~ The Big "Trolley Logo" Controversy Solved?

 On Thursday evening, the discussion on the logo came up before the Transportation Commission in the Kiva at about 8:30pm.  The presentation was made by the consultant Asylum Pipeline represented by Steve Bast.  Below left is what was presented:

Discussion determined that the design was nice but did not describe "Scottsdale" at all and the historic feel of the city was lost with the design. It was also noted that some foreigners don't read American English and there are a number of colorblind citizens who would not find these route identifier labels customer or visitor friendly.

It was suggested that the current Route Identifiers (on the right in the above graphic) should have the Giants Emblem or a recognizable baseball symbol be inserted on the left 1/4 of the Stadium sign with the written portion larger on the right side, with each Identifier having a recognizable symbol as well as the written identification for each of the destinations of the Trolleys, etc.

It was also recommended that the Route Identifier signs be located at eye level on the passenger side on the front of the Trolley and again at eye level at the entry points to the Trolley for ease of identification.

The main suggestion was that the portion of the Historic Bronc Rider logo within the red circle on the historic logo graphic at the left, including the statement "The West's Most Western Town" be inserted within the area where the wheel, petroglyph or what ever you see it as, located in the center of the main logo and that the word "Trolleyline" be dropped in favor of "Trolley" as it is today.

If the above changes are made, Route Identification would be easily read, the Historic Logo would be properly utilized, and the "Point of Sale" merchandise, "T" shirts, toy trolleys, etc. would be very desirable by most visitors which would allow for another strong source of trademark revenue to offset the costs of the Trolley operations.

We feel that the above proposed logo with the Historic Bronc Rider in the center of the main logo and the modern Route Identifiers changed as suggested, would meld the Historic Old with the modern new for an acceptable and appropriate addition to our city Trolleys.

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~ "McOsterman" to Morocco Up-Date

Ron McCullagh was verbally asked Tuesday 11-14-06 by this Editor, prior to the city council meeting, to provide the Scottsdale Activist with a simple written statement answering the question of how his trip to Marrakesh, Morocco for the Sister City Program was being paid: by the city or with is own funds and that it be emailed to us before our deadline at 6pm Friday 11-17-06.

He verbally replied that he was paying his way and that of his wife. I asked specifically for something in writing so that I could verify that he, in fact, was paying his own way. As of the deadline, Mr. Ron "McOsterman" has apparently not seen it necessary verified his verbal answer in writing so that all would appear aboveboard in this situation. 

He was reminded again by email on Thursday 11-16-06 of the need to answer in writing as follows:

Could that lead one to believe that the city is, in fact, paying his way and he doesn't want the answer in writing for some reason?

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  ~ Town Hall Kickoff Wednesday Night a Nasty Joke!!

For those of you who didn't attended the Town Hall Meeting with Keynote speaker Jon Talton of the Republic, you missed seeing the most repulsive, Moorish, and juvenile actions of an invited and highly touted Keynote Speaker you would have probably ever see in your lifetime. I have never been so embarrassed for a city staff in years. You could watch them slowly sliding lower and lower in their chairs so they couldn't be easily seen or recognized.

His jokes were crude, low redneck, or worse, all with a poor excuse for a southern accent. After he tried a few and didn't get anything but a courtesy laugh here and there he said that he could see this was a tough crowd and it would be a long night. After he and I had a testy verbal exchange, I was accused of threatening the him when in fact all I did was challenge a bald faced lie he was trying to perpetrate on the audience (a recording totally vindicates me totally of any such comment or threat).

He told a number of us to shut up, that we were all morons, that the residents of this city were nothing more than local yokels who don't get around much, that our lovely homes in the northern portion of the city were the same pieces of crap that are in Eloy, those that opposed light rail were the little boys and girls who couldn't find a date, and that property rights advocates were nothing more than over the top property rights fanatics.

He is totally for high density, light rail, cities where you walk to get where you want to go. Yeah, Sure, in the summer we're going to walk or stand anywhere for more than 3 or 4 minutes waiting for anything. This guy is the most far ultra left person I have ever experienced. He makes Chuck Schumer and Al Sharpton of New York look like an ultra right wingers! If he reached around behind his back with his left hand, he would touch the right hand of the far right winger who too was reaching for something he couldn't find!

If any in the city employee or elected positions have any views similar to this dolt, the mayor, council and staff seriously need to regroup and reassess their positions before they bring anyone who even comes close to having this guys bad manners and far left ideas which don't fit anywhere but possibly Boston on a bad day. 

In many ways, I think this tipped the hand of the administration as to their secret or private plan to urbanize the southern portion of the city so they can run out the older homeowners and allow their developer friends to build more high-rise apartment or condo buildings replacing the current older homes to increase the density and money flow into the city which they can't wait to spend.

Talton was walking with a cane, so the only excuse I could possibly imagine for him acting like he did was severe back pain, but even with pain your true feeling come flying out more with anger which he easily demonstrated on quite a few occasions during his 45 minute presentation(?).

