We of the Scottsdale Activist have been sitting back watching how the city is running under the new administration. Generally speaking, things are going fairly well after 8 years of total chaos and secret dealings. After scores of calls asking for us to address a number of issues, we decided to do just that this weekend, so here it is.

We do have some grave reservations about the conduct and loyalty of the city management staff to the citizens and taxpayers, especially David Richert, Malcolm Hankins, Don Hadder, Kira Wauwie, Paul Porell, and a few others.

We have noted that they do as they please no matter the wishes or pleadings of the citizens and taxpayers, and can be openly rude and abrasive at the drop of a hat. They need to leave their super egos at home when they come to work or leave the employ of the city immediately.

It’s time the citizens took back their city by demanding that any staffer who is disrespectful, non-responsive, or arrogant when working with projects that the public has an interest, be summarily fired without further compensation.

Should we pay people who don’t perform, or if they do, should they do it in direct opposition to the direct desires of the public? We don't think so..........

We have 6 propositions on the ballot for the March election. Make sure you read them all and vote. Your vote is necessary to keep this city on course.

We are already hearing grumbling about council candidates who have been on the council before and did nothing then, and now want to do it again. Why? Because they will have the blessings(?) of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce? PLEASE!!

Our personal opinion is that anyone who is even remotely connected to the Chamber or who has been a council person before needs to go away because we will do everything in our power legally to keep them from winning the election. In this case, if at first you didn’t succeed or need the Chamber for support, take a hike……..

For over 2 years we have been watching this HOA board blatantly defy the laws and ordinances of the city without a whimper or any positive actions from acting city manager Richert or Code Enforcement Director Hankins. We felt it needed to be brought to the attention of the taxpayers. If this situation would have happened in the southern portion of the city, the violator would be in jail by now.

Although we gave him the benefit of the doubt in the beginning, he has "blown it" in our minds. His efforts to sneak in a new overlay to increase the density of especially the northern areas of the city is just one of his missteps and should be the death knell for his tenure with the city of Scottsdale. His vision for the Diversity Triangle and Papago Park is another bad idea we cannot afford. We asked for thrift, openness, and honesty in our city management and Richert has shown none of those attributes.

It was totally unbelievable to us that the Chamber, after all of their legal troubles and planned missteps, would continue down the same path as they did during the last election to publicly or openly support candidates. We will openly but legally fight in any manner possible the election of any candidate supported by, or who is a member of the Chamber.

We have stated before and will state again; No member of the city council should be a member of, or in any way be associated with the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce because it is a direct conflict of interest.

(Return to Top) 

The last major update to the City of Scottsdale General Plan was in 2000 (ratified by voters in 2001), ten years ago. The general plan is essentially a map of how the city is to be developed and guides development decisions now and in the future. The state's "Growing Smarter" legislation requires that every city update their general plan every ten years, so the city has initiated its major general plan amendment process; it will take the better part of two years to get the revised plan to the voters. Ordinarily, this wouldn't be all-important for residents, but with Scottsdale approaching build out, expect many changes to the existing plan in an attempt to support continued growth despite the lack of undeveloped land. While the process is really getting started, there have already been some suggested changes that will impact the low-density residential areas of north Scottsdale.

Back in 1996, as a result of a study called City Shape 2020, the city initiated a character planning process that eventually identified 24 "Character Areas". Each of these areas had a unique character that was worth recognizing and protecting. However, to date only three of those 24 character areas have all gone through the study and planning process, two of which, the Desert Foothills and Dynamite character areas, are in north Scottsdale.

In 2007, staff recommended combining and adjusting the 24 character areas into just six "community areas". Most of the area, which is north of Pinnacle Peak Road, would be in an area called the Tonto Foothills. The "old" character areas, Desert Foothills, Reata Pass/Troon, Dynamite, The Boulders, Legend Trail/Brown's Mountain, and Granite Mountain, were combined to create the Tonto Foothills area. Note that most of the Legend Trail/Brown's Mountain and Granite Mountain areas are part of the intended preserve.

