Volume '08-40 Posted Late Saturdays Oct. 11, 2008
The Scottsdale Activist will not publish allegations, libelous statements, profanity, or personal attacks without a verifiable basis. All letters, columns, pictures, or political cartoons submitted must include the authors or artists name, address, daytime phone number, and email. All personal information except the author, photographer or artists name will remain strictly confidential without being released, sold or distributed in any manner. We assume no responsibility for the contents of letters, columns, or cartoons and reserve the right to—at our discretion—edit or refuse to print any submissions or parts thereto without the need for justification. Opinions expressed herein are solely those of the authors/artists and not necessarily the opinions of The Scottsdale Activist .
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Troop Gift Info, the USO Site, A Gathering of Eagles site, and other Local Websites and Newspaper links are now located in the "Information You Can Use" section of this website.
Although we may not agree with some of the content, we are happy to announce the addition of the following blog sites "Sonoranalliance" and "the Scottsdale Citizen" to the Scottsdale Activist for those who enjoy the blogging experience.
~ Guest Editorial
Whenever a community looses a solid news source such as the Scottsdale Tribune, it looses part of its integrity and it's personality.
The Scottsdale Tribune has been an important part of maintaining community integrity for decades and will tentatively stop local reporting and delivery effective January 2009.
It all started with Jonathan and Maxine Marshall in 1963 as the "Scottsdale Weekly Progress." Our community was enriched through communicating the issues, concerns and events that were strictly Scottsdale, as well as how Scottsdale fit into the bigger pictures of the Valley of the Sun and Arizona.
Having grown up in a family that was very involved in the newspaper business and marrying into one that was into both print and radio journalism, a little piece of me dies when a newspaper bids adieu.
At no time in our history, local, national, and international, has there been more need for accurate information and clarity of issues and their solutions we face in every day life.
At no time in our history, has there been such an assault on the intelligence of the populace, through dissemination of out and out lies, half-truths, and purely fictional stories dressed up to look official and factual.
Of course rising costs to publish newspapers are tolling the death knell for large and small newspapers across the country.
The bigger problem is the audience for news, across the board – print, broadcast and electronic – is dwindling. People want information faster and in compact form and they do not want to make the effort to be informed.
It reminds one of the old saying, "Don’t confuse me with the facts."
When you look at the demographics of Scottsdale, you would think that circulation of newspapers would be higher than what it is, if for no other reason than to guard the quality of life in the City that so many profess to love. People who value knowledge and seek high standards of living supposedly live in Scottsdale.
You might not be able to tell that by the registered voters or the circulation of our daily newspapers or the hits for newspapers on-line.
Our "forefathers" realized how much truth and communication were needed to educate all citizens and to promote and preserve democracy. They built the Declaration of Independency and the U.S. Constitution upon those principals.
They knew, too, how men manipulated truth and communication to gain power.
They understood that a "void" in dissemination of truth and communication would allow easy opportunity to destroy democracy without firing a shot.
If I could ask for a miracle, I would ask that we could see the Scottsdale Weekly Progress rise like the Phoenix, and allow voices of honesty and reason to still be heard in our City.
Nancy Geist Cantor
Scottsdale
nancyanncantor@cox.net
~ Employee Fired for Theft of City Property
Reprinted by popular request
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.
Why would someone not come forward to tell their supervisor, the police department, or a person in HR about a problem as serious as this problem (theft of city property) unless the department under which he or she worked and the entire HR department under Assistant City Manager Neal Shearer is as politically biased and protective of certain types of employees as we strongly suspect?
Could it be that the city HR Department and City Auditor need to heavily scrutinize each and every GPS record on all city vehicles weekly to verify that the employees are actually doing work instead of reportedly taking long naps at parks, meeting other employees at restaurants for extended periods of time, or going into the office early to BS letting the clock run until they are able to punch out and go home?
Maybe city employees need to remember that city vehicles have the city logo on the doors and other places so are easily picked out from other vehicles, even when parked behind or in buildings off city property where zero work is being performed.
Could it be that the Manross Administration has played favorites and hired "pets" or unqualified friends of city employees to the point that no one can be trusted?
Why do former employees become the scapegoats for the accused when the finger being pointed by other employees in more than one department is pointed directly at current person or persons in power and still employed in said department?
Could it be that some people intimidate others through fear of being fired into making false statements to protect both themselves and the act they are perpetrating on the unsuspecting city or public?
Wasn’t it HR Director and Assistant City Manager Neal Shearer and Planning Director Frank Gray who had Jeff Fisher fired and for reasons that were never made public as was not the case of current employee whose failings were made public?
Weren’t Shearer, Gray and Michael Clack also the one’s who took a retired, and then contract employee Doug Flack off city property to public restaurants to interrogate him on 3 separate occasions without representation or witnesses of any kind for Flack, then tied him to Jeff Fisher, but never told him why his contact was cancelled? Is this how the Manross Administration, Shearer and Gray do the city's Human Resources business?
Could it be that HR and Neal Shearer should be the first department to be fully investigated by the EEOC or some other federal agency based on suspected human rights violations and unethical conduct?
Did former Planning Department Director Frank
Gray leave town abruptly because he knew this investigation was
coming to his department and wanted to leave town before the crap
hit the fan, and because he didn’t want to be involved in the
scandal which could taint his reputation being that he proudly
stated that his new director Ralph Noriega was the best there was
and that Noriega ran a tight department? Really???
What does Ralph Noriega do in the mornings in his office? Where does he go in the afternoons? Who are the "visitors" he has in his office behind closed doors? Can he document his time by the minute to prove he is doing the publics work for the entire day?
Why is the Department run by Padian, Clack and
Noriega apparently understaffed according to some when in actuality
they have a number of inspectors who have nothing to do because of
build-out and the economy, but reportedly drive around, nap at
parks, and make up stops and reports per suggestions from their boss so the
department doesn’t lose their positions?
Are Padian, Clack, Noriega of Planning and Hankins of Code Enforcement and others in management positions in other departments currently certified and fully trained in their current management positions as outlined in the ORIGINAL Pre-Dolan Employee Hiring Qualification Mandates ?
Why is it that the Scottsdale Activist has formally requested information from Planning on some specific inspections and have not received the information requested for over 90 days?
Why does the Planning Department apparently have so many unqualified and under qualified employees in management and decision making positions?
How many city departments are staffed with unqualified or under qualified personnel due to a lack of proper administration, lack of hiring guidelines and proper hiring practices by the Manross Administration and Assistant City Manager Neal Shearer of the HR Department?
Could it be that the Manross Administration is waiting to see if they win the election before they hire still more under or unqualified personnel as paybacks for the support offered by the developers and Chamber they are reportedly "in bed" with?
Why is it that Scottsdale has lost most of it’s key employees and has either not replaced them or replaced them with under or unqualified people who may be good employees but not properly trained for the position they are suddenly moved into?
