~ Will They try to Sneak Something Through Again?

Vacations have started and many of our contributors have gone to places cooler than Scottsdale so the letters to the editor section is rather sparse this week.

The July 14 edition may be either posted on Thursday the 12th, or maybe not at all if the council is smart and doesn't try any fast ones on the citizens while so many are out of town.

That is a favorite trick of Manross and Company in case anyone wondered what we were talking about. They love to drop last minute stuff on the council at the last meeting before their summer hiatus.

(Return to Top)

~ Wild Animal Land Bridge?

Just in passing as we always do, we took a look at the Agenda for the COS Preserve Commission meeting July 5th at 5:00 p.m. at the Preservation Office in Scottsdale.

There is an item on it, #8 Land Bridge across Dynamite, which is a boondoggle of the costliest kind. We’re not sure at this point in time who is pushing it, but we’re told that Carla and her brother backed it in the past.

The idea as we hear it was to either tunnel a significant section of Dynamite somewhere around 128th Street to 136th Street or to create an overpass bridge over Dynamite so that the wild animals could move from the southern preserve to the northern preserve, or the reverse, without having to cross the road. Wild animals are extremely reluctant to cross or enter anything which exposes them to other dangers especially when they are confined to an unfamiliar area with nowhere to flee. Having worked with wild animals for many years, their only need from mankind is to be able to cross uncrossable waters such as the CAP canal, which we now know they cross at will as they chose with little to no loss of life, just as they do in the wilds of Africa. They will only use manmade crossings if forced to by fencing both sides with 8’ fences for more than a mile or two on both sides of the road or waterway from the entry to the manmade crossing.

Besides the costs of engineering, the costs of either plan would be astronomical and could well bankrupt the city leaving the city infrastructure and other "people" amenities such as parks and libraries to dive into the depths of costly deferred maintenance which has already begun thanks to the "astute (?)" management of one City Manager Jan Dolan.

Worse yet, there is absolutely no scientific evidence other than the whimsical fancies of a fanatical minute few that the "land bridge" is needed at all. What species migrate in that manner here in Scottsdale? Usually land bridges have been tried as mitigation for a new project because of the existing migratory patterns of specific species or because deep manmade waterways inhibit there progress to other areas used by said "animals". What evidence do we have of that in Scottsdale? How many animals would be "saved?" At what ridiculous cost? And who would pay for this nonsense?

If preserve tax dollars through bonding are suggested, what will be given up to build this monstrosity and whose land would have to be condemned to facilitate both ends of this bridge? What access points and what trails might not happen? Would the voters actually support such nonsensical, hair-brained spending?

Who could give you an accurate report on what’s really going on here? It might be very interesting to see what is presented and who presents it at the meeting on July 5^th. That’s the only way for anyone to know what’s really behind this point number 8 on the Preserve Commission meeting agenda.

The real point of this article is that the city has already spent all of the monies projected for the preserve and have acquired the land that was originally designated to be preserved.

Generally speaking, the southern portion of the city has paid this bill which we don’t have a problem with. But, should the mayor or the Commission decide that they want to buy the additional land they have now decided they want, the cost would be, according to current values, over 4 Billion with a capital "B" tax dollars.

Does anyone really think the Scottsdale taxpayers will pony up these kinds of dollars for the preserve and its amenities when the streets, parks, and other chronic infrastructure needs are being put on the back burner?

We think a definite NOT!!!

 ~ "NEXT" Needs to be Closed............

Here we go again. A permit was turned down by the council so the owner of NEXT, a bar in Craftsman Court, is currently in litigation with the city over the failure to get the needed approval to continue to operate. But................

• The bar is still operating.

• The bar still doesn't have a permit.

• The bar still hasn't fixed the problems concerning the filthy sidewalk and wall in front of the establishment and Lord knows what other violations the bar has on file with the city.

Our question is rather simple: What is it about "NO" that the owner of "NEXT" doesn't understand?

The bar hasn't made even a feeble effort to clean the gum and stains from the sidewalk or wall in front of the bar, has continued to make big bucks by not being closed down like it should have been.

Why does the city council allow this kind of behavior when they have already denied the permit?

Is there something going on here that the staff isn't talking about but the public should know about?

Is "NEXT" using the lawsuit as a bargaining tool?

