By now, most folks who care know that at Tuesday's meeting of the Scottsdale City Council, the Council voted 4-3 to withdraw from the Partner Council of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce. The vote was taken allegedly in response to a ruling that the C of C violated campaign finance laws during last year's elections and would have to pay some fines.
This particular dust-up has been going on since last year's election cycle when the C of C sent out some mailers that looked to endorse the former mayor, Mary Manross, and three candidates for Council, Ron McCullagh, Betty Drake, and Suzanne Klapp. The mailers purported only to discuss the "pro-business" and "pro-Scottsdale" qualifications of the candidates. The C of C claimed that the mailers (and some related TV spots) weren't "political" because they didn't ask anyone to vote for the candidates.
Complaints were filed by some of the non-endorsed candidates, including eventual mayoral victor Jim Lane. Various legal opinions followed that disagreed with the C of C's position, including one in late November from a state administrative law judge.
During the process and since the latest ruling. there have both been calls for the City to withdraw any support it provides to the Chamber as well as sustained withering criticism of then-candidates Klapp and McCullagh for not resigning their positions in the C of C.
None of this should be much of a surprise, because as Greg at Espresso Pundit notes, when the C of C tried to influence the election, they should have made sure that their candidate won.
In politics, retribution is far more frequent than is forgiveness. Lane's vengeance for the Chamber's lack of support for him was fully expected.
Still, the payback theme of the meetings of this year's Council has overwhelmed almost everything else, including common sense, fairness, and ethical consistency.
During the meeting Tuesday night, Mayor Lane pontificated that the City should withdraw from the Chamber because he didn't think that the City should be associated with any organization that breaks the law, in this case, violations of campaign finance laws.
The money quote; the fact that the City and some members of the Council are involved with the C of C "implies that the City itself participated in this."
Hmmm...where could I find "hypocrisy" and "double standards" there, and perhaps an opportunity to apply a little "guilt by association" here?
The sarcastic cynic in me (which I *never* give free rein to...OK, almost never :) ) thinks that this is all merely retribution from Lane because the C of C didn't support him in last year's election and that his moral outrage is of the "faux and one-sided" variety.
However, it is possible that Lane truly respects organizations that follow the law and simply doesn't want the City, the Council, or any of its members associated with an organization that ever breaks laws.
As Mayor, he has to be concerned for the image of the Council and the City, and doesn't want even the appearance of impropriety to sully that image.
The months-long witch hunt against former City Manager John Little notwithstanding.
Which I could accept, except for the fact that the Mayor and at least five of the six members of the Council are Republicans (Lane freely admits that he is one, Borowsky is a member of the Arizona Federation of Republican Women, Klapp, Littlefield, and McCullagh are members of the AZGOP's State Committee representing LD8, and Tony Nelssen is considered to be a Republican's Republican. I'm not sure about Wayne Ecton's registration - based on the few conversationsI think he is an R, but I cannot find independent verification of that right at this moment.)
So, in light of the fact that during the same election cycle, the AZGOP accepted illegal contributions that were earmarked to fund some of the sleaziest ads in recent memory, for the sake of consistency, they've all resigned their positions within the Arizona Republican Party and barred any organs of the AZGOP from using City facilities, so as not to associate the City with illegal activities...in this case, violations of campaign finance laws.
Right?
OK, so I don't expect them to really resign from the GOP, nor do I think that they should, and unless they were directly involved with campaign contribution laundering scheme with Arpaio, Fox, Pullen, and the rest, it shouldn't even be a matter for discussion. As sleazy as the ads and those campaign violations were, they are the responsibility of the people involved, not all Republicans.
By the same token, unless Lane, his followers on the Council (Borowsky, Littlefield, and Nelssen), and his friends/advisers masquerading as outraged "independent" residents of Scottsdale (Whitmer, Fernandez, et. al.) can show that McCullagh and Klapp were directly involved in the C of C's ad campaign, they should give it a rest, lest the same tactics are applied to them.
I don't expect them to learn that lesson, and neither should any readers -
So far, the scheming, back-biting, and hypocrisy have worked for Lane et. al., and they have no reason to stop until their tactics cease to work.
Laurie Roberts of the Arizona Republic has a pro-Council, anti-C of C view here.
Later...
Showing posts with label Manross. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manross. Show all posts
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Scottsdale City Manager keeps his job - for another 3 months, anyway
Tuesday's meeting of the Scottsdale City Council began as most of them do, with a local group of kids (a Brownie troop this week) reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. In honor of Constitution Week, they announced that they would also recite the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution (You know, the one that starts "We the People...)