Why is it that reportedly most promotions are decided by who likes whom (who kisses whose butt) rather than who is the most qualified person, leaving qualified employees and outside applicants out in the cold and working for under or non-qualified boss, and we get plenty of reports on this phenomenon?
Why is it that in many cases, employees are afraid of their supervisors and directors instead of happy to work for them to the point of doing what they are asked to do, right or terribly wrong?
Doesn’t it seem totally wrong that the inventory controls on purchased items and contracts that are let are not controlled in any responsible or prudent manner (permanently labeled with a bar code) when an employee can literally take city property off premises and sell something on eBay without the knowledge of the department head, if you really believe the department heads really didn’t know, which we don’t believe for a New York Second?
Doesn’t it seem totally wrong and a wide open opportunity for employee and outsider theft for personal use and purposes of privately selling city owned property where inventory Bar Codes are non existent on many items purchased for city use?
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.
The TRUTH WILL PREVAIL sooner or later, so hopefully this election will remove a major part of the problem.
VOTE for a New, Improved, Honest, Ethical and Open Scottsdale November 4th
How we feel about the Ballot Measures which affect Scottsdale Residents.
Proposition 100: YES
· Would bar any new types of taxes on the sale or other form of transfer of your real estate holdings to another. Would hold down spending by out of control government entities using your real estate holdings as the means to gain still more spending money at your expense without your vote as the approval process. Should help force government live within its means.
Proposition 101: YES
· A Constitutional Amendment to the Arizona Constitution guaranteeing the right to use private health insurance or to pay directly for medical care. Would limit more unnecessary government intervention into the health care industry in which it is already far too involved and reduce the “Nanny State” situations which seem to be rising of late.
Proposition 102: No Recommendation
· The Marriage Amendment to the Arizona Constitution making the legal definition of marriage as only that between one man and one woman. This is a very personal choice and not something we will comment about or recommend one way or the other. There are far too many legal ramifications in this legislation for us to make any recommendation other than from our hearts which shall remain private.
Proposition 105: NO
· Would count each registered voter who didn’t vote as a “NO” vote toward any initiative in question. This is exactly how Mayor Manross was able to gain entry into the city run off election when she actually lost in the General Election due to the “Non-Votes” which were counted as “votes”.
· This is very bad legislation which needs to be voted down by a large percentage of voters. If someone doesn’t vote, they have that right but should have zero say in any legislation on which they didn’t see the necessity to vote one way or the other.
Proposition 200: NO
· The
Pay Day loan industry IS NOT controlled by the state or federal Usury
laws which makes this some very bad legislation which needs to be voted
down by a large percentage of voters.
The current State Legislation on this industry will
expire in 2010, which is just over 1 year from today which means
that the Legislature will have to either rewrite or eliminate the
current predatory Pay Day Loan legislation from the books. The current
extraordinary push to approve Prop 200 is totally paid for by those that
own this lucrative and predatory industry and would have you believe
that it is in the best interest of the state and its residents.
·
That would only be true ONLY if the interest rates and
loan maturation dates were brought into line with other lending
parameters and controlled by usury laws.
400% annual interest is not in the best interest of anyone, especially
those who cannot manage their money and have to use this predatory
industry to try to get by until the next paycheck, IF they make it that
far. This is nothing more than legalized Loan Sharking.
Proposition 201: NO
· Although meant to make builders more accountable, it will artificially inflate the cost of buying a home making home purchase even more difficult.
· In addition, the lawyers and courts will be made rich by the law suits that will come of such well meaning but misguided legislation which among other issues, is poorly written.
Proposition 202: NO
· A fair idea but poorly written which would eliminate the E-Verify requirement and would again make the lawyers richer because of the lawsuits that could ensue. In addition, there are too many loopholes for favored businesses that need to be closed before this poorly written legislation could be reconsidered.
Proposition 300: YES
· The State of Arizona has become too large to rely on a “part time” legislature when the job has become more of a full time situation. With their minds somewhere else or on their regular jobs or businesses outside of the Legislature, we need to make it easier to keep their eye on the Peoples work at hand rather then their personal situations which are hurt financially when the legislature is forced to stay in session just because the Governor decides to make them do so hoping to force quick acceptance of his/her proposal which may or may not be in the best interest of the citizens at large.
· It’s time to pay the legislators more closely to the averages of other state legislatures nationwide while being far more critical of the legislators decisions and showing it by voting when elections are in order.
~"Scottsdale in 'Local Recession,' Official says"
Why is this nasty situation such a mystery?
The irresponsible budgets of the last four years are at the root of the problem and the low level of financial acumen on this Council meant that the Manross administration could not, or refused to foresee the problems down the road.
This crisis is not solely the result of the national economic problem, it is primarily the fault of the City management. Manross and her Council majority voted to increase operating costs in this City (2008/09 v 2004/05) by approx 40% when at the same time revenues were only projected to rise by 13% - the revenue increase over these four years will be considerably lower now of course.
This was an accident waiting to happen and of course, as predicted for years many times by regular citizens and city activists alike, it has. This City needs and deserves truly professional management and unless voters take the opportunity of replacing the incumbents at this election (with the exception of Jim Lane) then the problems will not be solved. In actuality, the financial problems will escalate even more based on many Manross promises which cannot be fulfilled without massive tax increases which will bury the city even more in a financial morass.
Services do not need to be cut to save money but radically improving productivity (i.e. reducing bloated administrative headcounts and even department personnel in a case or two) can produce savings fast.
Prudent fiscal management is not a concept understood let alone practiced by the Manross Administration and the sooner we get people in there that do embrace it then the sooner we can get the City back on its feet.
After watching and listening to the many mayoral and council candidate forums over the last few months, we strongly believe that Jim Lane is the best mayoral candidate for the job with Nan Nesvig and Tom Giller as the only council candidates who have shown over and over who REALLY know and care about, and are actually involved with Scottsdale and her citizen taxpayers while not being owned by anyone.
….So how are YOU going to VOTE November 4th?
~ End of a Scottsdale Tradition
With the announcement of the demise of the Scottsdale Tribune in January, we will be losing the only "middle of the road" print newspaper which is delivered in Scottsdale. Both Scottsdale and Tempe will be dropped as cities in which the Trib will be reporting events or delivering their paper due to the lack of subscribers and advertising. The new paper will be free and available in the same manner apparently as the Sonoran News, North Scottsdale Times and the New Times and other News rack papers.
In response to that sad loss, we would like to suggest the following news media, some who will still be in print and are at least conservative or middle of the road to a great extent (which cannot be said for the Scottsdale Republic), and others that are either blogs or on-line newsletters with similar views.
Those we would suggest include:
-
Sonoran News (Print on news stands)
-
North Scottsdale Times (Print on news stands)
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The New Times (Print on news stands)
-
The Scottsdale Citizen (Blog)
-
The Sonoran Alliance (Blog)
-
Scottsdale Traffic (internet Information site)
-
Coalition of Pinnacle Peak (Newsletter)
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Coalition Of Greater Scottsdale (internet Information site)
-
POP (Preserve Our Paradise) (internet Information site)
All of these media can be accessed from our Information Area right here in the Scottsdale Activist.