We think there probably is and they are................

Unknown to many, council members are handed many last minute proposals which are sneaked into the consent agenda just prior (24 hours) to their meeting. They rarely get time to read anything but the synopsis before the meeting is called to order.

The synopsis, of course, is written by staff members (under Dolan's orders) who made the proposal and therefore are prejudiced in favor of the proposal.

We feel this is by the design of both Mayor Manross and Jan Dolan with the city attorney standing by just in case she has to verify Dolan's decisions.

An open suggestion to the city council:

• Table ANY and ALL subjects which they have not had adequate time to research and determine the pro and cons to the proposal.
   

• Demand that staff (who, by the way answers to the council) get the necessary information to council members in a reasonable time frame for the council members to do due diligence on research on any given subject and proposal.

We feel this is a simple and honest way to handle the "stuffing" of the consent agenda by the staff and Dolan (with Manross approval) which seems to be happening with a much greater frequency since Dolan joined the city.

Does this set some issues back on the time table? Absolutely!! Don't you think it would be better have complete research performed by the council rather than rely on prejudiced staff members for a fair and honest evaluation? 

(Return to Top)

 ~ Camelback Getting Humped

Being built in the middle of the Indian Bend Wash at Camelback is a new "Traffic Table". This little beauty will damage unsuspecting vehicles, busses, and other low slung vehicles, cost lots to install and even more to maintain annually. That doesn't even speak to the legitimacy of the installation or the possibility of legal action from owners of vehicles that sustained damage because of the devices.

Again the question of Dolan's unnecessary "street furniture" rears it's nasty, ugly head. When we contacted Menlo Park CA concerning the traffic islands, traffic tables, traffic circles, and Street Furniture installed under the tutelage of Jan Dolan, their city manager before coming to Scottsdale, we were advised that all but 2 were almost immediately removed due to high maintenance costs, accidents and resident complaints. The remaining 2 were in a residential area where there wasn't any way for pass through traffic to get to another location other than home.

We have some simple questions which we know from prior experience, the city staff WILL NOT answer with any direct information,  so city council members need to demand the answers from staff:

• Has the Army Corp of Engineers approved this device in an obvious flood zone in writing?
   

• Has the Maricopa County Flood Control District approved the installation in writing?
   

• Has the U. S. Department of Reclamation approved the installation in writing?
   

• What is the exact cost for each and every traffic entry island, round-about, traffic circle, speed reducing apparatus, and traffic tables?
   

• What is the annual maintenance, repair, and upkeep cost on each of the the items above?
   

• Exactly where is all of the money coming from to build these useless devices when we have repairs on streets and roads being deferred (put on hold) because of lack of funds?
   

• Why are there traffic islands with signs showing a crosswalk where no crosswalk (physically marked by painted lines) exists?
   

• Why is a entry island less than 100 yards from a designated school crosswalk with a working crossing guard while the entry island has a sign showing it as a crosswalk, but has no crossing guard or crosswalk lines?

It's more than apparent that the city manager and mayor are doing everything they can as fast as they can so their agendas are completed before Dolan is fired, or Manross loses the election at which time Dolan and Robberson will immediately be history anyway.

Any doubts in your mind that this is happening? Just read the council meeting agendas for yourself. 

(Return to Top)

 ~Where is the Council when They are Needed?

It seems like the city council members and especially Mayor Manross evaporate, disappear, or plead ignorance when questions are asked about some of the staff procedures and why they are allowed to run the city as they obviously do.

Can someone please answer the question?

Respectfully,

John Cayley
Scottsdale

~Camelback gets a Nasty Hump 

I got a call from a friend asking me if I was aware of the Oz Transportation department’s latest and greatest feat of intelligence taking place on Camelback, just  east of Hayden Road. Surprisingly since my back is giving me problems again I expressed my desire not to do any more moving around than I had to and had not been in the area for the last few weeks. 

My friend told me I needed to go over and take a peek and to bring a camera with me so off I went down the yellow brick road to see what the General of Transportation and her flying monkeys were up to now. 

Below is the picture of what I saw and what is going on. 

Yep, you got it; a speed table is being installed on the dead end road of Camelback in an area where there are no residences until you hit 82^nd street. An area that is predominately used by motor vehicles going to SARS, the baseball fields, and to the Scottsdale Cooking Academy and is not even a residential street where these things are usually placed to slow traffic for a neighborhood that has gone completely through the public process. 