Which they did an awesome job with, except for the fact that they recited the beginning of the Declaration of Independence. (You know, the one that starts "When in the course of human events...)
Close, but... :)
That should have been the first clue that the original plan for the meeting (basically for the Council to fire City Manager John Little via a 4-3 vote) wasn't going to come off *quite* as planned, but would still be in the ballpark.
What was officially supposed to be a discussion of Little's job performance was more of a kangaroo court. It was made clear by a number of Council members that this evaluation was not about how well Little had met the goals and objectives of his job, because they had never laid out any for him to meet.
The tactics of his detractors on the Council (Borowsky, Mayor Lane, Littlefield, and Nelssen) consisted of harping on the things about Little that they didn't like (his "attitude" and conflicts with the Mayor, mostly). Council member Lisa Borowsky *did* mention that she thought Little is a good guy, before excoriating him for "not getting along" with the majority of the Council.
That was a pattern from the detractors - compliment him on his "charm" and then criticize him for his "insubordination."
There was also a tendency to allude to "other issues" without being specific (Borowsky referred to a rumor that not only was Little not "open" with the Mayor and Council, he wasn't "open" with other charter officers who were "open" with the Mayor and Council.)
That would have to refer to City Clerk Carolyn Jagger, who's pretty much the only charter officer left standing since Jim Lane took over the Mayor's job.
Tony Nelssen even accused Little of taking the City Manager's job just so he could list it on his resume.
In the end, though, it all came down to the contentious relationship between the City Manager and the Mayor.
They want to fire Little because he doesn't genuflect enthusiastically enough when the Mayor enters the room.
Nothing more tangible, or job performance-related, than that.
To be certain, Little had his supporters, too.
Council members Ecton, Klapp, and McCullagh made it clear that they thought Little has done well playing the hand he has been dealt and deserves to keep his job.
Ecton - "He has done an excellent job in a difficult time."
McCullagh - This is "not the easiest council to work with."
Klapp - "Six months is too short a period" to evaluate job performance.
Little also had strong support from the community and from rank-and-file City employees, including former Council member Robert Pettycrew and the Scottsdale Police Officers Association.
Most praised Little's honesty and "uncompromising integrity." Pettycrew, being a former member of the Council, brought some historical perspective to the mix, noting that there has been an "erosion" in the how the Council and City Staff relate to each other.
The end result of it all was a bit of a surprise - Council member Ron McCullagh moved to keep Little in his job and revisit the evaluation in six months. Nelssen said he could support a 90-day period, so McCullagh amended his motion to that time period.
Surprisingly, the amended motion passed by a 4-3 vote (Borowsky, Lane, Littlefield opposed - they want to fire Little immediately), giving Little a three-month reprieve.
So, after more than a couple of hours of contentious discussion, nothing was settled. Come back in December.
AZRepublic coverage here.
...A couple of observations on the events at the meeting.
- If Little has failed as City Manager, the most legitimate reason to fire him (and failure wasn't proven or even charged), then the Council has failed too. They hand-picked him to replace Jan Dolan and voted him in by a 7-0 vote.
- While the Mayor and members of the Council are intelligent and educated, they aren't very bright. There was some talk of Tuesday's story in the Republic about how the City has turned around a gaping budget deficit and now has a $6.6 million surplus, but they ignored the story of the investigation of the Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District by the national college accrediting organization. They're in trouble because of "micromanagement."
There's a lesson there for all at the meeting.
While the Scottsdale City Council doesn't have an accrediting agency to answer to, it does have voters to answer to, and will next year. It also has independent measures like the City's bond rating to help gauge the effectiveness of the City's day-to-day management, and the interference of the Mayor and City Council in the day-to-day affairs of the City does not bode well for the City's bond rating and other measures.
- Little was not the only target in Lane's sights during the meeting. Two of his supporters introduced petitions callng for the resignations of non-Lane clique Council members Klapp and McCullagh because the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce's political activity last year.
Which they did an awesome job with, except for the fact that they recited the beginning of the Declaration of Independence. (You know, the one that starts "When in the course of human events...)
Close, but... :)
That should have been the first clue that the original plan for the meeting (basically for the Council to fire City Manager John Little via a 4-3 vote) wasn't going to come off *quite* as planned, but would still be in the ballpark.
What was officially supposed to be a discussion of Little's job performance was more of a kangaroo court. It was made clear by a number of Council members that this evaluation was not about how well Little had met the goals and objectives of his job, because they had never laid out any for him to meet.
