordinance and that this is what the public wanted.
With the new dust ordinance, the City Council again rushed to pass an ill-conceived ordinance without regard to the input given by local residents and business.
The lesson Manross and Kidder learned from that is that they will lose in a major way if the public is allowed to vote on the issue. So, they hire their favorite son, Tom Irvine, to file a lawsuit to keep the public from having any input.
Rather than learn from past mistakes and do a better job writing the ordinance by talking to residents and business, they just want to further tighten their knot of control. These people need some serious help.
Clearly Manross is so afraid of losing her position that she will do anything to keep it. Very sad. And a HUGE reason to do everything we can to throw her off the Council and to send her toadies with her.
Tom Raleigh
Dusted and Disgusted Scottsdale Resident
~ Another Letter to the Council
Mayor Manross and Councilmen:
I am sure that all of you have access to the Scottsdale Activist, but I'm not sure how many of you take the time to read it. In case you don't take the time to read it each week, last week's Activist should be read by everyone.
Then, just maybe, especially Mayor Manross, you will be able to answer some of the unanswered questions that were presented to you at the Mayoral Forum on Thursday Night (Community Council of Scottsdale 5-15-08).
I know that I will look forward to reading your answers in the Scottsdale Activist this coming week, but I won’t hold my breath knowing your dismal history of failing to respond to your constituents.
Lee Tannenbaum
Tannenbaum1@cox.net
I’ve been a reader for a while, but I hadn’t felt compelled to write until now.
I watched the last City Council meeting on Channel 11. At the beginning, I saw that exchange between John Washington and Mayor Manross.
Hear ye, Hear ye, Let all far and near listen to these words and take heed:
OUR MAYOR IS RUDE & LOONY!
Sincerely,
Randy Gage
Happily Retired Scottsdale Resident
~ Yet Another Ticked Off Tourist
Hi Michael,
I got your email from the Times Publication article I found on the web when researching Photo Radar in Scottsdale.
If I can bother you for a short time to tell you what happened to me and seek your advice, I would be very grateful to you.
I am trying to write a newspaper article with the hopes of getting it published somewhere in the Sacramento, Ca. area in which I live.
This is what I have written so far that will tell you my story:
The State of Arizona Sets Sinister Traps To Hook Unsuspecting Tourists.
In March of this year, I visited the great state of Arizona for the first time. My old aunt Mollie talked me into going with her. I live in Northern California. My husband and I have traveled the world for years. After seeing what the rest of the world has to offer, we have always felt most fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. I wasn't sure what Arizona would be like but I knew it would make Mollie happy for me to accompany her. After spending 10 days in Scottsdale and 3 days in Sedona I returned to my quiet life in the Sierra foothills.
8 weeks later there was a knock on my door. Busy in thought, I automatically open the door not even thinking about looking out the window first. Standing in front of me, there was a large unkempt, mean looking black man. I live in the hills in the middle of nowhere with nothing but cows surrounding me for miles. My property is also gated a mile down so you can understand my fear at the sight of this person. He could have been a mass murderer for all I knew and in the short amount of seconds it took me to open the door, he could have been in my house raping and killing me.
He asked for me by name. He had a number of papers in his hand. The only thing I said to him was how did you get on this property? He would not answer. I told him this was private property and he had no right being on it. I asked him for identification and he refused to show me any. This predicament was getting scarier by the second. I told him that if he did not leave immediately I would call the police. His exact reply was "Lady, I am the police", and started talking very loud and fast in some unintelligible lingo. That's when I slammed the door shut shaking all over and wished that I had taken my father's advice and bought a shot gun years ago.
Later that afternoon, when my husband arrived home, he found papers by the door. They said Arizona Traffic Ticket and Complaint, Automated Traffic Enforcement. It also said that you are summoned to appear, pay the fine amount, enroll in a defensive driving school on the 12th. of May. This was the 13th. It also said that if one fails to appear or respond by the 12th, you are subjected to a default judgment, the assessment of a fine, surcharges, fees and suspension of your driver's license which would remain suspended until the fine was paid in full. For a part-time school teacher who has always tried to lead a good and honest life, this was pretty scary stuff needless to say.
So this was all about a camera operated speeding ticket of which I received unknowingly in the Scottsdale area 8 weeks ago. The ticket said I was allegedly doing 76 in a 65 mph zone. 11 miles over the speed limit. I now have discovered that this photo radar begins issuing tickets at the speed of 11 mph over the speed limit. Even this small amount over the speed limit was hard to believe because although middle aged, I drive like an old lady. I believe I may have been trying to pass someone else. That would be the only time I would have to speed up a little. Even worse, the fine amount was $215.00! I was furious as to what lengths the State of Arizona went just to procure this payment from me. I asked my husband if he had seen anything else in the mail from the State of Arizona. His reply was that it could be in any one of the many piles of mail lying around the house. With the use of email these days, I believe it is safe to say that there is much little emphasis put on "Snail Mail" these days. Also these past six weeks have been extremely busy ones so if the ticket was in fact here, it was not intentionally overlooked and I still have not found it.
In my anger, I did what most well educated Americans would do to seek solace. I searched the web. To my amazement this is what I found:
(I PLAN ON QUOTING A NUMBER OF WEBSITES THAT I FOUND INCLUDING INFO FROM THE ARTICLE I FOUND YOU IN.)
My big question to you Michael as an advocate for
this cause is "What do I do next?"
Is my license suspended in California & will I actually have a point on
my record here in California for this? I hate to call the state police
to ask them if you know what I mean?