~Laurie Roberts Calls It Right….
…while his "Highness" Rick Kidder and "Queen" Mary fume and squirm uncontrollably at the REAL truth represented by the full page ads in the Scottsdale Tribune and Scottsdale Republic (as seen this week in the Scottsdale Activist).
The Laurie Roberts column (below) in the Scottsdale Republic (10-08-08) will probably be pulled prior to this edition of the Scottsdale Activist because it exposes Manross for who she really is; a spoiled rotten, unsophisticated brat and economic dunce who couldn’t fight her way out of a wet financial paper bag without help from her underhanded, off based and greedy recipients of her secret and costly financial decisions and who we consider her Scottsdale "Mafioso’s".
And by the way Chamber members, Kidder and Manross supporters, the bird picture was first published in the Scottsdale Activist before it was used with our blanket permission to use the picture in any way they choose in the Newspaper ads which we found to be an excellent representation of what we feel are the real problems with the Chamber, Kidder/Korte, and Manross and her cronies; and no, we are not part of nor belong to the organization who published the ad.
So, we’ve included the address and credit the Scottsdale Republic for the article as well as the content below just in case it is pulled.
http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/LaurieRoberts/35367
Chamber demands apology within 24 hours from Lane
I think the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce has finally gone over the deep end. The guy who runs it sent mayoral candidate Jim Lane a terse email yesterday demanding that he apologize for several newspaper ads taken out by an independent campaign committee.
Republicans for a Bright New Day in Scottsdale – a legally established independent campaign committee run by Mike Fernandez and Susan Wood – took out several ads this week, endorsing Lane and urging voters to reject the chamber-endorsed candidates, Mary Manross, Ron McCullagh, Betty Drake and Suzanne Klapp.
Here’s the chamber guy's email:
From: Rick Kidder [mailto:rkidder@scottsdalechamber.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 9:47 AM
To:
wjlane@cyberspeedway.net ;
jlane@scottsdaleaz.gov
Subject: Republicans for a Bright New Day
Jim:
I was outraged this morning to read the disgusting and inflammatory ads placed in this morning’s paper. Since you are the only candidate mentioned by name in the first ad placed by the Republicans for a Bright New Day group, I am led to assume that their actions reflect your views and that you condone such activity on your behalf. Please do not attempt to present an argument that you have no control over what surrogates are doing in your behalf, unless you also seek an immediate remedy.
Your campaign has a proven track record of attacking the messenger when you don’t like the message. Your campaign chairman, a man for whom I have immense respect in most circumstances, even accused our organization of being "socialist" – an accusation that could not be more insulting nor absurd. I laughed that off as campaign rhetoric and have steadfastly refused to take the low road in this campaign. NEVER have you heard me or anyone representing the Chamber say one negative word about you or your candidacy. Our messages have remained and will continue to be positive and policy based – absent the ad hominem attacks I have seen from Lane4Scottsdale and Republicans for a Bright New Day.
If by any chance you truly do not share the views expressed in those advertisements, then I would expect a full, public apology and a strong condemnation of Republicans for a Bright New Day and their tactics, in writing, for publication within the next 24 hours.
Sincerely,
Rick
Rick Kidder
President/CEO Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce
4725 North Scottsdale Road, Suite 210
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
480-949-2175 (direct)
Visit our web site at
www.scottsdalechamber.com
Now, I assume that Kidder knows that independent campaign committees must, by law, be independent. If Lane – or any candidate -- were in the shadows directing those committees, that would be a violation of the law.
Kind of like running ads aimed at getting your chosen candidates elected but not registering as a campaign committee and not disclosing who is funding the ads…
Lane says he has no intention of apologizing, and frankly I’m not sure what exactly he’s supposed to apologize for.
Is it because the ads ask who really funded the chamber’s thinly-veiled campaign ads on behalf of Manross et al?
Is it because the ads indicate that fewer than 10 percent of Scottsdale’s businesses belong to the chamber?
Is it because the ad says "The Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce tried to buy our September City Election!"
Actually, that last part is over the top -- as so many things are in an election. The chamber has a right to endorse and say whatever it wants. I just wish it'd comply with campaign finance rules that call for full disclosure of who it is that's doing the talking.
But to ask Lane for an apology? Within 24 hours?
Lane, for his part, says he has no connection with Republicans for a Bright New Day in Scottsdale and no intention of apologizing – within 24 hours or otherwise.
Here's his response to Kidder:
From: W James Lane [mailto:wjlane@cyberspeedway.net]
Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 3:49 PM
To: 'Rick Kidder'
Subject: RE: Republicans for a Bright New Day
Rick:
Your e-mail, though preposterous, is fully in keeping with your misdirected and divisive leadership of the Chamber.
As you full well know, I have not in the past, do not currently, and will not in the future have any relationship at all with the organization you reference. Your attempt to smear my campaign by association is offensive at best and reprehensible at worst. I suggest you contact the individuals and/or organization actually responsible for the ads.
I will continue to run my campaign independently, on the issues and fully within Arizona campaign laws
Perhaps you should be more concerned about the criminal investigation currently under way concerning the Chamber’s potentially illegal campaign efforts paid for by corporate funds. You seem more determined than ever to tear Scottsdale apart and engage in questionable campaign tactics for some mysterious and selfish end.
I always thought an important part of the Chamber’s mission was to help bring Scottsdale together, especially during these difficult economic times. But you continue to sully the fine traditions and history of the Chamber with your catastrophic "leadership".
Instead of attempting to demean my campaign, I strongly suggest you resign immediately from your position with the Chamber and allow new leadership dedicated to unifying our great city to assume control.
W.J. Jim Lane
2008 Candidate for Mayor
Lane for Scottsdale Committee
And here is Lane's e-mail to Kidder’s board:
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Below please find an e-mail I received this morning from your Board President, Rick Kidder, and my response.
I forward these correspondences to make sure you’re aware of your President’s ongoing campaign activity.
As indicated in my response, I will continue to run my campaign on the issues and fully within Arizona’s campaign laws. Mr. Kidder seems determined to continue running the same corporately funded, potentially illegal campaign for which the Chamber is already subject to a criminal investigation.
The Chamber has a long and positive history in Scottsdale that now seems at risk. I pledge to work with everyone and to try to bring everyone together during these challenging times.
But I wanted you to know what’s being done in your name and how deeply troubling this approach will likely be to Scottsdale residents.
Sincerely,
Jim
Truthful Ad's that have the Scottsdale Area Chamber, Mayor Manross and incumbents Drake, McCullagh and new Council Candidate Klapp fuming.
 |
 |
As the old adage goes, "Where there is smoke, there is fire". So you figure out for yourselves why the Scottsdale Area Chamber and Mayor Manross , incumbents Drake, McCullagh and Candidate Klapp are so angry and upset about these ads.
