Sometimes you have to wonder what goes through the minds of the movers and shakers trained up by Scottsdale’ Leadership program with the financial support and best wishes of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce.

Many years ago some of us who are today’s activists, were invited to pay the fee to become part of Scottsdale Leadership and train to be supporters of and advocates for our community. Unfortunately, we were already busy doing that very thing, for free, and raising our kids and some of us were working part-time and full time to put food on the table, keep the lights on and the kids clothed. We were working, if not daily, then several times a week at our neighborhood schools, and even working as volunteers on Scottsdale’s boards and commissions.

One can have no problem with the stated goals and objectives posted on their website:

The mission of Scottsdale Leadership is to strengthen our community by developing, training, and empowering dedicated leaders through education, skill development, mentoring and community trusteeship. Our core values are integrity, diversity and commitment. Scottsdale Leadership is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Gain Knowledge. Build Networks. Effect Change.

Scottsdale Leadership's core program, a nine-month community leadership development program, has graduated more than 700 men and women who actively participate and lead civic, business, and philanthropic organizations in Scottsdale and throughout the Valley.

Participants learn about the issues facing Scottsdale, develop the leadership skills needed to make an impact, and build a network of resources to help them effect change.

In addition, Scottsdale Leaderships hosts many events for its alumni, hosts a annual community forum each spring that is open to the public, and recognizes top leaders in the community at its annual Spirit of the Community Leadership Awards Luncheon.

Scottsdale Leadership truly is Developing Tomorrow’s Community Leaders.

All of their stated goals are commendable.

Where some of us are having a problem is their interpretation of important community issues and the fact that they state:

Scottsdale Leadership is the only leadership program that directly addresses the larger question of this community’s future and prepares people to assume leadership roles that are thoughtful, informed and open to the possibilities.

These supposedly well intentioned folks who run this organization have never invited an actual "activist" to express their concerns. They have never attended individual board and commission meetings of the City of Scottsdale, except for a favored few. They sure have not shown up at any of the neighborhood meetings to hear speakers and listen to the concerns and discussion of actual residents.

If they follow the habits of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce, they will only connect with residents of Scottsdale’s mature neighborhoods, when they use and abuse them to their own advantage.

To participate in this training process individuals and/or their companies pay about ^$2,000 if they are accepted after submitting an application. Some are sent an application with an invitation to submit it for consideration but you will never see the name of a city activist on any list of consideration. And, oh, financial assistance is available.

Here is why they think candidates should want to participate:

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In a recent Scottsdale Tribune Vent the anonymous caller accused Councilmen Jim Lane, Tony Nelssen and I of "political grandstanding and focus on non-issues" when it comes to revitalizing South Scottsdale.  The truth is that what the venter calls "political grandstanding" has been our attempts to defeat a series of wasteful, ineffective and counterproductive boondoggles proposed by the Mayor and her allies. 

Let’s face it; what the Mayor and her allies have been doing over the last four years to revitalize South Scottsdale simply isn’t working.  They have thrown away a lot of taxpayer money, but South Scottsdale still has too much blight, too many payday loan stores and too little retail for the residents.  Unfortunately, SkySong has not lived up to any of the hype that surrounded its approval.  And the blatantly corporate-welfare car dealer subsidy clearly did no good. 

I have a plan for revitalizing South Scottsdale, if I could get enough Council votes to implement it.  I know it will work because it includes the same steps we took to revitalize Downtown following my election in 2002. 

They are: 

No government at any level can create prosperity - except, of course for the recipients of any subsidies that they pass out!

Private enterprise is the engine that provides prosperity. But city government can provide an environment that makes prosperity possible by doing a first-class job of providing the infrastructure, services and amenities that make people want to live and do business in our town. 

The steps I outlined above are not dramatic but they are proven to work.  All we need is the political will to make them happen. 

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Scottsdale combines unparalleled natural beauty with endless cultural amenities, vibrant business opportunities, and the rich resources of an exciting residential community. We experience a quality of life that is the envy of other cities. Yet, Scottsdale is at a crossroads – a challenge that can only be overcome by change in our city government.

We need fresh new leadership on the City Council because the current Council, by their past decisions, has proven that they cannot solve the big problems facing Scottsdale.

One might categorize the political environment in Scottsdale as toxic. Favoring special interest requests has become common place. Serving the needs of the residential and business sectors in Scottsdale is no longer a priority. I will focus my energies to restore balance and trust in our city government, provide a seat at the table for all parties, developers and citizens alike, and make our leaders accountable for their actions.

For the first time in fifty years, Scottsdale is faced with a decline in revenue. Our city government’s appetite for spending money faster than revenue can be generated is insatiable. We must maintain a more conservative approach to spending. This City Council has never said "no" to any subsidy request from any special interest.

We need individuals who are not indebted to special interests to deal with this crisis. I pledge to be an integral part of responsible management of our fiscal spending through zero based budgeting, clean audits, and budget monitoring processes.

Traffic congestion is thwarting progress in Scottsdale. The current City Council spent over a million taxpayer dollars and eighteen months of time on a traffic consultant, the result of which was a marginal plan without long-term solutions for our traffic problems. I will implement realistic, cost-effective solutions to our transportation issues which compliment and serve our city’s requirements and those of our larger employers.