I have now read that according to Arizona law this ticket had to be
personally served but, was this done properly? It sure doesn't seem so
to me. This man was trying to impersonate an officer and would not show
me any identification. He also had no permission to be on private
property.
Do I have any rights now that the court date is over and I am considered a no show in their eyes or am I completely screwed?
It seems to me that from a first time tourist to
Arizona point of view, there is a lot to be considered:
First:
In The Scottsdale Times –May 2008 issue article "Do Scottsdale
Citizens Want Photo Radar?" Officer Pat Dodge is quoted as
saying, "Dodge adds that the city will caution Loop 101 drivers
with a 30-day trial as well as radio advertisements warning
drivers of the presence of cameras." So, my question is "Who
warns the unsuspecting tourists of the 101 snare?"
Second:
You would think that poor, unsuspecting tourists would be the
last people the State of Arizona would want to insult since a
large part of the state's revenue comes from tourists. And if we
only have a few weeks vacation per year as everyone else in the
U.S., how in the world are we suppose to take time off from our
jobs to make the court date? That would mean taking those days
off. In my case, with no pay, flying or driving at my own
expense and having to pay for a hotel all to just try to defend
myself. The State of Arizona must be banking on just that
knowing how impossible it would be for probably 98% of tourists.
You know the old adage "Fool me once..." You can bet that those
people will never come back to Arizona after such an awful
experience. I certainly will not. It seems that the State of
Arizona is penny wise and dollar foolish. The state is willing
to give up huge amounts of tourist dollars for the price of
these one time speed trap tickets. Believe me, as soon as the
word starts to spread that the State of Arizona is unkind to
tourists, state tourist revenue will plummet.
Third:
Other considerations that make driving as a tourist less than
optimal are you are driving a rent-a-car that you are not
familiar with. You are driving on roads you are not familiar
with. You are unsure exactly where you are going. I believe that
if a State Trouper would have actually stopped me for driving 11
miles over the speed limit, I would have told him that I was a
tourist and it was my first time in Arizona. I would have also
mentioned that I wasn't sure where I was going and that my aunt
and I were trying to figure it out which we were constantly
doing the whole time we were on vacation as most tourists do. He
would have seen that we were holding a map on our laps and then
probably looked up my driver's record on his computer and seen
that I had a clean driving record and would have let me go with
a warning. That would have been fair and I would have been more
conscience of my driving after that.
This Photo Radar Picture method being used in Arizona leaves you feeling alone, lost, angry and abused. This is a quote that I found which really sums it all up, "Traffic rules account for most of the contact by average citizens with law enforcement and the courts. Enforcement of laws which are widely perceived as unreasonable and unfair generates disrespect and even contempt toward those who make and enforce those laws." The Appellate Department in People vs. Goulet.
I would love to hear your thoughts about what I have wrote and any advice that you could share. I really wish I could have a happy ending to my article but it really doesn't seem possible at this point.
Thanks for listening,
A tourist who will not return
Dear Tourist,
I have deleted your name from the end of the e-mail as well as hiding your e-mail address as I would like to again express to our State Legislators the insanity of what they have done by allowing this stupidity to continue.
I would also like to let you know that recently the Governor of our State decided we will expand this system by leaps and bounds to "fix the cash shortfall of the states general fund" so you can also see why and how this whole mess got started and that it is not about safety at all it is all about greed. Further to the point is that Scottsdale broke many laws to install this system on a state freeway that was paid for with federal money so you may be happy to find out that everyone in the USA has become part of this travesty as the only state in the USA who has put this crap on the freeway system.
Another funny thing is that according to state laws these systems are still totally illegal by our own State Statutes. We do not even have the decency in this State to fix the laws before we steal your money.
As to your question as to what to do I will say that I am not an attorney but know enough to be dangerous and can not give you legal advice, however the fact remains as follows
·
You were never properly served your citation by the process server and this has been a problem with the shady tactics that the state and the city of Scottsdale are using to try to collect the money from people and was even written about in a local paper not that long ago, so I guess they have not changed their tactics. (we did clear 2 million in funds for these actions though and the State cleared even more)·
If the State or the city had not properly served you in a time period of 120 days from the date of the ticket and as long as you do not respond to any letter about the citation the ticket is considered dead.·
Since your license is in the State of California the city of Scottsdale and the State cannot revoke your license or have it suspended and is a total lie that they use to try to get people to pay the illegal tickets.I would say to just forget about the ticket and do not respond to anything about the ticket for a period of 120 days.
On behalf of residents who believe in our rights to confront our accusers as allowed by law and the fact that you cannot confront a camera as well as the fact that once in court there is a huge conflict of interest as the court takes testimony from the vendor who gets a share of the money for every ticket that gets paid, I would like to apologize too you for and on behalf of our State Legislators (some of them, not all) who do not have the backbone to kill this insanity in the name of safety. I keep telling all of the letter writers who send me their stories that if you want to pay the State back, go to another state and city to spend your money and one day our State may catch on but I do not hold my breath on that.
I receive many e-mails such as your over the course of a month and my suggestion is that you never come to Arizona again for travel purposes even though as a taxpayer in a city that counts on tourism money we love to see you folks come here and spend time and money.
Please feel free to e-mail again if you have any other questions and I
loved the letter of how this transpired as it proves once again how
crooked things are going with these types of systems and those who feel
the need for greed as this has nothing to do with safety and the
supposed studies from Scottsdale are so full of holes and lies it is not
even funny. I hope your letter goes to print so everyone who reads it
will bypass any plans to come here and spend their hard earned money.