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~Freeway Photo Radar Still a Major Problem...........

The majority of those supporting Freeway Photo Radar don't understand the legal problems incurred nor the unrelated economic costs to the city from this program. They frankly couldn't care less about that part because they think it is doing a good job. The Mayor has sold them a bill of goods and they have swallowed it hook, line and sinker so to speak.

To understand the portion of the economic iceberg that can be seen, please read Photo Radar Steals Millions From City Businesses article in this edition.

More of that iceberg was revealed when I began the beginning part of an investigation as to how many tickets have been written on the Scottsdale portion of the 101 Freeway since the cameras were turned off with interesting results.

Reportedly, three (3) officers (MCSO, DPS) wrote 19 tickets in just 6 daylight hours each. Of those 19 tickets which are all court enforceable, many had other violations written as well on those already stopped for speeding as follows;

• 2 for outstanding warrants (taken to Madison Street Jail for booking)

• 3 without insurance

• 2 with suspended driver licenses

• 1 for reckless endangerment ( 3 moving violations on 1 ticket)

• 2 with expired plates (tags)

• 1 without plates altogether

• 2 DUI's

• 4 others with mechanical problems (broken lights, windshields, etc.)

When you look at this minute slice of time, the number of violation is totally phenomenal and it shows vividly why it's far more important to have sworn officers on the freeways and state highways to help eliminate the riff-raff that won't get caught by Photo Radar. It also shows how long it takes to write a ticket properly.

Also remember that while they are visible, people will slow down in both directions because they don't want a ticket or for that officer to call ahead to have them stopped; Yes, they have their radios on their lapels and their radar guns work both from the front and from the rear even while underway.

One of the officers told me the 202 is far worse than the 101. After a person with a warrant had been transported to Madison Street Jail, the officer was traveling east bound on the 202 with traffic (65 mph) in the middle lane in a marked cruiser with all lights visible through the rear window and on the roof when a driver came up on him at 89 miles an hour (clocked by rear facing radar). Then went around him still moving right along and he never slowed down. When stopped, the guy said he was in a hurry and the roadway was clear so he didn't understand why he was stopped. The driver also had one of those plastic plate covers which Photo Radar would have never been able to read anyway. Get the picture? Photo Radar wouldn't have!

During the discussions of the Transportation Commission Thursday night, it was noted that only 2/10th of 1% of the cars passing the Photo Radar camera equipment are exceeding the speed limit or trip the cameras. Why do we waste taxpayer dollars to run this system when the state could spent the money on more officers and they could do a far better job of controlling our freeways and getting the bad guys off of our roadways?

I've had some uninformed citizens say, "Well, something is better than nothing". Is it really??? Wouldn't it be far better, and the motoring public much safer, if we had a few officers constantly working the areas from the 101/202 interchange up to the 101 / I-17 interchange so the visibility of a marked police car would do what it does best, slow drivers down and put the bad guys in jail or at least to court?

Has Photo Radar ever caught a drunk driver, stolen vehicle, pot head, cranker, tweaker, a carload of illegal aliens, expired plates or drivers license, drug trafficker, a person with a warrant, or a person without insurance? How about a carload of children not wearing seatbelts?

NO, and it never will. In addition, less that 20% of those ticketed by photo radar ever pay their fines for a myriad of reasons, all legitimate, while 96% of all ticketed by a sworn officer are paid and many written for more than just the speeding violations after the officer looks things over to make our roadways safer.

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 ~Transportation Commission Light Rail Discussion

While researching the subject, it was revealing to find the following from "Portland Online"   http://www.portlandonline.com/ about Charlie Hales of HDR who is the hired consultant for the Scottsdale Transportation Plan:

Isn't it very suspect that the Consultant who is suppose to be transportation neutral so we get a fair shake, is in reality a strong proponent of light rail (streetcars) and urbanism?

Isn't it also very interesting that he was reportedly elected to a Portland City Commissioner position after a last minute infusion of out of state cash to get him elected, and then resigned after 2 years of a four year term to go to work for HDR selling streetcars?

In actuality, and mark my words here, Charlie came here to sell you on streetcars, not light rail or busses. He can easily and innocently try to say " I can see that Light Rail won't work here but less invasive streetcars will work fine which is what he has wanted  to sell Scottsdale all along!

Let me suggest this:

Busses come in many sizes and can change with the times and better, more efficient propulsion systems as they come along. They can traverse city street when obstructions arise and can detour at will while any vehicle running on tracks will be stalled in place and bottling up vehicular traffic the entire time. Bus routes can move as the population centers and business centers move while those using tracks are stuck where they are put for decades. Busses can be purchased at about 10% of the total cost of Light Rail or Streetcars.

