~Planning’s Got a New Kid on the Block……….

.........................ONE INTERIM POSITION FILLED….. HOW MANY MORE TO GO?

If you have been reading, listening and participating, you know that we are involved in two very important projects: Updating the General Plan and creation of the Six Community Area Plans.

We are required to do this General Plan Update by State law and we are required by our own regulations to create the community planning areas (we passed that in the General Plan vote of 2000, and did not get started until last year).

Likewise, if you have been paying attention, there is a "new kid on the planning block."

David E. Richert is the new General Manager of the Planning Department. He is not new to the Valley of the Sun or Scottsdale. Not new, either, to the issues of growth, redevelopment and all issues of preservation. In fact he has served on the Scottsdale Airport Noise Compatibility Technical Advisory Committee.

What causes me to write about this appointment this week is his successful involvement with the "village planning concept," similar to what we are trying to create in Scottsdale, long overdue.

Read these paragraphs taken from the cover letter of the first "Village News," sent out by the Planning Director, Mr. Richert in 2004:

Spring 2004

Volume 1 Issue 1

Welcome to the first edition of the Village News, your village information connection! This newsletter is another opportunity to expand the knowledge of city of Phoenix planning processes with our residents. The idea for this newsletter came about at the Fall 2003 Continuous Learning Institute (CLI). Your fellow Village Planning Committee (VPC) members requested an opportunity to share and receive information with other villages to remain connected to the entire city.

As a result of the request, our staff created surveys to learn what you would like to see in a newsletter.

This is the positive outreach and communication that we need, again, in Scottsdale for sound redevelopment.

With all of the intricacies of redevelopment like neighborhood assemblage, developer’s leapfrogging, urban sprawl, the need to structure growth and manage it, and creating and using the tools allowed for incentives to address growth, infrastructure and infill development, we need someone who understands that community and communication are critical to positive planning.

We have been saying it for over four years that the biggest blunder the City of Scottsdale’s leaders could make was pitting residents against developers. There seems to be an attitude in Scottsdale that this is an acceptable tactic whether development or redevelopment. Create controversy and keep the taxpayers, residents and developers, off balance and you can slide anything under the radar.

Largely this is because leadership does not have a vision for development or redevelopment. Just ask them. When did the Mayor and City Council last produce a document statement? NO! NO! NO! Not the Mayor’s State of the City Address, because that was not a document arrived at jointly by leadership. It was one person’s ideas.

In the context of the General Plan and what we are legally bound to do as a City, what is the vision?

Besides a collection of statement without coordinated implementation, what is there?

Maybe Mr. Richert can get us to that point. But, with all of the above being said, we will reserve our final opinion to see how  Mr. Richert does in his new environment. He comes to us with some mixed emotions based on what has happened in Phoenix where he spent many years.

Only time will tell as it does with all new hires with varied backgrounds.

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~ Dinner Atop the McDowell’s?

Mayor-Elect Jim Lane does have a vision for Scottsdale’s future.

Almost a year ago he suggested that the city consider an aerial tram to the top of the McDowell’s from the Preserve Discovery Center financed either by taxpayer dollars or by an outside vendor with which the city would take a percentage of the ride revenue plus the sales tax.

Let’s face it. If this city doesn’t increase the sales tax revenue very quickly, we will lose any draw we had for vacationers and tourists and the money to keep the city operating as we know it.

What better than an aerial tram ride with lunch or dinner at the top of the mountain such as the one at Palm Springs which draws thousands of tourists to the top of the mountain monthly?

Now if we could get permission to put an observation area as well as a couple of non-intrusive "green" restaurants at the top with a 360^o view of the valley, how much better could it get? We again could claim a first in the valley if not in all of Arizona. What a tourist draw that would be!!

Under Manross, we lost the sales tax revenue from Los Arcos Mall, then Los Arcos Crossing, then the Motor Mile started to lose sales due to the loss of Los Arcos and the traffic it produced, then we lost Rawhide to Wide Horse Pass rather tan offering the 80 acres at West World costing us millions more in lost sales tax revenue, talk about a poorly thought out plans without any vision, these were them!!

How could we miss with the idea of an aerial tram from the Preserve Discovery Center to the top of the McDowell’s with a dinner overlooking the entire valley?