The new community areas were supposed to go through a similar planning process, but the Tonto Foothills area has not gone through any such process, rather all attention has been given to the downtown, south Scottsdale, and Airpark community areas. Both the Desert Foothills and Dynamite character areas did go through a complete planning process, and a zoning area was applied to the Desert Foothills area. So the big question is, what changes will the 2011 General Plan have in the Tonto Foothills area, given that some of that area already has detailed plans?

There is a fear and a real danger that the existing plans will be scrapped in favor of a new plan that doesn't exist yet. The effect would be to allow more intense residential and commercial development in areas where development is currently limited to large lot residential only, with commercial development prohibited. Most of the Reata Pass/Troon character area is governed by the Troop master plan, so it is unlikely that will change much, but the others are all vulnerable. We already know that former (Phoenix) planning department head David Richert, who is now the temporary city manager, wanted to open this area up to commercial development despite the fact that existing commercial centers can't fill their vacancies.

The other new "community area" to watch is the McDowell Vistas area, which consists of the large master planned communities of DC Ranch, Grayhawk, and Mc Dowell Mountain Ranch, as well as a number of smaller communities. This area abuts the Greater Airpark community area, which will contain some very intense uses -- not good news for anyone who has to travel through the Airpark or for people living in communities adjacent to it.

While this process is in the early stages, disturbing statements have already surfaced, such as the one below, taken from the "General Plan Assessment Report" that staff has prepared.

The report states ". . . the community's residents must balance their concerns of increased density and intensity with the reality that the function of the community is shifting. Compact development will be needed in order to continue to retain the same level of service, quality of life, and conservation of natural resources the community has come to expect:" Clearly there will be an attempt to allow, and justify, more intense uses, which in turn increases traffic congestion, air pollution, and other undesirable byproducts.

Another major area of concern is the criteria applied to decide if a change to the general plan is a major or minor change. Major changes require a super majority city council vote to pass and are only heard once a year, during October, while minor ones need a simple majority to pass and can be heard anytime. The existing criteria have resulted in classifying all attempted changes to the Desert Foothills area as "major" changes, which is one reason applicants have not been able to get any passed.

Staff is now suggesting that these criteria be relaxed to make it easier to change the general plan in any area. "With the city approaching build out, the major and non-major general plan amendment criteria need to be reviewed and possibly revised". Why is this a problem? The general plan is a road map for how the city is going to be developed and, as such, it has to be ratified by the voters. However, any developer can come in and change this plan without going back to the voters if he can get the city council to agree with the change. By making it a major change, he would need more members of the city council to agree to the change, and the change would also become more visible to residents. Any change to the voter approved plan should be extremely difficult to pass if it isn't referred back to the voters for approval. This is just one of the many things staff is doing under David Richert to make Scottsdale more "developer friendly."

One of the major questions that has been raised during the update process is: "Should the city increase its efforts to acquire preserve land or does Scottsdale have enough and should focus on active recreation facilities?" Again, this is a very dangerous question. If Scottsdale pulls back on its effort to acquire all the land in the preserve boundary, not only will we lose some of the preserve, but also much of the land will become available for development. As this land is developed, it would dramatically change this area with the resultant increase in population density, which would then increases traffic congestion, infrastructure requirements, and, in general, degrade quality of life and tourist appeal. It's crucial that the preserve be completed if this area is to retain the characteristics that have attracted so many residents and visitors. To date, approximately 50 percent of the total land in the preserve boundary has been acquired by the city.

A few years ago, it's unlikely any of these changes would have been suggested, but as mentioned in previous articles, the current city council doesn't seem to have an agreed vision for what the city should be when it grows up. Lacking leadership at the top, it is crucial that citizens get involved to define how the city will be developed in the future, and the major document that defines this is the general plan. Fortunately, development is pretty much on hold until investment money frees up, so we have some time to get this plan right before the next onslaught occurs.