Not only is this not in a neighborhood setting so to speak, but it is in the middle of the wash which when and if it rains in the desert, is prone to flooding and I had to ask myself what flying dingbat from the outhouse (city hall) thought up this great plan. 

What was the criteria that drove this decision to place yet another major obstacle in the middle of a street and of all streets Camelback? 

Now mind you if you are a citizen of Oz and ask the council to consider a petition you were forced to bring forward regarding a traffic issue, the supposed leaders of Oz will tell you “go away until we have completed our million dollar traffic study”. 

But when it comes to the dingbats at the outhouse they can do whatever they want before the plan is even brought forward that may not be something the high dollar experts are going to agree with and we all know the General of Transportation and her minions will never remove something they have placed on a street even if it has been proven to be a hazard. 

For example; during my conversation at the palace (Kiva) with the Oz commission on transportation when we were trying to have a hazard removed from 87^th and McDowell which is called an “entry island”, one of the commissioners stated on the public record that “these things get hit all the time by motorist” and I guess that means it is okay to keep installing the stupid things when they know that they are a hazard to the motoring Ozites. 

Now, don’t ask the supposed leaders of Oz why they keep allowing such expensive and stupid actions to take place when they are not even informed of such actions and of all things, actions that have pissed off Ozites since the introduction of the Wizard and her damn roundabouts which by the way have been ripped out of the last city who employed her as a menace to motorist and a danger to all drivers (the traffic stuff, not the Wizard, even though we are not sure that is the correct conclusion). 

Maybe we could prod one of the supposed leaders like Sir Tony, Airport Bob, or even bean-counter Jim to ask the questions of who, what, how, how much, and why? 

Some questions could be along the lines of, 

·        Did the city get the required amount of signatures from area residents to place this there?

·        Was this brought forward by a resident and did they go out and get the required signatures to place this there?

·        What public outreach took place to the surrounding community and how many people attended the meeting as well as how many meetings were held? 

Yeah I know, I live in the Land of Oz too and the outhouse (city hall) can do and place whatever crap they like on the streets and they do not need to follow policy or procedures the public has to when we ask for something to be done. 

My understanding is that it is a pretty lengthy and detailed process that must be followed before the city will place such a traffic obstacle in your community and since the community is pretty far away from this obstacle, it begs the question of what the hell is going on here. 

Maybe there was a discussion held and was held in an executive session that is so loved by our leaders? 

I just do not understand how it is that our elected leaders of Oz can continue allowing the Wizard of roundabouts and traffic menaces to continue a campaign to clog our streets with traffic hazards in a time when congestion and traffic flows are a problem. 

Maybe before the council starts the new fiscal year they can agendize a discussion that will put in place a system of information as to ; 

• What have the costs to the taxpayers been for all of these obstacles and menaces that have been installed over the last 3 years and what are the projected costs for the next 3 years to continue placing these obstacles in the roads?
   
• What are the costs in total for repairs to these obstacles over the last three years that the city has installed for the entire city?
   
• Can we track over the next 3 fiscal years what all the costs are relating to the maintenance of all road obstacles such as roundabouts and entry islands city wide?

I am sure they will also get the same responses we have when we asked those questions and it will be that it is very complicated to track these things and there is a need for more specific areas or projects that you would like information for. 

So, for those of you who use Camelback to get home I guess you will have to live with this large Umpa Lumpa that the city has placed in your path, a path that does not seem to meet the required criteria for such a placement and can cause serious damage to may types of vehicles. 

Anyway, it should be fun to go and take pictures of after a flood and it gets washed away and then we can find out how much more we will have to pay to have it fixed, and the list of stupidity in Transportation and what the city can get away with under the Grand Wizards plans for us seems endless.

It appears that NEXT bar has pulled its application, yet again, for the Conditional Use Permit that it needs to turn itself into a full blown bar. BUT.... it operated as a full blown bar on a restaurant liquor license and is presently allowed to operate as a full blown bar with no conditional use permit, as the Wizard (Jan Dolan) and the Wicked Witch (Manross) continue to allow this to happen. I say, "allowing it to happen," as the city is violating its own laws by allowing them to operate a bar with a series 6 license against the City codes saying that all Bars must have a conditional use permit to operate in the city limits.