The current City Council has also failed to deliver on their promise to revitalize South Scottsdale.  They have spent a lot of taxpayer money, but South Scottsdale still has too much blight, and too little retail for the residents.

I will spearhead a synergistic plan utilizing input from citizens, businesses, private interests, and the neighborhoods which will attract and bolster lost car dealership revenue. South Scottsdale needs a combination of commercial/residential, retail, larger employers and some entertainment in order to be successful.

Because of the failure of state land reform, completion of our Preserve is at risk. Our citizenry is losing confidence in our ability to complete this landmark destination. I will be a catalyst to break the logjam in thinking by implementing a plan, absent reliance on state land reform, for this project.

As a 12 year resident and 24 year legal and business professional who has vested six years in working with Council members, Staff, citizens and businesses to effectuate positive outcome to critical issues in Scottsdale, I am qualified to hold a Council seat. I represent an honest, forthright approach to good government.

Thank you for your continued support!

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I stand for a complete change in the way Scottsdale does business. I am for making decisions in the open, rather than behind closed doors. I am against congestion and for road improvements that reduce congestion. I am a fiscal conservative who is against giving away taxpayer dollars. I support a safe community. I support local business, tourism and the character of Scottsdale that keeps home values high. Why am I running for the City Council? Because the current majority on the City Council doesn’t stand for any of the above.

The Chamber of Commerce, the majority of whose members come from outside Scottsdale, claims that any thoughtful person who does not agree with its positions across the board is anti-progress and unreasonable. I’m not anti-progress. I am against projects that lead to congestion, that overwhelm our infrastructure and reduce our quality of life. I do not support the Chamber’s implicit goal to turn Shea and Scottsdale Roads into high rise corridors. Is that unreasonable?

Further, I do not support the Chamber’s position, that developers it favors should receive subsidies upon request in any amount requested; and that we should not have guidelines to determine what projects should receive subsidies. The incumbent, Chamber endorsed candidates voted for almost every single subsidy request that came before them (more than $100 million) and yet refused to support guidelines for giving away public money? I believe that tax money should only be used to improve the community.

I am an advocate of the City Ethics Code which, originally, was opposed by the Council majority. Does that tell you anything about how our city government is run? I believe that ethics is not a "feel good" luxury; I believe it is a mandatory obligation and I will work to assure Scottsdale operates in a way that makes us all proud. There should never be the perception that the City is run in any way other than honestly and above board. Council votes should be an act of democracy not a return on an investment from the development community.

Voters have a unique opportunity to change the way that Scottsdale does business. Voting for the incumbent, Chamber endorsed candidates means more congestion, higher subsidies, taller buildings, more decisions made in Executive Session, less investment in infrastructure, less attention to completing the Preserve, less spent on parks and, eventually, it will mean spending $2 billion on a light rail system up Scottsdale Road. I am not against light rail under all circumstances; I am against light rail that will destroy the character of Scottsdale and divert resources from necessary investment in infrastructure, better sewer and water service, road improvements and better parks.

I have lived in Scottsdale for more than 25 years and consistently been a community advocate. I believe that public service is a high honor, a hallowed obligation and that an elected official must serve the best interest of the voters. That is my platform. If elected, I will honor that pledge.

Citizens of Scottsdale have a real choice in the upcoming election. If they vote in the Chamber sponsored incumbents there will be taller buildings, less views and more traffic in our downtown, at the Airpark and on Shea Boulevard. There will continue to be a City Council run by special interests. We have seen what that has done on a national and local level with the housing bubble and financial melt down. The same fate will play out for us all as taxpayers in Scottsdale as we pick up the tab for unbridled growth and no citizen oversight. The choice is clear. Jim Lane, Lisa Borowsky, Nan Nesvig and I got involved because we want change in the way the business of government done in our community.

Talk to a friend.

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We were saddened to learn that the employee was fired but on the other hand, dishonesty concerning the theft then sale of taxpayer purchased city property, no matter it's condition, cannot be condoned by anyone under any condition for any amount. Appropriate penalties need to be administered in a compassionate manner with all circumstances taken into consideration with nothing less than immediate termination and loss of all unearned benefits being the lightest of sentences.

Reportedly, this employee’s boss publicly commented that it was over a measly ^$400 dollars and no big deal which was totally blown out of proportion.

Could it be that this department management person needs to be fully investigated for the many things which have been said about him?

Yes! We at the Scottsdale Activist ARE sought out by many employees from many departments in Scottsdale City Government concerning how thing are going well, but far more often about things going so wrong and are so unfair to qualified long term employees because they know we keep their information strictly confidential.

For the record, we don’t know Jeff Fisher and to our extensive knowledge, Fisher is not nor ever has been one of our sources of inside information and we think the Police Department investigation can verify that fact. In fact, you might be shocked to know who some of our confidential contacts really are, but you never ever will for obvious reasons.

Most accusations have been correct, some are questionable but partially true, and a few are false from whiners who probably are not good employees in the first place.