Citizens must get involved in the update process and make it clear what they want the new plan to show for their own area. Without your input, staff will make the decision for you, and you probably won't like the result. This is your city, your neighborhood, and your Sonoran Desert, and you should have a say in what happens to it.

To get involved, use the link below for more information and to send your comments to staff. For now, you should just make it clear what you want your area to be. As the process goes forward, there will be other opportunities to review what staff is preparing and make comments on that.

Most of us moved to this area to enjoy the more relaxed lifestyle it offers; therefore, maintaining the rural desert large lot residential and equestrian lifestyle is very important. Please get involved -- the future of our city, and the area where you live, is in the balance. It really is!

http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/generalplan/update.asp

Howard Myers is the president of the Desert Foothills Property Owners Association and active in Friends of the Scenic Drive. Howard is vice-chair of Scottsdale's McDowell Sonoran Preserve Commission and has had a significant impact on the development of various Scottsdale ordinances and policies. The views expressed by Mr. Myers in this column are his own and are not necessarily endorsed by GPPA or The Peak. He can be contacted at howard.myers@sensor-tech.com .

Map of Scottsdale Character Areas Within Community Areas

A Rogue HOA in North Scottsdale has openly, blantantly, and notoriously defied the laws of Scottsdale since 1995 and continued in 2006 when they were again sent official letters from the city laying out and verifying the terms of the NAOS, ESLO, and Hillside Ordinances including the allowable plants, shrubs, and trees which could be planted and maintained.

This dire situation has been made worse by;

The worst part of all of this is that the residents of Scottsdale, mainly those in the southern portion especially in the beginning, have voted a number of times to support the McDowell-Sonoran Preserve with their tax dollars and support all laws and ordinances that protect it including the allowed Plant, Shrub, and Tree list as it was originally established, then revised last June, which keeps non-native flora out of the preserve.

All HOA’s, especially the Preserve, and the city at large will be adversely affected if this Rogue HOA is allowed to have what they want which is plants that have been disallowed for decades as well as the elimination of the NAOS designation within their subdivision as set out and agreed to by the city and developer decades ago.

When this issue comes before the city council, every citizen in this city needs to make it well known that we have paid millions for the Preserve and don’t want it being destroyed by the greed and unlawfulness of one Rogue HOA board, an out of touch acting city manager, and a Code Enforcement director who doesn’t have the cajones to enforce the laws and ordinances of this city as required by law.

The position portrayed in this editorial is supported by many members of the Scottsdale Coalition, Coalition Of Greater Scottsdale (COGS), Citizens for Responsible Redevelopment, the Community Council of Scottsdale, and others.

Anyone interested in any or all of the information beginning with the original CC&R’s and Articles of Incorporation for the Carriage Hills (La Posada) Subdivision and all of the written communications from the city, feel free to contact George Knowlton at fixscottsdale@hotmail.com he has all of them and would be very happy to explain the illegality of the entire situation and the failure of the city to take care of this nasty situation by citing the offending property owners.

(Return to Top) 

In researching many staff overreaches within the city of Scottsdale government the most flagrant so far is who the new “manager” of the Scottsdale airport is (Gary Mascaro) and how he was hired. We found he was hired under a “loaned executive” arrangement that was not presented to the Airport Advisory Commission for review. The AAC was apparently told by Harold Stewart that Mr. Mascaro was not going to supervise any existing employees, but that he had some specific tasks with which he was going to help.

This was evidenced by the staff report to the Council attached to the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) that was approved by the City Council in January. 

http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/Asset31763.aspx

However, that Inter Government Agreement was rescinded and replaced by another one early in February. The new IGA deleted the language about supervisory structure.  

http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/Asset32402.aspx 

The new IGA was likewise not presented to the Airport Advisory Commission for review before being submitted to Council. In fact, the AAC apparently didn’t learn about it until after it was approved by the Council which is totally against city rules and regulations.  