The tactics of his detractors on the Council (Borowsky, Mayor Lane, Littlefield, and Nelssen) consisted of harping on the things about Little that they didn't like (his "attitude" and conflicts with the Mayor, mostly). Council member Lisa Borowsky *did* mention that she thought Little is a good guy, before excoriating him for "not getting along" with the majority of the Council.
That was a pattern from the detractors - compliment him on his "charm" and then criticize him for his "insubordination."
There was also a tendency to allude to "other issues" without being specific (Borowsky referred to a rumor that not only was Little not "open" with the Mayor and Council, he wasn't "open" with other charter officers who were "open" with the Mayor and Council.)
That would have to refer to City Clerk Carolyn Jagger, who's pretty much the only charter officer left standing since Jim Lane took over the Mayor's job.
Tony Nelssen even accused Little of taking the City Manager's job just so he could list it on his resume.
In the end, though, it all came down to the contentious relationship between the City Manager and the Mayor.
They want to fire Little because he doesn't genuflect enthusiastically enough when the Mayor enters the room.
Nothing more tangible, or job performance-related, than that.
To be certain, Little had his supporters, too.
Council members Ecton, Klapp, and McCullagh made it clear that they thought Little has done well playing the hand he has been dealt and deserves to keep his job.
Ecton - "He has done an excellent job in a difficult time."
McCullagh - This is "not the easiest council to work with."
Klapp - "Six months is too short a period" to evaluate job performance.
Little also had strong support from the community and from rank-and-file City employees, including former Council member Robert Pettycrew and the Scottsdale Police Officers Association.
Most praised Little's honesty and "uncompromising integrity." Pettycrew, being a former member of the Council, brought some historical perspective to the mix, noting that there has been an "erosion" in the how the Council and City Staff relate to each other.
The end result of it all was a bit of a surprise - Council member Ron McCullagh moved to keep Little in his job and revisit the evaluation in six months. Nelssen said he could support a 90-day period, so McCullagh amended his motion to that time period.
Surprisingly, the amended motion passed by a 4-3 vote (Borowsky, Lane, Littlefield opposed - they want to fire Little immediately), giving Little a three-month reprieve.
So, after more than a couple of hours of contentious discussion, nothing was settled. Come back in December.
AZRepublic coverage here.
...A couple of observations on the events at the meeting.
- If Little has failed as City Manager, the most legitimate reason to fire him (and failure wasn't proven or even charged), then the Council has failed too. They hand-picked him to replace Jan Dolan and voted him in by a 7-0 vote.
- While the Mayor and members of the Council are intelligent and educated, they aren't very bright. There was some talk of Tuesday's story in the Republic about how the City has turned around a gaping budget deficit and now has a $6.6 million surplus, but they ignored the story of the investigation of the Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District by the national college accrediting organization. They're in trouble because of "micromanagement."
There's a lesson there for all at the meeting.
While the Scottsdale City Council doesn't have an accrediting agency to answer to, it does have voters to answer to, and will next year. It also has independent measures like the City's bond rating to help gauge the effectiveness of the City's day-to-day management, and the interference of the Mayor and City Council in the day-to-day affairs of the City does not bode well for the City's bond rating and other measures.
- Little was not the only target in Lane's sights during the meeting. Two of his supporters introduced petitions callng for the resignations of non-Lane clique Council members Klapp and McCullagh because the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce's political activity last year.
In case anyone who was at the meeting or watching it on TV thinks that I am exaggerating and that the two petitioners were just concerned citizens, know this -
One was Mike Fernandez, who was/is treasurer of the committee "Republicans for a Bright New Day in Scottsdale", a big player behind an anti-Mary Manross and Betty Drake ad blitz last year.
The other was R. Lamar Whitmer, who was Lane's campaign manager last year.
Even though it wasn't listed on the agenda as such, last night's meeting was *all* about Jim Lane's ongoing quest to consolidate his power and marginalize or remove any potential dissenters within the City's elected and senior staff power structures.
During the meeting, former Council member Pettycrew opined that Little should be kept on because "someone has to tell the emperor that he has no clothes."
That statement is more on point than one might think a usually trite aphorism could be -
It's looking more and more like Lane has a lot of tinhorn Napoleon in him.
- Lastly, in what could be a sign of things to come during the Lane administration, they couldn't appoint an interim City Attorney because all of the potential candidates for the job have withdrawn their names from consideration. Apparently word is getting out about Lane and the Council's penchant for using the City's professional staff as pin cushions when they don't parrot the Lane party line.
