Volume
'08-30
UpDated Sun 9:PM
August 2, 2008
The Scottsdale Activist
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"The garden of freedom must occasionally be overturned by the shovel of liberty, lest it turn into a bog of complacency". And everyone knows, digging up a large garden with a shovel requires effort, sweat, time, and strength. You can want to "change" the garden, but without those 5 things above, good luck. Do the voters of this city have the intestinal fortitude, effort, time, sweat and strength to help this beleaguered city out of its malaise by voting for a desperately needed change in direction and leadership? We certainly pray on bended knee they do!!
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Table of Contents Pick the Article in this Table of Contents that you wish to read, then Just Click ~ Guest Editorial ~ Weekly Editorial -- Staff ~ Miscellaneous but Important City Information ~ Candidate Endorsement Announcements ~ Candidate Forums and Other Up Dates ~ Living in the Land of Oz with Michael Merrill
~Council and Mayoral Candidates Information Check out the new endorsements for many candidates ~ Shout and Spout - SHC 12 story building, Dormitory Garage, SRP 2007 Letter ~ Thought for the Week -- Calvin Coolidge ~ Quote of the Week -- Benjamin Franklin ~ 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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~ Guest Editorial
~ Which Candidates REALLY Care??
Many fraternal organizations such as the Rotary, Kiwanis, Scottsdale Area of Chamber of Commerce, political party organizations, etc. do a wonderful job promoting individual group causes including the protection of businesses (many with glorious and glowing press releases).
Unfortunately, those organizations never venture into the land of the needs of the other 97% of the population known as the common citizens or residents of the city.
We decided that every Voter needs to know which candidate or candidates are looking out for the best interest of the average voter and resident, not the developers, high rollers, or those that want and expect favors from the current administration and council majority.
The chart below, to us, tells the story of who cares about voters by learning about their concerns. The chart shows the volunteer citizen driven organization meetings that the candidates attended on a regular basis or are members.
This chart DOES NOT show who endorse whom. Endorsements are as press releases and are posted elsewhere in the Activist.
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Organization COGS* SC** CCS*** COPP****
City Council Candidates
Lisa Borowsky
Joel BramOweth Yes
Oren Davis
Betty Drake
Tom Giller Yes Yes Yes
Suzanne Klapp
Ron McCullagh
Nan Nesvig Yes Yes Yes
Mayoral Candidates
W. Jim Lane Yes Yes Yes
Mary Manross
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* COGS: Coalition Of Greater Scottsdale:
Board Members: Sonnie Kirtley, Chair; Sharon Oberritter, Jim Heather, Linda Whitehead, Bob Vairo
** SC: Scottsdale Coalition
Steering Committee: Nancy Cantor Chair; Jim Heather, Sharon Oberritter, Darlene Petersen, Rita Saunders-Hawranek, Christine Schild, Susan Coykendal, Amy McAwley, Barbara Cawthorne, Bill Scherrer
*** Community Council of Scottsdale
Board Members: Jerry Lenneman Chair, Lida Stewart, Angela Jacobsen
**** Coalition Of Pinnacle Peak
Board Members: Bob Vairo President, Linda Whitehead Vice President, Judy B. Wagman Editor COPP News, Gil Lustig Director, Mike Stephenson Director
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Based on the chart above, to vote for any candidates other than Nesvig, Giller and Lane in our mind would be playing the deadly game of Russian Roulette with the future of our city because the others have never invested in listening to, discussing ideas with, or talking with any of those organizations listed.
It should be noted that Councilmen Littlefield and Nelssen also attend almost every meeting of all of the above organizations, but are not part of any decision making concerning those organizations..
Mayor Manross and Councilwoman Drake have never been seen at any local citizen organization meeting unless they were either the speaker or there for a candidate forum. McCullagh has been seen only or rare occasions. Ecton, like Manross, has never been seen at any citizen organized meetings as far back as members can remember
It should also be noted that because the main problems facing the city are in its southern portion, COPP’s meetings are currently not as well attended as they should be as compared to those in the south which may be a major oversight on the part of some.
If we all, North, Central & South, don’t work together as a team during this watershed election, we will see the city of Scottsdale as we knew it disappear into mediocrity and mish-mash as just another town trying to be something it should never be guided by elected officials who have nothing on their mind except what THEY want to see.
I believe it was Beverly Lloyd Lee who said it best when she clearly stated that successful towns and cities based their success on a theme derived from their early days. Scottsdale is and has been known for decades as "The West’s Most Western Town" to visitors; it should remain that way, be strictly designed that way, and expanded to preserve our attractiveness to tourists and the sales taxes they pay; that is what pays the freight, NOT property taxes, tax exempt property or second rate, Non-Green "Big Box" office parks such as SkyFlop at Scottsdale & McDowell Roads.
The current problems of the south will very soon be the problems of the north based on the population projection of the city that the population of the north is expected to double in the future. How can that happen unless the city approves zoning which will allow more density which all of the above listed citizen organizations and many individuals are fighting hard against on a daily basis???
As the chart so directly illustrates, the only candidates concerned and educated in local citizen and resident issues are Nan Nesvig and Tom Giller as council candidates and W. Jim Lane as the Mayoral candidate.
Remember back to the election 4 years ago when Manross, Drake, Ecton and McCullagh promised reduced spending and that they would pay more attention to the citizen’s wishes? All three incumbents have totally ignored the citizens and in our opinion, have done nothing of value for the citizens since except dig us deeper into debt with nothing coming back in return, not even a completed Preserve as promised by all of them.
Vote Nan Nesvig and Tom Giller for council, and W. Jim Lane for Mayor to preserve what we have left of Scottsdale so we can hopefully regain our World Class status with their help and dedication to open, responsive city government.
Combined Staff Effort
Does Betty Drake say what she means?
Did Betty Drake actually do what she says she did?
Betty Drake recused herself (did not vote) on council agenda item at lease 22 times even though she had full information and reportedly helped or gave some input concerning the subject project to some extent to the applicant prior to the votes which raises serious ethical questions.
From the information we have from a number of sources, Betty Drake along with Kevin Osterman (who lied to the press about Jim Lane and gathered petition signatures for Manross and Drake) are tied directly to the apron strings of none other than Mayor Mary Manross who was tied directly to former City Manager Jan Dolan.
With that in mind, we decided we needed to do more research.
We have read the propaganda from the Drake for Council "slick mailers" and have done our best with the time allowed to debunk some of the statements with true facts from city records as we know them to be.
Betty Drake Statement: "a former city manager overruled council directions that the [Downtown] plan be crafted by residents.
The REAL Truth: Drake was a member of the 4-3 Council majority that strongly and emphatically along with Mayor Manross supported former city manager Jan Dolan. If Dolan had really hijacked the Downtown Plan Update process Drake and her allies could easily have ordered her to back off.
Drake is just using Dolan (who is under a gag order and cannot defend herself) as an excuse for her part in letting developers hijack the Downtown Plan Update process.
Betty Drake Statement: "She scaled back her professional work when she began her first Council term in 2004. The sacrifice was worth it Drake said."
The REAL Truth: In the four years that she has been on council Drake has been forced to recuse herself from voting on projects that she is professionally involved in more than twice as much as the other six Council members combined! Looks like Drake is still busy using her Council position as a way to get more planning business.
Betty Drake Statement: "Drake wants to respect the [Downtown] historic districts"
The REAL Truth: Drake voted to support the "Starship Enterprise" looking "4333" building that detracts from the historic character of Scottsdale’s Downtown rather than supporting it.
Betty Drake Statement: "Drake also takes credit for finding ways to alleviate new rules for dust control"
The REAL Truth: Drake enthusiastically voted for the dust control rules that threaten to close down the equestrian businesses in Scottsdale. It wasn’t until the uproar from these businesses against Drake threatened her image as the self-appointed defender of the Scottsdale horse community that Drake suddenly became interested in alleviating the bad effects of those rules. (Nelssen actually does far more for the equestrians than Drake has ever done)
Betty Drake Statement: "She also wants to……..discuss sustainability issues, such as reducing the urban heat island effect"
The REAL Truth: In the four years that she has been on council Drake has voted for many high, dense projects which will make the urban heat island effect worse.
Betty Drake Statement: "If elected to a second term she wants to work on the issue of workforce housing"
The REAL Truth: In the four years that she
has been on council Drake has done nothing to advance the issue of
workforce housing and has actually stood by while city staff prevents
the council appointed Housing Board from taking any meaningful steps to advance this
issue.
With this information at hand, please carefully review your thoughts about the ability and electability of Betty Drake to do the job required 100% as a city council person who is directly responsible to the voters and taxpayers of this city.
This is not to say that Betty is not a great planner which she is.
This is not to say she's not a nice or well educated person.