Something to think seriously about…………………

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~ R1-7 Development Standards Revealed: Yikes!!!

Whether you like it or not, Kira Wauwie and her staff in the city planning department has come up with a wham-doodler of a new set of standards for R1-7 properties.

You better be sitting down for this one, then get heavily involved to stop some of this nonsense in its tracts. I don’t think anyone in the department really knows what they are doing or suggesting at all. Go to the link below and check out all of the confusing and unacceptable suggestions by clicking on the sub-links in the section.

http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/codes/zoning/r1-7.asp

How would you like your neighbor to be approved to build an addition to his current home which would end right at YOUR property line, thereby stopping you from doing anything with your home? What happened to fire and safety standards?

How about your neighbor changing the front entry of his home to the rear of the home and making his former front yard his new back yard with a 6 to 8 foot wall in front of his home and up the sides of his property to the house?

This and other idiotic things are in store for unsuspecting citizens if Kira and her staff get their way, and trust us from personal experience when we say that she is not very kind when confronted by reason which goes against her plans in a number of cases.

Someone we know asked to put a fireproof screened cover with metal construction for an RV and a boat protection on the property line and was refused due to setbacks, yet they want to allow a home built of potentially fire hazard material on the lot line? What’s terribly wrong with this picture??

Now do you want to get involved???

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~ Councilwoman-Elect Suzanne Klapp a Hit

Suzanne Klapp is being seen everywhere and attending every city-citizen meeting she can possibly attend. This lady is showing us that we may have misjudged her goals and direction which we find very refreshing for a change.

She was very visible at the COGS meeting this last week and was very expressive in her goals and the need for Districting in the city of Scottsdale which we applaud.

Klapp has made herself very available to those citizens who wish to speak to her or gain some insight into her plans and goals for the future of Scottsdale, one of which is the same as Mayor-elect Jim Lane; open up city hall to the public to help allow more and meaningful dialog between citizens and the city staff and the council. She wants to involve the Commissions, Boards and Committees in issues and promote open discussions between these groups which Manross despised and didn’t allow.

Although we don’t like her affiliation with the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce, we have to admit that she is going above and beyond what some other council members have done in the past and are doing now. Could it be that the Chamber never had the control they thought they had with this lady? She comes across as a free and open thinker which the Chamber definitely isn’t.

We truly appreciate and congratulate Suzanne for her honesty, attention to detail and her true interest in helping the community get over the "Manross Years" (our words). We look forward to working hand in hand with Suzanne, Jim Lane, Bob Littlefield and Tony Nelssen and others. Hopefully, they will use their best efforts to get past the mess we are currently experiencing by doing some real work and open discussions to get the city back on course.

For starters, we would like to see some serious discussions with Rick Sodja and his attorney Lynne LeGarde concerning his property east of SkySong (formerly Los Arcos Crossing, now Centrovida). We feel that his property may well be the key to getting some reasonable and acceptable retail back into the South Scottsdale area which would make the area more conducive to reasonable growth for the area.

City loans or possible subsidies? We would be open to such discussions as long as the public is allowed solid, constructive input and has some say in the project design. We feel that Sodja was totally mislead by the Manross Administration and the planning staff under Frank Gray and deserves our help in getting out of the mess he was unceremoniously and unknowingly dumped into.

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~ Scottsdale’s "Weak Mayor" System of Government

Some questioned have come up here at the Scottsdale Activist and in the local press concerning the "weak-mayor" form of government we have in the city of Scottsdale.

Below are some difference and what each style offers.

The Mayor-Council government system, sometimes called the Mayor-Commission government system, is one of two variations of government used for the most part in modern representative municipal governments in the United States. It is also used in some other countries. The Mayor-Council variant can be broken down into two main variations depending on the relationship between the legislative and executive branches.

Weak Mayor System

In the weak-mayor form of the mayor-council government, the council possesses both legislative and executive authority. The council may appoint officials and must approve of mayoral nominations. The council also exercises primary control over the municipal budget.

In some weak-mayor governments, the council will appoint a chief administrative officer, or CAO, who will supervise department heads, prepare the budget, and coordinate departments. This CAO, sometimes also called a city manager, is responsible only to the mayor and city council as a unit.