Later...
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Scottsdale City Council meeting today to look at firing City Attorney
Edit to update with the results of the meeting, at the end of the post...
From AZCentral.com -
Yup, the Scottsdale City Council is taking a break from its break to do something that I predicted would take place in the spring - get rid of the City Attorney.
Hey - at least I had the year right. :))
Robberson was/is viewed as former Mayor Mary Manross' City Attorney and she doesn't fit in with the Lane regime.
Look for the Council, led by Lane, to find a reason to terminate Robberson's employment and to install Tim Lasota (currently Lane's chief of staff and formerly a staffer and protege of County Attorney Andrew Thomas) in the job, at least on an "acting" or "interim" basis.
Much like John Little was installed as the "acting" City Manager after former City Manager Jan Dolan was forced out.
The Council agenda for today's meeting is here.
P.S. - It's *really* nice to be writing about something other than the AZ legislature. :))
Edit on 7/7 to update -
Well, after a 2-hour executive session, the Council came back into the City Hall Kiva and voted 6 - 1 (Ecton voting against) to end Robberson's employment with the City. The public session of the meeting lasted less than 3 minutes.
Robberson's last day is Friday; she'll get all of her contracted severance package.
Robberson was something of a lightning rod for criticism, but while she was fired (she'll be shown as having "retired" from the City, but have no doubt - this was a firing), it was less "for cause" and more "for Mayor Lane to hire someone he wants in the job."
Key evidence in that regard - The City's HR head was in the Kiva; if this was termination for cause, she'd have been in the exec session, making sure that the Mayor and Council crossed their 'Ts' and dotted their 'Is'.
AZCentral.com coverage here.
End edit...
From AZCentral.com -
The Scottsdale City Council will meet on Tuesday to discuss City Attorney Deborah Robberson's employment status.
The council is technically on a two-month summer break, but is scheduled to meet in executive session Tuesday before meeting in public to "discuss, consider and take possible action regarding the employment, assignment, appointment, promotion, demotion, dismissal, salaries, disciplining or resignation of the City Attorney."
Yup, the Scottsdale City Council is taking a break from its break to do something that I predicted would take place in the spring - get rid of the City Attorney.
Hey - at least I had the year right. :))
Robberson was/is viewed as former Mayor Mary Manross' City Attorney and she doesn't fit in with the Lane regime.
Look for the Council, led by Lane, to find a reason to terminate Robberson's employment and to install Tim Lasota (currently Lane's chief of staff and formerly a staffer and protege of County Attorney Andrew Thomas) in the job, at least on an "acting" or "interim" basis.
Much like John Little was installed as the "acting" City Manager after former City Manager Jan Dolan was forced out.
The Council agenda for today's meeting is here.
P.S. - It's *really* nice to be writing about something other than the AZ legislature. :))
Edit on 7/7 to update -
Well, after a 2-hour executive session, the Council came back into the City Hall Kiva and voted 6 - 1 (Ecton voting against) to end Robberson's employment with the City. The public session of the meeting lasted less than 3 minutes.
Robberson's last day is Friday; she'll get all of her contracted severance package.
Robberson was something of a lightning rod for criticism, but while she was fired (she'll be shown as having "retired" from the City, but have no doubt - this was a firing), it was less "for cause" and more "for Mayor Lane to hire someone he wants in the job."
Key evidence in that regard - The City's HR head was in the Kiva; if this was termination for cause, she'd have been in the exec session, making sure that the Mayor and Council crossed their 'Ts' and dotted their 'Is'.
AZCentral.com coverage here.
End edit...
Saturday, February 14, 2009
The more things change, the more they stay the same...
A 'quick hit' post on goings-on in Scottsdale...
For those of you who thought that the ouster of Mary Manross as mayor in favor of Jim Lane would change the way that the City deals with developers (aka - rubber stamp everything), read on...
From the AZ Republic (emphasis mine) -
Current Scottsdale ordinance requires that any parcel seeking zoning as a planned regional center (PRC) be at least 25 acres in size. The lot going before the Planning Commission is only 20 acres.
20 acres is smaller than 25, so 'no go', right?
Not so fast.
Connie Padian, a City Zoning Administrator, has issued a "Zoning Interpretation Record."
It says that since the parcel in question abuts another parcel owned by the same developer in Paradise Valley, and that the combined size totals approximately 120 acres...well, you can see where this is going.