If the ads are untrue, maybe the Chamber needs to come clean with a complete list of those who sponsored their 4 page Campaign flier whose sponsor(s) are so secret and possibly illegal and unethical, as well as the total amounts given by each and every sponsor(s) to clear the air.
Do you really think they will? Yeah!! I have 100 acres of ocean front property in Payson too.
Do you REALLY think those endorsed by the Chamber had no knowledge of the 4 page mailer, especially with Suzanne Klapp and Ryan of the Scottsdale Republic on Chamber Boards? Again, I have 100 acres of ocean front property in Flagstaff too.
VOTE for a New, Improved, Honest, Ethical and Open Scottsdale November 4th
~ Community Council of Scottsdale to Meet
Our October Meeting will be Thursday, Oct 16, 7:00 pm at the: Scottsdale Granite Reef Senior Citizens Center at 1700 N Granite Reef Rd.
Subject will be the last
scheduled forum of the Scottsdale Mayoral and Council
candidates.
All candidates have been invited.
Open to the public and this will be a great chance to know the candidates so you will be an informed voter.
For more information, contact Jerry Lennemann, President, 480 945 7557.
~
Aztec Parents Push SUSD for Right of First RefusalScottsdale, AZ --
As Citizens for Positive education Reform continues to study the District's proposal to consolidate Aztec and Zuni and move Cheyenne onto Aztec's campus, according to Paula Pennypacker, chairman of CPR, "Aztec families are curious as to why they are not being given the same consideration as families at another SUSD school (ANLC) of first right of refusal to attend the "new" Cheyenne?"
"What I'm hearing from Aztec families is that they believe that Cheyenne's enrollment should be open first to any non-Cheyenne family affected by the consolidation of Aztec to Zuni's campus. And in my opinion, they are absolutely correct." Pennypacker went on to say that this would apply to any non-Cheyenne family who currently attends Aztec and is within walking or bike-riding distance of Aztec (i.e., the immediate Aztec neighborhoods). Any remaining spaces at Cheyenne should then be opened in a lottery-based selection.
"Since this practice is already in place at ANLC -- it is only fair, should the proposed consolidation move forward, that the District make this the policy for parents in the immediate affected Aztec neighborhood."
Pennypacker went on to explain that CPR members feel that this consideration must be made and put in writing as part of the consolidation plan and be signed off by SUSD, the Governing Board, and Cheyenne's Principal. "CPR believes that not allowing the children in the immediate neighborhood the right of first refusal is unfair and discriminatory."
"If SUSD is true to its promise about maintaining "neighborhood schools," Cheyenne's "choice" status should not outweigh the rights of displaced families who in good faith purchased homes near a school that they could walk or ride a bike to that school."
As proof to this growing concern, one CPR parent pointed out an email she received from School Board Member, Dr. Eric Meyer regarding allowing Aztec families the first rights to enroll at Cheyenne should the school move to Aztec's campus: "Thank you for your input concerning our facilities utilization. This is the way that ANLC's enrollment is handled."
Pennypacker is quick to point out that since the formation of CPR -- the District is well aware that there is growing opposition, not only to the Aztec/Zuni merger, but even stronger opposition to any future bond proposals as well.
Another concern regarding the proposed merger is that families with special needs students, from both Aztec and Zuni, are being discriminated against, and are having to take on a disproportionate share of the burden caused by the consolidation. "Why is it OK for both Zuni and Aztec communities to be ripped apart and their special needs students distributed throughout the district, all while Cheyenne's community is being moved in its entirety?" Pennypacker adds.
CPR members believe that the right of first refusal by Aztec parents will go a long way to stem the tide of opposition that the proposed merger continues to generate. As well as eliminate the law suits that are almost certain to result from families with special needs children who feel that they are being discriminated against.
Contact:
Paula Pennypacker Chairman,
Citizens for Positive education Reform
480-221-0976
paulapennypacker@aol.com
~ SRP/Solis and Other Debacles
Since taking office in 2000 Mayor Mary Manross has led the effort to give developer Fred Unger anything he wants, whenever and where ever he wants it. Following closely behind in support has been the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce and the City Council majority.
Throw out the planning guidelines, throw out neighborhood notification, throw out development standards, and throw out the infrastructure mess caused by the Waterfront condos.
You would think Unger could part the waters of the canal or walk on its waters.
In the 6-1 vote to approve the newest manifestation of "Waterfront Wonderland," Unger has a new partner, owner of the Oakland A’s, Mr. Lewis Wolff.
Mr. Wolff, I know you have been in the business for many years and have taken on many challenges including hockey, soccer, basketball, and baseball, not to mention the challenges of real estate development in these United States of America.
Well, welcome to Scottsdale, Mr. Lewis.
You will now experience a city government that does not communicate with the taxpayers, thus happily pitting residents against developers in our "lack of long range planning process" to keep the spotlight off and away from the foibles and utter failures of the current Manross Administration.
Our elected City Council majority and Mayor have spent years and big dollars avoiding "advanced planning" so that developers had an idea of what might work, fit in, and be acceptable to neighborhoods and residents of South Scottsdale.
The Downtown Scottsdale Planning Area sits right smack dab in the middle of the Southern Scottsdale Community Planning Area and those two puzzle pieces should have a good fit shouldn't they?
Ah, but this is not an issue that these elected officials who are paid good money to serve the citizenry, want to discuss openly. We don’t really know what they discuss in Executive Sessions, because they just do not want us to know. They might find themselves and the City Attorney being held accountable and we all know that must be avoided at all costs by them.
Mr. Wolff, I hope you will take a look at some of the other major "snafus" perpetrated by our Council majority and Mayor…….oh-h, like the Waterview/Solis project not too far down the road from your site.
After doing due diligence and lot's of research, I would warn all residents from the Bartlett Lake Road to Pinnacle Peak to Shea Boulevard to McKellips Road to remember that the current upset over moving the SRP substation IS NOT the fault of SRP or the developer.
The fault lies strictly with Mayor Mary Manross, City Council majority and former City Manager Jan Dolan and quite possibly with former Planning General Manager Frank Gray for not advising the developer in advance that there wasn’t any room for the 69KV line to be installed underground to deliver power to the Waterview/Solis project or any other project for that matter.
Electrical power infrastructure, like water and water treatment and traffic engineering are very serious infrastructure issues.
Nothing regarding infrastructure has been done with thought and planning, and that means that the costs and the inconvenience and disruption to the functions of daily life are in constant upheaval with the quality of life in jeopardy at almost every turn for residents in South Scottsdale.
Tax money is wasted, time is wasted and now we find Scottsdale to be in serious financial straits, thanks to the Manross Administration and their total lack of planning and total financial ignorance or stupidity: pick one.
Those asking to be re-elected, Drake, McCullagh and Manross can produce very little in the way of examples of how they have acted responsibly in their elected position for the last four years.