The mayor, though elected, has little real political power and less independence under this form, serves largely ceremonial duties, and in most cases may even be a member of the council.

Charles Adrian and Charles Press explain, "The weak-mayor plan is a product of Jacksonian democracy. It comes from the belief that if politicians have few powers and many checks, then they can do relatively little damage."

Strong Mayor System

The strong-mayor form of mayor-council government consists of a popularly elected executive branch and a legislative branch, usually a city mayor and city council respectively. In the strong-mayor form the mayor is given almost total administrative authority and a clear, wide range of political independence, with the power to appoint and dismiss department heads without council approval and little public input. In this system, the strong mayor prepares and administers the city budget, although that budget often must be approved by the city council. In some strong-mayor governments, the mayor will appoint a chief administrative officer, or CAO, who will supervise department heads, prepare the budget, and coordinate departments. This CAO, sometimes also called a city manager, is responsible only to the mayor.

Editorial Comment:

Strong-Mayor systems are far more often found to have political problems, show favoritism, participate in heavy "logrolling", and uncontrolled corruption (Daley in Chicago) than are Weak-Mayor systems.

In addition, there is no room for compromise if the mayor doesn’t want to compromise. If you think the Manross Administration was bad, stop and think about how it would have been if she was a Strong-Mayor instead of a Weak-Mayor. Can you imagine how much more damage, financially and otherwise she could have been done to our city?

The major advantage of the Weak-Mayor system is that an elected body (council) makes the decisions by majority rule hopefully with public input. A Strong-Mayor system would have a far better chance of negating the input from the citizens because the mayor answers to no one but the ballot box every four years. A Weak-Mayor system, depending upon its makeup, will elect new council members every two years which means the voters can change the system without replacing the mayor by recall if they feel the mayor is not doing the bidding of the masses.

Any mayoral system is only as good as the way the council is selected. In the November election, it was obvious that the city election was "bought" by Ron (Craven Weasel) McCullagh (92% developer money) and Lisa Borowsky ($82,000 of her own(?) money, with endorsements and money donated by the Chamber and slanted reporting (or lack of) and endorsements by the Scottsdale Republic, others were elected. We are stuck with these people for four (4) years due to the "At Large" election system used in Scottsdale. With none of the above, any qualified candidate has little to no chance to win a seat.

Districting

We are hearing more and more citizens asking for or actually demanding that Scottsdale change to a District system of governance. With the hiring of the new GM for planning, updating the General Plan and creation of the Six Community Area Plans are part of the renovation of the department and the city.

A district system allows for equally populated areas to elect their own representative to the council. This elected person would also be totally responsible to that district and could be easily recalled by the district if it was felt their representative wasn’t doing their job.

An "At Large" system is exactly that. Everyone in the city votes for their representative and they are answerable to no one because as in the case of Ron (Craven Weasel) McCullagh, he has the backing of the development community as well as their money to promote their interests and effectively stall any recall.

The other problem with the "At Large" system is that to recall someone, you have to get a majority of the entire city to agree with the recall. If one area of the city is getting what they want and another section of the city isn’t, that portion of the city getting what they want will out vote the area that isn’t getting what’s fair and the recall will fail.

In our educated opinion, the best choice for Scottsdale would be a six (6) District System with one representative elected every four (4) years with election for three (3) of the six (6) districts every two (2) years. This system would work very well and complement the anticipated and state mandated creation of the Six Community Area Plans. The elections would be revolving with three (3) districts electing a new representative every four (4) years. The six districts should be set up by population and geography without disrupting neighborhoods.

Another choice would be a three (3) district system which would call for two (2) representatives for each district elected every two (2) years to four (4) year terms. This would allow for new blood every two (2) years but would be more apt to breed corruption then the six (6) district system.

No matter the type of districting system chosen, the election of the mayor would remain the same.

Some detractors to the districting systems claim that "log rolling" is prevalent and a major problem with districting. In researching straight districting (Mesa), combined at- large/districting (Phoenix) and "at large" (Scottsdale) as forms of election systems, we find that "log rolling" is far more prevalent in combined and "at large" systems because there is no viable way to rid the system of a poor or corrupt representatives due to the number of signatures and votes required to oust one.