From Sonnie Kirtley, chair of the Coalition of Greater Scottsdale (COGS), via email -
Apparently, the wave of change that swept over the country last November missed our quaintly pretentious over-botoxed little desert hamlet, because nothing has changed -
The City genuflected before deep-pocketed developers last year, and they are genuflecting before deep-pocketed developers this year.
About the only this that has changed is Jim Lane's brilliant proclamation to promote tourism in Scottsdale - "Western on Wednesday." He has asked Scottsdale residents to wear "boots, jeans, and other Western attire on Wednesdays" to celebrate the Parada del Sol this month.
I suppose it's better than Pink Taco debacles, but it doesn't really seem like the kind of proactive leadership the city needs to navigate its way through these tough economic times.
Later...
For those of you who thought that the ouster of Mary Manross as mayor in favor of Jim Lane would change the way that the City deals with developers (aka - rubber stamp everything), read on...
From the AZ Republic (emphasis mine) -
Scottsdale Planning Commission will meet March 11 to discuss the proposed Palmeraie project that could bring five-story buildings to the southwestern corner of Indian Bend and Scottsdale roads.
Some area residents are worried about incompatible density and preserving views of Camelback Mountain, and they raised their concerns at a Coalition of Greater Scottsdale meeting late this week at which representatives of Five Star Development met with community activists.
{snip}
The rezoning request in Scottsdale has hit technical hurdles that still must be addressed, however.
Current Scottsdale ordinance requires that any parcel seeking zoning as a planned regional center (PRC) be at least 25 acres in size. The lot going before the Planning Commission is only 20 acres.
20 acres is smaller than 25, so 'no go', right?
Not so fast.
Connie Padian, a City Zoning Administrator, has issued a "Zoning Interpretation Record."
It says that since the parcel in question abuts another parcel owned by the same developer in Paradise Valley, and that the combined size totals approximately 120 acres...well, you can see where this is going.
From Sonnie Kirtley, chair of the Coalition of Greater Scottsdale (COGS), via email -
...You need to get your appeals and comments in the city file prior to that date. So far, there are NO public comments (or staff communications) in that file. Case numbers are 17-AB-2008, 13 ZN 2008 and 13 TA 2008. If the staff "interpretation" is legal, then the developer won't be asking for the 13-TA-2008 text amendment to change ALL properties in the city with 20 acres to be permitted the PRC upzoning. They will just ask that their current Resort Zoning (35 ft max height) be improved to the PRC on their parcel.
Apparently, the wave of change that swept over the country last November missed our quaintly pretentious over-botoxed little desert hamlet, because nothing has changed -
The City genuflected before deep-pocketed developers last year, and they are genuflecting before deep-pocketed developers this year.
About the only this that has changed is Jim Lane's brilliant proclamation to promote tourism in Scottsdale - "Western on Wednesday." He has asked Scottsdale residents to wear "boots, jeans, and other Western attire on Wednesdays" to celebrate the Parada del Sol this month.
I suppose it's better than Pink Taco debacles, but it doesn't really seem like the kind of proactive leadership the city needs to navigate its way through these tough economic times.
Later...
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Jim Lane starts consolidating power in Scottsdale
Among the signs of regime change in Scottsdale (and there have been many of them already)...
...Lane has hired Tim LaSota as his chief of staff. LaSota is the son of former AZ Attorney General Jack LaSota and has spent the last few years with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office as Andrew Thomas'coatholder taxpayer-funded lobbyist special assistant deputy county attorney.
LaSota has a rep as an ideologue (as if working closely with Andrew Thomas doesn't prove that already! :) ) with his association with the far-right Federalist Society.
Anybody want to start a pool on Scottsdale City Attorney Deborah Robberson's separation date? She is definitely viewed as one of outgoing Mayor Mary Manross' allies and is likely gone before too long (spring???). At first blush, it seems that LaSota is in a prime position to assume the office once Robberson is forced out/moves on.
Besides that expected change in a City Charter Officer spot, the City Manager's job is filled on an interim basis by John Little (though he seems to be well-positioned to win the job on a permanent basis...well, as permanent as any of these jobs can be. Three, maybe four years; probably not much more than that.) Also, the City Auditor's and City Treasurer's jobs are open already (like the City Manager's job, these are also currently filled on an interim basis).
Lane could put his imprint on City Staff very quickly if these jobs are filled by "his" people.
BTW - only time will tell if LaSota's move is one of him seeking a promotion (from "special assistant" to "chief of staff" and maybe higher) or one of rats deserting a sinking Thomas ship. Or both. :))
Also, only time will tell is LaSota was hired for his professional qualifications or his partisan connections.