This clearly shows that Betty does have the ability to be an excellent resource for the citizens of Scottsdale as a Private business person or on a volunteer, non-elected status, but absolutely NOT as a city council person where her personal and chosen trade crosses lines with the council persons responsibilities.
Betty Drake is truly and Enigma who, in our opinion, should NOT be re-elected to the city council based on the truths (or Untruths) uncovered above.
If Betty Drake or her "team" would like to dispute any information in this article with PRINTED FACTUAL INFORMATION, we would be happy to retract that portion of the article.
After numerous email complaints and phone calls from concerned and angry citizens, we visited the new, but ugly garage being built at SkyFlop.
Much to our surprise, the workers are telling us they were told it is student dormitory parking for the new apartments which are to be coming soon to SkyFlop.
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Why is it that many citizens suspected and voiced their opinion that the apartments would be for student housing if approved by the city council, while the council and ASU/ASUF all adamantly denied that would be the case and called all of us liars and negative thinkers.
Well, lo and behold according to the on-site employees, they were told the garage WILL be for the use of students using the soon to come "apartments" otherwise known as student dormitories as well as some users of the 4 second rate, economy, non-green office buildings.
For this garage and the accompanying sub-class buildings which the taxpayers of Scottsdale have invested $130 million hard earned dollars, we will get zero return except the original investment back over the next 98 years, less any interest which the city refused to require.
With these kinds of people running our government, who the hell needs enemies? Why don't we just give away the whole damned thing and be done with it........ for a price that is or cancel the lease and sell it???
Ladies and gentlemen of the tax paying public, you have been royally screwed again by the Manross administration and ASU/ASUF.
The ONLY way to reverse this ridiculous practice is to VOTE OUT Manross and everyone who voted for this ugly and costly albatross which our children's, children's children will be paying for and not knowing why.
VOTE September 2nd to throw Manross, Drake and McCullagh OUT OF OFFICE before they can do any more damage to the city coffers of the future or tell us any more costly lies!!
Let us all pretend that we live in the condos at the Waterfront or in the neighborhoods along 68th Street, North of Indian School Road, or along 64th Street from Thomas Road to Indian School Road. Think infrastructure, in this case electrical.
Focus on the South Bank of the canal at the Waterfront condos. Under the guidance of City Manager Dolan, with full faith and confidence from Mayor Manross and the Council majority (sometimes referred to as "collusion" according to Webster’s: secret agreement or cooperation especially for an illegal or deceitful purpose; you pick the definition), the City raced to complete the landscaping along the canal banks before the Super Bowl festivities last January.
It cost taxpayers roughly $5 million to landscape just that stretch of the Canal banks which are owned by Salt River Project. Those landscaped canal banks served as the back drop for ESPN’s broadcasts and for the staging of many luxurious fashion shows and VIP parties. We even closed the Trolley Bridge to trolleys so that people could party hearty and at the mayor’s request, kept it closed until after the Mayor’s State of the City address in April.
All of those activities were supposed to bring huge revenues to the City coffers but they never appeared as widely reported in the local press.
Then let us look at the July 2007 letter (see below article) that was sent to the City of Scottsdale’s City Engineering Department from Salt River Project. Information that SRP had shared several times previously with the Mayor and the City Manager and staff regarding the South Bank of the Canal in particular. Information that SRP engineers felt very strongly about that concerns the development along the canal banks.
Incidentally, the council says they never saw the attached letter until this week which adds even more to the thought of "collusion" on the part of Manross, Dolan and those within the fold.
So whose neighborhood is getting set up? If SRP uses the canal banks, they own’em they can use them, then the $5 million in landscaping gets torn up and SRP makes the necessary upgrades. Guess who gets to pay for the re-landscaping and, oh yeah, it cannot be landscaped the way it is today so it’ll probably cost even more than it did originally?
Taxpayers will pay for the re-landscaping whether in outright taxation or increased fees.
There are alternatives, of course, SRP does believe in long range planning contrary to local municipal practices. The above mentioned neighborhoods could be only one of those facing the impacts.
Don’t ya love Friday???? In the summer in Scottsdale we need to shut down the City for a solid month and let everybody take the month off.
We probably wouldn’t notice any difference.
Manross and Dolan: Don’t forget those names when the taxes and fees start going up to deal with the costs to update the infrastructure in the older areas of Scottsdale, because they did not do fiscally responsible planning and apparently haven’t for the last 8 years.
Read the letter below to see how some council members and the general public were hoodwinked by never being told by Manross, Dolan and their inside group as to what SPR had proposed on more than one occasion, and how the city spent taxpayer dollars on something they knew would have to be torn up later………… unless they had still other plans for the transmission lines.
See companion Editorial ~ Light Rail Still Quietly Planned??
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(This letter below was transcribed by an OCR program to clarify print that was not clear)
SALT RIVER PROJECT RICHARD M- HAYSLIP
POST OFFICE BOX 52025 ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER
Phoenix, AZ 85072-2025
(602) 236-6699
Fax (602) 236-5444
E-Mail rmhayslip@srpnet.com
July 23, 2007
Mr. Daniel J. Worth, P.E.
City of Scottsdale, City Engineer
Capital Project Management/OCC 201
7447 E. Indian School Rd, Suite 205
Scottsdale, A2 85251
Dear Mr. Worth
The purpose of this letter is to clarify our understanding and intent with respect to the south bank of SRP's canal in the area known as the Scottsdale Waterfront.
As indicated in Ms. Huber's letter and as discussed on a number of occasions with City staff, SRP anticipates the need for additional transmission and distribution capacity to accommodate growth in the area currently served between our Scottsdale Substation, located near Camelback and Scottsdale roads and the Papago Buttes Station located along 64th Street between Thomas and Osborn roads. We have not chosen a transmission route for the additional circuit between Papago Buttes and the Scottsdale Substation; however, an alignment along the canal bank would be an alternative that SRP would consider. Recognizing the City's desire to create a signature development along the south bank, SRP is more than willing to work with the City to develop alternative alignments for both transmission and distribution facilities that would avoid or minimize disruption to the Waterfront project.
We believe adequate lead time exists to allow for a
thorough evaluation of transmission alternatives. We would like to begin
work with the City in the near future to identify these alternatives.
Please recognize that we are not relinquishing any rights we have under
License #01481-0 and that there is attendant risk associated with your
proposed landscaping plans. However, be assured that we will work with
the City in this matter.
Sincerely
/signature/
Richard M. Hayslip
Environmental • Land/PPC • Risk Management • Technology Initiatives • Telecom
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Do you still believe the Manross Administration when they tell you everything is open and above board?
~ Light Rail Still Secretly Planned??
So you read the editorial about the electrical infrastructure issues and the 2007 letter from SRP to Scottsdale above?
Yeah, us too.
Wrapping our "non-partisan" brains around the subject we thought about options to the canal bank for those 8 ft by 8ft square concrete tunnels for the 69KV upgrades.
There are apparently three that would work according to SRP: the canal bank as stated, or meander through residential neighborhoods up to the 68th Street proposed relocation site for the Camelback Road substation, or……………………………………..shoot down Thomas Road to Scottsdale Road and head north to…….the canal banks.
So far those are the only voiced options because SRP has NOT been invited to discuss this problem with the City.
One can see that the infrastructure of the southern part of Scottsdale is not foremost on the minds of the Mayor and the Council majority and their supporters like Bruner (North Scottsdale resident); DeCabooter (Central Scottsdale McCormick Ranch area); Casper (Dial Corp. CEO, Paradise Valley resident); Parsons (GoDaddy CEO, offices east of Pima Rd., north of Shea Boulevard); Schweiker (China Mist Co-Founder, supposedly environmentally aware, East of Pima Road and North of Shea Boulevard); Bridle and Bit (Cave Creek publishing firm on equestrian issues), Virginia Korte (east of Pima Road, North of Shea Boulevard); Ellen Andres-Schneider (director Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce); Jamie Drinkwater Buchanan (Carefree, AZ resident), Coalition of Pinnacle Peak (North Scottsdale) and finally the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce (and the Scottsdale Republic managing editor Mike Ryan sits as a director on the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce, too).
TAH DAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And check out the "out of towners" above telling us who should be Mayor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
People of South Scottsdale; all of the those folks and the Mayor and the Council majority, especially Drake and McCullagh, are set on seeing South Scottsdale, South of Indian Bend Road, 64th Street to Pima Road obliterated with a wrecking ball to allow infill redevelopment and a total lack of long range planning for infrastructure: electric, water, sewage and other quaint necessities to life.
Take a long look at that third option for SRP’s 69KV updates and take off the blinders;
Stand at the intersection of Thomas and Scottsdale Road with an excavator’s eye. Look North. Look South.