We see our job as to expose the great things as well as the failures of the city management staff and elected officials to the best of our ability. Unfortunately under Manross, we have had far more failures than great things happen to Scottsdale and Scottsdale employees.

That is quite painfully obvious by the exodus of some of the best city employees who are now working for other cities or in private industry receiving accolades for their great work.

That being said and being that we hear from many different employees in many different departments on a strictly confidential manner with a guarantee of their anonymity, we try to "vet" every accusation we receive and we have a number of questions that this case has brought forward.

It seems that all of these problems that have been reported to the Scottsdale Activist have come to pass under the Manross Administration and it gets worse every 3 or 4 months.

Our continued exposure of the employee morale problem is a prime example, and we have scores of other examples. The Manross Administration vehemently denied and avoided the problem even after getting a report from an outside independent agency (which report no one can now find) that the city was "sick" and needed serious help to fix the problems.

Then, to show the Scottsdale Activist, the public at large, and the employees that the report was wrong and misstated, Manross and Dolan had still another supposedly independent survey taken (where Brent Stockwell was part of the survey process) which showed exactly the same thing only worse. Interestingly, they couldn’t get the number of employees they wanted to take the survey.

The employees confidentially told us that taking the "voluntary" survey was a death sentence for the job they had so they didn’t participate out of a fear of losing their job based upon their negative and factual opinion on how the city was treating their employees.

The employees major question concerning the Survey? Why was Brent Stockwell, a nice guy but city management representative, an overseer of the survey process when employees were told it would be an independent outside company without city representation?

Honest and hard working employees which are the vast majority of city employees have nothing to fear from the Scottsdale Activist, while most obviously they do from the Manross Administration and their hatchet men and women.

Isn’t that a great way to run a city? Through fear of losing your job and intimidation?

We will have more on this soon because there are more stories and more information that we are currently "vetting".

If any other employees want to kick in confidential information, you can email us from a public computer outside the city of Scottsdale editor@scottsdaleactivist.com  or call George at the phone number listed in the Scottsdale Activist.

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In the Saturday Scottsdale Tribune (10-04-08) Simon Cooper, President of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company stated of his attempts to build a non-conforming development within the Town of Paradise Valley; "We’ve never been rejected before. We’ve never been questioned. We benefit communities’ big time, but you can’t build a luxury hotel today on a stand alone basis." Sounds very pompous and arrogant to us and basically tells the residents and taxpayers of Paradise Valley to go to hell or lose.

In the same article David Smith, VP of development for Ritz-Carlton and Five Star states that the resort without the villas doesn’t pencil out. Why didn’t they do their research first?

Could it be that the infamous Technical Solutions and Susan Bitter Smith were the ones doing the so called public outreach as they did for the legally contentious and resident scorned projects plaguing Scottsdale of late?

Could it also be that Scottsdale Councilwoman Betty Drake and her company is also an active part of the planning process for the resort/residential development? Hmmmmm…..

If Mr. Simon and Mr. Smith had gone directly to the residents or checked out the town’s rules and regulations prior to trying to shove the project down the throats of the residents of the town, they wouldn’t be in the position they claim they are now.

Since the beginning of the Town of Paradise Valley, it has been written in stone that no residence can be built on anything less than one acre. Why would a supposed class organization such as the Ritz-Carlton or Five Star Development blindly assume the residents would allow such a development as proposed by Ritz-Carlton when it defeats the intent and written law concerning these types of residences?

Again we have the classic example that has been plaguing Scottsdale since the election of Mary Manross as mayor of Scottsdale and her band of possibly unethical cronies both on and off the city payroll:

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Recently, I was asked what my thoughts are on the Waterview/Solis project along the canal north of Camelback Road. That area has been on the radar of several boards and commissions because of work force housing, code enforcement, safety issues, traffic issues, neighborhood assemblage issues and, oh yes, the SRP substation.

In fact, our late Mayor Drinkwater was keeping an eye on all of those substations in close proximity to residential neighborhoods, as far back as 1990. He wanted to make sure they were esthetically appealing to the surrounding neighborhood. Both SRP and APS were strong partners in those efforts.

The Canal Bank substation was on all agendas for upgrades as far back as 1993. Nothing was ever attempted. In fact the whole Drinkwater Canal Bank Plan was scraped in the late 90’s thanks to the lack of foresight and innovative visions on the parts of Mayors Sam Campana and mainly Mayor Mary Manross.

Gone was the open, green, pedestrian friendly, bike friendly, horse friendly space envisioned by Mayor Herb Drinkwater.

Residential was never supposed to be on the canal bank but has now been allowed because of the ignorance and egos of mayors Campana and Manross. They apparently forgot that SRP, a quazi government organization, owns the canal banks and can tear them up for repair or renovation at any time without notice, at the city’s expense and inconvenience.

That was then this is now and the following is what several of us dreadful activists have been doing to understand the project while the planning department has seen a major exodus of good people. Their jobs have not been filled which means everyone in that department is dancing as fast as they can to fill the void.

I have the two 11 page letters with the 73 items that the planning staff was concerned about regarding the first two submissions of plans by Scottsdale Canal Development LLC. Let me say at this point, until I visited with the developer in early August, I was not aware that they had submitted a new plan last April.