...On the electoral politics side, Lane is looking to change a previous vote (4-3, of course) that directed the City's govermental relations staff ("lobbyists" to us normal folks) to support legislative repeal of a 2006 law that required cities of a certain size to move their municipal elections to the fall. Many people, including me, believe that this change led to an increased turnout of Republicans, giving a close victory to Republican Lane in heavily Republican Scottsdale.
It seems that Scottsdale's Republicans value the benefits that fall elections have for them, even though the municipal races get lost in the clutter of the lengthy partisan ballots. A tendency which led to the next item...
...Also on the electoral politics side, over in the state lege, north Scottsdale/Fountain Hills State Representative John Kavanagh (R-LD8) has introduced HB2033, a bill that would remove undervotes from calculations of the number of votes cast for an office. This is significant because in September's primary election, Lane led Manross when all the votes were counted, but wasn't the declared the winner because there were enough undervotes that Lane didn't gain a majority.
I can't say that I'm opposed to this one - only the number of votes cast for an office *should* be what determines what constitutes a "majority" of votes for that office, but something tells me that Kavanagh's motivation for this one isn't anything as pure as simple idealism.
...One move not seen yet, and based on the policy initiatives proposed thus far, I'll guess that it's not likely to be seen, is support for changing the number of signatures needed on nomination petitions. Because of the move to fall elections, candidates in 2010 and 2012 will need roughly three times as many signatures (5813) to make it on to the Scottsdale ballot as were needed this year (1652). In a municipal election, numbers like that shut out all but the best-funded candidates, thus making it easier for incumbents to retain their seats.
Anyway, look for more moves, both in the areas of personnel and in legislation/policies, as Lane settles into his new role.
Note - The AZ Republic's report on the farewell reception for Manross and outgoing councilmember Betty Drake is here; Lane, returning councilmember Ron McCullagh and new members Lisa Borowsky and Suzanne Klapp will be sworn in this Tuesday, with a reception starting at 4 p.m. and the swearing-in ceremony taking place at 4:30 p.m.
Later!
...Lane has hired Tim LaSota as his chief of staff. LaSota is the son of former AZ Attorney General Jack LaSota and has spent the last few years with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office as Andrew Thomas'
LaSota has a rep as an ideologue (as if working closely with Andrew Thomas doesn't prove that already! :) ) with his association with the far-right Federalist Society.
Anybody want to start a pool on Scottsdale City Attorney Deborah Robberson's separation date? She is definitely viewed as one of outgoing Mayor Mary Manross' allies and is likely gone before too long (spring???). At first blush, it seems that LaSota is in a prime position to assume the office once Robberson is forced out/moves on.
Besides that expected change in a City Charter Officer spot, the City Manager's job is filled on an interim basis by John Little (though he seems to be well-positioned to win the job on a permanent basis...well, as permanent as any of these jobs can be. Three, maybe four years; probably not much more than that.) Also, the City Auditor's and City Treasurer's jobs are open already (like the City Manager's job, these are also currently filled on an interim basis).
Lane could put his imprint on City Staff very quickly if these jobs are filled by "his" people.
BTW - only time will tell if LaSota's move is one of him seeking a promotion (from "special assistant" to "chief of staff" and maybe higher) or one of rats deserting a sinking Thomas ship. Or both. :))
Also, only time will tell is LaSota was hired for his professional qualifications or his partisan connections.
...On the electoral politics side, Lane is looking to change a previous vote (4-3, of course) that directed the City's govermental relations staff ("lobbyists" to us normal folks) to support legislative repeal of a 2006 law that required cities of a certain size to move their municipal elections to the fall. Many people, including me, believe that this change led to an increased turnout of Republicans, giving a close victory to Republican Lane in heavily Republican Scottsdale.
It seems that Scottsdale's Republicans value the benefits that fall elections have for them, even though the municipal races get lost in the clutter of the lengthy partisan ballots. A tendency which led to the next item...
...Also on the electoral politics side, over in the state lege, north Scottsdale/Fountain Hills State Representative John Kavanagh (R-LD8) has introduced HB2033, a bill that would remove undervotes from calculations of the number of votes cast for an office. This is significant because in September's primary election, Lane led Manross when all the votes were counted, but wasn't the declared the winner because there were enough undervotes that Lane didn't gain a majority.