As the AAC minutes show, the AAC took Harold Stewart to task for the way this was done. Mr. Stewart gave the AAC some song and dance about this being part of the ‘administration’ of the City. Therefore, the AAC as a policy-making (or policy advisory) body does not have purview. However, if the City Council had to sign off on it, it wasn’t an administrative decision at all. Therefore, by city laws it should have gone through AAC first.

This is apparently a culmination of many months of effort to try to get more WORKING staff (as opposed to another layer of management) at the Airport. While the Airport is constrained to operating as an enterprise fund, it had to suffer the same John Little personnel cuts as every other department. We just found out from the last meeting minutes that the airport is sitting on a ^$5 million cash reserve!  

Our questions are very simple and lead back to the point that city management and staff do as they like whenever they like without following the rules as do some other managers with the city governmental organization. 

• Why was Mascaro hired as as a "loaned official" from Phoenix instead of hiring a person for that open position directly?
   
• Why wasn’t the AAC consulted when it was known by city management that they were required to get approval from the AAC before any contract of any kind could go to the City Council for approval?
   
• Why are these types of things going on and why isn’t acting city manager David Richert on top of and stopping these kinds of secret dealings? Or is failing to act a vote in favor of the actions?
   
• Why is Scottsdale Airport Operations apparently sitting on a documented 5 million dollars of taxpayers money?
   
• What was the 5 million dollars designated to be used for?
   
• Or……. Is this the way the city was run under the last administration so they could maintain a multi-million dollar slush fund within many departments to do as they pleased when they pleased without any authorization at all from anyone?

This just one example of how the city has worked since Dolan, and it has been made it abundantly clear that the Citizens of Scottsdale, nor the boards and commissions are obviously NOT the driving force in this city as they should be, and used to be, due to some of the people listed in this editorial.

The importance by staff seems to be put squarely upon what the high roller developers, Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce, City Manager David (Mr. Phoenix) Richert, Code Enforcement Director Malcolm (I don't have a clue) Hankins, an overwhelmed and over worked Harold Stewart, to an under qualified  Planning Director Connie Padian, who are all allowing these types of things to happen in Scottsdale.

To that we have to add some of the management teams under the acting city manager and certain members of the City Council who rely on their personal opinions to determine what is best for the residents, rather than utilizing city boards and commissions as required by city laws, or worthwhile public meetings to find out what residents really think or care about.

It’s been made very clear that the minds of management and staff are made up, don’t confuse them with any of the obvious facts brought forward by citizens, laws or no laws!!!

In the last 10+ years, we have gone from a self sustaining, diverse sales tax generating revenue stream world class city under Drinkwater to one that is driven by more bars that any other city in the valley, as well as other events that rely heavily on tourists, special holidays and events instead of providing businesses and other interesting and useful local destinations for local residents. All the while, small business growth and nurturing have gone out the window.

We can't even get the City Council to come up with a reasonable noise ordinance which almost every city of our size has nationally, but we can allow the Airport to pigeon hole 5 million taxpayer dollars.

Again, it's not the citizens or residents adjacent to the violators of noise levels who are being listened to, cajoled and pampered, it's the high roller developers and the businesses who deal in booze and ridiculously loud music that can be heard for miles for whom this city bows down and makes promises the residents and citizens abhor.

Those that live east of Hayden off Chaparral and can hear their music on a clear night sitting on their patios; THAT’s ridiculous!!

The real problem is that the above listed city administrators, staffs, and some council members don't have a clue as to what they are doing or where this city is going because they are not listening to the public, not following the city laws and ordinances, or the General Plan and frankly don’t seem to give a rats damn about our rich history or preserving it.

Money talks in Scottsdale..... until it runs out that is, or at least until those high rollers find another sucker city to ruin once this city is "toast" which it will become shortly if we don’t stop this insanity.