Busses age and become obsolete. When they age, they can be  moved to less heavily used routes or sold to smaller towns or private companies so there can be some recovery from the old busses as long as they run fairly well providing some return on the investment.

Streetcars and light rail trains cannot be sold except for scrap and are extremely expensive to replace or relocate the tracks. Aesthetically, they bring overhead power cables restricting overhead access due to high voltages and amperages as well as being an eyesore unless you spend still more dollars to hide them, which then brings up the annual maintenance costs.................. There will be ten's of thousands more busses than streetcars or Light Rail trains available to be purchased, for parts availability and other needs that come along where trains or streetcars have to be special ordered.

Need I go On?

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 ~ Dissecting the Council Decision on the "One Scottsdale Project"

Try to follow along with me on this because it's kind of  confusing and convoluted:

It seemed to the public, the uninformed,  and those not politically savvy, that the council couldn't make up it's mind when in reality, it boiled down to one thing: they could vote but wouldn't because it could cost Betty Drake to lose the next election. They apparently don't care about "McOsterman" because he has already been disloyal to his base and he's just a tool for the council majority to get what they want. They'll use him like they did Osterman, then dump him in the has-been pile until they need him again later.

Mayor Manross, Councilmen Ecton, and "McOsterman" fully support the height increase but didn't have the 4 votes necessary for approval if Councilwoman Drake didn't vote for the height increase.

Being that Bob Vairo, COPP and other groups city wide collectively supported Drake in the last election and she wants desperately to be re-elected, she had to be sure to vote in a way to retain their support because there is an election right over the ridge, while still getting the height increase approved she strongly desires.

COPP and others are strongly against the height increase request because of the precedent it will set north of the 101. So when Lane came out against the height increase, it put Drake in a precarious position of having to disapprove the height increase to keep the support of COPP and others, when she actually strongly supports the height increase.  Wise and politically savvy Councilman Ecton saw the conundrum immediately and acted accordingly and quickly.

Knowing the only way to save the height increase and get it approved, Ecton quickly made a motion to continue the issue until the next meeting which he knew he had at least 4 votes he could rely on: Drake, Manross, Ecton and "McOsterman" to get the issue continued.

Ecton is "safe" to make these decisions because he doesn't come up for election for 4 years. McOsterman and Lane come up with Drake as well as does Manross, so they all have to vote with their bases or lose in '08. Manross is on very thin ice because she has been going against her base for over a year.

Now the proponents hope that they can pull Lane over to their side to approve the height increase so that Drake can vote against it with Littlefield and Nelssen and still get the height increase while satisfying COPP and her other supporters who don't want her to vote for the height increase.

So!! Now what everyone needs to do is contact each city council member individually and demand that they stick to their promise not to increase heights, that the 50 million dollar subsidy is not to be allowed, and to have DMB build the project based on the city council 2002 approval or don't build it at all. After all, they told COPP that if the height increase and subsidy were refuse, they would go on with the high end, top flight project as they had planned anyway.

The letter below most probably represents only one of thousands of people who have been slapped with a Photo Radar ticket weeks or months after the fact. The ticket received by the letter writer will bring in about ^$157 to the city with 47% of that amount going to the State and probably another 25% going to the operator, RedFlex.

On the other hand, the letter writer probably spends an average of ^$3,000 to ^$10,000 on every trip they make to Scottsdale which totaled at least 15 trips they mentioned.  This revenue goes directly into the coffers of our city entrepreneurs, then into the local economy in the form of wages and more spending by the recipients of those wages, which all collect tax dollars for the city. (The car was purchased at a Scottsdale address in the city of Phoenix meaning the sales tax went to Phoenix)

Is it really worth running these visitors off because the mayor and her cronies want to collect the almighty dollar without using our most efficient, and nice looking Scottsdale Police Officers who could give a ticket while being very polite, informative, Highly Visible and helpful at the same time?

Should these visitors be given tickets if they violate our laws? Absolutely!! But a World Class City quite reliant on golf and resort visitors, needs to present those tickets in a World Class manner; by a sworn, uniformed Police Officer, not a non-personal ticket machine.

Read the letter directly below....................

 
Is this the type letter we want coming to our city? How many everyday families have made the same decision because of Manross/Dolan/O'Connor Photo Radar boondoggle? Do we really need to have these types of Photo Radar Speed Traps which are synonymous with the financial deprived rural, one stop-sign towns across America? We are a "World Class Destination", not a simple unknown small town or wide spot in the road on the way to a destination. Don't our visitors deserve a much better representation of Law Enforcement in Scottsdale than a picture and a ticket weeks after the offense where they would have to travel up to 2,500 miles to fight the ticket in court if necessary?

For every letter like this which comes to a city, business or operation, there are over 100 more people or groups who simply won't waste their time with a letter nor will they return to our "World Class City"  for the same reasons.