When representatives of The Scottsdale Coalition and I met with John Berry to talk about the substation, knowing the projected timeline that the developer wanted to meet for construction, and knowing the problems that existed with demolition of the abandoned buildings on the site for development, and following meetings with SRP, Kroy Ekblaw, John Lusardi, Raun Keagy, Randy Grant, the developers of Scottsdale Canal Development (in their office), conversations with the neighbors in both neighborhoods impacted, and sitting in on meetings with COGS and the Community Council of Scottsdale, and talking to reps from Technical Solutions and meeting with Tim, Greg, Brad and Henry from the planning staff.............I am tired.

Seriously, I am trying to compare the three documents with one another and with notes that I have from all of the above meetings and conversations. Here is where I am right now:

Mr. Berry and I agree on one important point and that is that infrastructure is part of long range planning and we must get it on the table and sort it out and do it well, and fast, before we finalize and approve the Downtown Plan and the South Scottsdale Community Area Plans.

The City of Scottsdale needs to be reminded that they are there to provide quality services to neighborhoods outside of master planned communities with Homeowner’s Associations.

They have been elected to function as our HOA to enforce our CC&R’s which exist in the form of strict planning and zoning codes and requirements.

That is where I am with all of the research and time I have put in on behalf of the Scottsdale Coalition.

Back to my homework.

Nancy Cantor
Chair, Scottsdale Coalition

Since there seems to be general agreement among the establishment types that Scottsdale is no longer "The West’s Most Western Town" it appears that we need a new city mascot.

An upstanding, long time citizen has suggested the Lemming because of the way some people vote blindly, so I have obtained this picture to be used in a new city logo which I am hoping one of our artistic types will help to design.  

We should also have a city flower, I suggest the noble plant pictured above found in the ponds around city hall and some park lakes otherwise known as pond scum which is very ecologically perfect and descriptive for the decisions made by the current city council. 

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Scuttlebutt has it that the Scottsdale BMW dealer (already moved or committed to move) along with Powell Volvo and a couple other dealers are definitely moving out of Scottsdale’s dwindling Motor Mile due to the lack of opportunity in Scottsdale and lack of support by city government in the form of a revitalized retail sector.

Reportedly, they confidentially say it’s because the city under Manross Administration and the Area Chamber under both Korte and Kidder have failed to properly develop and promote the southern portion of Scottsdale as Manross and the Scottsdale Area Chamber promised to do over and over again.

The building of a retail center at Los Arcos such as the Coyote Arena or the WalMart Center as well as the improvement of the other retail areas in the McDowell Corridor could have saved their businesses, even with the rough times we are having.

What do you supposed Manross, the city (which still doesn’t have an Economic Advisor) and the Scottsdale Chamber are going to answer to this problem?

We’ll tell you: They don’t have a plan other than to ask for a developer who will come blowing into Scottsdale, rape the resident taxpayers with an unnecessary subsidy of any form, then blow town the same way they came in only far richer.

Let Manross, Drake, McCullagh, Kidder, Korte, or Klapp deny this situation is real, then lie to us telling us they DO have a plan.

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Citizens,

My understanding from what I read would be that basically, the non-conforming plants, shrubs and trees currently in place on the NAOS and ESLO properties must be removed ASAP and replaced with plants that are properly placed and are on the original list, or possibly from the new list which is stricter than the old list as well as returning to the proper maintenance of those areas which cannot be raked, cleaned, or disturbed in any way except by an act of mother nature or for reasonable fire control which is clearly outlined by the Scottsdale Fire Department regulations as well as those aforementioned ones. This all at the owner/violators expense being that they are the parties that violated the law; ignorance of the laws and ordinances are not an excuse.

In addition, it says to me that the City Planning Department will not consider any relaxation of the original controls currently in place and in fact might make it tougher if challenged which is what many have asked them to do. The city rules and ordinances need to be followed as written.

There were scores of citizens and a lot of hard work involved in developing the list and the initiators of those ordinances will fight any changes unless they are stricter than the current ones if a revision could be found to be in order.

My suggestion to the property owners would be to do as asked ASAP or face even tougher rules and regulations with scores of long time citizens raising more hell then anyone in the affected subdividion(s) would care to encounter legally or otherwise being that these properties were purchased with the ordinances and rules fully in place PRIOR to their purchase.

With Tony Nelssen now as the chair of the DRB and one of the scores of citizens (along with Jane Rau) who originated and worked on the controls, there will be no one friendly to deal with on the DRB or citizen organizations either.

They best know too that Jane Rau is someone you don't want to cross, especially after receiving the honor she received this week at the city council meeting for her work in preserving the natural state of the northern portion of the city and everything else she has done for the city over many decades.

My personal idea would suggest that the property owners in violation might seek reparations for the costs of repair/replacement from those on the HOA board who allowed/suggested/approved/turned their backs on the very specific violations through private personal law suits (civil actions) so that the HOA members, other than the guilty parties, are not charged or made to pay said reparations.