These same elected Council members and our Mayor can show you, repeatedly, (but won’t) how they have totally avoided following the Scottsdale General Plan and the policies and codes that give implementation to the General Plan. And they have the legal advice from the sandbagging, Manross compliant City Attorney to back them up.
Scottsdale voters have a choice, but it is unlikely that they will understand that REAL changes need to be made now, or who of the council candidates is really capable of implementing the needed changes and it's certainly not the incumbents or Chamber endorsees.
Please! Do your research & VOTE on Tuesday, November 4th!!
Nancy Cantor
Chair, Scottsdale Coalition
Some time ago I discussed with the transportation gurus and some council members about the "Entry Island/Traffic Calming" device you placed on 87th street next to the Eldorado Bar and on the S turn in the road.
Some council members came past to see the object we discussed and some even pointed out they thought it was in a bad location yet we could never get anyone to do anything about it so I thought an update would be nice. Now since I have not taken pictures of all the times it has been hit since the last pictures were sent and you can trust me when I say that I just got tired of pointing out the stupidity of this ideal and the fact the council would not do anything and of course our illustrious transportation department is not going to budge on removing it because that would mean that the evil activist of the community might have actually been right and that would just chap many of staff and council members butts.
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Here are today's pictures and they got it pretty good this time around even with those BIGGER SIGNS that should have cured the problem and never did and again just proves the point that I am right and you folks are wrong and just to lazy to do anything about it, unless of course it eventually ends up in a lawsuit and we decide to just pay the bill like we seem to always do anyway.
Maybe Chief Rodbell could find out if there was a police report and what transpired this time? Did it come from the drunks at the bar? Was there even a report filed?
I mean really, how much has it costs the taxpayers to continually repair just this one island? Oh, I forgot, the city cannot tell us what all of the maintenance costs the taxpayers for stupid stuff placed in the middle of a street.
Maybe someone can answer this question since transportation has nearly every East/West route in the South under construction. McDowell now has signs placed out saying that we are going to be working on it again for roughly 2 weeks and I am sure it is for re-paving efforts, but since we just endured an entire winter with the street being torn up for the landscaping and sidewalk re-finishing, why the hell did we not do this then and why do we continually not have a valid and decent plan for our streets that takes all of this into consideration while other work is being done?
Honestly, you folks really need to get your act together. Maybe that is why the entire community is supporting Jim Lane for Mayor as the sign in the picture shows and was a fluke and I did not notice it until I pulled the pictures up to send.
M. Merrill
Scottsdale
~ Letters to the Editor
letters@scottsdaleactivist.com
~ Make It or Break It Election
Mr. Editor,
It would seem that the upcoming election will vividly define the future of Scottsdale as we know it and as I have known it for many decades. I hope you will accept the ideas and worries of a old woman who still has all of her mental faculties, although the body is getting very weak which keeps me in far too much of the time.
It seems that Mayor Mary Manross is fighting for her political life which is a side of the fence she has never been on before. It may also be the same for Betty Drake and Ron McCullagh even though they won in the general election leading up to the run-off election.
In my humble but very astute opinion, all three should be removed from office for some form or another of malfeasance including unethical conduct in office.
Mary Manross in my old fashioned mind has run a secret and spend-thrift government since she came on board and has NEVER had the best interest of the citizens at heart as she tries to claim without any real proof of her claims, especially since Jan Dolan was hired. She only cares about herself and her legacy and boy do I hear that often from my friends who get out into the city. She has cost this city hundreds of millions of our tax dollars with nothing to show for it and should be charged with old fashioned malfeasance and unethical conduct while in office.
Here is a lady who claims to be very honest and swore she didn't and would never take developer money yet her campaign financial report shows money from Westcor and a few other well known developers.
If she lied about that, what else has she lied about? Do I really want to know or is the list far too long and would put an old lady to sleep just trying to get through it?
Betty Drake has, according to the city record, recused herself (took herself out of the voting process) over 22 times in her short career which means that the person I voted for IS NOT voting on issues I asked her to vote on one way or the other.
In addition, she may be heavily involved in the Ritz-Carlton project in Paradise Valley from what I have read which provides still another question; How much business has she and her company gleaned from developers because she is a Scottsdale City Council person?
I really question the ethics of this type of behavior from a council member.
Ron McCullagh, the supposed fiscal conservative is anything but a conservative anything! This poor excuse for a council person is one of the spendiest council persons on record. Even more so that former councilman Kevin Osterman who we threw out of office. McCullagh is rightfully called the "Craven Weasel" by many for good reason; he tells you during a public council meeting how he disagrees with a plan, THEN VOTES FOR IT ALONG WITH THE MAYOR during the same meeting!!
This guy is a good old fashioned, big time flake! Do young people of today still use and really understand that term today?
Lisa Borowsky is young and pretty to some but "young and pretty" was never a prerequisite to be a member of the city council. She seems to know little about the city, it's history, or it's operation, and has made some very big public verbal faux paus about what the city needs but was then publicly correctly being told that the city has either already done that or already has a particular city appointed group.
My friends who can get out have NEVER seen her at any citizen organization meetings north or south, or at city council meetings. So what does she offer the citizens?
Young and pretty don't mean a damn thing when it comes to running a city unless there is some substance which we haven't seen at any time so far.
Suzanne Klapp has been hyped by the Scottsdale
Republic and the Scottsdale Chamber but for what? My friends have
NEVER seen her at any of the local citizen organizations meetings
and only a few council meetings. She touts Scottsdale Leadership, on a
Chamber board, etc. etc., but in reality, those are just tools of those
who now control the city and to indoctrinate the participants
accordingly.
Who needs more Chamber input and more Chamber control on the council?
This city has seen far too much of the Scottsdale Chamber and Mr. Kidder
of late and it needs to "take a powder" as we used to say.
Nan Nesvig is seen by many to be someone who IS involved and has been involved with many city issues. My friends say they see her everywhere. They say she shoots straight, and she really knows her business and the city's for that matter. She will discuss any city problem with anyone who asks and better yet, she'll call you back when you call which is a breath of fresh air. How could you ask for anyone better to serve as a council person?
Tom Giller is another who has been very active and accessible for the peasants of the city like Nan and likewise has a good handle on the problems. Tom, like Nan is beholding to no one, where as Manross, Drake, McCullagh, Borowsky and Klapp (I've check their campaign financials) all seem to have direct connections to the developers who are ruining the city as we know it one way or the other.
Jim Lane may not be the "Cat's Meow" in some citizens eyes but he has been seen attending many citizen meetings, is involved, is honest, believes in an open and responsive city government, knows how to handle and direct finances and would be a HUGE improvement over Mary Manross.
Although I have never met him, I think Mr. Lane will do a good job and will listen to the peasants (citizens and taxpayers) where Holier-than-thou Mary never did and never will.
With all of that being said, this old woman will be voting for Jim Lane for Mayor, and Nan Nesvig and Tom Giller for the city council positions.
I challenge others to do the same so we can get Scottsdale back on track!
It's taken me 3 days to write this with my feeble arthritic hands. I'm tired and going to take a well deserved nap.
