~ Thank You to All, but We Need to do More...

First I want to thank all of you who have worked so hard to get Nan Nesvig and Tom Giller elected to Scottsdale City Council.

For those of us who support Nan & Tom, Tuesday’s election results contained good news and bad news.  The good news is that Nan & Tom are in the runoff.  The bad news is that we have a lot of ground to make up.

While this may seem like an overwhelming task I can tell you from personal experience that it is not.  Twice I have come in at the bottom in the general election and I have come back to win in a runoff.  It is not easy but it can be done. 

Here is what we need to do to prevail in November:

Refocus our message:

Raise more money:

Hit the streets:

There will be more to do, but this is where we must start, and we must start right now. 

In November we will have a different and much larger voter base because of the National Elections, a fact that will work in our favor.  We made the runoff and now we must make the most of this opportunity. 

I remain committed to electing Nan & Tom and I will do everything that I can to make that happen. 

I urge all of you to do the same.

Vice Mayor Bob Littlefield
bob@boblittlefield.com

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t’s no secret that Scottsdale’s Chamber of Commerce has carefully plotted and planned its attack against any reform of the city council and city government because it would totally lose control of the city. It has done this with a huge election budget and massive dissemination of misinformation using apparently non-required reporting of corporate donations, and the willing help of the Scottsdale Republic.

In fact, the plan goes much, much deeper than just the surface advertisements and obvious vote for the three Chamber rubber stamps (McCullagh, Drake and Klapp), but also involves positioning Lisa Borowsky for election as a fall back position in the event that Suzanne Klapp does not win.

We all knew the Chamber would endorse Drake, McCullagh and Klapp. All three sit on Chamber boards in one official capacity or another. Klapp is an actual Chamber Board Member.

Borowsky played the reform candidate card when she was not chosen as one of the three endorsees. Lisa’s campaign consultant, Lamar Whitmer, is a member of the Chamber’s public advisory board and has been a Chamber member for years.

And so it follows, if your candidate can’t get endorsed by the Chamber, what’s the next best way to get much needed attention and backing? Have the Scottsdale Republic endorse you! Yes, we know all too well that the Republic is and has been the Chamber’s compliant twin sister since the election of Mary Manross. So it is fitting that Borowsky was endorsed by the Republic in an effort to take votes away from the reform candidates because the Republic already knew from the latest polls that Drake could shine without their endorsement.

The sad part is that Borowsky touts herself as a reform candidate. That supposed position couldn’t be further from the truth. An endorsement from the Republic is an indirect endorsement from the Chamber. While Borowsky's message remains reform-like in nature, it could fool even the savviest of voters into thinking that they will get change by supporting her.

Borowsky and Klapp support zoning changes on request that means congestion and, ultimately, light rail. They support closed government, subsidies and control by special interests. 

Unless you agree with the positions advocated by the Chamber and the Republic, you will not get their endorsement or any support from their monied cronies. Borowsky has crossed the line. She is not a reform candidate while Klapp never was.

Scottsdale voters have been inundated with tons of mail, TV & radio misinformation during this election campaign. They may be speaking loud and clear that they want change by pushing Lane above Manross in votes, but they clearly do not understand that it takes four votes on the Council to make that change stick.

The Chamber, Scottsdale Republic and those working with them will do whatever they can and spend as much money necessary to keep their Golden Goose alive and well, residents and taxpayers be damned.

Electing Drake, McCullagh, Klapp or Borowsky will earn them four more years of closed government, more subsidies for special interests, illegal City Charter deviations, more congestion and, ultimately, the key prize from the Chamber's point of view--a ^$2 billion light rail project up Scottsdale Road all the way to the Scottsdale Air Park and the Preserve.

Is this what you want and desire from your city council?

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On Friday, it was stated in the September 5^th edition of the Scottsdale Tribune that "Manross has argued that Lane should follow the City Charter….."

Who was it who has bypassed the City Charter on numerous occasions to suit her current situation and her personal wants and desires?

It was Mayor Mary Manross and her city legal guru!!!

Here are just a few Glaring examples of the incompetence or lack of respect for Residents, Taxpayers,  the Law and City Charter by Mayor Mary Manross:

• Had the City Charter circumvented by her own legal department to allow the new City Attorney to live outside the city of Scottsdale in direct violation of the Charter,
  
  Cost to City: millions in outside legal consul hired to clean up legal department incompetence or direct orders from Dolan or Manross,
   

• Illegally signed a lease document with the State Land Trust Department on the 3 parcels of land where the Hualapai Water Treatment Plant now sits WITHOUT council approval or their knowledge which is strictly against the City Charter,
  
  Cost to city: ^$10 million and climbing. Manross, through city legal consul manipulated the court system so that she wouldn’t have to testify about why she knowingly and illegally signed the lease without Council approval prior to the September primary and the November General Election so there wouldn’t be a negative legal decision about her prior to the elections, how convenient.
   