I am not a lawyer and certainly don’t know a lot about law but maybe the above or even a class action suit could be considered against the individuals.

Thanks for asking and I hope you can get this straightened out. Thanks for continuing to keep me in the loop.

George

==================================================

I have received an update from Don Hadder affirming the acceptable plants for the La Posada development (See ESL Plant Lists). After reviewing Mr. Hadder's analysis, I understand there are three possible options to consider:

Please see additional observations and requirements related to the La Posada development below. This email reaffirms the request that the HOA and management company take steps to notify property owners of the need to comply by means outlined above. Please acknowledge receipt of this email and your plan to resolve the outstanding non-conforming plant concerns.

Malcolm Hankins Code Enforcement Manager Code Enforcement Division (480) 312-7759

Mr. Hadder further provided the following analysis re:

Landscape Plant Conditions at La Posada Subdivision

The following is a summary of conditions and findings regarding landscape and open space areas at the La Posada (Carriage Hills) subdivision located at the southeast corner of Pinnacle Peak Road and 91st Street:

There were substantial Natural Area Open Space easements dedicated on the plat, particularly along Pinnacle Peak Road, 93rd Street, a large wash corridor running through the subdivision from the northeast to southwest and in some locations along 91st Street.

These did not totally meet the required NAOS area for the subdivision. (Note: For some reason these are indicated on the city’s GIS information although they are clearly shown on the plat.) these master NAOS areas included rear yard locations on lots 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 32, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, and 68 and side yard locations on lots 13, 14, 15, 33, 34, 53, and 64.

In order to meet the NAOS requirement, the homebuilder agreed to provide at least 910 square feet of restored NAOS in the front yard of each lot as they were built upon. These have been provided on all but three lots (17, 27, and 46). From a windshield survey, none of these recorded areas comply with the standards and intent of the ordinance regarding NAOS areas.

The NAOS areas at this point should be fully natural and allowed to be self sustaining. What this means is that there should not be any active irrigation lines within them, the ground surface shall not be maintained (i.e. raked or cleaned), the plants shall not be pruned or trimmed except for basic sight distance or fire safety purpose, and all plants within them shall be native desert plants.

The NAOS areas cannot be released since they are the minimum area needed to meet the ordinance requirements.

The applicable overlay ordinance is the Hillside Development (HD) ordinance. The Environmentally Sensitive Lands Ordinance (ESLO) does not directly apply.

The Development Review Board (DRB) was concerned about the character of the proposed landscaping for the subdivision (146-DR-1987). There are comments in the minutes that the proposal did not go far enough in retaining the natural desert character of the area.

The plan that was approved included three "zones" within the front yard areas of each lot:

There were no limits or restrictions placed upon landscaping in enclosed rear yard areas.

The HD standard for landscaping that applies here is one that limits any landscaping within public easements (road rights of way, public utility easements, etc.) to ‘desert vegetation’. This would typically affect a strip about 14 feet wide along the curb line of each front yard.

No change to the approved plant list could be considered within the NAOS areas or the public easement areas since they are mandated by the ordinance.

There are non-native stone and rock placed within the NAOS areas that were not approved by the city. These also have been placed within rights of way and basically should not have been used in these areas.

Malcolm Hankins Code Enforcement Manager Neighborhood Services Division (480) 312-7759

Malcolm Hankins Code Enforcement Manager Neighborhood Services Division (480) 312-7759

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~Letters to the Editor  

Mike Phillips, 

Per our conversation yesterday about the Aubert campaign complaint, I’m forwarding you the first message to the City Attorney in my most recent thread on the subject. 

I reiterate that in spite of all the correspondence on this subject since the complaint was filed, I have never seen a formal response to and/or ruling upon the original complaint from the City Attorney’s office.  

John Washington
480.229.1831
john@ReactionResearch.com 

From: John Washington [mailto:reactionresearch@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 29, 2008 6:56 PM
To: 'Robberson, Deborah'
Cc: 'Powell, Brian'; 'mscarp@evtrib.com'; Lesley Wright (lesley.wright@arizonarepublic.com); 'mike.ryan@pni.com'; 'laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com'; 'Jagger, Carolyn'; 'civilrightsinfo@azag.gov'; 'citycouncil@scottsdaleaz.gov'

Subject: ARS 9-500.14 Violation 

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

~Flawed Manross Propaganda

Tourists don't want high rises and urban living in Scottsdale.

Last week, a Valley TV station was reporting the excitement that surrounded the visit of some of the American Idol cast, including Paula Abdul.

But, they reported, there was a problem with the lodging choice. The cast checked in to the "W" Hotel, but then checked out and moved to the Boulders Resort! 

The reason?  "it wasn't deserty enough".

How many other visitors will choose to avoid Scottsdale's downtown, now that the views and open spaces have been virtually eliminated?

The Mayor's propaganda to make Scottsdale "urban" is destroying everything that made the City a tourist destination.

The Manross agenda has sold out to developers, and the consequences will be felt for years to come with lost tourist dollars.

Susan Wood
Scottsdale

….So how are YOU going to VOTE November 4^th?