Respectfully,
Michael Merrill
A firm believer of having police officers instead of machines.
Editors Note: We receive numerous emails along this same line and felt it fair to pass this one along because it is very succinct, reasonable and understandable.
In our opinion, our initial reaction and prevailing opinion would be that all drivers should obey the law and should not exceed the posted maximum legal speed for any reason as well as being penalized when they disobey the law.
On the other hand, the law of the land, US Constitution, demands that the accused be allowed to face his accuser. Photo Speed Enforcement does not provide this requirement unless a sworn law enforcement officer is witnessing the violation while the camera is actually taking the picture as the law is being violated. Hand held or an occupied law enforcement vehicle mounted Speed Enforcement Radar systems provide the necessary "accuser" so they are very suitable and efficient for speed control and containment situations. In addition, when a sworn officer stops a vehicle for speeding, many times they find many other issues such as felony warrants, suspended drivers licenses, no vehicle registration, no insurance, stolen vehicles, drug runners, deported illegals, etc. which helps rid our streets and highways of violators which Photo Enforcement does not and cannot address.
The issue is still in the courts nationwide and from the last report, 11 states have now outlawed Photo Speed Enforcement as a viable tool to convict drivers of speeding because there wasn’t a sworn law enforcement officer present at the time of the violation (as the personal accuser) as required by the U.S. Constitution. In addition, there is a long history of equipment failures as happened in Scottsdale when hundreds of Photo Radar tickets were reversed due to equipment which malfunctioned.
In some states, Photo Speed Enforcement tickets do not go against your drivers license and are not reported to your insurance company, but you still pay a fine which makes the process nothing more than a speed trap and a money maker for the entity utilizing the Photo Enforcement system.
Safety, which was the supposed original intent of the process, seems to have gone out the window in favor of governmental greed and the almighty dollar to balance pork-barrel bloated governmental budgets.
We’re sure this discussion will continue until it ends up with the U.S. Supreme Court which is predicted to find for the accused, not the accuser.
Soon the adopted "tentative" Oz budget will be available for download and once again I will get the chance to try to read over what is sure to surpass 800 pages if history has any bearing on our ever growing budget.
One of the first issues to have gotten a lot of attention would have been the Police and Fire Departments. The police for having a 90 million dollar budget and something I have spoken to all of you about.
Now it appears that maybe certain people have taken my comments and twisted them to mean something they did not, criticism of our Chief and our police force. So once again I will make it clear that I have no qualms about either of them and every department in the city is open to question at any time. I support all of our officers as well as our chief and I appreciate the work they do in the city.
Some people may forget that some time back it was the editor of this web site and me who gathered our information together and were the only group that appeared before the council the night that the city was deciding another sales tax increase that was strictly for the preserve. We were the only people who spoke in defense of splitting the tax with part of it going to the police department and public safety. It was the preserve folks who showed up in large numbers asking for no split in the tax. Oddly enough at that time it was Wayne Ecton in his early years of having a brain that also fought for the split.
Trust me when I say I have no beef or bone to pick with these folks and since my questions, I noted the other night that a police car made it a point too slowly drive around our cul-de-sac and briefly stop in front of my house making sure I would note that he was there.
Again after watching the meeting the other night I will still stand up and say that I do not agree with the crime statistics presented that only carry certain crimes and not all the crimes and nearly everyday that I read the papers I read about various types of crime in the land of Oz.
I think we should question the other crime statistics that do not get seen like assaults, attempted assaults, rapes, attempted rapes, murders, stabbings, DUI’s, and other categories.
I totally disagree with the Chiefs comments the other night when he stated that the present formula he uses as opposed officer to resident ratio is the only way to look at the issue. I don’t believe the work load program should be the only way we look at if we have the proper amount of officers on the street.
I believe the city could do a little better by incorporating both programs to augment the 33% of officer time spent in the community as stated by the chief and I note that the chief also stated that it included meetings with community groups and problem solving with the rest being spent on patrols.
I also don’t agree with the Chief on his ideology that if we had to many officers for the work load hypothesis, they would be fighting for calls or not having anything to do so to speak. Well I happen to know of a whole bunch of things that adding a few more officers over the workload statistic program coulo but one of them would be more community patrol times. I keep harping on the community patrol times because of this little map.
 |
This is a search map the city provides residents to view the crimes in their community and is a section from just the search criteria of 87th street and McDowell and is for the last 6 months. The area in reality is from Hayden to Pima and from Roosevelt to nearly Thomas.
As Sir Tony mentioned during the meeting, he had been hearing a lot from the community about crime in the South and concerns about police presence in the community. The numbers from just this little area of the south tell a different point of view from the residents and a thought that maybe there is a way to mix the workload program with a portion of the officer to resident ratio program.
I am not criticizing our Chief; just thinking that maybe we should open our eyes to some other possibilities to approach the issue and, there is an issue here.
|
If this has peaked your interest in how your community stands up in the crime statistics, just go to the city webpage and under city map center you can download a harmless viewer program and type in your cross streets. Make sure you just check the box for crime and not everything.
Since I wrote this Thursday, here is a funny addition late Friday that I read in the paper depending on how you look at it as someone is going to have to pay to replace this.
Scottsdale police searched Friday for a missing city truck that thieves stole by driving it through a locked fence gate.
A Scottsdale park worker reported that the city truck was taken from Chaparral Park's fenced maintenance yard sometime between 7 and 9:30 p.m. Thursday, police said.
The maintenance yard's locked gate was knocked down from the inside, indicating that the thieves drove the truck through the fence to get out, police said.