("Log Rolling": The exchanging of political favors, especially the trading of influence or votes among legislators to achieve passage of projects that are of interest to one another.)

The last 4 years of the failed Manross Administration demonstrates the need for a major system change which would make the council members more responsive and responsible to the voters and citizens whom they represent.

Four years ago, there was an effort to initiate a districting system but it lost at the ballot box. We feel that after the last 4 years of what most consider a dysfunctional, out of touch, and secretive city government, districting again has become a point of conversation and interest to many citizens.

True Local Representation:

With a pure districting system, locally involved citizens would be able to represent their own neighborhoods for a reasonable amount of money in their campaign chest. In addition, an election cannot be "Bought" as happened in our last city elections without repercussions. These same people can be removed just as easily as they are elected which would make sure that anyone elected would fully understand that they were part of a double edged sword that could "giveth and take away" at the whim of the voters in their district should they not keep their election promises.

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~ Where is Councilwoman-Elect Lisa Borowsky?

Lisa Borowsky appears to be AWOL.

She has not been seen by anyone at any city council or citizen organization meetings before or after her election for which she spent a reported ^$82,000 dollars to guarantee her election.

Reportedly, Lisa has had some discussions with developers and possibly some city staff members but refuses to meet with any of the citizen groups until after she is seated on the council.

Isn’t this a rather odd way to treat those who elected her? We think so.

Lisa: Word to the wise. If you want our help and support, you would be wise to get involved with the citizens who pay your wages and know the city far better than you. We are the one’s you will have to work with, like it or not.

She has reportedly said that she won the election and doesn’t need anyone else’s input except those with whom she chooses to speak. She also reportedly stated that the city needs some young hip people in power and she’s it.

Gee, is that what we really want in a city council member? What happened to the need for open, educated, involved, open minded and experienced citizens for office?

This publication, as always, is open to any and all discussions with secretive Lisa, but then again she said she wouldn’t talk to us or any citizen group until after she’s seated.

We guess the citizens don’t rate very high on her list; kind of the same way Manross, McCullagh and Ecton treated us isn’t it? After all, she has to get her ^$82,000 in campaign money back somehow doesn’t she, and who better to help her than the developers who need their projects approved now that Mary Manross is gone?

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~Why did McCullagh Win so Big?

The above question has hit our in-box numerous times since the election so here's our response:

In our opinion it's very simple......... He relied on his high(?) profile and citizen approved "removal of political signs" as his campaign impetus carried over from his last election, then kept his mouth shut, stayed out of the public eye except with Mary, and didn't allow himself to be in any situation where he had to answer pertinent or damaging questions to which he might have to give an equally damaging answer.

He learned to follow Wayne Ecton's lead in the last election; keep a low profile, don’t be in a position to answer any tough questions and stay out of sight. Be overly friendly to the Scottsdale Republic (kiss their butts) to get their endorsement and so they don’t tell the truth about you, and make sure you have the developers money in your campaign fund box to support your mailer campaign.

If you remember, McCullagh was gone the last few weeks of the campaign to China with Chamber Czar Rick Kidder which kept him totally unavailable and out of the press as planned.

Another interesting thing is that the plan of Manross and her developer friends was for Mary to win and then use her poster boy (Craven Weasel) McCullagh to present her programs (as if they were his) to the council which was to set him up to run for Mayor in 2012 being that she would be termed limited out and couldn’t run again.

Oops, so sad, too bad.............. Now and into the future, it's time to expose Ron  "the Craven Weasel" McCullagh for the charlatan and carpetbagger he really is.

Your Mommy is gone Ronnie Boy, now whom do you have to promote your sorry self???

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~ O’Connor and Robberson Need to be Replaced ASAP

With a new council, new Planning GM and with the public and staff giving Acting City Manager John Little a 90% rating for a great job, the new council needs to do the following:

Replace City Attorney Robberson with someone highly qualified who has the Cajoñes and background to can stand up to developers and council members who can’t seem to stay within the rules of the City Charter or City ordinances and laws.
 