Thank you for listening.
E. Slocomb
Scottsdale
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 be a COGS meeting November 13th: 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.
Check our website www.cogsAZ.org (or .net)
for the COGS Board of Directors
Sonnie Kirtley, Chairperson
cellular: 602 717 3886 anytime
~Shout and Spout ~
~Here is the real deal on traffic calming and neighborhood traffic islands..... Both Mary’s (Manross and O'Connor) want those "traffic calming devices" there so that a really serious accident occurs because of them and takes out a blocks worth of houses and may be a couple of dozen people. That way they can condemn the area and take land to straighten out the road and vacate enough land to either put another bar district or a water plant which they will get because the City Attorney tells the Mayor it is OK to sign the condemnation papers without going through the Council, with the caveat that: "It worked for Hualapai and you all still got the election votes. Who is going to care about this? Question: How are you the reader going to vote November 4th?
~ What the (heck) is going on in the downtown area? I drove around this Sunday and noticed three new Use Permit signs for liquor licenses and new bars. Is this what Downtown has become? Where the (heck) is Wayne Ecton? He used to be such a loud voice about bars and liquor licenses, do he and the council just look the other way now? What a shame for a city that used to be so special. I'll be voting for Lane, Giller and Nesvig to stop the corruption.
~ Many of us living and working in or for Scottsdale have dealt with flakes at one time or another, often in settings involving city jobs and careers, and not uncommonly in positions of some authority. We all know of the unqualified wife, husband, nephew, the fiancé, boyfriend, etc, who must be given a city job, whose whims must be catered to, whose reputation must be protected, who must be constantly worked around if anything at all is to be accomplished, always at the cost of time, taxpayer money, efficiency, and personal stress. Sound like anyone you know working for or holding an elected position in Scottsdale?
~ I'm sick to tears over the Code Enforcement department of Scottsdale. I have never seen so many violations which continue for weeks without correction yet they say we have 15 or so inspectors out there. If so where the hell are they??? As a widow, I keep my home as perfect as I can, yet this sloppy department let's these able bodied people get away with murder when it comes to keeping a clean presentable home exterior. We had a far better department prior to Jan Dolan and Malcolm Hankins when we had maybe only 5 real people contacting you instead of just sending threatening letters with the promise of a $2,500 dollar fine for non-compliance immediately. Hankins doesn't return phone calls and when he does he's vague and won't make a straight up decision. Where is Ron Keagy? At least he was someone who would talk to you and make a decision. This clown Hankins needs to be fired and replaced with someone who can do the job properly and personally.
~I’m a first time submitter, but I had to say this. What happened to our Scottsdale? I've lived here for many years, and have experienced many different facets of the city from submitting plans, pulling permits, talking to building inspectors, and even speaking to code inspectors and the tax and license staff. That being said, each encounter this past year has been negative. Employees, who are untrained (code inspection) employees who are unfriendly (T&L) employees who are lazy and late to inspections (building) and staff who will not make independent decisions, (permit counter). Why has this happened? Where are the leaders of these departments and why aren't they accountable? The City budget is in crisis, staff members have been caught stealing, lying and the current administration does nothing. I'm concerned about Scottsdale and concerned about the continuing reduction in the quality of our city services, especially Code and Building Inspections. Thank you for exposing the real activity and actions of the department officials.
~Scottsdale real estate developer Phil Sheegl
recently returned to his home town, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to take
the job of head of our City Planning department. The Mayor’s best friend
was given the job of managing growth in a City of over 600,000 people
without any formal training. Lucky Phil. Do you know anything about Phil
or his good friends, the Talaricos and George Bell? Is the head of City
Planning in Scottsdale a real estate developer too?
(Frank Gray was until he blew town) Check
out these sites.
http://waverleywest.blogspot.com/2008/04/az-connection-luigi-and-susan-talarico.html
http://waverleywest.blogspot.com/2008/04/az-connection-george-bell.html
~ I've seen the new Manross for Mayor Mailers. What a total pile of dog (doo-doo)! This self indulgent, died hair, self-idolizing crazy (woman) can't hold a candle to the ethics, honesty and integrity of Jim Lane. Let's boot the (Woman) out for good. Vote Lane for Mayor to bring solid ethics, honesty, integrity and openness back to Scottsdale city government. We've had enough of this crazy, demented (Woman)!
~ What other nasty plans lie hidden within the depths of the planning department that we should be made aware of? How many planning and building department employees are REALLY needed now that the build-out of the city is upon us? Seems like from what I read in the Activist and other media, the department is nothing more than a playground for Noriega and his band of do-nothings. Why hasn't the department been investigated? Oh, I forgot, HR is run by Shearer who is a friend of Noriega, who is a friend of Clack, who is a friend of Padian, who is a friend of ............................. and so it goes in the corrupt halls of Mary's Scottsdale.
~ It's past time for a major change in Scottsdale Government. Throw out the incumbents, transportation department director, HR director and the city attorney and let's start over. We can't do any worse than what we have now.
~
We Warned you to GRAB YOUR WALLETS!Last week I took a walk out of Oz to the bookshelf and ran into Bo Peep without her sheep, she was also on hiatus from her realm on the bookshelf. My Peep had an invitation to Willy Wonkas place for a Choco-Teenie party in which Willy had made a special batch of Chocolate.
I guess we should leave the details of the party out so we do not ruin anyone’s thoughts of the purity of those characters, but if you have never seen a band of Umpa Lumps smashed on Choco-Teenies then you have not experienced life at its most comical.
I dropped off Peep on Wednesday back to her realm and she floated off to a grassy knoll for a nap after popping one of her sheep on the head for getting in her way. The truth is she is really not that sweet when over indulging anything.
Then, I headed back to my own realm in Oz when I noted loud shouting coming from the Yellow Brick Road leading into Oz. The Munchkins had the Good Witch Glenda (Craig Clifford) tied to a tree with a newspaper under his feet and torches in their hands.
I quickly headed to the tree to protect the Good Witch Glenda (Craig Clifford) when I got this stinging pain in the back of my head. I turned to see what had hit me from behind only to see Papa Smurf with his cane, screaming at me to stand back, and then things went dim.
I awoke the next day and Papa Smurf told me the happenings of the few days I was gone and how Oz fell into debt that may well exceed 35 Million taxpayers’ dollars.
Luckily, I still had hold of my stupid stick and I slapped Papa Smurf square on his noggin. I screamed "you stupid idiots!" Have you not been listening to ‘us dreaded activists’ for the last 3 years about how the spending habits of the Wicked Witch (Mary Manross) and the Fab 3 (Drake, McCullagh and Ecton) were going to sink Oz into a debt that scared even the flying monkeys?
Were you not warned when the Wicked Witch and her "Cronies of Misappropriations" wanted to "raise the city spending cap"?
Were you also not there, or listening, when the Wicked Witch and her same "Cronies" told you there would be no new taxes and then two whole days later there was a tax increase?