• It was the Manross Administration who stopped the planned construction of the flood control system in North Scottsdale area in 2000 leaving many residents and businesses vulnerable to annual flooding.
  
  Cost to city: The City (under Manross), HDR (infamous Light Rail consultant) and ADOT are now being sued by area residents and businesses for ^$11.3 million in addition to over ^$22 million spent by the city on land acquisition, studies and other legal fees to complete the project.

• It was the Manross Administration who shelved the plan to correct the stench from the sewer system in downtown near P.F. Changs at the corner of Camelback and Scottsdale Roads.
  
  Cost to City: Millions in lost revenue due to stench and inadequate system to handle sewage generated in the area.

How many City Council meetings have been mishandled by Manross and city attorney Robberson, and how many Council votes which should have been taken to clarify or conclude an issue have not been taken due to the total incompetence of Mary Manross and Robberson to understand and practice Roberts Rules of Order? Too many to count and increasing………

Toll Brothers debacle, West World 80 acres, we can go on and on and we’re sure you can too if you stop and think about it for just a minute or two.

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As we have reported a few months ago and again last week, the current president including present and former board members of La Posada development (Carriage Hills subdivision) illegally approved the planting of non-native and non-approved plants and trees in a NAOS and ESLO ordinance controlled areas within their subdivision.

These specific ordinance controls and have been in place for years and were in place long before the La Posada development and most other northern subdivisions were sold or built upon, therefore the ordinance and controls were in place and well known when the properties were purchased.

This subdivision HOA president is the same person who illegally used per-emergent chemicals and weed killing chemicals in the NAOS & ESLO areas of his private property while knowing full well as the HOA president, that he was doing something illegal.

It should be noted that long time residents and protectors of the Northern areas and the Preserve areas Jane Rau, Tony Nelssen and many other residents of that area worked very hard and long together with the city years ago to come up with the current list and none of them see any reason why the list should be re-evaluated or have any new plants added to the list just because an out of control HOA president decided he didn’t have to follow the laws and ordinances of the city.

Because of possible legal situations arising in the NAOS and ESLO areas concerning allowable plants and trees, Don Hadder is working on developing a general plant list that would encompass developments throughout this portion of the City including the La Posada development in which there are numerous violations of allowable plants and trees. 

As citizens of Northern Scottsdale and property owners who have fully complied and agree with the current NAOS and ESLO plant and tree restrictions, you may ask what are the chances that  plants not currently approved on La Posada's plant list such as Bougainvilleas, Lantana, Queen Palm trees, or Pine may be added to the pending general plant list. 

Code Enforcement has currently stayed any and all enforcement pending the outcome of the HOA's active participation in the Planning process and any legal actions.  The timeline of future enforcement will be based in part on whether or not existing plants are expected to be allowed in the La Posada development with the new general plant list.

We really should charge admission or at least organize a campaign to promote tourism in support of economic development during our new primary election season. Now there is an idea for Rick Kidder and the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce’s newly hired vice president of economic development and public policy, Cindi Eberhardt, to wrap their arms around.

I have been doing a lot of listening during the last few weeks of the primary campaign, and must say that you have to admire the arrogance that envelopes the Scottsdale Chamber’s behavior. Then again, some of us let them think that they knew what was best for all, businesses, neighborhoods, residents, and politicians. Back in 2003 they brought some of us together to oppose the Wal-Mart plan by virtue of support for the "Which Way Scottsdale" report and in light of the Los Arcos Towne Center Study.

Just shoot me. The Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce and associates of the Scottsdale Small Business Alliance backed and promoted the referendum and the court challenge. And we are sure they were dancing with glee that they had put one over on the good citizens of Scottsdale. They saw a 75% turnout to vote down the "Ellman big box subsidy."

Then they turned around and supported SkySong by giving almost 4 times as much of the WalMart subsidy to ASUF to build SkySong; a smoking deal for Arizona State University Foundation and Plaza Developers, at a disastrous expense of Scottsdale citizens, who learned still later there would be no sales or property taxes for almost 200 years.

Oh, it sounded wonderful……it could even have been wonderful……but then it all unraveled.