The white Chevrolet 3500 flatbed truck with railing along the bed has blue "City of Scottsdale" logos emblazoned on both doors.
Police are asking for anyone with information to call 480-312-5000.
~Here we go again, kicking up dust
Well Ozites I can see that there is the possibility some of our elected officials are again working hard to find a way to head off any ballot issues in this city before this upcoming contentious election.
Knowing full well that the letter from Kevin Osterman, one of our past council members who got tossed for being a weasel, along with none other than Tom Irvine, crafted some silly language to challenge the right of residents to vote on yet another stupid law adopted by our three ring circus majority. It came to light from the meeting on Tuesday that they probably do not have a leg to stand on, so what comes up next to stop this other than the city’s other arm of trouble makers in the Oz Chamber of Misfits.
By the way Tom, I thought you of all people could figure out that passing of "laws" was not administrative and is actually Legislative and open to referendum, it works the same way at the state level also, you must be slipping my friend.
Now you have to wonder how or why the Chamber would file a political action committee to fight the same ordinance that hurts many small businesses because we already know that the Chamber does not give one ounce of umpa lumpa droppings for the citizens of the city.
So what is the driving force for the Chamber to get involved and spending all the money? We know they will to try to convince residents that this is something we must do because the Federal and State Government says we have to, and if we don’t they will take 2 million from our federal funds in transportation.
Maybe the Chamber is fighting for the $2 million so they can try to keep shoving light rail down our throats?
Maybe the Chamber is fighting it so; hmmmmm, I am not sure because it makes no sense for them to have jumped into this matter; unless of course they are doing this on behalf of someone or some group of someone’s?
Why would Kevin "McOsterman" file a complaint with Tom Irvine to stop a vote about something that does not even affect him since he lives over here off of McDowell? Or, does he really still live in the city of Scottsdale at all?
Is Kevin doing this for someone or maybe for a group of someone’s like the weasel we always knew he was?
There is something twisted in this city and it always seems to be something about trying to keep the voters from voting on something. It makes me happy to know that Lamar Whitmer is still running around out there as he was the only person of lately to have pulled off an actual referendum that made it to the people.
Apparently we must have missed another one of those "secret meetings" and "backroom actions" that people tell us never take place, and it is our imagination.
Recently I read where the city is considering handing out fines for projects that hinder traffic in certain time ranges and days but who will fine the city for the messes they create?
Nearly six months ago the city decided to do another street scaping project on McDowell from Hayden to about a block further down the road on both sides.
The city posted a lighted sign out for the drivers to note that the project would be completed in February of this year, as of today the work still continues, I think.
Now of course last month I got fed up with it and asked the city about the issue of; when in the world will this project ever end? It is a freaking block in length really and it has been going on since January of this year!
Of course I got the response form the project manager about the time allotted to the company to finish the project and that they had no clue about the sign issue other than "maybe it was just talking about the median work".
For months now as I leave for work I have noted that there is not a soul in sight doing anything, on the way home I note there is still no one there doing anything and my wife tells me that when she passes by twice a day she notes that there are just a couple of people working in the entire area.
Well most of us who are traveling East on McDowell can only hope that one day this project that is so small in nature will be done and we can have all the lanes open again and traffic will stop backing up. Just think, this little project took an entire 6 months to complete and is sad!
One of the gains we got from this new design is a curve in the intersection that never existed before. If you are traveling east or west on McDowell across Hayden and have done so for years you can now clearly note that the street now has a curve in it that is going to lead to some crashes in the near future.
So I guess my next question to our illustrious transportation department would be as follows.
We did not widen the street and we did not add any lanes, and it was just a beautification project, so how in the hell did we end up with a curve in the road that was never there before?
So, who gets to fine the city when it is their project that last forever and screws up traffic for nearly 6 months?
Michael Merrill
The Brutal Critic
F8713@aol.com
~ Candidates Corner
~ Tom Giller: I’m not Anti-Growth
I’m not pro-growth, but then again, I’m not anti-growth. One thing for sure, growth does not need a new advocate on our City Council. Growth and development in Scottsdale needs a political advocate like Exxon Mobile needs a new friend in Houston...or Washington for that matter. Just follow the money.
The citizens and neighborhoods of Scottsdale need an advocate and that's why I'm running for City Council. Time after time developers are granted unwarranted and questionable exceptions to zoning for greater height and density. The neighbors complain about loss of view, inappropriate scale, lack of distinctive architecture, traffic, additional city services and infrastructure costs. Except for Bob Littlefield and Tony Nelssen, these projects get rubber stamped and passed, even if they don't have real architectural plans in place, as was the case with Hanover. The Hanover project must go back to Design Review Board (DRB), but the DRB is as biased to poor development standards as are the mayor and majority of the current City Council.
Now, that being said, there are a few "good qualities" to some of the recent development projects in Scottsdale, but for most of these project's the " bad qualities" overwhelm the overall impact on the community because of the building height and mass.
Actual density (people/sq. ft.) will be reflected in additional traffic, if and when these buildings fill up. This is a beginning argument for mass transit planning, which is a Scottsdale need, but not in the form of light rail. One thing for sure, is that "activists" won't stop development. The great thing that citizen activists do accomplish is increase the scrutiny on design and moderate height and density exceptions granted by City Council.
Another positive result of activism can be a much needed improvement to the community outreach by developers and the eventual acceptance by neighborhoods, resulting from a real reduction in height and density from the developers. The profit of a developer is not a public responsibility, and last I heard, an increase in the supply of anything does not necessarily increase demand or values, rather the opposite, as is seen in the current, worst ever residential housing glut and crisis of today.