Should that choice be the one chosen, we are going to dig up that road (12 ft wide?) to run electrical power lines north to Camelback Road…….. past Scottsdale Healthcare Osborne, through Old Town, through the Fifth Avenue/Downtown/bar district..........to Fashion Square/Waterfront shopping…………..could take us three years……………..
Hm-m-m-m!!!!
Yeah, but what about looking South to SkySong? McDowell Road is just a stones throw, so to speak, actually the next major intersection South.
Wouldn’t all this digging be a grand opportunity to put in light rail up Scottsdale Road and kill two birds with one stone, so to speak?
After all, we’ve now taken it to Scottsdale Fashion Square, the Scottsdale Airpark is just a bit further down the road and it won’t disturb Paradise Valley, Carefree, Cave Creek or the area east of the Pima Road or the Preservation and open spaces of North Scottsdale.
Think about it:, Mayor Manross is the Chairman of Maricopa Association of Governments, and she sits on the Transportation Policy Committee (all the while giving 77˘ out of every Scottsdale transportation tax dollar to MAG) and she has adamantly wanted a strong connection from ASU, Tempe to the Scottsdale Airpark, and also seriously supported by the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce and Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn.
Yep there are a lot of secret things beginning to fall into sync aren't there?
Oh, and former City Councilman Kevin Osterman, former South Scottsdale resident who moved way North to escape the noise, is a strong supporter of the Mayor. We wonder just what noise he was thinking to escape??????
If you think for ONE New York Second that Mayor Manross (MAG Chair), the council majority, the Scottsdale Area Chamber and Scottsdale HealthCare don’t have light rail as their major priority upon the incumbents re-election, you are in a deeper fog than Fairy Tail figure Rumple Stilskin.
Nancy Cantor
Scottsdale
~ Environmental Conservatism? Really??
In a time of environmental sensitivity and deep concerns about supposed "global warming", dwindling sources of water, costly alternative energy and waste recycling, why do we have some council and mayoral candidates constantly pushing more height, more density, and narrower roadways?
Why is the Sierra Club endorsing Betty Drake and probably others when Drake openly advocates still more use of our limited water supply, electricity and more generation of effluent/trash disposal by approving more height and density in a city which is already built out for all intents and purposes?
Do Betty and her height and density crowd advocate taking the wrecking ball to older neighborhoods to facilitate her dream of more height and density?
Does the height and density crowd advocate reducing the size of our major parks by "allowing" pocket parks and taking away our major recreational areas within the city to allow still more height and density to be built in it’s place? The parks are over crowed now, where will we provide park space for the new residents?
How can Scottsdale be called "Green" by the Sierra Club and others when the only "Green" building in Scottsdale was pushed by 500 residents instead of the incumbents and the city staff (Senior Center on Granit Reef and Mc Dowell)?
Do the city staff and some candidates know something the average citizen doesn’t because of the secrecy advocated by Manross and the council majority?
Why has the city projected the population in the north to double in the future?
Where are we going to get the additional potable water? Electricity? Landfills? At what cost?
Where are we going to dispose of the increased effluent and non-recyclable trash generated by still more residents?
What do we do about the increased levels of bad air caused by more height and density?
How much is it going to cost the current residents to pay for upgraded or new infrastructure (water mains, sewer lines, gas lines, phone and power lines) increased height and density will bring to the area?
Why do we need more height and density? Don’t we have enough congestion already?
More height and density can only be achieved by driving "common citizens" from their homes in exchange for a more affluent society living in towering buildings after "common" long time family residents homes have been bulldozed in the name of "progress".
How could any candidate support such an action during an election or any other time?
NOT ONE candidate who advocates height and density (Mary Manross, Betty Drake, Ron McCullagh Lisa Borowsky, Joel BramOweth, Oren Davis, or Suzanne Klapp) can give us an honest and responsible reason short of "it increases our tax income". Really? The taxes which run the city come from retail sales taxes , NOT property taxes!
Any increase in the amount of retail sales tax generated by more residents will NEVER come close to paying for the exorbitant costs of new or upgraded infrastructure and the increased cost of water, power, and sewage disposal.
The ONLY candidates for reasonable, "Green", and planned sustainable growth for the city of Scottsdale are Nan Nesvig and Tom Giller!
Vote Nesvig & Giller to save Scottsdale September 2nd !!
~ Chamber "Poll" a Political Ruse
Last Friday when I got home from work I was greeted by yet again another "poll" that was sponsored by none other than the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce and as usual it appears right before an election, and this time another heated election that will spell out in truth what the voters of the city really think about where we are heading and if they agree with were we are heading.
The timing was perfect for the Chamber as usual and the media jumped on the band wagon as usual, however the flaws in such polls are astounding and to think that polling a mere 400 "registered voters" in a city of over 200,000 can actually lead to the predictions and percentages claimed is ludicrous at best. However it is an election season and forces like the Chamber have realized that there is a growing sentiment against how the city is being run and where it is heading so it is no surprise to see such a poll at this point in the election season the same as we have seen in the past.
I think the best words that sum up such polls have been best noted by Alan F. Kay, PhD who authored books like Spot the Spin- chapter 2- how to tell a good poll from a bad poll. The following is a quote from his book and his over 20 years of experience in dissecting public polls and I believe it applies ever so greatly to yet again another Chamber Poll issued at a time to make the average and unsuspecting voter believe everything is just great in Scottsdale. "The worst polls try to confirm the biases of the organization or politician who’s paying for them, and seek to manipulate the public and engineer consent for their pet policies or to sell their products."
Another valid and good point was the following comment and I would ask that residents consider this one deeply before taking a leap of faith on this poll conducted by the political arm of the Chamber. "A public interest poll truly has the public's interest at heart, rather than a poll commissioned by a public relations firm or anyone trying to push a particular product, cause or political viewpoint."
One of the things I have always found interesting about the Chambers polls is that they are always based on the responses of 400 registered voters and that the questions that were asked are never made public. How were the questions presented to the respondent as it is a well known fact that the way a question is presented will produce a calculated answer that the polling company is seeking for the person or entity that pays for it?
The reality is that this poll is not a "true" public interest poll based on many factors regarding the truthfulness and by who it was sponsored by. Consider this for a realistic poll for the public interest. Recently there have been two referendum issues in this city which garnered over 5,000 signatures from residents and there has also been an up tick in citizen’s petitions to the city council which is 250% more than have ever been presented to the council in the history of the city.
The FINAL poll will be conducted at the ballot box. Make sure YOU see through the smoke and mirrors presented by these groups who have definite special interests, financial and otherwise, in the direction Scottsdale goes BEFORE you mark that ballot this coming September.
Bravo, again to the Mayor, and her Council Majority. They have successfully achieved grand stardom in the worst way possible. They have once again cast a pre-emptive strike against our citizenry.
Not a Special Interest entity? Then, take a number and wait in the uncomfortable chairs crammed into a dark corner of a dank city office with all the other black sheep. What has become of our democratic process in Scottsdale? Why are our citizens so bent out of shape?
According to the Chamber’s recent poll, the one where about 400 persons were "randomly" asked slanted questioned designed to get Chamber dictated responses, the citizenry is thrilled with the direction of Scottsdale. Really? What direction?
The only direction in Scottsdale at this very moment appears to be the one adopted by Manross, Drake, McCullagh and Ecton and driven by Special Interests, two of which are the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce and Scottsdale HealthCare. Just this past week, discussions were initiated with Scottsdale HealthCare to quietly but quickly escalate the decision for additional buildings, 12-story height multi-use to be exact, on their campuses.
Absolutely No actual community outreach was done in conjunction with these discussions.
Instead, SHC, supported by Rick Kidder and the Chamber on this issue (and probably tons of SHC dollars), approached the City about getting this project pushed through the system before the new Council could take office.
Memos outlined their intentions. Aggressive discussions ensued. What are they afraid of? Why forego community outreach?
If the Chamber poll was so "authentic", above-board and actually ethical, then community outreach on this project should be a mute issue, right? Well, that might be SHC’s only excuse "we had to buy it off before it was necessary to get their input". Ya right.
SHC doesn’t want any waves made before they can get their project to the Council, in cognito, for a vote. They are testing the waters before they even start. Are they secretly lobbying for support and likely using the campaign as leverage for that vote?? The project will be substantially completed and time invested before we even know it, further paving the way for Council to approve it.
Truth be known, Council will never bite the hand that feeds it. The Chamber has endorsed Drake, McCullagh and Manross and likely SHC has thrown a bunch of money at their campaigns. The more they hide from the public on this project the less heartburn they will suffer in the end. How can they ask the developer or the Special Interest entity to go back to the drawing board after they have expended a wad of cash to put their project in front of Council?
The answer is simple and "very historically Manross"; they can’t and they won’t. It is their fall back position when the vote is cast. The Special Interests will prevail again.