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 ~ COGS Corner

The Coalition of Greater Scottsdale, a citizen and small business owner’s advocacy organization particularly concerned with "consistent land use policy and protecting our unique quality of Scottsdale life" provide the following information. More information is available on their website at http://cogsAZ.org

 ~There will not be an October 9th COGS meeting:  Many of our members are working on mayoral and city council candidate campaigns and that includes evening door-to-door work.  We also have other members mobilizing their neighborhoods on the Waterview and SRP electrical substation relocation. If you cannot attend the hearings, please watch on the City Channel 11 for the Planning Commission and City Council meetings in October.  For our November 13th meeting, we will have special guest speakers so please mark your calendar and save us the date---6:30 PM at the Granite Reef Senior Center.

 ~Planning Commission Agenda Items # 5,6, and 7 are the Waterview/Solis project and the alley abandonment issue:   Postponed until late October  You can get more background on the Waterview/Solis Project from the following city website:

  http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/downtown/projects/Waterview_at_Scottsdale.asp. 

 ~ Scottsdale Area Realtor^® Council & Mayoral Forum

Check our website www.cogsAZ.org   (or .net)

for the COGS Board of Directors
Sonnie Kirtley, Chairperson
cellular: 602 717 3886 anytime

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~Shout and Spout ~

shoutandspout@scottsdaleactivist.com  

  Living in the Land of Oz

~ Heffalumps and Wuzzles

The Heffalumps and Wuzzles were conferring today on where to hold their next convention. As they bantered back and forth musing over the many brochures they had collected, they spied a recent advertisement heralding luxury seeking travelers to hunker down around a campfire and join the cowpokes sipping martinis out of cocktail glasses.

All the while the cow pokes were sipping their cocktails, cowgirls, looking a lot like the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau head honcho Rachel Sacco, were demonstrating their skills for lassoing diamonds out of the sky. (The Cast of The American Idol, after seeing the opulent and ultra urban "W" Hotel, moved their entire company to the Boulders because it was "deserty" which is what they wanted. How may more of our tourist dollars will go the same way?)

The Heffalumps and the Wuzzles have sent word that they figure Scottsdale is too rich for their blood these days and economics being what they are these days, they would feel real out of place in Scottsdale of today.

Heffalumps and Wuzzles remember when people in Scottsdale did not flaunt their wealth. The remember sitting on the bench in front of the bank and wagering who could tell a millionaire from a cow poke. It was not an easy task. Most of those people just considered themselves to be just plain folks, your neighbor down the road or over the fence. They did not judge another by his pocket book or where they bought their clothes which was then either Saba's, Porter's or Goldwater's little boutique shop on the northeast corner of 1st Avenue and Scottsdale Road.

The kids hung out at the Sugar Bowl and at night Lulu Belle's and the Red Dog entertained the folks.

And those cow pokes weren't sipping Martinis and the cowgirls.......well, diamonds were not being lassoed anywhere, either. Nope those folks were too busy building a town, working the sheep, cattle, and horse ranches and helping to grow the oranges and vegetables that helped fed the country.

While the Umpa Lumpa's and Mr. Merrill are researching more of Scottsdale's more recent history, the Heffalumps and the Wuzzles wish them happy hunting, but they think they will take a reign check on convening here for a while.

In a move that could help increase home ownership rates among minorities and low-income consumers, the Fannie Mae Corporation is easing the credit requirements on loans that it will purchase from banks and other lenders.

The action, which will begin as a pilot program involving 24 banks in 15 markets -- including the New York metropolitan region -- will encourage those banks to extend home mortgages to individuals whose credit is generally not good enough to qualify for conventional loans. Fannie Mae officials say they hope to make it a nationwide program by next spring.

Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people and felt pressure from stock holders to maintain its phenomenal growth in profits.

In addition, banks, thrift institutions and mortgage companies have been pressing Fannie Mae to help them make more loans to so-called subprime borrowers. These borrowers whose incomes, credit ratings and savings are not good enough to qualify for conventional loans, can only get loans from finance companies that charge much higher interest rates -- anywhere from three to four percentage points higher than conventional loans.

''Fannie Mae has expanded home ownership for millions of families in the 1990's by reducing down payment requirements,'' said Franklin D. Raines, Fannie Mae's chairman and chief executive officer. ''Yet there remain too many borrowers whose credit is just a notch below what our underwriting has required who have been relegated to paying significantly higher mortgage rates in the so-called subprime market.''

Demographic information on these borrowers is sketchy. But at least one study indicates that 18 percent of the loans in the subprime market went to black borrowers, compared to 5 per cent of loans in the conventional loan market.

In moving, even tentatively, into this new area of lending, Fannie Mae is taking on significantly more risk, which may not pose any difficulties during flush economic times. But the government-subsidized corporation may run into trouble in an economic downturn, prompting a government rescue similar to that of the savings and loan industry in the 1980's.

''From the perspective of many people, including me, this is another thrift industry growing up around us,'' said Peter Wallison a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. ''If they fail, the government will have to   step up and bail them out the way it stepped up and bailed out the thrift industry.''