How many people do you think this Chairman of the Board of a mid-western Bank can influence because of his "Scottsdale Experience"? Many more than you can ever imagine simply by word of mouth.  As he explained, had it been a person in the form of a police officer, he would have accepted whatever the consequences were commensurate with his violation of the law.

We just voted an increase in funding for law enforcement and transportation and I would strongly suggest we use those monies to hire many more police officers to make a personal appearance when a ticket is issued rather than more of the extremely expensive and traffic congesting roundabout's and traffic circles which are totally unnecessary and an annual drain on the city budget.

Let's hear what you think about the subject.................

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 ~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

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~ Guest Editorial(s)

Many of us remember the $600 toilet seat and $300 hammer scandals in the Department of Defense.  The DOD has not had such scandals in a long time.  One of the reasons is the "Truth in Negotiations Act" and the "Industrial Modernization Incentives Program Act".  Under the TIA all contractors must share all of their true financial information with the government.  The IMIP is designed to encourage DOD’s suppliers to acquire capital equipment in which they would otherwise not invest.  An investment of public funds is justified when there is a benefit to the public, such as lowering the cost of military products or preparing the country for war-time production.  The tax payers benefit later from the lower cost of military equipment.  One might think that this program would be an open invitation to scandal.  It is not because the contractor must prove (under TIA) that his return on investment in the equipment would be so low without the government’s assistance that he would not purchase the cost-lowering equipment.  The government’s investment is then only to the extent necessary for the contractor to earn a normal rate of return – and not one dollar more.

Imagine the nation-wide scandal if the DOD contributed fifty million dollars to a defense contractor and it was later discovered that the fifty million dollars was really not needed to make the project feasible.  The contractor simply put the money in his pocket because the equipment was capable of returning to the contractor a competitive rate of return without the government’s investment.  The public’s fifty million dollars would have gone straight into the contractor’s pockets and, when this was discovered, the contractor would face a jail term for attempting to con the government.

A fifty million dollar scandal is sufficiently large to make the national headlines.  And yet here, in the small city of Scottsdale, we just saw such a con escape unnoticed.  A developer recently said that he needed fifty million dollars of the public’s money if he was to proceed with a project.  This was apparently a deception because after a public outcry he has withdrawn his request and is proceeding without the taxpayer’s investment, proving that it really was not needed in the first place.  Had the subsidy gone forward it would have been a windfall profit for the developer.  Had he tried this with the federal government he would be facing national notoriety and a healthy term in jail.

Now look at the recent history of Scottsdale’s so-called "investments" in private projects.  They total in the hundreds of millions of dollars.  And yet the City Council has absolutely no proof that these public funds were necessary to provide a normal return to the developers involved.  That is exactly the kind of scandal that the TIA and the IMIP were designed to prevent.  What is sad is that the City Council knows all about the federal laws and yet they do nothing to interfere with their cozy game of unnecessarily funneling millions of our dollars into the pockets of their favorite developers.

Scottsdale’s potential for scandal is made even greater by its ability to contribute changes in zoning laws and build height restrictions to these developer’s projects.  Is there any proof that the requested waiver in building height is truly necessary to the developer’s ability to earn a normal rate of return without the waiver?  If he attempted to con us out of fifty million dollars why should we not suspect that he is attempting to do the same with the waiver on height restrictions?  Who on the Council can answer this?  I suspect that none of them can.

Jack C. McVickers
Scottsdale, AZ

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~ Home of the Week

 ~ Questions?

Many readers have asked why we don't expose those nasty, ugly rundown trashy properties we wish City Code Enforcement would cite and force to cleanup. We feel that it is much better to show the examples of homes that show pride of ownership rather than those trash piles and filth holes we all know about. If you have one of those "nasty" homes in your neighbor hood, email  rkeagy@scottsdalaz.gov  giving him all of the pertinent information including address, and you don't need to leave your name, unless you want to be contacted.

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

 ~Guess Again?? North? Central? South? Fooled You Again?

This is another home that many citizens will not be able to place. Many think it's in the far north, some think it's in the Cactus/Shea Corridor, but surprise!!  It too is located in the farthest most southwestern section of our city. It's been meticulously maintained using the xeriscape landscaping which features many native plants and cacti. This jewel is hidden in the Sherwood Heights area which contains many more lovely and highly desirable homes.

There are many wonderful and beautiful neighborhoods within the city of Scottsdale. Do yourself a favor and take the long way home sometime and see what other home owners are doing to improve their neighborhoods. How does your home compare?

If you know of an outstanding home which you feel should to be honored by having the picture displayed in the Scottsdale Activist, send the address to editor@scottsdaleactivist.com .

We have been asked why we don't include homes in HOA controlled subdivisions. We are looking for exceptional homes in areas where the homeowner has to be the driving force behind the beautiful home, not the HOA rules and regulations. We would definitely look at any home in a HOA controlled area that is exceptional and owner maintained rather than by a lawn or landscape service, but so far, we haven't been advised of any that meet that criteria.