Our democratic process in Scottsdale leaves a lot to be desired. It should be a clear sign to the citizens that with John Berry leading the way on behalf of SHC, the dog and pony show would be grandiose and expensive. It will get the traditional rubber stamp of approval when it reaches Council. Bitter Smith will conduct trademarked fabricated or half truth bogus community outreach, the Chamber will submit their "Scottsdale wants height density and supports the campus addition" banter and the world, according to our esteemed Mayor, will be good "with a bright new future". And our citizens? Well, as with every story of this nature, in the end, we will be screwed over yet again.
If anything, this should be a sign to our citizens that the end of our world as we know it is approaching in Scottsdale. Either we act now to change the fabric of our Council or we suffer the fall out and become puppets of the Special Interests and we all begin looking for a new place to call home which would probably suit the Special Interests no end.
It would appear that the Chamber, the mayor and council majority, many Special Interests, SHC, and the senior city staff all know their end will come either September 2nd or November 4th and they need to get things done before they are all unceremoniously kicked out on their you know what’s.
~ Welcome to "Queen Mary’s" Scottsdale
It seems that the entire city council and possibly involved citizens should read the book "Crucial Conversations, Tools for Talking when Stakes are High." But do so only if you REALLY want to find out what’s wrong with the current administration and the city of Scottsdale. This book speaks on many levels about the state of affairs and where they are headed.
A passage about community dialog:
"The difference between the best communities and the good or the worst is not the number of problems they have. All communities face problems...the difference lies in how they deal with problems. In the best communities, key individuals find a way to engage in healthy dialogue. They talk through important issues. In contrast, communities that fail to improve play costly games. During community meetings people insult one another, become indignant, and act as if individuals with differing views are sick or deranged. Battles ensue.
"...What crucial issues does your community face? Are there conversations that people are not holding or not holding well that keep you from progress?...Do your community meetings look more like the Jerry Springer show than an energetic forum for healthy
communication? If so, both you and the community have a lot to gain by focusing on how you handle high-stakes discussions."
Hmmm. Isn’t the purpose of our elected officials to make sure these types of situations DON’T occur because they are elected to do exactly that? Isn’t it their responsibility to make sure problems are solved in an open and public manner with public input so problems DON’T happen?
Citizens don’t get upset and overbearing unless they are ignored and because those in charge are not running an honest and open operation.
Very simply put, Herb TALKED to the people and much more importantly, HE LISTENED.
Mary and the council majority don’t do either and look where Scottsdale is now………………….. in constant turmoil and a state of war with the citizens.
It would seem imperative that we make a strong move to change the direction of our city by changing those on the city council. With open, bilateral communication and a truly understanding city council, things will get better, much better.
Vote for change September 2nd by voting Nan Nesvig and Tom Giller for Council and Jim Lane for Mayor. There is nothing that says you have to vote for any number of mayoral or council candidates, you can vote for none, one, two or three.
On September 2nd, Vote for Giller, Nesvig and Lane, the ones that WILL change the council to better represent the citizens with open government.
~ When Good Councilpersons Go Bad
Corruption, Collusion, and Co-opting???
Every other Tuesday and on news day’s in-between, we are reminded of the divisive nature of our City’s political environment. It seemed, at one point many, many years ago, and perhaps, under the open governmental operation of Herb Drinkwater, that Scottsdale had a zero tolerance for corruptive behavior in politics. Oh sure, there were some who indulged in Collusionary tactics with developers or special interest groups, but the majority of our decision makers still recognized the necessity of an ethical, citizen oriented approach to government because of the openness required by Herb.
Today, that attitude is all but lost to the mania that has become Scottsdale city government.
I often ask myself, what really happened to Mary Manross? When did her "let’s all talk this out together" marital counseling approach lend itself to "we have a plan for Scottsdale and citizens, it doesn’t include you!"?
If we wanted a sassy, uninformed routinely scripted piss-ant for a mayor, we’d have suggested that Kevin Osterman run! Lack of leadership and vision are two of Mary’s strongest attributes! Her reliance on handshake backdoor deals, continual voting with her cohorts in crime Ecton, McCullagh and Drake in favor of special interests, her questionable alliances with political insiders who routinely dictate her decision making schedule and co-opt her opinions should make her eligible for the most corrupt Mayor in all of Scottsdale history award don't you think?.
Mother Mary won’t make a move without first consulting those who truly run Scottsdale –and that’s not her Staff, not her acting City Manager, and not "Mary’s Specially Chosen" City Attorney.
It is travesty that Scottsdale City government has gone to the dogs, so to speak. The "pack" runs amuck with such issues as hap-hazard development, bending of policies and procedures, gray area ethics and a slew of other special interest driven agenda items.
Worse, it is our Mayor and her loyal team of Ecton, McCullagh ad Drake who contributes to and condones the pack’s behavior which has led to illicit spending of our citizen’s tax dollars to fuel and fund personal agendas.
Our beloved Herb is no doubt rolling over in his grave at this very point in time!
For those of you who think that new blood on the Council will yield bad results, think again.
For the past four years, we have suffered costly measurable negative fall out from the apparent corruption, collusion and co-opting that has become norm with our Mayor and her team of Council majority dealt behind closed (secret) doors. Scottsdale’s financial future is in question to say the least.
They have drawn a line in the sand and established a litigious position with respect to doing business in this City.
They have discounted the importance of our citizens, businesses and neighborhoods throughout the decision making processes which has actually now, negatively influenced our quality of life. They have swept the truth under the rug hidden behind nearly 200 Executive (secret) Sessions and conducted City business without ethical or even legal consideration for the outcome of their behaviors (Manross illegally signing Hualapai lease).
These behaviors have cost the taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. We are no closer to resolution of our transportation issues; if anything, we are further behind. We lack continuity in our development, and revitalization movement. Completion of the Preserve, the one outstanding heavily touted promise made by our Mayor is unreasonably delayed because of our own financial destitution as a City caused by that same misguided mayor. True leadership begins with a citizen approved plan and builds from there. We still have no plan, no citizen involvement, and no vision for Scottsdale’s future.
So where are we now?
Some might categorize us as caught somewhere between the failing economy and a negatively funded growth explosion in Scottsdale. One thing is for sure, the last four years have yielded us little, as a City, in terms of progress. It has, however, forced us to see the reality of our ways; defunct leadership lends itself to disaster on a number of levels. Scottsdale may be a great place to live, but it is riddled with problems that our current incumbents and Mayor cannot readily resolve, given their lack of skills.
It is time for major change in our City’s leadership and with that change; we can visualize the hope and promise that Scottsdale has not seen since the days of Herb Drinkwater.
~ Candidates Corner
Our beautiful city is in trouble. When I moved to Scottsdale 35 years ago I knew this was the place I wanted to call home. I serve on the City Council because I wanted to give back to the city that has given so much to my family and me.
But I am now deeply concerned the Scottsdale we all love is headed in the wrong direction.
·
Decisions are routinely made behind closed doors without any input from our talented business owners.·
Our mayor has squandered hundreds of millions of our tax dollars on the Toll Brothers fiasco, and the botched land deal adjacent to the Water Campus;·
And by giving away to other Valley communities more than 75% of every transportation tax dollar our business owners and residents have to pay.·
No one takes responsibility for the mistakes, no one is held accountable, our business owners are left out of the process and nothing changes.We can do better. I'm running for mayor to return Scottsdale to the greatness we deserve. And with your help, we can turn this around.
·
We can bring sunlight to the decision-making process and re-energize our business owners.·
We can stop the wasteful spending and foolish mistakes.·
We can implement common sense solutions to our transportation mess that would improve traffic flow without costing us billions.·
We can complete the Mountain Preserve and make it the showcase amenity it should be.·
And we can restore responsibility and accountability to the mayor's office.I need your help to get this optimistic message to the voters. I'm running a strong grassroots campaign but in order to reach the majority of voters we need direct mail and print ads and signs and handouts.
I know these are difficult economic times. I wouldn't be asking if I didn't think the future of our city depends on it. September 2 will be a pivotal date for our city. So your campaign contribution will go a long way toward helping us restore Scottsdale to the great city we all know it can and should be.
Please click on www.lane4Scottsdale.com/donate.cfm .
Sincerely,
Jim Lane
jim@lane4scottsdale.com
480-299-2114
~ Miscellaneous but Important City Information
 |
Do you own a Southern Scottsdale Business ? (that would be anything south of Indian Bend Road) Please check out this website and sign up for one of the repeating forums Aug 7th,21st, and Sept 11th at various locations--hosted by the city.
www.scottsdaleaz.gov/planning/areaplans
Can you host candidates in your home? Candidates need the opportunity to speak with you and your neighbors. Door-to-door isn't the best answer in 110F heat. Would you gather 5 to 15 people and invite a candidate?....or invite 2 or 3 and stagger their arrival and departure times? We recommend that your priority be "new faces" rather than incumbents. Council meeting history already informs you on the incumbents. Give the 5 new faces a chance to share their positions on issues in your informal setting. Thanks! email cogsaz@cox.net if you need any contact phone numbers.