If the citizens don't start standing up to this nonsense, you can watch the once World Class City of Scottsdale turn into nothing more than a suburb and patsy for the city of Phoenix.

John Washington is absolutely correct. Candidate association with the Scottsdale Area Chamber will be a death knell for their campaign. Currently, there are apparently 3 council candidates who are either favored by or "in bed" with the Chamber already. These candidates should be avoided at all costs unless you want Scottsdale to become Phoenix Junior under acting city manager David (Mr. Phoenix) Richert.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/2010/01/29/20100129sr-chamber0129.html

The last administration was apparently in cahoots with the Scottsdale Area Chamber, and cost this city almost everything with its secrecy and total lack of vision. This included its access to unlimited but what has been deemed by many as evil developer money, quiet but major association with ASU, and especially with its tight and secret association with the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce which apparently still exists to this day.

On the opposite side of the coin is Mayor Jim Lane who has done exactly as he promised during his campaign. Has he done everything correctly in some minds? No, but the vast majority of his works and emerging openness are highly appreciated by the electorate. Many citizens do think Mayor Lane needs to listen more to the citizens and far less to Lamar Whitmer and Whitmer's closed circle.

Politicians and Candidates need to remember that Scottsdale is citizens and residents, not overbearing local organizations such as the Scottsdale Chamber has become, or moneyed developers who try to buy (and did under the last administration) their every want and desire without regard for the wants and especially the needs of the residents.

• How many empty condo units and commercial buildings are vacant in Scottsdale thanks to the last administration and the former mayors failed desire for a bright and shiny legacy?
   

• How many garish and ugly buildings were approved by the last administration because of the strong influence of developer money?
   

• Will "One Scottsdale" ever be built as approved or will it take a back seat to the newer DMB projects in other areas, then be downgraded to a much lesser development?
   

• How many historical areas and businesses such as Rawhide were lost due to the last administration and the Chambers failure to understand city economic needs and sustainability?
   

• The Los Arcos Mall, even after the major tenants were gone, brought in over ^$250,000 per month in sales tax revenue which is a mere ^$3 million per year. Enough to have paid of former city manager John Little’s original estimate of the Retirement Program costs.

The Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce has a nasty and irrefutable stain on its reputation, thanks to the current and past executives including Rick Kidder and Virginia Korte who allowed perceived power to go to their heads, which cannot be erased by any court decision or actions by the current Chamber organization. A total cleansing of the organization executives is in order.

The best way the Scottsdale Area Chamber can heal its image is to come clean with the names of individual donors and corporations who donated to the illegal election campaign. We strongly suspect that you will find many well known and well heeled developers, city movers and shakers, and corporations in the mix who don't want their names exposed at any cost.

To finish the cleansing of the Chamber, have the entire staff of the Chamber organization officers and all executive board and other board members, including council members Klapp and McCullagh, resign from any Chamber committees or boards and membership and sever all ties to the Chamber.

Once the eradication of those individuals from the Chamber is complete, the "new" chamber needs to get busy and back to what Chambers of Commerce do best; encourage and help new small businesses get a foothold in the city and work with the residents to see what the citizens really want and need in form of new small businesses.

(Return to Top) 

The public will have an opportunity to learn and comment about the Greater Airpark Area Plan when city staff presents an update to the Planning Commission.  The meeting is at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24, in the City Hall Kiva, 3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd.  It will also air live on Scottsdale’s CityCable Channel 11.

"The Greater Scottsdale Airpark community’s participation in this process is important to ensure the future vitality of the Airpark and its neighborhoods," says Mary Vandevord, project manager.  "So far over 1,300 community members have provided their input. There will be many other opportunities to submit input and provide feedback over the next several months."