The law does not say that the council may skip around this law and it also does not say that the Wizard and the General of Law (Robberson) can make special arrangements for bar owners to violate the laws. However, since the city of Oz never closed the establishment until such a time as a judge decided the case, we have allowed this establishment to continue to operate for nearly a year without ever getting a date for a hearing in a court of law.

The Council has sat blind and stupid to the issue of they themselves breaking the laws of Oz which were adopted by Councils of Oz from the past. I mean to say, that this is no shock in the Land of Oz as there are many other instances of the Council hiding behind the General of Laws "opinions" of interpretation of Oz Law, or is it the interpretation of the Wizard of Oz?

So, what could be going on in the bowels of the Oz outhouse (City Hall) that makes our supposed leaders (the Council of Oz) believe that they have special powers to allow the Wizard and the General of Law to violate the laws, and just how the hell do they (supposed leaders) expect the Ozites to trust them when they allow Umpa Lumpa turd’s to foul the yellow brick road?

I move that the council of Oz get off their dead asses of stupidity and agendize an item to instruct the Wizard and General of Law to move forward, set a court date, and lets get this over with as there really could be no judge who would not side with the city considering the track record of this establishment and what it has done to the surrounding area. Further more, I move that the Council instruct the Wizard and the General to pad lock the business until such a determination by a court is made and that it not be allowed to operate "illegally" in the city limits until such a time.

Yeah, don’t hold your breath with these folks that really run the city and have elected, in part, their own bobble heads to pretend they really run the city. This is the reason for the title of this column being called, "Living in the Land of Oz," as it is another classic example of a fairy tale comes to life.

Since the departure of Randy Grant, the past zoning administrator for the Land of Oz and the guy who used to tell me, along with Ed Gawf, that I was preaching to the choir on issues, I have asked twice now, who the new zoning administrator is for the Land of Oz only to have never gotten a reply on either occasion.

Now, this is a serious issue since the zoning administrator is the one who first reviews development and planning applications which also includes Use permits, Conditional Use Permits, major and minor general plan amendments, and also holds final decisions in disputes that the council never hears, and presides over zoning hearings in the land of Oz.

Twice in the last 6 months we have challenged the Land of Oz leaders about applications submitted illegally. The issue of Fredrick R. Unger and his General Plan Amendment that encompassed land in downtown that he did not own, so he could build yet another Hotel that he claims "even the President would stay at!" That was a violation of the Land of Oz Laws which requires the applicant to have legal holdings to almost all property within the boundaries of change. The zoning administrator not only allowed the application to come forward, but they also placed the plan on the city web site which shows you how far the city went forward in an illegal and un-ethical manner.

Another is the case of NEXT bar, which still sits in violation of a number of Oz Laws and is operating illegally, but was also brought forward and placed on agendas after the zoning administrators review. Who do you suppose also made the decision to allow NEXT to stay open in violation of the Oz Laws?

The question of who took the post of zoning administrator has gone unanswered from the city. Scuttlebutt from the inside of the Outhouse (City Hall) has it that none other than Frank Gray is the zoning administrator even though the laws of Oz says the appointment shall be made by the city manager (the Wizard), and I have yet to hear of this appointment publicly.

However, if one of the Wizards' other Generals, directed by the General of Oz Land, assumes the title it would be a serious conflict of his present title, and I would believe an "unethical" action being carried out by the Wizard and the Wicked Witch.

So, will the real zoning administrator of the Land of Oz please stand up and be publicly noted as such?

 ~Oz falls to #6 of largest cities.

It appears that the city has yet again placed another brick in the wall of community protection and this time it is in the Northern section of Oz, along Pima Road which the City is going to widen to six lanes. A question that should run through the minds of Ozites is this: how many times have we ripped up Pima Road in the North to widen it or add a center median or whatever else the City sees fit to do to this road and how much has it cost the taxpayers to do this time and time again?

The issue, this time, comes from the fact the "flying dingbats" of Oz seem to have decided that a sound wall should be placed along one side of the road to keep noise levels down for a golf course and the residents on the other side of the new six lane road do not get a wall.