Did you not understand that the "Wicked Witch and her Band of Fools" gave the city employees "cost of living increases" that were well beyond those of anyone - on the entire book shelf - and that they were now a part of our budget for eternity?
Do you not get the point that along with all those increases, Oz employs more people per capita than any book on the metro shelf area, and that number has increased three fold over the Wicked Witches rule?
I got so steamed that I snapped, "were you asleep when the Wicked Witch and her Second Hat, "the Chamber of Stupidity," joined forces to make it appear that all of ‘us dreaded activists’ were against the city developing so that it could remain vibrant?
In fact, we have been pointing out the infrastructure issues and how development is being done without the upgrades and accommodations for increased population! We passed just two entities of our needed infrastructure repairs and they cost the taxpayers nearly HALF A BILLION DOLLARS! PASSED ON AN EMERGENCY CLAUSE?
I smacked the Little Blue Pin-head, again with the stupid stick, and screamed, "Developer giveaways, SkySong, taxpayer money for car dealer advertising, $80,000 for each and every speed hump, lawsuits out the wazoo, continual consultants being hired like the one for our Master Transportation plan for 1.2 million."
I smacked the Little Moron, again with the stupid stick, and screamed, "We bought land as a back up and never sold it and Airport Bob even tried to tell us we could not afford the payments and now we sure as hell can’t sell it!"
Yes, then there is the legal issue with that darned water plant up north, Hualapai, that we are going to get slapped for and that is going to cost millions.
Another lawsuit for drainage issues caused by another developer up north when his plans were unquestioned by the Planning Commission and DRB, and the City caved in and did not build the flood control project. Another lawsuit for the flooding repairs to stop homes from flooding and floating down the wash to the Indian Bend Greenbelt and the Salt River. That one is estimated at 100 Million taxpayer dollars to complete, too.
I smacked the Little Turd, again with the stupid stick, when all of a sudden a gold tooth flew from his mouth and exposed the imposter as none other than the dreaded Manross bred "Craven Weasel (Ron McCullagh)."
I screamed, "I know you! You are that "little weasel of two tongues" that weaseled 10 million from the last budget session to try to take over a private water company and then got us to spend nearly $400,000 for a "consultant!" All the while, when on the dais you stated that you did not usually do these things as you’re a person who respects private business.
Then you gave the council your views on the possibility of letting a check cashing store in a redevelopment project on Hayden and Roosevelt and exclaimed the business had the right to lease to anyone he wanted, then turned around at another three ring circus meeting and voted to allow new regulations on the business to restrict them and where they could go!
Are you not the same "rat b@#%@&d," bred in captivity until blind but vicious that admitted that you watched a developer blight in area along the canal, that you claim to walk through daily, and never even reported it in to Code Enforcement, knowing full well it was an assemblage project and YOU, a sitting council member at the time let it slide by?
The next question had to be asked, "Did you do this for your re-election because all of your campaign contributions are mainly from developers and, oh, is your real-estate license still active?
I turned to all the Munchkins that had gathered to hear the "discussion," so to speak, and asked them if they did not understand that we were serious when we were talking about these things?
I turned back to give the Craven Weasel a good whack when I noticed he escaped, but we will find him again trust me.
The object here is we have been telling you folks about all of this over the past few years that this publication has been running, and the majority of you still voted for these morons!
Lane has been talking about the pending recession for nearly 2 years now and no-one was paying attention as the Mayor and the council continued to spend like drunken sailors er, sailors are never that bad , let’s say drunken pirates which they really are.
Craig Clifford (Glenda the Good Witch) has been making it clear, to those who would listen that, "we need to restrain our spending," "revenues are going to flatten out as we approach build out" and he has been saying this for some period of time, oh so quietly, as to not to cause a public scare.
I asked Ozites in the last article if you were, "ready to bail out the city!"
If you account for this as just another part of the present hardships of the national economy, then I should smack you over the head with the same stupid stick. You have been silently getting screwed over for the last 4 years of this council and the 4 years of the council before them.
Well, here we are Ozites, and it is exactly as we stated it would be. We told you who was going to be on the hook for this entire spending spree the present Mayor and her majority have bestowed upon us.
In case you had not seen or heard the news, in the first three months of this fiscal year, we are down overall 13% in revenue from last year, and this recession is going to be longer then the experts thought, and there is no quick fix according to the Feds.
Auto sales have dropped 27%
Construction dropped 16%
Hotels dropped 12%
Major Department stores dropped 10%
Restaurants dropped 12%
Retail dropped 18%
Bed tax dropped 11%
Hard to think that "all" of this added up to only a 13% drop overall huh?
Nope, I am not going to tell you to vote for anyone.
If you had not been listening for at least the last 4 years then you are too stupid to be voting, and you will pay for your stupidity.
So will all of us who have tried to tell you about it, we will be paying for your stupidity, too.
Thanks for that.................
Mike Merrill
"The Brutally Honest Critic"
F8713@aol.com
"Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people, who have a right, from the frame of their nature, to knowledge, as their great Creator, who does nothing in vain, has given them understandings, and a desire to know; but besides this, they have a right, an indisputable, unalienable, indefeasible, divine right to that most dreaded and envied kind of knowledge; I mean, of the characters and conduct of their rulers."
-- John Adams (Dissertation on Canon and Feudal Law, 1765)
"Speak seldom, but to important subjects, except such as particularly relate to your constituents, and, in the former case, make yourself perfectly master of the subject."
—George Washington
Read this narrative before viewing.
This is an awesome music video...featuring a special free-flying Bald Eagle named 'Challenger' (in honor of the lost space shuttle crew) cared for by the non-profit American Eagle Foundation (AEF).
He's a 'human socialized' bird accidentally raised by the people who rescued him - after being blown from a wild Louisiana nest in a storm as a baby in the late 1980s. Declared 'non-releasable' by federal and state wildlife authorities, he was trained by the AEF to perform educational free-flight demonstrations at high profile public events.
He's the first Bald Eagle in U.S. history that learned to free-fly into stadiums, arenas and ballrooms during the singing of the Star Spangled Banner. The celebrity eagle has appeared at numerous major sporting events...like the World Series, Pro-Bowl, All-Star game, BCS National Championship, Fiesta Bowl and Men's Final Four, etc. Challenger has also flown before 4 U.S. Presidents! His life story is told in a children's storybook titled 'Challenger, America's Favorite Eagle.'
Turn on your speakers and click on link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfevfJNDuIg&eurl=http://www.eagles.org/aef
~ Cantoni Confab
~Testosterone asks Estrogen about the Debate
By Craig J. Cantoni
Sept. 27, 2008
"Are you going to watch the debate between Obama and McCain?" my wife asked me last night. "No," I responded, "why would I watch a glib, smart Marxist debate a dimwitted progressive/militarist about the best way to destroy the country?"
"I’ll miss you," she said sweetly as she took her Paulaner Hefe-Weizen beer upstairs to our second family room.