Replace Transportation director Mary O’Connor and her egotistical sidekick Paul Porell. We’ve never seen such a non-responsive pair who flatly refuses to listen to or work with the public on many issues. Between the two of them, they have set city transportation back decades and cost taxpayers unnecessary millions on roundabouts, neighborhood entry islands, and street furniture while our streets, gutters and sidewalks are going to hell in a hand-basket.
 

Appoint John Little as our full time City Manager. He understands and respects the need to compliment the history of Scottsdale as he was one of Herb Drinkwater’s people and learned the ropes of how to make Scottsdale special from Herb.

With a new era and reentering the realm of open government and the seating of a new council and Mayor, we need to rid the city of any influence from the disastrous Manross years by getting rid of those who were part and parcel to casting part of the Manross spell on the city, and it needs to be done as soon as possible.

Out with the bad, incompetent and non-listening and in with far better qualified people who will LISTEN to the taxpayers and respect the rich history of our city.

Enough said?

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~ The Dreaded & Costly Diaper to be Hung

What’s being called the "Sail" as the 125' center piece at SkyFumble will soon be where we can all look at it and form our own opinion of one of two legacies of the Manross Administration; the other being the 10 million dollar Hualapai Water Plant fiasco for which Manross needs to be indicted and convicted for malfeasance in office.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/132134

If it gives the same feeling as the ugly and intrusive "Bomb Bunker" parking garage at the back of the property near Belleview, we’ll all have a great laugh or a good cry at the silly design. I’ll bet the city has to pay to replace it when a Micro-Burst tears the thing down.

Many hope the "sail" will be the thing that lifts the entire project off the ground during a Micro-Burst and dumps it out in the desert somewhere far away so we can be rid of the entire eyesore and start anew with something designed with some reason and built in revenue for the city.

Yeah, we know. We’re stuck with this ugly, useless mess and need to make the best of a bad thing but we can dream can’t we?

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~ Scottsdale Taxpayers to Pay for SkyFarce Park?

Why oh why do the taxpayers of Scottsdale have to pay for the design of a park in the confines of the 42 acre SkyFizzel compound?

Next thing you know, the taxpayers be paying for the construction, upkeep and repair of the park also, and of course it will be a "Modern, cutting edge and uplifting" design and very expense too.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/132432

Isn’t the city staff or someone at ASU competent and capable enough to come up with a reasonable design?

God knows they’re paid well enough to be able to do such a simple task instead of paying out ^$186,000 dollars in our tax dollars to some outside consultant instead of the city or ASU who should do it at no cost to the taxpayers.

Haven’t we paid enough and suffered enough with this 200 year abomination secretly thrust upon us by Mary Manross, Wayne Ecton, Michael Crow, Steve Ellman and ASU/ASUF?

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~Jefferson in some cases could be called a prophet.

 Check out the Thomas Jefferson Quotes below:

"When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe. "

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."  

"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes.  A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world."  

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."

"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government."

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." 

Another Very Interesting Jefferson Quote
 
In light of the present financial crisis, it's interesting to read what Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:

'I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.  If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.'

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~ Letters to the Editor  

letters@scottsdaleactivist.com

~ Stop the Lies & the Charade!!

Dear Editor: 

Why does Scottsdale even bother to make zoning laws?   I guess I am just a patsy.  I always believed they meant something. 

Every time I purchased property I consulted the zoning map.  I learned that some pieces of property were worth more money than others because of the zoning class they carried.  But not in Scottsdale. 

Here we allow some citizens to buy inexpensive properties knowing full well how they are zoned.  Then they pull a few strings and VOLLA, the zoning is changed and overnight their inexpensive property is magically transformed into a very expensive property.  They make a profit of millions of dollars without working up a sweat. 

So, why don’t we stop the charade and simply announce to the world that the "West’s Most Western Town" has no zoning laws?  Let’s at least be honest about it. 

Jack C. McVickers
Scottsdale
jmcv3@cox.net

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~ Some in Scottsdale Do Care

My hat is off the people like George and some of the contributors to The Scottsdale Activist as it represents a forum for many to speak their "piece" without having to "take a number" and/or be ignored. We can read the articles, opinion pieces, and some are humorous….but the message is very clear and precise.