I can't say that I'm opposed to this one - only the number of votes cast for an office *should* be what determines what constitutes a "majority" of votes for that office, but something tells me that Kavanagh's motivation for this one isn't anything as pure as simple idealism.
...One move not seen yet, and based on the policy initiatives proposed thus far, I'll guess that it's not likely to be seen, is support for changing the number of signatures needed on nomination petitions. Because of the move to fall elections, candidates in 2010 and 2012 will need roughly three times as many signatures (5813) to make it on to the Scottsdale ballot as were needed this year (1652). In a municipal election, numbers like that shut out all but the best-funded candidates, thus making it easier for incumbents to retain their seats.
Anyway, look for more moves, both in the areas of personnel and in legislation/policies, as Lane settles into his new role.
Note - The AZ Republic's report on the farewell reception for Manross and outgoing councilmember Betty Drake is here; Lane, returning councilmember Ron McCullagh and new members Lisa Borowsky and Suzanne Klapp will be sworn in this Tuesday, with a reception starting at 4 p.m. and the swearing-in ceremony taking place at 4:30 p.m.
Later!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Manross concedes; Jim Lane becomes Mayor of Scottsdale
From AZCentral.com -
Turns out that "many observers, including me" were wrong.
One new development during the rancorous campaign, and one that doesn't bode well for Scottsdale's long-term well-being, was the partisan nature of some of the attacks. One third party committee, "Republicans For A Bright New Day In Scottsdale", was formed on August 1st for the purpose of opposing Manross' candidacy. Through mid-October, the committee had expended over $23K to oppose Manross or support Lane.
The major contributors to the committee were Henry Becker ($5K), a long-time Manross foe from north Scottsdale, and Michael Fernandez (over $27K), who lists his profession as "sales" and his employer as "Paradise Distributing." In the committee's organizational paperwork, Fernandez lists his address as that of his employer.
According to Corporation Commission records, he is actually the president of Paradise Distributing Company, Inc., which sort of explains how a salesman at a pottery store could afford to give nearly $30K to the defeat of a candidate. :)
Anyway, back to the point - the city's Republicans turned a non-partisan race into one of pure partisan ideology, and with their nearly 2-1 registration advantage, can be expected to do so again in the future.
Especially since the tactic worked.
However, since as the record of the Bush administration demonstrates so clearly, hardcore Republican ideology is totally unsuited for practical governing. If Lane governs as if he owes the ideologues a debt for his successful election, Scottsdale is in trouble.
As a possible indicator of which way Lane's politics run, he was a strong supporter of then-Congressman JD Hayworth (R-Blowhard) in 2006.
Let me be clear - there are a number of Republicans (even here in Arizona) who approach the responsibilities of governing seriously and professionally and who don't let blind ideology gain sway over reality when it comes time to make decisions.
For the sake of Scottsdale and its residents, let us all hope that Jim Lane is one of them.
Note: The reason that Lane's September victory wasn't enough is that it wasn't large enough - because of write-ins and undervotes, he didn't receive more than 50% of the votes, which necessitated the November runoff.
Two-term Mayor Mary Manross threw in the towel Wednesday, conceding the drawn-out mayor's race to Councilman Jim Lane more than two weeks after the last ballot was cast.Lane is maintaining a lead of more than 500 votes more than two weeks after the election. In a development that was a bit surprising to many observers, including me, he built on his 367-vote victory margin in September's primary. Most expectations were that while the Republican primary in CD5 would elevate Rep turnout in September, favoring the Republican Lane, the demographics of the general election, with the elevated number of Democratic voters turning out to support Barack Obama and Harry Mitchell, would favor Democrat Mary Manross.
"Jim Lane will be the next mayor," Manross said in a statement Wednesday morning. "I wish him the very best and also wish the new council success in leading our community."
Turns out that "many observers, including me" were wrong.
One new development during the rancorous campaign, and one that doesn't bode well for Scottsdale's long-term well-being, was the partisan nature of some of the attacks. One third party committee, "Republicans For A Bright New Day In Scottsdale", was formed on August 1st for the purpose of opposing Manross' candidacy. Through mid-October, the committee had expended over $23K to oppose Manross or support Lane.
The major contributors to the committee were Henry Becker ($5K), a long-time Manross foe from north Scottsdale, and Michael Fernandez (over $27K), who lists his profession as "sales" and his employer as "Paradise Distributing." In the committee's organizational paperwork, Fernandez lists his address as that of his employer.