Under Fannie Mae's pilot program, consumers who qualify can secure a mortgage with an interest rate one percentage point above that of a conventional, 30-year fixed rate mortgage of less than $240,000 -- a rate that currently averages about 7.76 per cent. If the borrower makes his or her monthly payments on time for two years, the one percentage point premium is dropped.

Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, does not lend money directly to consumers. Instead, it purchases loans that banks make on what is called the secondary market. By expanding the type of loans that it will buy, Fannie Mae is hoping to spur banks to make more loans to people with less-than-stellar credit ratings.

Fannie Mae officials stress that the new mortgages will be extended to all potential borrowers who can qualify for a mortgage. But they add that the move is intended in part to increase the number of minority and low income home owners who tend to have worse credit ratings than non-Hispanic whites.

Home ownership has, in fact, exploded among minorities during the economic boom of the 1990's. The number of mortgages extended to Hispanic applicants jumped by 87.2 per cent from 1993 to 1998, according to  Harvard  University's  Joint  Center for Housing Studies. During that same period the number of African Americans who got mortgages to buy a home increased by 71.9 per cent and the number of Asian Americans by 46.3 per cent.

In contrast, the number of non-Hispanic whites who received loans for homes increased by 31.2 per cent.

Despite these gains, home ownership rates for minorities continue to lag behind non-Hispanic whites, in part because blacks and Hispanics in particular tend to have on average worse credit ratings.

In July, the Department of Housing and Urban Development proposed that by the year 2001, 50 percent of Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's portfolio be made up of loans to low and moderate-income borrowers. Last year, 44 percent of the loans Fannie Mae purchased were from these groups.

The change in policy also comes at the same time that HUD is investigating allegations of racial discrimination in the automated underwriting systems used by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to determine the credit-worthiness of credit applicants.

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 ~ Cantoni Confab

Yellow journalism has been reborn. A century after newspaper sensationalism was given a name, the pathetic press is coughing up disgusting yellow phlegm about Wall Street sticking it to Main Street.

Contrary to what the yellow journalists say, the villain in today’s economic crisis is not Wall Street. It is my street and probably your street.

For example, up the street from my family’s house is an empty house in the process of foreclosure. At the height of the bubble, a small-time investor had bought the 22-year-old, 3,800 sq. ft. house, remodeled it at a cost of ^$250,000, and put it on the market at ^$1.2 million. It is the same model and age as my family’s house, which also has been remodeled.

Based on incomes in the area, I estimated at the time that the true market value of the investor’s house was ^$720,000, or about 40 percent less than the asking price. My estimate is proving to be prescient.

The investor held open houses every weekend for a year, sitting alone in the empty house in despair, watching his life savings dissipate. Then he rented the home to a family that resembled the Clampitt family from "Beverly Hillbillies," but without a family member as attractive as Elly Mae. The Clampitts have since moved out, leaving the neighborhood in worse shape than when they arrived.

Sure, the investor was tempted by easy money and the housing mania, but no one put a gun to his head and forced him to make the lousy investment. The same is true for the thousands of people of modest means across the nation who were seduced by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Barney Frank to buy a home they couldn’t afford, including those buyers who committed fraud by lying about their income and credit history.

Just because the government or a government-sponsored enterprise is stupid enough to offer a mortgage to a fool, does not make the fool something other than a fool.

According to the yellow journalists, there are no fools. There are only greedy Wall Street tycoons taking advantage of the little people. According to this logic, if a car dealer were to let me buy a ^$250,000 Ferrari with no money down, I wouldn’t be a fool if I took out a car loan to buy it. Nor would I be a fool if I fell for every credit-card solicitation in the mail instead of throwing them in the trash.

Manias and bubbles have existed throughout history, but never in history have so many people been so educated--at least in terms of years of schooling. It makes one wonder what is being taught in those government K-12 schools and government-subsidized universities. Clearly, as the housing bubble shows, common sense, intellectual inquisitiveness, history, personal finance, and economics are not being taught.

If such subjects were being taught, then people would have had enough sense to do 30 minutes of research on the Internet before taking out a sub-prime mortgage or trying to flip a house and make a killing during a housing bubble. They would have found out that over the last century, home prices have declined in 52 of the years; they would have discovered the Case-Shiller Index, which showed that skyrocketing home prices could not be justified by household income; they would have learned that homes are not a good investment for many people, contrary to what the government had been propagandizing for decades; and they would have understood how the government had distorted the housing market through the tax code, easy money, and housing policies.

Equally important, they would have stopped believing yellow journalism about Wall Street, and, instead, understood that the root of today’s economic crisis is on their street.

An author and columnist, Mr. Cantoni can be reached at ccan2@aol.com.

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Assumptions are powerful. Two faulty ones have brought us to the edge of another Great Depression:

1. That home ownership is good for everyone.

2. That home prices always go up.

In fact, many people are better off renting than carrying a mortgage, and home prices have declined in 52 of the last 100 years.

The government, the media, and, of course, the real estate industry perpetuated the assumptions and ignored the facts. Those of us who tried to do the opposite were called negative, pessimistic, dumb-asses, ass****s, and other endearments.