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~ Scientific Proof Light Rail Not Needed

 Attn: Mary (O’Connor),

Thank you for sending me the papers for the City Council Work Study Session 10/26/06 which I have now had a chance to thoroughly review. It appears that the most significant piece of information in this pack (146 pages) is contained in the slide headed "Screenline Analysis" - Projected % Increase In Traffic volumes from 2004 to 2030.

This is obviously the heart of the issue and it is most interesting to note that the traffic growth projected on the north/south routes south of Thunderbird are only projected to grow by only 0.45% per annum and south of Chaparral by only 0.55% per annum over this 26 year period.

This therefore leads me to the following two conclusions:

Regards,

Graham Kettle
Scottsdale

~Concerns About School Bond Failure

Editor,

Unfortunately many people confuse the Scottsdale School District with the City of Scottsdale. The District crosses over boundaries of Paradise Valley, Tempe and Phoenix.

A couple of years ago the District got the OK to rebuild 4 aged high school facilities. The taxpayer believed those millions of dollars included a total package.

I tried to point out in the bond information pamphlet that it was only for bricks and mortar NOT the guts that makeup a high school. Did I feel it was deceptive on the part of the District, YOU BET I DID.

The District is now trying to ascertain what happened. First of all, there were only 2 board members who cared enough to write letters to editors, put signs up etc. Where were the other 3? Obviously the Parent Council did not feel it was necessary to put forth any effort.

The northern schools are alienated from this group so, the PTA’s didn't feel it necessary to work for passage. And, who knows where "Yes to children" was hiding.

SOOOO, we now have brand new schools with no up-to-date technology, furniture, supplies etc. Starting this January, we will have 4 school board members that I  would consider "YES-MEN", never questioning anything.

Thank heavens the students have Molly Holzer looking out for their best interests.

It is a sad commentary that 2 candidates walked into office without even a debate.

Dr. Baracy has his work cut out for him. The taxpayers (all the taxpayers) want the whole picture.

Sincerely,
Annie Hickie

PS. Can't pass up this opportunity to thank Christine Schild for dedicating the last 4 years to the students and employees of the Scottsdale School District. 

I felt obligated to respond to the Wednesday, Nov. 1 Scottsdale Tribune Editorial, "Tempe should take a look around", wherein you advocate a competitive nationwide search for top City administrative positions, as opposed to promoting the rank and file.

The best approach seems to be in-between:  let the "rank and file" compete on a level playing field with outside candidates - no bias in either direction.  After all, why should a talented City employee with a strong knowledge base stay with City government if a chance at the top job is out of reach?

Or, on the other hand, why should a decidedly less than "highly talented" person who is a "political favorite" be chosen over an extremely qualified independent candidate no matter from where they come?

Michelle Aubert
Scottsdale

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 ~ Thoughts on the Proposed New Trolley Logo 

For some time I have been thinking about a sound bite that could be used in promoting a good transportation system for Scottsdale.  Obviously someone else must use Southwest Airlines and be reading my mind.  The sound bite is, (drum roll please), "YOU ARE FREE TO MOVE ABOUT THE CITY".  As you know, this is taken from the well known Southwest Airlines ad campaign.  So much for my creativity. 

I hope Southwest’s desire to get me to my destination as fast as possible “including my car” would lead them to laugh at my take off and not sue my tail for copyright trashing.   The other side of this thought is….  There seems to be some kind of conflict between “Free to move about country” (airplanes) and a trolley logo?  I do admire our transportation department’s ambition.   

The Proposed Logo                                 

What is great about this logo is that it already has name-identification,--which unfortunately belongs to Southwest Airlines!  Could this be a copyright infringement question?  Additionally, it has the Santa Fe, New Mexico look. Again, this is not very original. 

Great progress is being made towards reinforcing our identity.  First we named a bridge building across Camelback Road as “Scottsdale” Fashion Square.  Then we named two thirteen story buildings on a canal “Scottsdale” Waterfront”.  Can you imagine what our friends or tourists from London, San Diego or Seattle think about a waterfront in Scottsdale?  Are we somehow trying to tie Scottsdale to La Jolla (waterfront) and Southwest Airlines (the logo)?  Sounds like an identity crisis to me or someone has missed the boat.  

Is the next stop "Scottsdale Rodeo Drive or how about Scottsdale Paris"?  History and fact have proven there can never be a Rodeo Drive in Scottsdale although the failed “Galleria” made the attempt.  Of course, I am just arrogant enough to think “why lower myself” by copying anything from California. 

For the geographically challenged:  We are Scottsdale, not Santa Fe, San Diego, Taos, Menlo Park, Oklahoma City, Chicago, Denver, New York or Pittsburgh.  If we ARE world renowned (that is what most tourists say and we advertise), why emulate another city?  Scottsdale will continue to be world renowned if we stick to what has been proven to work.           