The plan will provide the basis for Greater Airpark decision making over the next 20 years.  It focuses on these key areas:

The plan is in fourth of six phases.  This phase, which continues through the end of February, includes revisions to the plan based on input.  During the next phase, March through October, the plan will be considered for adoption by the City Council.  If the plan is adopted, the final phase will be implementation.

In April, the city will host an open house for additional public input on the Airpark plan. The open house will run from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm on April 7, 2010 at Bret’s Barn- WestWorld. More details will be announced in the coming weeks.

City staff is available to meet with community groups, associations and stakeholders upon request.  To arrange a briefing, call (480) 312-7800.

View and comment on the revised draft plan at:

http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/planning/areaplans/GreaterAirparkCAP.asp . 

(Return to Top)

Ed Phillips, a former State Representative, current Scottsdale resident and visionary has according to the Scottsdale Republic, formed a group to help small businesses become a new, larger, and better part of our city.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/2010/02/17/20100217scottsdale-economic-future0217.html

It’s claimed that the new group is not trying to take the place of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce.

The SACC has done absolutely NOTHING to advance Mom & Pop and other small businesses in Scottsdale which have always sustained this city, but instead has represented moneyed developers, large and national corporations, then used their money to promote chosen council and mayoral candidates whom they feel are needed to carry out the demands of the SACC and their corporate sponsors.

That should have been made very clear with the charges against the SACC of breaking election laws, upheld twice in court (being appealed yet again), which was reportedly funded by these same big money donors.

Should the SACC be forced legally to expose those donors, you will see jaws drop all over the city and those donors will be exposed. How do you think they’ll like that?

We have lost 10’s of millions of sales tax revenue dollars because of the lack of action by the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce and a lack of vision on the part of the last administration. It’s time for something new to happen.

We welcome Ed Phillips group with open arms with the hope and prayer that they and the Lane Administration can do what the SACC has failed to do under Korte and Kidder and the last administration.

(Return to Top)

Noise. We asked former Mayor Manross and former City Manager Dolan to plan ahead when they pushed for approval of the outdoor entertainment in the bars in the Downtown Planning Area and in Old Town, and the Fifth Avenue area, too.

Put stipulations in the "use permits" for such activities that would deal with the increase in noise.

Think about buffers between those establishments, particularly those on the fringes of the above areas, and the mature residential neighborhoods that have lived successfully and respectfully side by side with those areas for 30, 40, 50 or so years.

When they decided that the economic vitality of the Downtown Planning Area depended upon how many bars you could cram into a city block, they set into play the destabilization of residential neighborhoods.

So, our Neighborhood Services Department was charged with coming up with an ordinance, when places like the W Hotel and its manager chose to totally disrespect the area’s residents and keep blasting away with parties into the wee small hours of the morning.

You might say that "one man’s noise is another man’s music." Could be, but not at mid-night and you can hear that noise/music through triple paned windows with the air conditioner going.

City Council is posed to act on one of two measures. Talking to Councilwoman Borowsky is pointless on this (as on so many other issues too). Her dad and brother are in the bar business and they have chosen over the years to disregard any residential neighborhood they want to do business in or near; except, that is their own, in far North Scottsdale.

A "Non-Complaint" driven ordinance is the option that we support. It makes violation a civil, not criminal act and allows police officer specially trained to use decibel meters to measure the noise levels.

This would use as a standard the following:

Residential zone: 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. 45dB(A)
                           7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. 55dB(A)

Mixed Use zone: 11:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. 50dB(A)
                           7:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. 60dB(A)

Commercial zone: 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. 55dB(A)
                             7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. 65dB(A)

Industrial zone: 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. 60dB(A)
                         7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. 70dB(A)

AND, "if the measurement location is on a boundary between two zoning districts, the lower noise standard shall apply."

A long established medical fact is that "noise," any noise, music or construction or road surface noise (hence the creation of rubberized asphalt), whatever, can cause lose of hearing.