New Issue Brewing? The City of Scottsdale has no formal noise ordinance. As new residential projects are approved in the downtown core, as existing neighborhoods nearby are impacted, and as new liquor and nightclub licenses are approved----abusive noise levels are an increasing problem for local residents. We have one COGS member who reports that a nearby club plays live music until 2 AM with their doors open. The level of noise is unlivable---and unsleepable in their home. They have received no enforcement from the police department.
Thursday July and August nights ==DOGS AND JAZZ... From 7 to 9 PM on 7111 5th Avenue bring your dog and hear good jazz music. There will be dog fashions, gift items, ladies' jewelry and an "animal rescue" raffle. For more information call 480 970 1894 or www.classy-jazzy.com. ...and finally....Free Fridays at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art 10 am to 5 PM
CITY BUSINESS.........
The Museum of the West public hearing schedule.....August 13th Planning Commission hearing, September 9th City Council decision. Further information
http://www.scotsdaleaz.gov/projects/projectsinnews/SMW.asp and
http://eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/cases/casesheet.aspx?caseid=35143
Camelback and Indian School Road construction continues....82nd Street will close briefly at Indian School Rd...Camelback Rd east of Scottsdale Road will reduce to one lane in each direction from now to October for a new water and sewer line.
Southern Area Business Focus Groups...If you own a business south of Indian Bend Road, please attend one of these 6 to 8 PM events: July 24th at SkySong, August 7th at Chaparral Park office, August 21st at Granite Reef Senior Center, September 11th at Kerr Cultural Center. Register prior to this Thursday, July 17th. Call 480 312 7990 or www.scottsdaleaz.gov/planning/areaplans
Candidate Forums and Other Up Dates~ Candidate Forum Date & Location Update
Thursday 7 August 7:00 p.m.
Scottsdale Area Association of Realtors Forum with Bill Gray as the
moderator.
Contact John Packham, john@saaronline.com, 480.945.2651, SAAR Government Affairs Director.
Wednesday 13 August 8:00 a.m. Heart of Scottsdale
Realtor's Tour Group
https://www.saaronline.com/marketing/residential.php?id=1
or
http://heartofscottsdalehometours.com/tours.htm
Contact Sue Murray, smurray@russlyon.com, 480-560-7706, Director.
Monday 18 August 2:30 p.m.
Second Arizona
Republic Mayoral Forum
City Cable 11 studios. This half-hour forum would likely be one of the
last times to discuss the issues with voters leading up to election day.
This program will start airing soon after the taping on City Cable 11
and there will be coverage in the Scottsdale Republic, The Arizona
Republic and on the Republic Web sites. No guests will be allowed in the
studio.
Mike Ryan moderates.
mike.ryan@pni.com
(602) 444-5810.
~ Candidate Endorsement Announcements
~
John
Washington Scottsdale Mayoral Campaign Press Release
www.ScottsdaleCitizen.com,
31 July 2008, For Immediate Publication
It is with great respect and appreciation for my supporters and our citizens of Scottsdale that I hereby withdraw from the September 2, 2008 General Election race for Mayor.
My goal in running for mayor was to drive a higher level of conversation about the issues that are important to the citizens of Scottsdale. I am pleased the other candidates have embraced these issues, among them:
Openness and honesty in creating public policy.
Respect for, and value of citizen input.
Financial responsibility, and good stewardship of taxpayers’ money.
Traffic, growth, building height, population density.
Value of Scottsdale’s history, identity, and community character.
The importance of Scottsdale’s character to tourism and to our quality of life.
These issues have also become central themes during Council candidate forums and discussions. Our citizens have applauded these discussions with renewed interest in their government. I am proud to have accomplished this important goal. I also realize, though, that important work lies ahead during the last weeks before the election.
Our citizens better understand the issues facing the next Council. However, there are many Council candidates, and few opportunities for one-on-one conversation with them. Therefore, I want to focus my energy on expanding dialogue between the candidates and our citizens, encouraging our citizens to vote, and encouraging them to vote based on candidates’ track records rather than on campaign promises.
I am pleased to endorse Tom Giller (www.TomGiller.com) and Nan Nesvig (www.NanNesvig.com) for Scottsdale City Council. Tom and Nan have stood alongside our citizens, defending our neighborhoods and our quality of life. Through their efforts and personal sacrifice they have demonstrated their passion for, and their commitment to Scottsdale and her residents. I look forward to working with Tom and Nan during the next four years.
I encourage you to get to know Tom and Nan, and to give them your support and your vote on September 2. As I have learned, it is a lot of work for a candidate to get his or her message out to our citizens to help them make informed decisions. Please help Tom and Nan get on Council so they can look after our interests.
Your questions are welcome, and I will maintain www.ScottsdaleCitizen.com as a portal for information on the election.
Thank you for your support!
John Washington
480.229.1831
john@ReactionResearch.com
~The Coalition of Greater Scottsdale Political Committee
ID# COS 2006-18
8507 East Highland Avenue, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Sharon Oberritter, Chairman
480 949 5757
Sonnie Kirtley, Treasurer
: 602 717 3886
Fax: 480 588 6002
For IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE: 1 August 2009
The Coalition of Greater Scottsdale Political Committee (COGS-PC) announced candidate endorsements for the City of Scottsdale Mayor and City Council election. The group is the political action committee of the citywide nonprofit COGS organization that articulates neighborhood and land use issues in monthly public meetings. It schedules guest speakers and frequently represents the citizens’ concerns before the City Council and other government bodies.
The COGS-PC has endorsed Mayoral candidate W. "Jim" Lane and City Council candidates Nan Nesvig and Tom Giller.
No third City Council endorsement was announced at this time. Both Nan Nesvig and Tom Giller have been active citizens promoting reasonable city policies and workable solutions on issues that directly impact our existing neighborhood communities. They have spent hundreds of hours meeting with and supporting older neighborhoods and multiple HOA’s throughout the city.
This citizens’ group has not always agreed with Jim Lane’s 4- year City Council voting record.
"Jim Lane’s extensive business experiences and his commitment to provide a stricter financial oversight with the taxpayers’ dollars gained him the COGS-PC endorsement," stated Sharon Oberritter, Chairperson, "Additionally, Mr. Lane understands the value of citizen and business owner involvement in the government planning and decision-making process."
-30-
~COPP POLITICAL COMMITTEE CANDIDATE RECOMMENDATIONS
In the September 2 Primary City Council election, Scottsdale residents will be faced with a field of seven new faces and four familiar faces – eleven candidates in all – three for mayor and eight for City Council. The incumbents are Mayor Mary Manross, Councilman Jim Lane who is challenging Mary Manross for the Mayor’s seat, Councilwoman Betty Drake and Councilman Ron McCullagh. Challenging Betty Drake and Ron McCullagh for seats on the Council are Lisa Borowsky, Joel BramOweth, Oren Davis, Tom Giller, Suzanne Klapp and Nan Nesvig. John Washington is running for Mayor as a write-in candidate.
We asked each candidate to provide information on their background and experience and also to answer a number of questions on issues of importance to the governance of Scottsdale that influence the quality of life for all residents. A copy of the unedited questionnaire can be found at www.coppeak.org.
The COPP Political Committee evaluated each candidate to determine which ones we believe will best represent our values and concerns. Based on a recent survey of residents in the three northernmost zip codes, highest among those concerns are the completion of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, questionable zoning decisions and traffic congestion. We weighed each candidate’s position on these issues, together with their experience, education and desire to change things for the better throughout Scottsdale.
For mayor we recommend Mayor Mary Manross for a third term. While we have not always agreed with her decisions, she has a wealth of experience as a two-term mayor and her involvement in various positions in Scottsdale governance for the past twenty years. Of all the candidates, she has consistently been the staunchest advocate and supporter of Scottsdale’s Preserve vision. Challenger Jim Lane’s four years on the council and his financial background are valuable, but we believe not enough to keep Mayor Manross from being returned for a third term as Scottsdale’s Mayor.
The three council positions were a bit easier to evaluate. We believe electing Nan Nesvig and Tom Giller will give the city council a balance that is needed to provide a stronger voice for Scottsdale residents and neighborhoods. It is important for ordinary citizens to have elected officials who understand their concerns and represent them well in decisions that affect their quality of life. Tom and Nan’s emphasis on open government, protecting neighborhoods and keeping Scottsdale unique underscores their desire to make this happen.
We believe Nan and Tom will bring new energy and a different approach to governance with a transparent sense of governance for residents. We have interviewed them and believe we know them well enough to be convinced they will provide a fresh approach to the city council. We recommend a vote for both of them as agents of change for the future.