Later, she came downstairs, kissed me on the cheek, and joined me in watching the History Channel.
"So, honey," I asked while sipping a margarita, "did
the candidates say how they were going to address the $60 to $90
trillion in unfunded liabilities of the federal government without
printing money"?
"No," she said.
"Did they question the morality of bequeathing our son and other Americans under the age of 18 with a million dollars or so in debt apiece?"
"No."
"Did they say how many of the 700-plus military bases we have around the world they are going to close?"
"No."
"Did they promise that our son would never be drafted into the Army and have to risk his life on behalf of Israel or Taiwan, or some other foreign country or religious fable?"
"No."
"Did they say that there are only two ways of avoiding future economic catastrophes: one, by passing a twenty-eight amendment banning all subsidies, handouts, entitlements, unequal tax rates, and regulations that favor some people over others; and, two, passing a law requiring the Federal Reserve to never let the growth in the money supply exceed the growth of GDP?"
"No."
"Did they have Rep. Ron Paul’s understanding of monetary policy?"
"No."
"Did they square their nostrum about the need for people to serve the common good with their policy of using force to extract money from some people for the benefit of other people?"
"No."
"Did the two statists say how silly it is for the public to worry about greedy corporations instead of greedy government; especially when corporate profits, which keep us from having an economy like Cuba’s, are about six percent of national income and government is about 44 percent of national income?"
"No, but let’s stop talking about the debate and go to bed," she said with a suggestive look.
No debate from me," I said with a smile, not knowing or caring if it was the Paulaner or my questions that triggered the suggestion.
An author and columnist, Mr. Cantoni can be reached at ccan2@aol.com.
~ 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. We haven't received a timetable on this discussion yet.
~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.
~ 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.
| Candidate Name | Contact Information | PAC Information |
| W.J. "Jim" Lane |
7666 E. El Rancho Drive, 85260 480-483-0819 |
COS-2007-01: Lane 4
Scottsdale Chair: Paul Messinger, 480-860-2300 Treasurer: Mike Manson, 480-585-6907 480-367-2748 |
| Mary Manross |
10415 N. 81st Street,
85258 480-948-9120 |
COS-2007-05: Scottsdale for
Manross 2008 John Manross, 480-948-9120 David Ashworth, 480-945-0204 |
Ballot Candidates – City Council
| Candidate Name | Contact Information | PAC Information |
| Lisa Borowsky |
7373 E. Doubletree Ranch Rd., Suite
200, 85258 480-991-3656 Fax: 480-609-5145 |
COS-2008-02: Borowsky For
Scottsdale Chair: Lisa Johnson Stone, 480-609-1490 Fax: 480-509-1491 Treasurer: Eric G. Borowsky, 480-586-1158 Fax: 480-419-1889 |
| Betty Drake |
8003 E. Del Tornasol, 85258 480-998-1305 Fax: 480-998-1232 |
COS-2004-07: Drake for
Council Chair: Betty Drake, 480-998-1305 Treasurer: Betty Drake, 480-998-1305 |
| Tom Giller |
6847 E. Lafayette Boulevard, 85251
480-947-3654 Fax: 480-663-3194
votegiller08@cox.net |
COS-2008-11: Giller for Good
Government Chair: Tom Giller, 480-947-3654 Fax: 480-663-3194 |
| Suzanne Klapp |
12475 N. 133rd Place,
85259 480-767-9660 Fax: 480-767-9662 |
COS-2007-02: Vote Suzanne
Klapp Chair: Donna F. Reagan, 480-451-1813 Fax: 480-292-8698 Treasurer: Suzanne Klapp, 480-757-9660 Fax: 480-767-9662 |
| Ron McCullagh |
7513 E. Arlington Road, 85250 480-990-9200 |
COS-2004-02: Vote McCullagh Chair: Ron McCullagh, 480-990-9200 Treasurer: Jane T. Hemminger, 480-998-0911 |
| Nan Nesvig |
6144 N. 77th Place, 85250 480-368-8701 Fax: 480-607-7836 nannesvig@aol.com
|
COS-2005-05: Committee to
Elect Nan Nesvig Chair: Jim Derouin, 480-860-9152 Fax: 480-860-6017 Treasurer: Eric Nesvig, 480-368-8701 |
Just click on the logos below to go to these websites.
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Scottsdale
Election News and Information
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Send our Brave Troops "Something from Home", Click on Links below.
Gathering of Eagles Website was launched 2/9/07. Click on the Logo above for more information on how they are protecting America's Memorials.
~ UPDATE!! A "Must See" for All Americans
Every American should check out all of these websites to learn more about what the American population is about to have to deal with.
This is NOT for Children.
I don't normally allow anything but Scottsdale information in the Scottsdale Activist but after receiving many emails about this and viewing it, I think that it's imperative that every adult at least look at what's offered here if for nothing more than their own education and to have everyone stop and think about the future of our country. Click on the link below,
If you don't have Adobe Flash, install it from the bottom of the page that comes up after you click on the link above. You should be able to view all available links within the main page.
The website below is of great interest as seen from a Lebanese point of view:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8fa9yKQeTY
The website below gives some history of Terrorist attacks:
http://patriotfiles.org/civilizationcalls.htm
This website tell you what REALLY happened:
http://www.terrorismawareness.org/what-really-happened
~ Arizona Tax Revolt
~ View Past City Council Meetings
We can now access the city council meetings by clicking on the following link:
http://scottsdale.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=3If you have any problems, check your firewall and other safety features which could block access to the city site.
~Continuing Light Rail Information
The Scottsdale Citizens Transportation Study Committee
invites you to view their website for more questions and answers at
www.norailforscottsdale.com
.
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Simply click on the links below to get all the information you'll ever need concerning Light Rail.
If you have any questions about light rail, send them to editor@scottsdaleactivist.com and we'll get the answers to you as soon as we can.
~
For Continuing
Information on Photo Radar,
Click on the Logo below.
~Are Red-Light Cameras Fair to Drivers?
These modern-day robocops make ticketing easier and can be huge moneymakers for local governments. But critics question their accuracy and fret over privacy issues.
Click on the link below , then scroll down to read the article:
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/InsureYourCar/AreRedLightCamerasFairToDrivers.aspx
Hello All,
This seems to work well. Click on the link below to Check it out. Helpful hint! Just plug in your zip code and it tells you which gas stations have the cheapest prices (and the highest) on gas in your zip code area. It's updated every evening.
Be a good neighbor and pass this along.
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~
Scottsdale Development Update
~ ~ Report a Problem ~ ~ City Services ~ ~ Mayor & Council ~ ~ City Council Members ~ ~ Mary Manross ~ ~ Betty Drake ~ ~ Wayne Ecton ~
~
WJ "Jim" Lane ~ |
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Important City Meetings
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~City Public Document Search ~ ~ Website Contacts ~ ~ Shout & Spout ~ ~ Editor ~
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The Scottsdale Activist is published, and edited in Scottsdale AZ ~ 480-326-2475