Even in the midst of today’s economic carnage, the assumptions continue to be perpetuated. Turn to the Home & Garden (HGTV) cable station and you’ll see people of modest means and intelligence being encouraged to invest in granite countertops and gourmet stoves the size of aircraft carriers.

My uneducated, immigrant grandparents knew better. They had the same kitchen sink with the plumbing showing underneath all of their lives. At retirement, they did not have a granite countertop, but they had something more important: They had enough savings to live without the government’s help. Equally important, their savings provided the capital for investments in industry.

Back then, the nation didn’t have to borrow from the Chinese. But it did have to face the horror of exposed kitchen plumbing.

Sure, the proximate cause of today’s economic collapse was the government’s failure to regulate the shadow banking system that competed with its monopolistic central bank and fiat money. Another proximate cause was the government’s easy-money policies. But the root causes were the two assumptions.

The two presidential candidates bought into the assumptions, proving that they are moo-cows in a herd and not presidential material. Sen. Barack Obama was in bed with Fannie Mae and ACORN, the leftist organization that pushed people into housing they couldn’t afford. Sen. John McCain was too dimwitted to have learned the lesson of faulty assumptions and real estate bubbles from his sordid role as one of the Keating Five in the earlier savings and loan meltdown. Meanwhile, the only candidate who understood economics and monetary policy, Rep. Ron Paul, was largely ignored by the left-wing media and portrayed as a kook by right-wing talk radio.

If you vote for Obama or McCain, you will be stepping into the stuff that moo-cows leave behind.

Speaking of stuff that moo-cows leave behind, Andrew Cuomo has probably left more of it behind than anyone else in government, including, as unbelievable as it may seem, Congressmen Barney Frank, Christopher Dodd, and Charles Schumer. The article at the link below from the Village Voice details how he bought into the two assumptions and helped to bring about the sub-prime disaster.

A nation that doesn’t imprison the politicians responsible for bringing us to the edge of another Great Depression is a nation of granite heads and a doomed nation.

An author and columnist, Mr. Cantoni can be reached at ccan2@aol.com.

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Ho-ho-ho! I’m in a jolly mood today, because I finally found someone who is qualified to be president. There is hope for liberty.

I heard him speak last night to an enthralled audience.

He understands tyranny because he lived under it for three-fourths of his life. He has a proven record of reforming government and achieving economic prosperity and liberty. He is an economist by trade and thus has the most important qualification for the presidency in these troubled economic times. He has implemented a flat tax and realizes the nefarious nature of the regulatory state and central planning. He is against political correctness, racial favoritism and welfare. He has written a book about the hysteria and junk science behind the global warming movement, a movement that he sees as a threat to liberty.

In addition, he is mild-mannered, soft-spoken, and unassuming, with a resemblance to Santa Claus, but without the white beard and red suit. Most important, as a believer in both civil liberties and economic freedom, he rates about a "9" on the 10-point liberty scale.

No, I’m not speaking of Barack Obama, the smart Marxist and wannabe Hugo Chavez. Nor am I speaking about John McCain, the dimwitted progressive/militarist and wannabe Teddy Roosevelt. Both of these candidates rank about a "5" on the liberty scale.

I’m speaking of Vaclav Klaus, the President of the Czech Republic. He doesn’t want to be anyone but his authentic self.

It speaks volumes about the deplorable condition of America’s two parties that a nation of 300 million people produces Tweedledee and Tweedledum as candidates, while a nation of 10 million people produces Vaclav Klaus.

Why is this?

The answer is revolution.

It takes a revolution to produce a leader like Klaus. In the case of his country, it took a velvet revolution to break up the status quo of Eastern Bloc communism and begin anew. In the case of the United States, there has been no revolution to end decades of ever-growing government dependency, nannyism, socialism, bureaucracy, centralization, rent-seeking, militarism, fiscal folly, and two-party cronyism.

Although they pretend otherwise, Obama and McCain are status quo candidates. They will perpetuate the long, slow decline of the United States, encouraged by the establishment media, rent-seeking corporations, mooching special interests, and the 60 percent of voters who are dependent on the government for all or part of their income.

Incidentally, Klaus actually used the term "rent-seeking" in his remarks last night. Have Obama and McCain ever used it? Do they even know what it means?

Ironically, while Klaus was speaking, the two vice presidential candidates were debating at Washington University in St. Louis. He makes the two look about as wise as high school students. On second thought, that’s an insult to high school students.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Klaus. Unfortunately, he heads the Czech Republic and not the United States.

An author and columnist, Mr. Cantoni can be reached at ccan2@aol.com.

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~ Miscellaneous but Important City Information

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. 

 ~ Loop 101 General Purpose Lanes

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 ~October Southern Scottsdale Community Area Planning Meetings:  

Subject: Southern Scottsdale Community Area Plan Participation Revised 

Community Member, 

Unfortunately we have had to revise our Cafe Discussion Series for the Southern Scottsdale Community Area Plan Process.  We now have only two events to attend.  Please see the attached flyer for more information.  And we encourage you to sign up and help shape the future of Southern Scottsdale! 

Thank you! 

Ryan Stee
Associate Planner
7506 E. Indian School Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
O - 480.312.7089
F - 480.312.7314

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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.

~ 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.