We also believe that Councilwoman Betty Drake should be returned to the city council for another four year term. Of all the current candidates for Council, she is the most knowledgeable about land use, city planning and related issues. Given the adoption of a new Downtown Plan in a few months and the updating of the General Plan for the entire city in 2011, we need to have someone of her experience and skills on the city council.
The COPP Political Committee
Contact: Bob Vairo – 585-4463
July 27, 2008
~Letters to the Editor
letters@scottsdaleactivist.com
~I Want an Activist on My Side!
Dear Scottsdale Activist,
I have read, with interest, the (Scottsdale) Republic newspaper profiles of the City Council candidates for the 2008 election. I have noted how some candidates have been called businesspersons while others have been referred to as activists. In Scottsdale, activists have often time received a bad rap. They are the squeaky wheels, the outspoken and the supposedly outnumbered as compared to the political insiders.
But I’ll tell you what, if I was going to choose someone for our City Council who would take an interest in my issues as a citizen and also those of our City in general on behalf of the citizens, I’d surely want an activist to be that person.
Our activist base in Scottsdale has grown exponentially in the past four years and for good reason. Our City Council refuses to assist the common citizen with their issues. Isn’t that their job? Didn’t we elect them to represent our interests? To help us live a better life in this city? What have incumbents Drake, McCullagh and Manross done to actually help us? The answer is nothing. Manross loathes public comment at the Council meetings and it clearly shows through in her negative demeanor!
In fact, the mayor and city council members will NEVER tell you this but at one point in time, they were all "Dreaded Activists" or they would have never gotten involved in city government!
Didn’t they fight for a citizen cause, making them, heaven forbid, an "Activist"?? You bet they did, but will never admit it now.
Even the newspapers make activism sound like the evil twin to the plague! Did anyone know that Ecton was at one time an activist in his north Scottsdale community as an active board member of COPP? Besides, Mayor Manross, Ecton is one of the biggest supporters of doing away with our activist communities in this city!
I find it rather disheartening that our activists get a bad rap in Scottsdale. They are the people I see showing up to the workshops, meetings, at Council events and try to get this city back on the right track.
Activists are our city watchdogs when the City Council and Staff refuse to assume that role.
To those candidates such as Nan Nesvig and Tom Giller who HONESTLY work hard and openly for the good of our citizens and neighborhood’s, you will have my vote.
To all you other candidates who refuse to acknowledge your current or former participation in activism, take a long jump off a short pier without your life jacket or a waiting dingy.
A Former City Employee
Scottsdale
My family and I have lived in the southern part of Scottsdale for 50 years.
We loved having Los Arcos Mall as a neighbor and were pleased to hear it was going to be rebuilt with additional retail shopping and a new theater complex. However, we were subjected to a 8 year roller coaster ride that ended with a couple of lack luster buildings looking more like prison bunkers (ASU's SkySong). Actually the Sky Song buildings are appropriate because Mayor Manross and council member’s Drake and McCullagh have treated Scottsdale's long time southern residents like prisoners.
Let me give you my assessment of South Scottsdale. We have no retail at SkySong as promised by the Mayor. Scott Toyota has bailed out and Basha’s grocery has closed its doors. There is no revitalization (sales generators) in sight and the city's tax revenue from the SkySong development is a big fat 0 and will be for years to come.
The mayor likes to tout 3.3 billion in new investment. Let's see, that would be all the new condos in the downtown area that are either half occupied (in foreclosure) or the builder had to stop work on the project (like Main St. Plaza) because they had no takers. The Mayor's "bright new day" may turn into a "a gray cloud" because of the "questionable" Hualapai lease she signed (illegally) last year.
However, according to her this subject is off limits during this campaign. That is because she was able to put off her deposition in this matter until after the September election. I say "Proven Leader" is looking like a "Proven Failure".
Her rosy economic outlook is a pipe dream just like her vision of light rail on Scottsdale Road. It's time for some real leadership for a change.
I am supporting Jim Lane for Mayor and Tom Giller & Nan Nesvig and Lisa Borowsky for council.
Darlene Petersen
Scottsdale
I have just spent some ill-advised and frustrating time reading news articles relating to Scottsdale politics on the Internet. I never realized that anyone who felt the need to express him or herself could "blog" about the news.
Both the Arizona Republic and the Scottsdale Tribune post many of their Scottsdale-specific articles on their respective web sites. This is not news.
However, I did not realize that anyone with an email address could write comments at the bottom of these articles. What a discovery! Now I can see feedback from my fellow citizens regarding their views of the specific articles.
At least I thought that’s what I would find.
What I actually found was a smattering of actual readers’ entries combined, which many times were overwhelmed by the entries of what are clearly one person who is a very ardent follower of Mayor Manross.
Who might this person be? A close confidant? A loyal political supporter? A family member? A number of the other bloggers seemed to think it was someone related to Mayor Manross.
I don’t think that any of that really matters, except that it truly borders on the bizarre. Here is one guy (or person) who is so enamored with the Mayor that they feel compelled to spout her glories even when the article isn’t even about the Mayor! It’s crazy! At least many of the people opposing this crackpot identify themselves.
John Washington blogs under his own name. The Mayor’s inner circle regularly slams the "activist" community, but at least her opposition makes solid arguments. This person supporting the Mayor is the intellectual equivalent of Rain Man. He is OCD to a fault, and he is regularly cutting and pasting canned responses for every article appearing about his cherished Mary.
But, I digress. My original point was to challenge the one person behind Sgt Friday, AhiredGun, blah, blah, blah to substantiate his/her arguments. Didn’t he used to be TopDawg until he was found out? He/she seems to say that because a few good things have happened during the last 8 years, that his wife/candidate should be re-elected. To which I say, Mussolini was famous for making the trains in Italy run on time, but we wouldn’t want Il Duce running things in the Kiva Room! Or, maybe we’re too late for that.
Anyway, after being absolutely bludgeoned by the intellectual ineptitude of the Mayor’s supporters on AZCENTRAL and the Scottsdale Tribune’s websites, I implore all of you to vote! Even though it’s hot outside, and it seems like we can’t do anything to stop the nonsense, I think we have a real opportunity this time around. We can bring a new sense of ethics, inclusiveness and responsibility back to Scottsdale politics. Maybe we’ll even get better blog entries.
Tom Raleigh
Bludgeoned but Not Broken, Scottsdale Resident.
~ Trust in City Government Gone
Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
After attending several Scottsdale City workshops regarding the Greater Airpark Community Area Plan and reading articles pertaining to ongoing planning for other Scottsdale areas, I felt it was important to provide you with some information regarding the feelings/opinions of myself and several residents who have also been involved.
After the workshop yesterday, several of us discussed perceptions and concerns and surprisingly, our thoughts were very much aligned. It goes beyond specific issues and comes down as lack of trust in our City representation and those processes in place to protect Scottsdale residents.
There is a growing concern that a core group of City/business people have already determined what they'd like Scottsdale to look like. The workshops are similar to those used by larger organizations to get buy in of employees while remaining nebulous enough to move in any direction that has already been determined. I brought this up in my break out group of 7 and the word obviously spread because other individuals outside of my group approached me afterwards.
To add to this assessment, during the workshop a gentleman in my group took over the direction of the conversation from the get go and tried to steer it in a specific direction.
He spoke to combining parcels, increasing height restrictions, office over retail, etc. Interestingly enough, at the end of the evening we found out he was part of the City's Development Review Board. We were told that City representatives would help facilitate (and we did have another gentleman in that capacity), however, this other outspoken person never identified himself during the conversations that took place at the table.
There is a large opportunity with trust issues between the City and the residents. Sub-zoning was discussed and looks wonderful on paper. Unfortunately, we already have sub-zoning (buffer zones) that is not being adhered to. Too many exceptions have been made by the City in commercial development that get around set restrictions. If we allow certain sub-zones to build higher/denser there is a fear we will be opening a Pandora's Box.
There has to be a way for the City to reestablish itself and gain back the trust of the residents. Voting down petitions that benefit the residents by giving them decision making ability that they have requested is not a good start.
If the City Council members are truly representing the majority views of the residents and business owners in Scottsdale there should not be any fear in letting those that they represent vote on issues that are important to them.
On a separate, but related note, the topic of the Design Center building on the N.W. corner of Thunderbird Road and Hayden Road was again brought up. When the facilitator at the table asked what we wanted them to do about it my response was "Tear it down". Perhaps this is unrealistic. Maybe not.
Residents within Patterson Ranch on the East side of Hayden now live with this monstrous building in their back yards on a daily basis while the building still remains empty. If anything else, the City should take responsibility for this mistake. Hire a qualified appraiser to estimate the percentage loss in property values for these homeowners and subsidize them correctly for it.