If Scottsdale increases the quality of development and lifestyles by maintaining lower density, we can hope to save the "resort town feeling" which has made us a destination for tourism and a great place to live.
I’m glad we have activists who really care about their city and are fully involved: Now we need to change the direction and make-up of City Council so the "activists" can take a break knowing they don’t need to be quite as vigilant.
Tom Giller
Scottsdale Council Candidate
~ Council and Mayoral Candidates Information
This part of the web site is reserved for candidates who wish to post vital information about themselves such as Biographies, Campaign information, etc.
Any candidate is welcome to send us information as long as it concerns their position on issues and is kept as short and to the point as possible. We will not go out looking for candidate information, it's up to the candidate to supply us with the information at editor@scottsdaleactivist.com . We get enough diatribes from the Dias as it is. Pontification is discouraged, just the facts please. The Scottsdale Activist does not endorse candidates for election but will suggest options for Ballot measures.
Please send information in MS Word format so it is easily added to the website. If we find we are getting too much information from any candidate, we will limit the amount posted by removing the oldest posting first.
Just click on a candidates name to bring up information tendered to the Scottsdale Activist for public distribution.
If there is information in the file, the name will be underlined.
~ Jim Lane
~ John Washington
~ Lisa Borowsky
~ Joel Bramoweth
~ Oren Davis
~Richard Mueller
"You’ve probably seen the bumper sticker somewhere along the road. It depicts an American flag, accompanied by the words ‘These colors don’t run.’ I’m always glad to see this because it reminds me of an incident from my confinement in North Vietnam... Then a major in the U.S. Air Force, I had been captured and imprisoned from 1967 to 1973. Our treatment had been frequently brutal. After three years, however, the beatings and torture became less frequent. During the last year, we were allowed outside most days for a couple of minutes to bathe. We showered by drawing water from a concrete tank with a homemade bucket. One day, as we all stood by the tank, stripped of our clothes, a young naval pilot named Mike Christian found the remnants of a handkerchief in a gutter that ran under the prison wall. Mike managed to sneak the grimy rag into our cell and began fashioning it into a flag... He made red and blue from ground-up roof tiles and tiny amounts of ink and painted the colors onto the cloth with watery rice glue. Using thread from his own blanket and a homemade bamboo needle, he sewed on stars. Early in the morning a few days later, when the guards were not alert, he whispered loudly from the back of our cell, ‘Hey gang, look here!’ He proudly held up this tattered piece of cloth, waving it, as if in a breeze... When he raised that smudgy fabric, we automatically stood straight and saluted, our chests puffing out, and more than a few eyes had tears... Now, whenever I see the flag, I think of Mike and the morning he first waved that tattered emblem of a nation. It was then, thousands of miles from home in a lonely prison cell that he showed us what it is to be truly free."
—Medal of Honor recipient Leo K. Thorsness
"Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments, to which the people are attached and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of."
-- James Madison (Federalist No. 46, 1 February 1788)
~Shout and Spout ~
~ The Nesvig and Giller petition gatherers were again harassed by GOONS at the Mustang and Civic Center libraries last week. In fact, they were run off by the signature gatherers for Klapp, Drake and Oren Davis! Can everyone see the picture clearly now? Klapp, Drake and Davis are all funded by and represented by the establishment. They are doing whatever it takes to make sure the good "of the people, by the people" guys are NOT elected! Step up people if you want to change our government system from special interests and developers to citizen oriented council members. Help get Giller and Nesvig on the ballot, then elected. Gooned again; how low will they stoop! I guess when you are afraid of loosing your free lunch, symphony and dinner ticket, you’ll do ANYTHING to keep them.
~ I was saddened to read that Cheryl Dreska had retired as the city auditor. As a former long time city employee who highly respected her knowledge and extreme efforts to do the best for the citizens, I know only too well the extreme pressure she was under from incompetent Department Heads and Division Managers including others who didn't want to have to inventory purchased items so they could abscond with them later. There are many who supply their children with all kinds of stuff that isn't inventoried or at least accounted for including school supplies, etc. I hope someone can catch up to these thieves before they bleed us dry and ruin Scottsdale's reputation for having honest employees.
~ Thank you so much for the reminder of Armed Forces Day. It seems that with the commercialization of holidays, many have been forgotten and passed over. Bless you for reminding us with the poignant picture. Without our brave men and women of the services, we could very well be speaking German or Japanese right now. God Bless America!!
~Same old players, same old insider game. Finally loser Kevin Osterman has crawled out from under his rock. Wonder who else is involved? As if we didn't know. They wanted a top lawyer who would provide pro-bono services for the "City Insiders". This city is the most crooked I have ever seen it. It's time to unite and clean the city government up.
~ Nan Nesvig and Tom Giller are the only council candidates who openly and sincerely care about the future of Scottsdale. I fought the idiot goons so that I could sign their petitions and I strongly urge all who haven't to please sign them. We need these two people on our city council very badly.
~I can’t believe that the Dust Control measure has been challenged. It is clearly one sided and favors Big Government. I wonder why Suzanne Klapp has not been defending the people who brought it to referendum status, she lives in their area. Oh wait, even though she PREACHES that she is against BIG GOVERNMENT, she is ALSO a SHILL for the CHAMBER and Rick Kidder who just started a PAC to help defend the challenge’s side. Klapp is definitely not one of us, not the "peasants" as Manross thinks of us. Could it be that she is nothing more than another "user" with pro-establishment money and backing?