As the Ad Hoc Committee for the planning of SkySong met it became clearer and clearer that the residents’ voice was not wanted. If you look at the reams of paper used to lead the committee members to believe that they were doing important work, it can turn your stomach. A whole national forest was taken down to perpetrate a fraud. What the Ad Hoc Committee was supposed to accomplish and what is reality today at the old Los Arcos site are vastly different.

We mentioned "The Scottsdale Small Business Alliance" above, well at about that time members of that group had members sitting on the Scottsdale Chambers’ policy advisory committee. Don’t know if they still do, but it would be to both groups’ advantage. Wouldn’t it?

The whole story would make for a complete season of the television show "Criminal Minds."

Now we have our erstwhile Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce dabbling more heavily in our City Council election campaign then ever before.

Their very expensive advertising campaign, listing their candidates for Mayor and Council wrapped in a marketing tool for economic development, using a telephone survey of 400 out of 231,127 residents (31% of which did not recognize the Mayor’s name) was delivered door to door (except not to all doors, hm-m-m wonder which zip codes failed to identify with their the candidates they endorsed).

Wait! We are not finished. The Scottsdale Area Chamber has a Public Policy Advisory Council, chaired by Mike Manson of Sextant Advisory, LLC (from their website: Sextant Advisory, LLC is a global aviation professional services firm specializing in Perfomance Improvement, Business Development, Interim Management and Offshore Representation. Our team of business and aviation professionals is dedicated to providing solutions to meet operational, financial and strategic objectives of our business aviation customers.) Mr. Manson also sits on the Airport Advisory Commission.

The Scottsdale Area Chamber also has an Emerging Issues, Council or Committee their site does not indicate. Chair of the body is none other than Michael Ryan, General Manager of the Scottsdale Republic.

Then there is their new vice president of economic development and public policy, Ms Eberhardt, the campaign manager for their new campaign, who also has a radio program for the Chamber, "Emerging Issues" part of the "On Air Program."

These individuals, places of business and their community affiliations pack a lot of wallop when it comes to influence peddling. I mean it just isn’t fair to put all of the blame on Rick Kidder.

One of the emerging issues they could address is their relationship with the residents of neighborhoods through out Scottsdale. We aren’t the businesses, but we patronize those businesses, but you never hear them utter the word "residents."

Of course, it could be part of their economic revitalization plan to destroy residential neighborhoods that exist, and create neighborhoods that would better suit their vision for "Which Way Scottsdale…"

The next time you walk into a store of any kind to shop or have dinner or just go looking around, ask if they belong to the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce and ask if they know what is going on in their very own neighborhood and do they live in Scottsdale.

Check out who is REALLY calling the shots in YOUR City Hall.

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Have you started your Downtown Plan Update draft "homework" ?...

It does take time to carefully read each section---and with careful attention to the proposed policies that go along with each section. 

Remember that when those policies are approved by the City Council on October 7th, they get written into ORDINANCES and PROCEDURES for the next 20 years! 

Your opinion is VITAL.   Even if you don't complete your evaluation of the draft, please attend the COGS meeting on Thursday. The guest speakers need your feedback.

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~Letters to the Editor  

I am e-mailing the City Council, members of Advanced Planning who I have been introduced to as well as others who have been copied by those city staff on other correspondence I have received.  I truly do not understand who is ultimately in charge of directing action and implementing the request below.  If it is someone other than those I've listed, please forward this to them immediately.

I am making a formal request of a specific action to be taken at the beginning of each upcoming Focus Group Workshop regarding the Greater Airpark Area (next one scheduled is Land Use, September. 8th). 

Informal introductions were made at the first of these workshops, Mobility, on August 28th.  I am requesting a more formal introduction is made during the next workshops to ensure that only those individuals who are true stakeholders, the citizens/tax payers in Scottsdale, are influencing the direction our city will be taking.  This is suppose to be a "citizen driven process".

My concerns are strongly supported by the information I acquired through the Scottsdale Citizen regarding the downtown update that has been taking place.  The information states:

By implementing this formal introduction it shows good faith on the part of the City as well as a sensitivity to the citizens of Scottsdale who may question what is really happening with the updated plans throughout the different grids.

At this time,  the City still has the opportunity to take a closer look at the list of participants for each workshop to better understand if each individual participating should be participating based on the "citizen driven process" that is being advertised to Scottsdale citizens.

Thank you for your immediate attention on this request.

Sincerely,

Mary Waddle-Citizen of Scottsdale

Mary, thank you for attending the Airpark Focus Group. It was a pleasure to meet you. You can always direct your comments or questions to Mary Troyan or myself.