I am not one of these home owners, just someone who believes that when mistakes are made that any corrective/offsetting action that is possible should be taken.
Thank you for your time. I hope this information is helpful.
Sincerely,
Mary Waddle
Scottsdale Resident
~ Illegal Manross Campaign Actions?
To: drobberson@scottsdaleaz.gov
CC: bpowell@scottsdaletribune.com; mscarp@evtrib.com; Lesley.wright@arizonarepublic.com; mike.ryan@pni.com; laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com; cjagger@scottsdaleaz.gov; civilrightsinfo@azag.gov; citycouncil@scottsdaleaz.gov
Subject: ARS 9-500.14 Violation
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:56:29 -0700
Deborah Robberson
Scottsdale City Attorney
Ms. Robberson,
On or about 4 April 2008 a Scottsdale citizen filed a complaint against Mayor Manross’s re-election campaign for violation of ARS 9-500.14, "Use of city or town resources or employees to influence elections, prohibition."
It is my understanding the complainant requested an update to this complaint some time ago. It is also my understanding that Brian Powell of the Scottsdale Tribune asked for status of this complaint. I asked for an update on this complaint twice, over a month ago. No one has, to my knowledge, received any indication it is being investigated. I’m not even sure your office acknowledged receipt of the complaint.
Almost four months have passed since the original complaint was filed. I hereby request an update on this complaint, for the third time. I also request copies of any electronic and/or hard copy documents, memos, or notes relating to this complaint.
Both you and Mayor Manross have cited ARS 9-500.14 as grounds to interrupt citizen-candidate speech during the Public Comment period at City Council meetings, as well as to cancel the Scottsdale Republic series and the LINKS series on City Channel 11. Full resolution of all issues pertaining to ARS 9-500.14 is a high priority, especially in light of the pending election.
In the past few weeks the Mayor has repeatedly bragged about the openness and transparency of her administration. May the citizens see this openness in action, please?
John Washington
480.229.1831
john@ReactionResearch.com
For more of John Washington’s positions on city policies, etc. go to
www.scottsdalecitizen.com
It is important to know who can handle the challenge so let’s get sensible.
Some continued (but strictly controlled) growth is essential for the city’s well-being. Three billion in public and private investment sounds like a solid argument. However, questions remain at whose gain and at whose loss? Many examples of poor decisions abound. A bloated bureaucracy of which we have become was never envisioned nor should be the intent.
Beneath all the glut and glitter consider the following vision of misdirection:
SkySong formally known as Los Arcos has a 198
year lease with a $130 plus (no one seems to really
know) million dollar investment. This agreement with the
ASU Foundation has become too entangled to unravel.
Then there is the infamous Hualapai land
secret deal even council members were not informed until after
the fact.
An electrical power station driven by a
developer‘s need and greed is threatening neighborhood against
neighborhood with ultimate blight and possible health risks.
Water issues are currently demanding a
possible municipal takeover of a private water company. Under
the prescribed pretense of a TCE scare, the city’s own water
supply has been sited for the same infraction on more than one
occasion.
Cramming our Downtown with liquor licenses on
the council’s consent agenda exploiting our youth to gain
revenue, is not a legacy I would want to leave behind. Our
founding father, Chaplain Winfield Scott would be appalled!
With off-track betting at downtown bars…where do we draw the
line?
Welcome to Scott-Vegas!
Light Rail, a developer’s scheme, is NOT dead. It is simply not currently politically feasible. Therefore the current majority council’s direction is clearly to create the problem in order to drive the light rail solution. And if you shoehorn enough people in an unbearable crowded condition, this new constituency will beg for it.
Please stop the overlays allowing height and density. Don’t be HAD!
With Tom Giller and Nan Nesvig elected to council, they will represent the neighborhoods… not the developers or power brokers.
Vote Giller & Nesvig September 2nd for open city government!
Patty Badenoch
Scottsdale
The "Brutal Critic" has taken a well deserved week off.
~ Council and Mayoral Candidates Information
| Candidate Name | Contact Information | PAC Information |
| W.J. "Jim" Lane |
7666 E. El Rancho Drive, 85260 480-483-0819 |
COS-2007-01: Lane 4
Scottsdale Chair: Paul Messinger, 480-860-2300 Treasurer: Mike Manson, 480-585-6907 480-367-2748 |
| Mary Manross |
10415 N. 81st Street,
85258 480-948-9120 |
COS-2007-05: Scottsdale for
Manross 2008 John Manross, 480-948-9120 David Ashworth, 480-945-0204 |
Ballot Candidates – City Council
| Candidate Name | Contact Information | PAC Information |
| Lisa Borowsky |
7373 E. Doubletree Ranch Rd., Suite
200, 85258 480-991-3656 Fax: 480-609-5145 |
COS-2008-02: Borowsky For
Scottsdale Chair: Lisa Johnson Stone, 480-609-1490 Fax: 480-509-1491 Treasurer: Eric G. Borowsky, 480-586-1158 Fax: 480-419-1889 |
| Joel BramOweth |
6350 E. Thomas, Suite 230, 85251 480-946-6949 Fax: 480-946-7078 |
COS-2006-15: Vote BramOweth
for Council
Chair: Joel BramOweth, 480-946-6949 480-946-7078 Treasurer: Linda BramOweth, 480-423-9235 |
| Oren Davis |
7800 E. Lincoln Drive, Suite 2009,
85250 480-907-2777 |
COS-2008-10: Davis for City
Council Chair: Matthew Davis, 480-907-2777 Treasurer: Vicki Worth, 602-549-3159 |
| Betty Drake |
8003 E. Del Tornasol, 85258 480-998-1305 Fax: 480-998-1232 |
COS-2004-07: Drake for
Council Chair: Betty Drake, 480-998-1305 Treasurer: Betty Drake, 480-998-1305 |
| Tom Giller |
6847 E. Lafayette Boulevard, 85251
480-947-3654 Fax: 480-663-3194
votegiller08@cox.net |
COS-2008-11: Giller for Good
Government Chair: Tom Giller, 480-947-3654 Fax: 480-663-3194 |
| Suzanne Klapp |
12475 N. 133rd Place,
85259 480-767-9660 Fax: 480-767-9662 |
COS-2007-02: Vote Suzanne
Klapp Chair: Donna F. Reagan, 480-451-1813 Fax: 480-292-8698 Treasurer: Suzanne Klapp, 480-757-9660 Fax: 480-767-9662 |
| Ron McCullagh |
7513 E. Arlington Road, 85250 480-990-9200 |
COS-2004-02: Vote McCullagh Chair: Ron McCullagh, 480-990-9200 Treasurer: Jane T. Hemminger, 480-998-0911 |
| Nan Nesvig |
6144 N. 77th Place, 85250 480-368-8701 Fax: 480-607-7836 nannesvig@aol.com
|
COS-2005-05: Committee to
Elect Nan Nesvig Chair: Jim Derouin, 480-860-9152 Fax: 480-860-6017 Treasurer: Eric Nesvig, 480-368-8701 |
Write-In Candidates
| Candidate Name | Contact Information | PAC Information |
|
John Washington
Mayor |
3518 N. Chambers Court, 85251 |
COS-2008-09: John Washington Chair: John Washington, 480-229-1831 |
"We live in an age of science and of abounding
accumulation of material things. These did not create our Declaration.
Our Declaration created them. The things of the spirit come first.
Unless we cling to that, all our material prosperity, overwhelming
though it may appear, will turn to a barren sceptre in our grasp. If we
are to maintain the great heritage which has been bequeathed to us, we
must be like-minded as the fathers who created it."
—Calvin Coolidge
"Without Freedom of Thought there can be no such Thing as Wisdom; and no such Thing as Public Liberty, without Freedom of Speech."
-- Benjamin Franklin
~Shout and Spout ~
~ It would seem to me that in a non-partisan City Election as determined by the Scottsdale City Charter, it is very inappropriate, in very poor taste, and possibly an Election Code or City Charter violation for council candidate Suzanne Klapp to place in bold lettering and underline "As a staunch Republican and small business owner....." in her campaign material. We definitely DON’T need partisan politics on top of and in addition to the current political mess in Scottsdale.
~ Ron McCullagh’s qualifications to be re-elected to the city council? Really Very Simple: Read his long list of developers who are paying for his re-election Lock, Stock and Barrel!! Do you see any common citizens on the list of donors? I didn’t think so………………….
~ Re: Downtown Plan Draft...... page 17, Policy 1.6 "View Shed" has to be a misprint....don't they mean view SHIELD corridor on the Arizona Canal? With tall and taller buildings on both sides of the AZ Canal, and more planned, it can be designated as a view shield corridor.