City government is charged with promoting (and protecting) the health and general welfare of the citizens and businesses of the city in accordance with the U. S. Constitution’s Preamble that so many try to negate. It reads:

Our neighborhoods need the respect and protection that this "Non-Complaint driven" ordinance will provide. Three members of our City Council understand this, but our Mayor and the other three do not. Let them know that the time is long past due to correct this oversight.

The bars and hotels have had a chance to reach consensus, but they want it their way and the neighborhoods be damned.

(Return to Top)

We have to agree 100% with the city council on this issue.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/2010/02/18/20100218scottsdale-bond-package.html

The big problem here is what department managers are going to be willing to reduce their needs or capital projects even though the needs should be based on residential needs and the need for infrastructure repairs to save the city money in the future.

Frankly, there are many areas where there should be reductions. Many of those reductions should be in staffing.

(Return to Top)

Well, here come council elections again so we asked residents what their thought were on the candidates. Boy did they have a lot to say, so we cut it down to representative phrases. We thought it was very interesting that those who didn’t follow the things residents have been asking for or who have been involved in big business prompted all of the responses.

Oh, goody another Scottsdale election with few real candidates to pick from, and others who will attempt to buy a seat. Those would be the same candidates backed with developer, Chamber, and mover & shaker money to pay their way without any real interest other than their massive ego maintenance.

Before you make your choices, look what "Money Bought" in the last election and who spent the money. Doesn’t look too good does it? Who needs a part time, sometime no show council person who reads from a script written by someone else when we have so many problems in Scottsdale.

Look for those who can talk the talk, then walk the walk. So far we only see two candidates who have proven they can fill that bill. We hope to see at least one more we can trust to do what needs to be done without having to pontificate platitudes without saying anything like some we’ve had.

The World Class city of Scottsdale we were lucky enough to move to about 30 years ago is not the Scottsdale of today and doesn’t meet the accepted criteria of World Class anymore.

Being that we both work with and for the public, we receive a lot of input pro and con concerning the city of Scottsdale. As time moves on, the con’s are outnumbering the pro’s almost 2 to 1 now.

This change in attitude started about 11 years ago and is not getting any better culminating with the loss of family venues like Rawhide and a fear to take those nighttime strolls through our downtown Art District because of rowdies who now frequent the downtown area bars.

The biggest complaints are that the family atmosphere has disappeared from Scottsdale in favor of bars, noisy night clubs, and too many other adult type activities. How would you like to see either a male or female urinate on the street or sidewalk downtown while taking a evening stroll? Sadly, it happens ladies and gentlemen, I’ve seen it happen!!

Many complain that the loss of Rawhide was a major loss to the city financially and otherwise and they wonder why the city government wasn’t proactive or visionary enough to keep Rawhide in Scottsdale. They wonder why the 80 acres the city owns near West World wasn’t offered just to maintain the venue and its rich sales tax income generating ability for the restaurants, hoteliers, retailers, and city coffers.

Visitors also complain that they used to be able to walk downtown as a family when it cooled down in the evenings without being hassled by those that now come to Scottsdale to drink and carouse without regard for others.

Those families now go elsewhere to spend their entertainment dollars. Some were caught in confrontations between rival groups in the downtown area and no longer venture there.

We never had gangbanger types come into Scottsdale. With the huge number of bars in the city, not only do we draw the gangbangers, but we now have shootings within that downtown area which we never had before the plethora of bars and clubs came to town.

The comments always lead back to the complaint that the administration during those years was without a vision for a changing and maturing Scottsdale and not maintaining the family atmosphere that brought many residents and visitors to our city over many decades.

We hear far too often that this will be their last year to winter, shop, and recreate in Scottsdale. They’re telling us that there are cities in the valley who now offer as much or more than Scottsdale. Some have gone to Mesa, Gilbert and Chandler because the Bass Pro shopping experience is in Mesa at the 200 acre RiverView complex, and the new Rawhide and casinos are just south of those cities.