In response to your comments below, I completely agree with you that participants, observers and staff should introduce themselves to the room.

First, when they enter, everyone is asked to sign in and is given a name tag. The sign-in sheet can be made available at someone's request. The sign-in sheet asks for name, affiliation, email and phone number. We will look at adding a column to check off Scottsdale resident, business/property owner.

The observers and staff introduce themselves before the session starts.

With respect to the Focus Group participants, my observation at the meeting (and all others that I attended) was that the facilitator, Kit Weis, went around the table and each individual did introduce themselves, where they are from, business or residential and what their interests were in participating. I believe that Kit did this introduction in an excellent informal way as to create a positive atmosphere for dialogue between the focus group members. As you may recall, Kit was so good at it that by way of their introductions and interests, discussions almost immediately began amongst them before they started the agenda. I believe that kind of energy is exactly what we want to have with the small setting.

I would certainly encourage you to register for a Focus Group meeting and participate.

In response to your information on the Downtown Plan Update participation. The correct information is that over 700 community members participated in the update process.

The breakdown of community members participation includes the following:

Thank you and I look forward to seeing you at the next Airpark meeting.

John

John,

Thank you for your friendly, politically correct response to my request.

Why is my request getting so much resistance?  Is it so unreasonable to do what you say is already being done?

I have attended all but the very first of the workshops regarding the Greater Airpark Area and I assure you that clear introductions are not being done.  The Mobility workshop on 8/18 was much better than most but still left questions.

The relaxed atmosphere you want to create in these workshops is not so relaxed for many of us.  People want to know who is involved in the discussions taking place.  There are trust issues and your response only adds to those.

No offense John, but you're the one who misrepresented discussions taking place in the earlier workshops.  I've attached the article just in case you forgot.  Among the themes was a desire to create an "around-the-clock" scene in the district by encouraging a diverse mix of business-including restaurants, stores and recreation opportunities-to attract more night life.  "We heard that fairly strongly." Lusardi said.

"Around-the-clock" and "demand for night life" were never discussed in the workshops, and if so, never made it to the recap by the city facilitator at the end of each meeting.  Remember, I was there.  Those are Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce words, not the participants of the workshops to date.

The environment City Planning is creating is not a positive one.  You have an opportunity to help gain back the trust of some of the Scottsdale citizens involved by easily implementing a formal introduction at the beginning of the upcoming workshops.  If you feel the information is already being shared by the participants, what can it hurt to format it for them?  As a participant, I would be happy to provide it to the group.

In regard to the Downtown participant representation, I question what the numbers really mean.  According to your breakdown, it is possible that throughout the course of the workshops that 84 people were not validated as stakeholders?    It would ease my mind to understand who actively participated in the final Focus Group Workshops that were limited to 10-15 people each.  Please forward the list of names of these specific individuals with all of the pertinent information.  I know it's readily available.  I had to give all of this information to the city when I registered for the Economic Vitality session.

I apologize for personally attacking you.  The process appears to be corrupt.  Your behavior is such a small piece to all of this.  You have, however, represented yourself as the person in charge of this specific request and so I'm asking you to agree to it and implement it at the next workshop.

Sincerley,

Mary Waddle

As a voter for tens of decades, I have never seen such a sorry excuse for a so called election.

This was Chicago of the 1920's and 1930's reincarnated! I have never seen so much slimy slush money funneled into an election since I left Chicago as a tot just old enough to hear my father say the town was owned by the mob and big money, time to leave the big city.

Sounds like Scottsdale except the mob of yore is the Chamber in Scottsdale's case today.

There were only 2 candidates for mayor. What's with the need for a runoff? It would be different if there were more legitimate candidates, but there weren't.

If the count holds, W. Jim Lane won hands down! Who gives a rip how many under-votes there were? The under-votes ARE NOT VOTES, they don't exist because they cannot be counted when you look only at the mayors race which is how it's done in cities where there aren't more than 2 candidates and there isn't inside or outside interference by the big money boys who are about to lose their control of the city's assets.

This is just more of the Manross gross stupidity and Boy have I seen stupidity grow in mass during the Manross years while living here in Scottsdale.

Susan Bitter Smith is gone so that's a part of a good change and good riddance.

It's time for a massive change, and there is no better time than the November Election!

E Slocomb
Scottsdale

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 ~ Dumped Scottsdale Republic Subscription

After a few years of a Scottsdale Republic subscription, and after the way they have be so very biased and far left wing in their editorials, especially Robert Leger's column concerning Scottsdale and who should be elected when he doesn't even live in Scottsdale, we decided not to renew our subscription as a direct protest to Leger, Ryan and the Chamber. We can get the ads and coupons in the mail or the Tribune.