What the previous "M³" Administration has done to the City of Scottsdale over the period of the last 8+ years can be summed up as "Hidden Agenda-101". How can I protect that I "Won’t be held accountable" for what I do during my administration; and how can I drain as much money as possible into the coffers of my friends and associates before I no longer have access to it.

In Scottsdale we have seen "special interests" work very hard to "enrich" our politicians (not all…but most) to benefit a cause or project that they think will make them money. Understand and realize that "Money" is the motivator for all development projects and for some politicians…..it is an easy thing to accept favors, event tickets, dinners, etc. which make you feel important….but are designed to win your favor for their particular project.

On a national level….what they now call "Lobbying" used to be called "BRIBERY" in years past. The Politicians passed laws enabling "lobbyists" to actually write the legislation that was passed legalizing the payment of funds (in one way or another) to Politicians and their "Political Action Committees" (PAC’s) to win favor and influence decisions. It can’t be said any clearer than that. As Dan Rather was once quoted as saying" If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, there is a pretty good chance that what you have is a "duck"! (something to that affect!).

Back to Scottsdale….look what we have taking place since Los Arcos and that area of the City was sacrificed by the "M³" Administration for future "favors" to those involved. Someday most of what took place will come out….and none too soon! If Ellman hade been allowed to put in the hockey rink…most of what is now happening in Glendale would be in Scottsdale. But instead…the "M³" Administration has allowed South Scottsdale to turn into "Party City" to the benefit of the City Tax Coffers and have turned their backs, for all intent and purposes, on the Scottsdale Homeowners and residents that actually live in that part of Scottsdale.

Now….off to the much more "open land" in North Scottsdale! Take a look at the "Very Ugly" Dial Corp. building and try to convince anyone that this "blends into the environment" and "compliments" that area. Ugly….is forever! Take a look at what the City has allowed where the "old Pima Road" used to be just north of the Pima/Princess Exit #36 off the 101. It looks like the City has a new "dumping" place for yellow plastic barrels that are used for barriers, what looks like a cement factory, trucks and all sorts of debris at various stages of what was once, a very nice open space. The buildings that are taking shape just West of Pima, north of Union Hills, could possibly be of value….but no one actually knows what the plans are for them……just buildings, at this point! Take a look at the West Side of the McDowell’s….a certain developer (three initials) was allowed to carve streets into the side of the mountains….for very high-end & very expensive homes that can now "look down" on all the others in Scottsdale from aloft! Nighttime lights, ugly road-ways crisscrossing pristine mountains…..all for "Money" for a certain few….to the detriment of the rest of the residents of the City. We have to look at the "ugly" results from afar…they look at us from their lofty perches and don’t see the ugly we have to see!

Look what they did to the exit from Ironwood Village, a development of 700+ homes. Exiting from Ironwood Village was available for both North and South travel on Pima. Now….at Pima…you can only go North, then execute a "U-Turn" to go south on Pima (not even a "left turn arrow", which would have made sense!) However, for those "unnamed" shopping areas…..access for both North and South travel on Pima was planned into the design. The Ironwood Village development…….got the shaft……but not the businesses! Of course, an Ironwood Village resident could go East to 94^th St, then travel back West on Union Hills….finally getting to a traffic light, enabling North South travel….but that should have been the same option for businesses. It won’t change now….but the fact remains that "developers" will always win out over Homeowners and residents….because they are treated as "much more important" to the politicians!

Now we have this "Epicenter" project that the developers say will be just what is needed in that area (instead of a simple elevated "Exit Ramp" off the 101 Northbound that connected directly to Pima Road going North. This very busy intersection has plans for a direct "flyover" connecting Pima Road South to the 101 South at that area…..so it is well known that the need for direct access is there. The same should have applied to the North-bound exit!

It simply appears that for many years…developers have controlled the City Staff and Politicians and all have forgotten to "Take Care of the Residents, Taxpayers and Homeowners of Scottsdale that are ALREADY HERE…..and pay less attention to those you are trying to lure here".