~ If you thought the twin big boxes at SkyUgly were unimaginative and boring take a
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look at the monstrosity of a parking garage under construction. Right now it looks like something from behind the Iron Curtain minus the razor wire. It will take a lot of ivy to cover up this disaster. I wrote those comments when the garage was only partly constructed. Now I suggest you take a look at what has been built. The city council and the university have presented their bare concrete backsides to us residents who will have to look at this monstrosity until the day we die. This is Manross's revenge for our not supporting Ellman's Wal*Mart, Sam’s Club and Lowes project. There isn't enough ivy in the world to make this pig attractive. I didn't know that manure would pile that high.
~ What a tragedy that COPP have endorsed Manross - they are so out of touch with the views of the residents of Scottsdale (at least those that really understand what is happening in this City). It is time for COPP to pack their bags and go home - they are not wanted in this City anymore. They should know this already as their rapidly declining membership should tell them.
~ I just got a "Lisa Borowsky for Council" mailer and I’m upset to see her claim that she "cherishes our unique community and our unique way of life." NOT TRUE!! In the Scottsdale Republic forum on Monday night she criticized those who oppose more height and density for being against progress, which is exactly the spin the Chamber spouts. I’m afraid that voters will be duped into voting for her, which would hurt the two candidates who really do want to protect our unique community and our way of life, Tom Giller and Nan Nesvig.
~ Klapp brags about being a "staunch Republican" and wants to help businesses in all her print propaganda but never mentions the citizens of Scottsdale and their needs. I figure that if she would have been involved with some local citizen group meetings she might have been qualified to serve as a council person but not as a "staunch Republican" Chamber member in a non-partisan city.
~ Perhaps Robberson is giving Osterman the same stupid advice that she has been doling out to our City Council about telling the media lies and nonsense concerning Jim Lane. Spewing crap dictated by Queen Mary (or maybe husband Larry) that has no legal foundation or basis because truth is a no-no, but then again Osterman, with his past record of missteps and political screwups, has never been one with a high regard for ethics or legalities in Scottsdale. We all still think he’s a moron, shill and establishment puppet. This just cements our opinions.
~ I LOVED the letter from Mr. Raleigh last week about Osterman! Kevin Osterman is such a weasel and it just goes to show you how tight this whole corrupt city group is. They all scratch each other’s backs: Osterman, Manross, Klapp, Drake, McCullagh and Ecton! They are all on a fast train to hell.
~ I keep asking this question but no one can seem to be able to give me a straight answer: What the heck has Suzanne Klapp ever done for the people of Scottsdale? She touts being heavily involved it he Republican Party and a member of all of these little business clubs but I have never once seen her go to bat for the citizens or appear at a citizen meeting or support a citizen cause. How does she know what our citizens need to be happy in Scottsdale if she doesn’t mingle with the residents? All she knows is what Susan Bitter-Smith, McCullagh, Drake and Manross tell her. She’s one of them. They are all so far out of touch with the citizens that it isn’t even funny!
~ Hey Osterman, I heard it was time for you to pay for your election to the council then your failure to perform the second time. You must really enjoy playing the public fool because you just keep doing it over and over again. It is a diversionary tactic so that people don’t see how really stupid and out of touch McCullagh, Drake and Manross are?
~ The COPP endorsements were emailed a couple of hours ago. I'm simultaneously very pleased and very dismayed. The COPP board is supporting Tom Giller and Nan Nesvig for Council. However, they are also supporting Drake for Council, AND Manross for Mayor. It would be difficult to find two more opposite pairs. Drake and Manross stand for and have demonstrated commitment to everything COPP opposes, except the COPP sacred cow: The Preserve.
~ We watched the Arizona Republic forum on TV last week. McCullagh looked like an angry boob and Drake appeared to be the know-it-all who lies like a rug. Unbelievable that we have allowed these people to make decisions for us during the past four years. We need new blood!
~ Betty Drake is a master of doublespeak. When she was on TV in the Scottsdale Republic forum on Monday night she said that approving the Earll Drive Condos upzoning was the worst decision that the current Council had made. What she forgot to mention was that she voted for that upzoning, even though she admitted when she voted that the building was ugly and out-of-place!
~ Just got a flyer touting Susan Bitter-Smith for Congress to replace Harry Mitchell. Oh really? After the way she has slithered around Scottsdale behind the citizens backs trying to shove high rises and density down our throats? Laura Knaperek is the only one I would trust as honest and who has a chance against Harry Mitchell.
~ We along with scores of others did not agree with COPP’s endorsement of Manross and Drake but there are more folks on their Board than just Bob and Linda and it is their organization and they have a right to their opinions too. We need to focus on getting Nan and Tom elected or hello high rise and density carte blanche. Scottsdale Healthcare has asked for 20 years worth of zoning. Total BS, but they must think we have a chance or they wouldn’t be pushing so hard to get it in place ASAP. Let’s get past this partisanship issue which we all agree on but can not change. The issue is not Democrat or Republican but neighborhood or developer and so far the developers are winning handily with the current council majority. It’s time for a change! Early ballots will be in everyone’s hands by Monday. We need to crank up the volume to vote Nan & Tom NOW!!!
~ Osterman the Dweeb and Misfit was exposed as a fraud and compulsive liar by none other than Lesley Wright in the Scottsdale Republic today when she exposed his major screw-up in using the wrong Lane in his lies concerning a DUI trying to help Manross and discredit Lane. Thank you Lesley for finally telling the truth about a real dweeb and misfit. You just made Osterman and the entire Manross campaign team look like the idiots they are and have always been.
~ Did you see that Nan Nesvig has bigger and more meaningful endorsements than McCullagh? What does that say about what the people and organizations really want in the way of Council persons?
~ Congratulations to Nesvig and Giller who both got the prestigious COPP endorsement in north Scottsdale. I was a little saddened to see that COPP also endorsed Mary and Betty, but I am sure that they have their reasons for doing so.
~ Is it true that the dope that conned the council into approving the "4333" building has now sold it? Welcome to stupid Flip-Flop Scottsdale.
~ So Manross, when ARE we going to finish the Preserve? How much will it cost? You’ve been hanging on to the Preserve completion for years as a campaign tactic. Afraid you are losing ground with that one because all you have done is spend out money on everything BUT the Preserve.
~ Borowsky should learn not to take cheap shots at other candidates during public forums. That glass house she’s living in will come crashing down around her feet awfully fast!
~ A few months ago I heard BramOweth openly and heartily endorse Nan Nesvig for Council at a public forum. Now he has changed his tune and is endorsing Klapp and McCullagh…is BramOweth now a member of the "dark side" club? Wouldn’t surprise me, I have never seen anyone, except Mary Manross slip, slide and flip-flop more.
~ Does Larry Manross have nothing better to do than sit around all day long making up egotistical sign-on names and just blog on line against the good guys day after day? He is one strange dudette.
~ Crawford back again? What a total joke! Isn’t he developer Fred Unger’s bosom buddy and the guy who tried to make a point by doing something stupid with an arrow? Too bad it didn’t slip.
~ Lisa Borowsky is NOT the reform candidate she wants you to think she is! She FAVORS height and density! Her campaign manager is apparently sleazy Lamar Whitmer (who really knows?)! Her campaign mailer is a CARBON COPY of Littlefield’s mailer from two years go! She is ECTON in a dress! My greatest fear is that she will get elected then do as Ecton has done – MARRY THE NATIVES! And we will again be screwed!!!!!
~ Susan Bitter-Smith for Congress? Not even if she was the last candidate running would I ever vote for her after what she did to the apartment complex I lived in (Orchidtree), which now stands vacant.
~ I wonder why, of all the eight Council candidate profiles that the Scottsdale Republic printed last week, only Betty Drake’s was not posted online? Was that done to prevent bloggers from posting to it and exposing all of the disinformation that she said in it?
~ This city is in a world of hurt. We do not know how to build consensus or create positive compromise. If we are going to have four more years of Manross and her cronies, you can kiss off South Scottsdale as we have long known it. And you can kiss off planned sustainable redevelopment.
~ Although not in the city election, Laura Kanaprek has got to be the best congressional candidate for our area out there and the only one who can beat Harry Mitchell. Good Bye and good riddance Susan Bitter-Smith, you've cause enough heartache and termoil in the last 3 or 4 years!!
What kind of world do you want?
A very poignant video everyone of every age should watch, no matter your political or religious affiliation.
http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/706270
~"HOW OLD ARE THE
"NEW" TIRES ON YOUR CAR?"
Want to know the age of your tires? This is a VERY important website to check out for the safety of you and your family.
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4826897
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
~ 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
.
================================================================
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.
~
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
~ ~ Report a Problem ~ ~ City Services ~ ~ Mayor & Council ~ ~ City Council Members ~ ~ Mary Manross ~ ~ Betty Drake ~ ~ Wayne Ecton ~
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WJ "Jim" Lane ~ |
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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