 If you want Scottsdale (with its southwestern roots) to look like something else why are you here?  The "we have to change" (meaning replace what we are with something unrelated)--that dog will not hunt.  Change has been continuous over the hundred plus years since Winfield Scott made this place home.  Until the past five years nearly all changes reinforced the southwest character and the heritage that Scottsdale embodies.  It seems as though a majority of recent changes could be  “Anywhere USA”. 

Make a statement of what we are by putting this logo in the “Studies Bin”. Use our city seal with the words “Scottsdale Trolley” around it.  Make sure interested Scottsdale citizens and the City Council sign off on this.  

Sam J West
Chairman
The Other Plan for Scottsdale

This makes some salient points having naught to do with religion per se but a great deal to do with what has happened to the ethical and moral common sense we are all supposed to be using in the rearing of our children and the way we are managing our country's affairs.  You all need to realize that this is not an "evangelical message" as much as a call to return to the ethic of our founding Judeo-Christian ancestors who read both testaments and understood right from wrong and much of the grey in between far better than we do today.  

Reply:

Dear Concerned Student:
I am no longer not allowed in schools.

Sincerely,

God

----------------------------------------------------------
How did all of this get started you ask?...

Let's see, I think it started when Madeline Murray O'Hare complained she didn't want any prayer in our schools. And we said, OK.

Then, someone said you better not read the Bible in school, the Bible that says "thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbors as yourself",……. And we said, OK...

Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehaved
because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem. And we said an expert should know what he's talking about so we won't spank them anymore..

Then someone said teachers and principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave. And the school administrators said no faculty member in this school better touch a student when they misbehave because we don't want any bad publicity, and we surely don't want to be sued. And we accepted their reasoning...

Then someone said, let's let our daughters have abortions if they want, and they won't even have to tell their parents. And we said, that's a grand idea...

Then some wise school board member said, since boys will be boys and they're going to do it anyway, let's give our sons all the condoms they want, so they can have all the fun they desire, and we won't have to tell their parents they got them at school.
And we said, that's another great idea...

Then some of our top elected officials said it doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs. And we said, it doesn't matter what anybody, including the President, does in private as long as we have jobs and the economy is good....

And someone else took that appreciation a step further and published pictures of nude children and then stepped further still by making them available on the Internet. And we said, everyone's entitled to free speech....

And the entertainment industry said, let's make TV shows and movies that promote
profanity, violence and illicit sex...And let's record music that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes...And we said, it's just entertainment and it has no adverse effect and nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, classmates or even themselves.

Undoubtedly, if we thought about it long and hard enough, we could figure it out.
I'm sure it has a great deal to do with...

"As Ye sow, so shall Ye reap…"

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~ Just for Giggles
 

Wife: Honey..... What are you looking for?

Husband :  Nothing.

Wife : Nothing...?? You've been reading our marriage certificate for an hour??

Husband  : I was just looking for the expiration date.

____________________________________________________________________

Wife : Do you want dinner?

Husband : Sure, what are my  choices?

Wife : Yes and no.

_____________________________________________________________________

Wife: You always carry my photo in your handbag to the office. Why?

Hubby: When there is a problem, no matter how impossible, I look at your picture and the  problem disappears.

Wife: You see, how miraculous and powerful I am for you?

Hubby: Yes, I see your picture and say to myself, "What other problem can there be greater than this one?"

____________________________________________________________________

Girl: When we get married, I want to share all your worries, troubles and lighten your burden.

Boy: It's very kind of you, darling, but I don't have any worries or troubles.

Girl: Well, that's because we aren't married yet.

____________________________________________________________________

Son: Mom, when I was on the bus with Dad this morning, he told me to give up my seat to a  lady.

Mom: Well, you have done the right thing.

Son: But mum, I was sitting on daddy's lap.

_____________________________________________________________________

A newly married man asked his wife, "Would you have married me if my father hadn't left me a  fortune?"

"Honey," the woman replied sweetly, "I'd have married you NO MATTER WHO LEFT YOU A  FORTUNE"

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Father to son after exam: "let me see your report card."

Son: "My friend just borrowed it.  He wants to scare his parents."

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Girl to her boyfriend:  One kiss and I'll be yours forever.

The guy replies:  Thanks for the early warning.

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A wife asked her husband: "What do you like most in me, my pretty face or my sexy  body?"

He looked at her from head to toe and replied: "I like your sense of humor".

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~ Here & There

~Are Red-Light Cameras Fair to Drivers?

These modern-day robocops make ticketing easier and can be huge moneymakers for local governments. But critics question their accuracy and fret over privacy issues.