Now, it is noted the City seems to be concerned with blocking the views of the mountains while driving down Pima road. Mountains that tower over any wall the city has planned, and if you are staring at the mountains while trying to drive down Pima Road than you are going to kill somebody.

Another funny note on the issue is that one of the "flying dingbats" is afraid of creating a "tunnel or canyon effect" for the area when it did not bother anyone when they created the same effect along the irrigation ditch along/the canal bank/Waterfront in Downtown. You want to talk about a canyon effect, stand your butt on Camelback and Scottsdale Road and look West down the canal and talk to me about a canyon effect.

Residents of Canada Vista are rightfully pissed off over the latest showing of how the leaders of Oz protect communities and if they want a real taste of how the city protects communities, drag your butts down South and see what we have to deal with and the fight that is coming when they decide to try to widen Pima Road down here so they can relieve congestion on the 101 at the cost of the southern communities.

Down here, in the South, we will get the sounds of the new freeway reliever on top of the noise we still hear from the 101, plus since we are not gated communities, we will get all the cut through traffic once the reliever gets overloaded.

Well, here we are again with another "executive session," as the leaders of Oz call them, and this one revolves around the Auditor of the Outhouse (City Hall) and her evaluations of city departments run amuck. Leaders of Oz are crying that the reports are too harsh and that the auditor needs to tone them down, and heaven forbid the public actually get the real low down on how the City functions.

Now, I am going to stand on my soapbox this time and make it very clear that the leaders of Oz are becoming some of the most chicken poop , spineless , and conniving little weasels that have run this city in many years. The leaders of Oz have gone into hiding on so many occasions on issues that the public should be getting informed on, and those meetings hold no legal ramifications, whatsoever, and should be held in an OPEN PUBLIC MEETING!

In a bid to stop the flow of losses to the City staff that is run by the Grand Wizard and her side kick the Wicked Witch, Ozites have added another permanent 10 million dollars to the taxpayers to try to boost morale and retain staff. The Wizard herself was too chicken poop to send a memo to staff regarding the issue of Raun Keagy and his new 20% raise and new title, which has yanked the chains of the rest of the employees. So, she has none other than Judy Register, the General of Public Disinformation and Resources send a memo to staff saying that all is well.

So, what was the need that was so urgent that the Wicked Witch had to drag the supposed leaders of Oz into Executive Session twice, so they could conjure up some secret plan to combat the findings of the City Auditors reports, and maybe, a way to hide them from the public? Could it be that the supposed leaders of Oz had to huddle to figure out a way to remove the present City Auditor, but need to keep it under wraps so the city does not look like it is bleeding out more than it is? Could the Wizard have come up with new procedures that the Auditor will have to follow and is trying to get the Council of Oz to approve, behind closed doors, so that the Ozites never really get the truth of problems of departments run amuck?

The Ozites will never now because we have a spineless majority of leaders in this City and I am thankful that these clowns are going on vacation. It is not for them to get a break, it is for the Ozites who challenge the Council and their staff of ding bats, flying monkeys, and generals, along with the Wizard of Titles ( Jan Dolan).

If anyone needs a break in this City it is the beloved activists of this City and the residents forced to do battle with these clowns and a City structure that is so lost and clueless it rains the words of "run and hide in secret meetings and don’t let the public know what we are doing".

I just pray that in the next election that Ozites realize the current path that these clowns are taking our city and our quality of life and stuff them in a can so we can remove the Wizard and her minions and begin to rebuild our city on what "had" made this city so very special in the first place.

Michael Merrill
F8713@aol.com

It is a terrible shame that most of our leaders today  think than they  know more than the leaders who established a democracy (Representative Republic) that has lasted more than 200 yrs.

Unfortunately there are so many soulless and immoral celebrities that are in the public eye that profess to know more than the selfless leaders of the past.  These, along with the "what is in it for me" politicians (and "you owe me" voters) are leading our country down the wrong path.

This should be mandatory viewing for our government leaders and Supreme Court as well as every  American who really care about their country.

Just double click on the video link below!
 
http://www.interviewwithgod.com/patriotic/highband.htm

~ 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)

~ Prop 13 Arizona

(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)

 

~ For Continuing Information on Photo Radar,
Click on the Logo below.

(Return to Top)

 ~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

(Return to Top)

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.