We are hopeful that the new Mayor Jim Lane & the City Council, with the welcome guidance of our City Manager John Little will forge a new direction for the City of Scottsdale and get back to serving those you represent and worry less about the developers. If they want to invest their money and time to develop….do it under the rules set forth and don’t try to change them. Live within the rules…a pretty easy process & it doesn’t cost you anything. The money that is normally spent to "lobby" a politician or City Staff Member can be spent to increase the value of your project!

(Oh….and we can’t forget……. "Sorry IRS… I want to run for public office… paying you my back taxes will simply have to wait") That’s "Politician Logic"….. and now we have another joiner of the ranks of those that are here to "serve (?)" us!

I am sure there will be many that do not agree with my "opinions"….and that is your right. However, The Scottsdale Activist provides the forum for me to express them…..and this forum "COUNTS".

Respectfully,

Bob Popow
Scottsdale Resident

Editors Note: Thank you Bob for your kind words, they are truly appreciated!! We also thank you for being a faithful reader of the Activist.

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~ Open Letter to Scottsdale Library Director

Rita Hamilton
Library Director
Scottsdale Public Library System

RE: Saving the planet

Dear Ms. Hamilton:

This letter is in response to the unsolicited holiday greeting and newsletter that you sent via email. Since your three-page communiqué was widely distributed to unidentified recipients, I’m doing the same with this response.

Your personal thoughts were greatly appreciated, especially your thanks "for those who work to save the planet." No doubt that was a heartfelt thought and not a meaningless, overused green platitude with ideological overtones. Sending it was worth the tremendous amount of energy consumed by computer servers.

To return the kind gesture, let me share what I’m thankful for this season:

First, I’m thankful for the inside temperature of the Mustang branch of the library, which, as I know from frequently cycling there, is within cycling distance from my home. During summers the library is about four degrees cooler than my house, and during winters, about four degrees warmer. When I go to the library, I don’t have to wear three layers of clothes in the winter and walk around half-naked in the summer, as I do at home.

Second, I’m thankful for the caring Scottsdale residents who use canvas library bags instead of plastic bags to carry their library books to their gas-guzzling big cars and SUVs in the library parking lot, and, from there, to their large suburban houses. Only a cynic would say that the bags are just another silly green gesture.

By the way, as I’m sure you know, a two-dollar tax on a gallon of gas, as well as taxes on other forms of energy, would be the most effective and efficient way of reducing energy use. Alternatively, we could just let rising energy costs reduce energy use through the magic of supply and demand. Either way, Congress wouldn’t have to propagandize; greens wouldn’t have to pontificate; global warming believers wouldn’t have to hyperventilate; rent-seeking ethanol, solar and windmill manufactures wouldn’t have to seek self-serving subsidies; oil companies wouldn’t have to pander to their political masters by running commercials about using less oil; the City of Scottsdale wouldn’t have to preach about saving the planet; do-gooders wouldn’t have to delude themselves into believing they are doing good; and I could live my life in peace in my cold/hot house without being barraged with constant propaganda.

Last, I’m thankful for those who work at using energy to produce the tax revenue, jobs, and materials necessary to maintain our standard of living and keep libraries in operation. Without them, all of the accountants, lawyers, stock brokers, medical personnel, teachers, realtors, college professors, Starbucks workers, and library staffers in Scottsdale would be out of work and no longer under the delusion that an economy can survive without producing stuff and relying on fossil fuels or nuclear power. Speaking of stuff, there is a lot of manufactured stuff going into the new addition to the Mustang library. Cynics might say that the addition was unnecessary, a waste of energy and resources, and a stupid thing to do when the U.S. and Arizona governments are insolvent and when Scottsdale is facing hard times due to the real estate crash. Fortunately, I’m not a cynic.

In closing, thanks again for your thoughts. I wish you a happy, green, and non-hypocritical holiday.

Sincerely,

Craig J. Cantoni
Scottsdale

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 ~ COGS Alerts

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 

Editors Note: We would sincerely like to thank the COGS organization and their officers (especially Sonnie) for all the hard work and research they do to keep all of us informed. Most of the information comes straight from city sources or others who are "in the know".

 ~ Newly Revised Downtown Scottsdale Vision Statement – Draft

"Downtown Scottsdale where the new west meets the old west"

Vision:

Comprised of its unique neighborhoods, Downtown Scottsdale is a dynamic city center which recognizes its western heritage while boldly looks to its metropolitan future.