Click on the link below , then scroll down to read the article:

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/InsureYourCar/AreRedLightCamerasFairToDrivers.aspx

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~TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS IN SCOTTSDALE

Nov. 16, 2006

The following is a partial list of road construction projects and traffic restrictions taking place in Scottsdale Nov. 17-26. For more information, contact mphillips@ScottsdaleAz.gov

PIMA ROAD, LOOP 101 TO HUALAPAI DRIVE
Pima Road will be closed from the Loop 101 Freeway exit north to Hualapai Drive from 8 p.m. this Friday, Nov. 17, to 5 a.m. Monday, Nov. 20. The closure is necessary to connect the new section of Pima Road to the existing freeway interchange and roadway.
The freeway exit will be open and allow access to and from Princess Drive south of the freeway, but motorists will not be able to get on or off of the freeway via Pima Road north of the Loop 101.  
Detour routes are Hayden Road and the newly opened Thompson Peak Parkway.  Local access will be provided to residents who live along Pima Road south of Thompson Peak Parkway in Ironwood Village, Pima Acres, DC Ranch and Grayhawk.  Access to homes will be provided from the north via the Pima Road and Thompson Peak Parkway intersection.
The closure is one of the last steps in the city's project to widen Pima Road north of the Loop 101.  After Monday, two lanes will be open in each direction at all times and all major work will be complete.  Intermittent closures of the third lane of traffic will take place through mid-January to allow work on landscaping and roadwork at major intersections.

SCOTTSDALE ROAD, McDONALD DRIVE TO LINCOLN ROAD
** The westbound curb lane on Lincoln Drive at Scottsdale Road and one of two northbound left-turn only lanes on Scottsdale Road at Lincoln will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 17-18, to permit roadwork.
** McDonald Drive will be reduced to one lane in each direction at Scottsdale Road on Sunday, Nov. 19, to permit repaving work. As part of this project, the northbound curb lane on Scottsdale Road at Lincoln also will be closed on Sunday.
** Northbound lane closures will take place on Scottsdale Road from McDonald Drive to Lincoln Road through Wednesday, Nov. 22, to permit utility line work. During the hours of 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. one northbound lane will be closed. During the hours of 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. two northbound lanes will be closed.

MOUNTAIN VIEW ROAD AT 108TH STREET
The westbound bike lane on Mountain View Road at 108th Street will be closed from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 20-21, to permit construction of sidewalk ramps. During those same dates and hours, westbound traffic on Mountain View will be shifted to the center lane.

PINNACLE PEAK ROAD, WEST OF PIMA ROAD
The eastbound curb lane on Pinnacle Peak Road, west of Pima Road, will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays through Nov. 24 to permit construction on a right-turn bay.

PIMA ROAD, VIA De VENTURA TO INTER CIRCLE DRIVE
Southbound Pima Road is reduced to one lane, from Via de Ventura to Inner Circle Drive, through November to permit road work.

THOMPSON PEAK PARKWAY, NORTH OF UNION HILLS DRIVE
The northbound curb lane on Thompson Peak Parkway, north of Union Hills Drive, will be closed through Nov. 24 for work on manholes.

OSBORN ROAD AT WELLS FARGO AVENUE
The westbound curb lane on Osborn Road at Wells Fargo Avenue will be closed through Friday, Nov. 17, to permit work on water lines.

TOM DARLINGTON DRIVE AT BOULDER PASS
Traffic will be reduced to one lane in both directions on Tom Darlington Drive at  Boulder Pass from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily through Nov. 27 to permit utility line work.

McDOWELL ROAD RESTRICTIONS:
** Lane closures will take place at times in both directions of McDowell Road at Pima Road from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily through Nov. 28 to permit water line work.
** The westbound cub lane on McDowell at Hayden Road will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Friday, Nov. 17, to permit construction of a turn bay.
**Eastbound traffic will be reduced to one lane on McDowell Road at 74th Street from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. through Sunday, Nov. 19, to permit water line work.

MILLER ROAD, BELLEVIEW TO MORELAND STREETS
Bike lanes will be closed in both directions on Miller Road from Belleview to Moreland streets from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily through November to permit water line installation. During those same dates and hours, northbound traffic on Miller Road will be shifted to the center lane.

124TH SREET AND SHEA BOULEVARD
Through Friday, Nov. 17, the southbound curb lane on Shea and the westbound curb lane on 124th Street will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily for road work.

74TH STREET RESTRICTIONS
** 74th Street will be completely closed between McDowell Road and Belleview Road through Dec. 8 for utility work related to the SkySong project.
** Lane closures in both directions will take place at times on 74th Street at Shea Boulevard from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily through Friday, Nov. 17 to permit utility line work.

HIGHLAND AVENUE AT SCOTTSDALE ROAD
Westbound traffic will be reduced to on lane on Highland Avenue at Scottsdale Road from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily through Wednesday, Nov. 22, for road work.

HAYDEN/CACTUS ROADS INTERSECTION
The Hayden Road/Cactus Road intersection is reduced to one lane in all directions through mid December to permit road improvement work. As part of this project, Redfield Road from 79th Street to Hayden Road is restricted to one lane in each direction through November.
For more information on the Cactus Road widening project, visit:
http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/capitalprojects/proj_report.asp?proj=S2103&status=S2103

HAYDEN ROAD AT McDOWELL
The southbound curb lane on Hayden Road at McDowell Road will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily through Nov. 23 to permit landscaping along the roadway.