It's totally amazing how the heartburn, indigestion and insomnia has been reduced to almost Zero since we didn't renew our subscription.

Try it, you'll be amazed how much better you'll feel, especially if you can subscribe to the Scottsdale Tribune which has never stooped as low as the Republic, Ever!

George Knowlton
Scottsdale

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  Living in the Land of Oz

Mike is on Vacation this week, but just wait until next week.

~ 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 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 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.....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: September 11th at Kerr Cultural Center.  Call 480 .312 .7990 or www.scottsdaleaz.gov/planning/areaplans

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 ~ Candidate Endorsement Announcements

 Check the Candidate section for the latest endorsements for Council and Mayoral candidates. You might be surprised who has endorsed who and who hasn't been endorsed.

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 ~ Council and Mayoral Candidates Information

Information is added to the candidates list as the candidates send it to us. We do not solicit such information, but will will include it if offered by any and all candidates for Scottsdale elected offices at no charge.

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By Craig J. Cantoni
Sept. 4, 2008

It’s bizarre. A pink donkey was running around and eating the bunting at the Democrat convention, and a pink elephant was running around and fouling the floor at the Republican convention. But no one acknowledged seeing them -- not the candidates, the delegates, or the media.

It’s understandable that Barack, Joe, John and Sarah ignored them. But the media? Why would reporters and pundits ignore the pink animals but notice such unimportant things as Barack’s Greek columns, Joe’s hair plugs, John’s age, and Sarah’s pregnant daughter?

The pink donkey and elephant are metaphors for the biggest problem facing the nation, a problem that I’ve written about many times and will keep shouting from my rhetorical rooftop until the mainstream press awakens from its stupor.

The problem is this: The nation is bankrupt, in the very real sense that its financial obligations far exceed its projected revenue, to the horrible tune of $60 trillion to $99 trillion, depending on how the counting is done and what assumptions are made. To put these staggering amounts in perspective, each family would have to pay between $800,000 to $1.3 million to get the nation out of debt.

This debt isn’t going to magically go away on its own. To the contrary, it will grow under the dynamic duos of Barack and Joe, and John and Sarah, although not as much under the latter duo.

Politicians aren’t talking about the debt because they understand that there are only three options for dealing with it. One option is to raise taxes to even higher confiscatory levels. Another option is to make deep cuts in spending. And the last option is a combination of the other two options. All three are seen as political poison.

As a result, Barack, Joe, John and Sarah have conspired to be silent about the problem and to surreptitiously impose a hidden tax on citizens, especially on future generations. The hidden tax is inflation, which, as Nobel Prize winner Milton Friedman explained, is a monetary phenomenon that results whenever the money supply grows faster than a nation’s output.

Why would the money supply grow faster than output? Because, increasing the money supply faster than output is how all governments throughout history have covered their deficit spending when all other options are no longer politically feasible. In layman’s terms, the government will print money. The result will be a lower standard of living, a stagnant economy, world capital moving to countries where it is welcomed and treated with respect, future generations being consigned to indentured servitude, and the United States declining in wealth and power to has-been status.

Unless action is taken, this tragedy will happen as sure as day turns to night.

To avoid this ignoble end, Democrats and Republicans would have to work together to cut or eliminate their respective pet programs and shrink the corresponding government agencies, especially the departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, Defense, Homeland Security, Commerce, Agriculture, and Small Business Administration. Cuts in the 50 percent range would be necessary, according to some estimates.

The silver lining is that the enormous freed resources would flow back to the people and be put to productive uses. The economy would take off like a rocket and perhaps accelerate enough for output to catch up to the money supply, thus saving the nation from the pernicious effects of inflation and a slow decline to has-been status.

Unfortunately, this salvation won’t happen unless the press relentlessly and incessantly presses politicians to do what it takes to save the nation and to educate the public on why the pain and sacrifice are necessary. But that would require a press that understands economics, especially monetary theory.

Fat chance. The American press is so blind and stupid that it can’t even see the pink donkey and elephant in the room.

~ Information You Can Use

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,

 www.obsessionthemovie.com

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

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~ Arizona Tax Revolt

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~ View Past City Council Meetings

We can now access the city council meetings by clicking on the following link:

If 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.

     Goldwater Institute Report

     American Dream Coalition

    The Public Purpose

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.

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 ~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

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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:

72^nd & 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.