Values:

Driven by quality of life for its citizen, visitors and businesses this vision is guided by the following values.

• A diverse collection of vibrant mixed use urban neighborhoods

• Contextually sensitive world class planning, architecture and urban design

• Meaningful open space with interconnectivity to every Downtown neighborhood

• Achieve sustainability with sensitivity to our unique desert environment

• A focus on Arts & Culture

• Fluid connectivity in and out of Downtown; as well as, within and between neighborhoods focusing on walk-ability

• Economic vitality supported by public private partnership

• To be recognized worldwide as the premier destination of Southwestern United States.

 ~ City Council Marathon Tuesday Night:

When it ended, there were only three of us "civilians" in the audience. The others were Council member wives, Suzanne Klapp--councilwoman elect, staff and commission members hoping to get their Transportation Master Plan Implementation Program approved.  Because of the late hour, it was continued for the new Council to hear in January 09. (Editors note: It should be noted that Councilwoman elect Lisa Borowsky has not been seen at any city council meeting prior to or after her election to the best of our knowledge.)

 ~ A significant financial decision was made at the December 9th City Council meeting at the urging of Councilman Tony Nelssen. 

By a vote of 6-1 (Drake), the Council declined to pay out ^$105,092 for a consulting firm to tell us which "wet" roadway crossings are the most important for replacement or improvement on corridors north of the CAP canal.  Councilman Nelssen correctly identified that our city HAS ON STAFF the experts to conduct this study. 

 ~ More praise for Councilman Nelssen: 

The Sands East complex at the NW corner of Indian School Road and Pima Road are being impacted by the Indian School Road improvements.  Their townhomes were built in the 1970s with minimal backyards and some have bedrooms backing to Indian School Road. 

A large number of Sands East residents sat through 6 hours of agenda items before their turn.  They were eloquent in pleading their case for a city-paid sound wall.  Mary O'Connor of the city's Transportation Dept. stated that when rubberized, the decibels will be lowered to 59 which is acceptable by ADOT standards.

The traffic count was reported as currently 43,000/day then later described as 38,000/day by another staff member sitting in the audience. O'Connor said that the road didn't meet the criteria for a sound wall because it hadn't been widened.  Councilman Nelssen pointed out that it WAS WIDENED FROM THE FORMER TWO LANES TO THE CURRENT FOUR LANES after the original home construction. 

O'Connor refused to include "history" into the current criteria for proposing a sound wall.  The comparison to the city-approved and financed Los Gatos subdivision sound wall to be constructed on Pima Road fell on deaf ears.  The petition received "no action".  The Sands East residents were encouraged to "find a method for the city or a partnership with the city to finance it". The staff estimated ^$470,000 for the 1200 or so feet.  Residents stated that is the value of 1.5 of their homes. Scoreboard: Citizens zero.

 ~ The Solis/SRP electrical substation relocation to 68^th Street and Indian School Road "discussions" continue:

The Performing Arts theater was a suitable location for the Saturday, December 13^th, Act II starring the neighborhood representatives, SRP engineers/administration, city staff, and the Solis developer and Randy Grant, their representative. The SRP engineers gave a brief PowerPoint of 20 slides that described their criteria for adding an additional 69Kv line to service the area demand north of the Arizona Canal if additional construction projects are approved by the city. In addition, maps of current electrical lines and stations was discussed.

The new City Council will approve, disapprove or continue the Solis applicant’s requests on January 27^th. Meanwhile, the immediate neighbors to the Solis project along 73^rd Street are still waiting to attend a public outreach meeting with the developer to share their project concerns. No date has ever been scheduled according to Scottsdale Terrace and Villa Monterey spokespersons. Randy Grant, representing Solis, displayed from the stage, a 3 foot spreadsheet which he stated was the public outreach evidence. Stay tuned….

For the Coalition of Greater Scottsdale Board of Directors

Sonnie Kirtley, Chairperson
www.cogsAZ.org and e-mail cogsAZ@cox.net

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~Shout and Spout ~

shoutandspout@scottsdaleactivist.com  

www.ScottsdaleCitizen.com Scottsdale Election News and Information