CAMELBACK ROAD, 64TH TO 68TH STREETS
Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction on Camelback Road from 64th to 68th streets through November to permit street improvements.
More information on this project is available at:
http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/capitalprojects/proj_report.asp?proj=S0301&status=S0301

DOWNING OLSEN DRIVE, EAST OF PIMA ROAD TO 89TH PLACE
Downing Olsen Drive will be completely closed to traffic from east of Pima Road to west of 89th Place through early December for work on water lines. The recommended alternative route is 94th Street south to Bell Road.
More information on this project is available at:
http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/capitalprojects/proj_report.asp?proj=S2104&status=S2104

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The Scottsdale Activist is very pleased to announce an effort on the behalf of the residents and taxpayers of the city of Scottsdale to promote open, honest and accountable city government. The Scottsdale Legal Defense Fund (SLDF) has been created to take legal action to hold the City accountable when its actions are contrary to state law, the City Charter, City ordinances or the public interest.

The most necessary ingredient to make the SLDF work will be confidential contributions from concerned Scottsdale citizens who are willing to help their community.  By contributing, we can change the way City Hall does business and insure that our tax dollars will be spent wisely.

No funds from the SLDF will or can be used for any political purpose.

Contributions shall be kept confidential as permissible by law and can be made in any Washington Mutual Bank to account number 3114165786 for the Scottsdale Legal Defense Fund. Branch locations are listed below. Contributions are not tax deductible.

The SLDF has retained the law firm of Miller LaSota & Peters, PLC, in connection with the patently illegal action taken by the Mayor and Council appointing the most recent Scottsdale City Attorney, while ignoring the residency requirement of the Scottsdale City Charter even though the new City Attorney’s contract (according to Scottsdale Republic reporter Laurie Roberts) requires that she reside in Scottsdale.  The City Council action was based on a legal opinion which was reportedly rendered during a closed door Executive Session of the City Council by a subordinate to the then acting City Attorney, who was subsequently appointed to the City Attorney position by a vote during a public City Council meeting. The opinion has been requested as a public document under state law, but the City has not yet provided it. The SLDF will take other appropriate legal actions based on the conduct of the Mayor and Council.

Washington Mutual Bank Locations at which contributions to the SLDF can be made are:

72^nd & Shea                    7337 E. Shea Blvd #120                480-609-8524
Hayden & Chaparral     7908 E. Chaparral # C-113            480-949-0069
Horizon                            14854 N Frank Lloyd Wright         480-614-6660
Scottsdale Ranch          10155 E. Via Linda Blvd #131       480-767-2060
Kierland Village              6501 E. Greenway Pkwy #133     480-315-2905

There are many other branches throughout the Valley.

 ~ How can the city politico's pull such an inane speaker to a Townhall Meeting and not expect us to figure out what they are up to?

 ~ Thank you city for starting to clean up the old Villa Monterey Golf Course. Are you going to put in a cross country course for us runners and joggers?

 ~ I would like to congratulate the Brush crews for doing such a great job, but suggest that the other trucks that pick up out trash canisters that they be a bit more careful. They're dumping them into the driveways from time to time.

 ~ Holy Cow!! Those trees on Indian School near Miller that looked like they would fall in the street are GONE!! Yippee

 ~ OMG!! After reading about those 24 foot high tanks, I had to look for myself. That is a total outrage! How does this city allow such a thing to happen?

 ~ Until that "Stink" is gone from the canal project, I'm not going back.

 ~ We need to charge the candidate who leave signs up a whole bunch of money for everyday they're up after the election. Didn't the Activist have a plan for that? What happened to it if you did? Editors Note: We're waiting impatiently for the council to act. They'll probably wait until June of next year so we won't have enough time to challenge their actions as usual.

 ~ It's sure funny that I rarely see any accidents on the 101 and I also don't see any off and on the brake pedals between the radar cameras. Traffic is flowing so much smoother now that the cameras are off. But boy there seem to be more cops than usual.

 ~ They'll have to run over my body to put light rail up Scottsdale Road and I'm serious!

 ~ Hey Code Enforcement, aren't you tagging cars stored in driveways anymore? They're starting to build up again as are the dead trees and not because its fall.

 ~ The 'birds are back. Try going anywhere west of Hayden on any day but Sunday. Let's get Chaparral widened, that would at least help along with the project on Indian Bend Stating.

 ~ What's with the Cheesecake Factory? Have their prices have gone up again or have I been back east too long?

 ~ I'm sure going to stand on the curb and wait for light rail to come by so I can go somewhere at 8 mph. NOT!!! Just get a good bus system and be done with it.