~Have a Safe and Happy Memorial Day everyone. I hope we can all take time to remember those who sacrificed for our country and our precious freedoms this weekend. Remember to fly the flag proudly and correctly!
~ Loved the "Ostriches of Scottsdale" editorial. What a great take on the local political goings-on. Hopefully, everything will get back on track after Manross, Drake and McCullagh are thrown out of office in September.
~ABC 15 is doing a huge investigative report on the toxicity levels of our water. Guess what zip code is THE WORST? 85262. The zip code where many of us live. The water is so toxic it has been known to cause many types of cancers. Sound familiar? There have been over ten people that I know of that have gotten cancer, and they all live on the same street! Via Dona, including my mom who passed away in 2005. I wrote the investigator who is conducting this at ABC 15 and asked him to call or write me. If you feel this is of urgent need, and you live in this area, please write him an email too!
~ We tried to sign the petitions for Nan & Tom only to find the same group of goons who tried to stop the Hanover Referendum petition effort gathering signatures for Klapp, Drake and Davis, only dressed better. Putting 2 & 2 together, we determined that Klapp, Drake and Davis are part and parcel to being connected to the Manross Menagerie and 3 ring circus. Thanks but no thanks, none of the 3 will get our family’s votes. We need CHANGE, not more of the same Spend and Spend More we have experienced over the last 8 years.
~ OMG Kevin Osterman raises his ugly head - unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought he had moved out of state!
~ For me being a life long resident, it was truly heartbreaking to read the letter "Where's My Scottsdale" in your last edition. I've had the same feelings and was hoping that others did too. But for it to come from a visitor was the worst and sadly, our stupid mayor and council cannot see the forest for the trees. I pray to God that September changes things for the better or Scottsdale is doomed to mediocrity as a "has been" resort town begging for money to run our currently dysfunctional city government.
~ Kevin Osterman appears to be the new Karl Kulick who buried Nan Nesvig in the last election. Kulick probably didn't know what he was up against when he agreed to be Osterman's shill. Who was Karl Kulick? Many tongues have wagged since Nesvig-gate with a lot of finger pointing but no one willing to admit to their dirty deed. Did Judy Eisenhower know him and was she involved? Was Susan Bitter-Smith an acquaintance of or know either Eisenhower or Kulick? Are any of them friends of, clients of, or connected to Attorney Tom Irvine in any way? I suspect so because I’ve heard they all run in the same social circle. If anyone has any information, it would be nice to know who the scallywags were that cause the ruckus.
~ I’m so sick of Manross and her cronies, I can’t wait to cast my vote against all of them in September. I voted for Mary in the last election but there is no way in hell I’d ever vote for her now or any of the council majority for that matter.
~Osterman has been seen at development meetings as of late. He has been hanging out with the "politically aligned" and just waiting for his chance to strike. Again, he has been set up as the front man for the establishment and there is no way this guy is smart enough to have thought this action up on his own. I'm sure that you all know who is involved and why. Doesn't matter what referendum it is, just matters that the political insiders stop it so that the people "know where they stand" in Scottsdale because money obviously buys power in the Scottsdale of today. If in doubt, look at Ron McCullagh’s campaign contributions.
~ Mike Merrill's "Living in the Land of Oz" cracks me up every week. This guy should be running for council or mayor, but then again if he did, he couldn't be nearly as effective as he is on the outside looking in would he? He knows far more than any of the idiots Dolan hired including Frank Gray and Mary O'Connor. It's time for a change and September is the month!
~Could it be that this action is reminiscent and a repeat of the dirty (but apparently legal) tricks against Nan Nesvig during the last election to keep the Manross majority in place and in power to make apparent special and secret deals at will? From under what slimy rock did Kevin Osterman reappear? Could a couple of certain political advisers and their company be behind this being that Tom Irvine is the attorney of record for them? Could it be that Osterman is again acting as the obvious shill for the establishment??
~ So, Rick Kidder and the Scottsdale Area Chamber is funding the Unjust Dust referendum challenge. Dunderheaded Kevin Osterman, ousted former city council member, is the main shill. OMG!! Who would have imagined those two in bed together? Are the business owners/members of the Chamber all on board with this unmasked usurpation of voter’s rights? How deep are Manross and Drake involved? Up to their dyed hairlines I’d bet big money. History repeats itself every 2 years with this group.
Growing up in Scottsdale, especially in the 1960’s there were many summer programs for kids and their families to take part in, and while we do not have the Maricopa County Extension Programs there are a few programs that are local and affordable to while away the hot summer months.
SUMMER READING PROGRAM BEGINS MAY 27
Residents can earn prizes and praise through the Scottsdale Library's Summer Reading Program - "Scottsdale Reads This Summer." Everyone wins when everyone reads - summer reading
programs are for everyone whether they are 1 month, 10 or 100 years.
The program runs May 27 through the end of July. Get all the
details and register by calling (480) 312-READ, or visit one of your Scottsdale libraries:
-- Civic Center Library, 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd.
-- Mustang Branch, 10101 N. 90th St.
-- Palomino Branch, 12575 E. Via Linda, # 102
-- Arabian Branch, 10215 E. McDowell Mountain Ranch Road
And with the words, comes the music.
ENJOY FREE CONCERTS
McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, 7301 E. Indian Bend Road, has begun its free Concert Series, Sunday evenings from 7:30 to 9 p.m. through July 13.
Bring a blanket or chair, and hear a variety of favorite local bands. For additional information, call (480) 312-2312 or visit
www.ScottsdaleAZ.gov/parks/RailroadPark.