Others stay in Glendale, Surprise or Peoria because of the proximity to Cabela's and the Cardinals and Coyotes facilities including Westgate Center. Still others now stay outside the valley such as Yuma, Wickenburg and other smaller cities which are far cheaper and have many family type venues.

The only family venues remaining in Scottsdale are McCormick Railroad Park, the Art Galleries and other shops downtown during daylight hours, Fashion Square, the Visitors Center and Trolley system, and the McDowell-Sonoran Preserve if you are a hiking family.

There are also world class golf courses, but you can find them almost anywhere in Arizona now, so they are no big deal to many visitors. Many of those venues are really not child or family friendly anyway.

We still have the Pinnacle Peak Patio Steakhouse but that is only temporary until the new development gets the money together to tear down one of the last "western" venues that Scottsdale WAS famous for over the years and build something else.

What does Scottsdale need to do to recapture the title "World Class City"?

We need to understand that tourism is a fleeting, cyclical business tied directly to the world economy which cannot sustain any city because of the economic volatility we experience on a regular basis.

We also need to understand that bars and cocktail lounges need to reinvent themselves every 5 years and as trends change, the public taste changes as do their ideas of the "Cool" places to hang out. One season it’s Scottsdale, the next it’s Tempe, then Glendale, Chandler, Mesa, etc, etc, etc.

So what can Scottsdale do to become self sustaining? It’s really very simple!

These are very simple exercises that most staff managers and members will adamantly refuse to accept, due to their huge egos, because they feel they are the "experts" and need to be treated accordingly. As gross as it may sound, they sit down to eat and perform other bodily functions just as the rest of the citizens and taxpayer do.

Well, guess what? We pay the taxes and live in the areas they are trying to change so WE are the experts who only ask for guidance in making the changes we ask for, not what the staff thinks we need. Many staffers don’t even live within the city limits of Scottsdale!!

Progress cannot be stopped, but it CAN be properly controlled, slowed down and made a quality process through proper bilateral communication and understanding between the citizens and their city government BEFORE any new projects or changes are made.

These objectives can be completed without losing the ambiance that was Scottsdale if we work quickly and deliberately to make immediate changes back to the way government used to work. That process was totally lost during the last 10 years and needs to be reestablished immediately.

~ Information You Can Use

Just click on the logos below to go to these websites.

Send our Brave Troops "Something from Home", Click on  Links below.

Gathering of  Eagles Website was launched 2/9/07. Click on the Logo above for more information on how they are protecting America's Memorials.

~ UPDATE!! A "Must See" for All Americans

Every American should check out all of these websites to learn more about what the American population is about to have to deal with.

This is NOT for Children.

I don't normally allow anything but Scottsdale information in the Scottsdale Activist but after receiving many emails about this and viewing it, I think that it's imperative that every adult at least look at what's offered here if for  nothing more than their own education and to have everyone stop and think about the future of our country. Click on the link below,

 www.obsessionthemovie.com

If you don't have Adobe Flash, install it from the bottom of the page that comes up after you click on the link above. You should be able to view all available links within the main page.

The website below is of great interest as seen from a Lebanese point of view:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8fa9yKQeTY

The website below gives some history of Terrorist attacks:

http://patriotfiles.org/civilizationcalls.htm

This website tell you what REALLY happened:

http://www.terrorismawareness.org/what-really-happened

(Return to Top)

~ View Past City Council Meetings

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

If you have any problems, check your firewall and other safety features which could block access to the city site.

~Continuing Light Rail Information

The Scottsdale Citizens Transportation Study Committee invites you to view their website for more questions and answers at  www.norailforscottsdale.com .

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

Simply click on the links below to get all the information you'll ever need concerning Light Rail.

     Goldwater Institute Report

     American Dream Coalition

    The Public Purpose

If you have any questions about light rail, send them to editor@scottsdaleactivist.com and we'll get the answers to you as soon as we can.

(Return to Top)