Here's the lineup:
-- May 18 - Groove Merchants
-- May 25 - Mogollon
-- June 1 - The Hamptons
-- June 8 - Rock Lobster
-- June 15 - Furious George
-- June 22 - North
-- June 29 - Affinity
-- July 6 - CC Rider Express
-- July 13 - Aaron Nelson Project
(Just between us, they have a hard time getting me off of the train or away from the model trains.)
Trumpet intro please!
As a graduate of the Scottsdale Citizens Police Academy in 1987, I am proud to tell you that our class planted the seeds of genius that took root and grew into the: POLICE & FIRE PUBLIC SAFETY TEEN ACADEMY.
I think this is one of the most worthwhile programs Scottsdale has implemented for kids. It is constructive, gives young people a view of what public safety involves (and it is not all flashing lights and sirens) and a chance to participate in an education process that they might want to continue after high school. So check the following info out:
POLICE & FIRE PUBLIC SAFETY TEEN ACADEMY.
Join the Scottsdale Police and Fire departments in a unique experience this summer. Teens ages 14 through 17 are invited to apply to the Public Safety Teen Academy to be held July 7 thru 11.
The academy will provide your teen with a better understanding of public safety through an exciting schedule of hands-on learning.
What a perfect opportunity to "try on" careers in law enforcement and fire services. Applications are available now by contacting Sergeant J.C. Taylor at (480) 312-8209, jctaylor@scottsdaleaz.gov or Lori Schmidt at (480) 312-1817, lschmidt@scottsdaleaz.gov.
Again in the 1960’s, when my dad was first diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, we found out how beneficial water exercise was to keeping joints somewhat limber. So I was delighted to find out that Scottsdale’s Parks and Recreation Department is offering this program:
AQUATICS OFFERS ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION AQUATIC PROGRAM
City of Scottsdale Aquatics is now offering the Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Program. This program allows participants to exercise without putting excess strain on joints and muscles.
The city offers these classes at McDowell Mountain Ranch Park and Aquatic Center (MMR) and Eldorado Aquatic and Fitness Center.
Several Aquatics staff members were trained and certified through the Arthritis Foundation.
Participants take part in a gentle, slow-paced exercise class,
focusing on muscular strength, endurance and flexibility, resulting in decreased pain and stiffness.
For more information call MMR at (480) 312-MMRP (6677) or Eldorado at (480) 312-2484.
Now I know it gets darned hot in the summer and riding a bike is not the first thing one thinks to do. It can, however, be done and I did it when I was pregnant with both of my sons, three miles, twice a week with my husband by my side, until my doctor said, "Enough, already!" Then when I was doing chemotherapy for the colon cancer, I would get up early in the morning and ride my bike around the neighborhood for thirty minutes. It wiped me out, but I did it.
The key here is early in the morning.
If you are like my family, you accumulate bikes of various designs and requiring different levels of expertise over the years, eventually you want to get rid of them. This next reminder is good for all of us, our schools, non-profit organizations and helps the Scottsdale Handle Bar Helpers Program.
HELP THE ENVIRONMENT - RIDE A BIKE!
Getting a little discouraged with the price of gasoline? How about riding a bike to work, school, or just for fun and fitness?
You can earn a bike with as little as 20 hours of community volunteer work. The Handlebar Helpers program gives all Scottsdale residents the opportunity to earn a bike, helmet and lock.
Simply complete the "earn a bike" enrollment form at www.handlebarhelpers.org or call (480) 312-0217 to have a form mailed to you. Once completed, return the form and let us know which school, non-profit, or city program you will be volunteering for.
The agency monitors your time and communicates it to Handlebar Helpers staff.
Check out our bike selection. Stop by the Handlebar Helpers shop located on the west side of Paiute Neighborhood Center, 6535 E. Osborn Road. Shop hours are 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday. Summer hours are 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Monday thru Friday during the summer.
This last announcement that the came from the city, pertains to Scottsdale’s kids and our schools. It is a program that has been around for many years and Parks and Recreation should be very proud of this effort.
MORE THAN 400 YOUTH PARTICIPATE IN CITY TRACK MEET
More than 400 young people laced up their running shoes May 9 to compete in the Scottsdale All-City Track Meet at Saguaro High School.
The track meet was a qualifying event for the National Hershey Track Program.
The city's Youth Sports Division conducted a three-week after-school track sports program to teach participants the "FUNdamentals" of track and field and prepare them for the all-city meet and subsequent competition at higher levels. Participants competed in running events, the standing long jump and the softball throw.
One of the most important efforts that builds a sound community that we can all be proud of is volunteering even a couple of hours a year, so you can keep the following information handy when you don’t feel like spending that time riding a bike.
VOLUNTEER WITH PARKS & RECREATION
There are several volunteer opportunities available to assist with Parks and Recreation special events and much more! For information, contact Erin McKallor-Quill at (480) 312-7640 or emckallor@scottsdaleaz.gov.
Just click on the logos below to go to these websites.
Send our Brave Troops "Something from Home", Click on Links below.
Gathering of Eagles Website was launched 2/9/07. Click on the Logo above for more information on how they are protecting America's Memorials.
~ UPDATE!! A "Must See" for All Americans
Every American should check out all of these websites to learn more about what the American population is about to have to deal with.
This is NOT for Children.
I don't normally allow anything but Scottsdale information in the Scottsdale Activist but after receiving many emails about this and viewing it, I think that it's imperative that every adult at least look at what's offered here if for nothing more than their own education and to have everyone stop and think about the future of our country. Click on the link below,
If you don't have Adobe Flash, install it from the bottom of the page that comes up after you click on the link above. You should be able to view all available links within the main page.
The website below is of great interest as seen from a Lebanese point of view:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8fa9yKQeTY
The website below gives some history of Terrorist attacks:
http://patriotfiles.org/civilizationcalls.htm
This website tell you what REALLY happened:
http://www.terrorismawareness.org/what-really-happened
~ Arizona Tax Revolt
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Executive Guidance Committee Sen. Ron Gould Sen. Jack Harper Rep. Russell Pearce Hon. David Smith Jeff Greenspan, Chairman Lynne Weaver, Vice Chairman
Prop13Arizona |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 1, 2007, 12:00 PM MST |
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Prop 13 Style Property Tax Reform Coming To Arizona Prop 13 Arizona, a coalition of elected officials and citizen activists, has organized to bring California Prop 13 style reform to Arizona. Prop 13 Arizona brings together elected state officials, citizen activists, taxpayer, industry and other political interest groups to form the definitive statewide property tax reform coalition in Arizona. Over the next year, representatives of various stakeholder groups will be working together with elected officials and citizen activists to create comprehensive, transformational property tax reform bills and initiatives to include: · Eliminating classes of property · Resetting the property tax rate back to no more than 1%, the maximum allowed in the Arizona Constitution · Setting a 2% annual limit to valuation increases after a property is purchased · Rolling back current valuations to 2001 “Prop 13 Arizona: …comprehensive, transformational property tax reform... “ Prop 13 Arizona will: · Provide comprehensive reform for driving future economic growth and prosperity · Enable businesses and individuals to plan and budget their tax requirements · Attract new business to the state The work has already begun. New stakeholders join Prop 13 Arizona each week. Bills and initiatives are being drafted. The first initiative, C-01-2008, a portion of the reform language, has been filed with additional filings to follow. Stakeholders from around the state are providing their input in order that the bills and initiatives appeal to the widest segment of the population, amenable to business owners, industry and individuals. Look for more from Prop 13 Arizona in the coming weeks and months. |
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~ View Past City Council Meetings
We can now access the city council meetings by clicking on the following link:
http://scottsdale.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=3If you have any problems, check your firewall and other safety features which could block access to the city site.
~Continuing Light Rail Information
The Scottsdale Citizens Transportation Study Committee
invites you to view their website for more questions and answers at
www.norailforscottsdale.com
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Simply click on the links below to get all the information you'll ever need concerning Light Rail.
If you have any questions about light rail, send them to editor@scottsdaleactivist.com and we'll get the answers to you as soon as we can.
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For Continuing
Information on Photo Radar,
Click on the Logo below.
~Are Red-Light Cameras Fair to Drivers?
These modern-day robocops make ticketing easier and can be huge moneymakers for local governments. But critics question their accuracy and fret over privacy issues.
Click on the link below , then scroll down to read the article:
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/InsureYourCar/AreRedLightCamerasFairToDrivers.aspx
~ Scottsdale Legal Defense Fund
The Scottsdale Activist is very pleased to announce an effort on the behalf of the residents and taxpayers of the city of Scottsdale to promote open, honest and accountable city government. The Scottsdale Legal Defense Fund (SLDF) has been created to take legal action to hold the City accountable when its actions are contrary to state law, the City Charter, City ordinances or the public interest.
The most necessary ingredient to make the SLDF work will be confidential contributions from concerned Scottsdale citizens who are willing to help their community. By contributing, we can change the way City Hall does business and insure that our tax dollars will be spent wisely.
No funds from the SLDF
will or can be used for any political purpose.Contributions shall be kept confidential as
permissible by law and can be made in any Washington Mutual Bank to
account number 3114165786 for the Scottsdale Legal Defense Fund. Branch
locations are listed below. Contributions are not tax deductible.
The SLDF has retained the law firm of Miller LaSota & Peters, PLC, in
connection with the patently illegal action taken by the Mayor and
Council appointing the most recent Scottsdale City Attorney, while
ignoring the residency requirement of the Scottsdale City Charter even
though the new City Attorney’s contract (according to Scottsdale
Republic reporter Laurie Roberts) requires that she reside in
Scottsdale. The City Council action was based on a legal opinion
which was reportedly rendered during a closed door Executive Session of
the City Council by a subordinate to the then acting City Attorney, who
was subsequently appointed to the City Attorney position by a vote
during a public City Council meeting. The opinion has been requested as
a public document under state law, but the City has not yet provided it.
The SLDF will take other appropriate legal actions based on the conduct
of the Mayor and Council.
Washington Mutual Bank Locations at which contributions to the SLDF can be made are:
72nd & Shea
7337 E. Shea Blvd #120
480-609-8524
Hayden & Chaparral 7908 E. Chaparral # C-113
480-949-0069
Horizon
14854 N Frank Lloyd Wright
480-614-6660
Scottsdale Ranch
10155 E. Via Linda Blvd #131
480-767-2060
Kierland Village
6501 E. Greenway Pkwy #133 480-315-2905
There are many other branches throughout the Valley.
Hello All,
This seems to work well. Click on the link below to Check it out. Helpful hint! Just plug in your zip code and it tells you which gas stations have the cheapest prices (and the highest) on gas in your zip code area. It's updated every evening.
Be a good neighbor and pass this along.
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Scottsdale Development Update
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Important City Meetings
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~City Public Document Search ~ ~ Website Contacts ~ ~ Shout & Spout ~ ~ Editor ~
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The Scottsdale Activist is published, and edited in Scottsdale AZ ~ 480-326-2475