According to Corporation Commission records, he is actually the president of Paradise Distributing Company, Inc., which sort of explains how a salesman at a pottery store could afford to give nearly $30K to the defeat of a candidate. :)
Anyway, back to the point - the city's Republicans turned a non-partisan race into one of pure partisan ideology, and with their nearly 2-1 registration advantage, can be expected to do so again in the future.
Especially since the tactic worked.
However, since as the record of the Bush administration demonstrates so clearly, hardcore Republican ideology is totally unsuited for practical governing. If Lane governs as if he owes the ideologues a debt for his successful election, Scottsdale is in trouble.
As a possible indicator of which way Lane's politics run, he was a strong supporter of then-Congressman JD Hayworth (R-Blowhard) in 2006.
Let me be clear - there are a number of Republicans (even here in Arizona) who approach the responsibilities of governing seriously and professionally and who don't let blind ideology gain sway over reality when it comes time to make decisions.
For the sake of Scottsdale and its residents, let us all hope that Jim Lane is one of them.
Note: The reason that Lane's September victory wasn't enough is that it wasn't large enough - because of write-ins and undervotes, he didn't receive more than 50% of the votes, which necessitated the November runoff.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
East Valley Election Results
Well, East Valley, with some statewide and county races included...
Most results still unofficial, but most are still clear. All results courtesy the websites of the AZ Secretary of State, Maricopa County Recorder, and the Scottsdale City Clerk.
In CD5, incumbent Democratic Congressman Harry Mitchell is returning to D.C. with a comfortable margin of victory. With 245 of 248 precincts reporting, Mitchell leads David Schweikert 118,849 to 97,569.
In CD3, Democratic challenger Bob Lord fell short of defeating incumbent Republican John Shadegg (R-Club for Growth), receiving 92,614 votes to Shadegg's 117,439.
While Lord was able to significantly cut into a daunting Republican registration advantage, much like Mitchell did in CD5. However, unlike Mitchell, he's not, well, Harry Mitchell.
In the race for Corporation Commission, Democrats Sandra Kennedy and Paul Newman and Sam George are leading the race with 2219 of 2239 polls reporting. This one is close enough that one of them, Sam George, could be overtaken by Republican Bob Stump as provisional and early ballots are counted and added to the tallies.
In LD8, Republicans Michele Reagan and John Kavanagh were easily returned to the lege over Democratic challenger Stephanie Rimmer, 43,385 and 39,865 votes to 30,189, respectively. State Senator Carolyn Allen was unopposed for reelection.
In LD17, incumbent Democratic State Senator Meg Burton Cahill easily won reelection over Republican Jesse Hernandez, 28,510 to 18,106 while Democratic State Representatives Ed Ableser and David Schapira defeated Republican challengers Mark Thompson and Wes Waddle, with 24,242, 26,469, 19,081, and 15,030 votes respectively.
In LD18, Republican Russell Pearce (R-Nativist) handily won his race for the State Senate over Democrat Judah Nativio 19,510 to 15,250 (100% of precincts reporting) and Republicans Cecil Ash and Steve Court defeated Democrat Tammie Pursley and Independent Joe Brown.
It seems that the residents of west Mesa have to look forward to another two years of not having people in the lege who are there to represent *them*, not an extremist ideology.
In LD20, in a bit of an upset, Democrat Rae Waters will probably be joining Republican John McComish in the Arizona House of Representatives - she's got a small lead over Republican Jeff Dial. On the Senate side, sign-slashing and elderly-woman pushing incumbent Republican John Huppenthal defeated Democratic challenger Ted Maish.
In LD21, Republicans Warde Nichols and Steve Yarbrough stood off the challenge of Democrat Phil Hettmansperger, 45,757 and 37,403 votes to 36,232. Republican State Senator Jay Tibshraeny was unchallenged for reelection.
In LD22, Republicans Andy Biggs and Lauren Hendrix defeated Democrat Glenn Ray, with 48,157, 46,132, and 35,211 votes, respectively. On the senate side, Republican Thayer Verschoor was unchallenged for reelection.
In Maricopa County races...
In the four contested County Supervisor races, all four Republican incumbents were returned to office easily, with none of the Democratic challengers surpassing 46% of the vote inteir race.
Republican County Attorney Andrew Thomas defeated Democratic challenger Tim Nelson 514,820 votes to 440,197.
Republican Sheriff Joe Arpaio defeated Democrat Dan Saban 588,550 votes to 444,551.
Guess this means another four years of invaded libraries, shackled journalists, and unbridled corruption.
In the race for the Maricopa County Special Healthcare District, 3 out of the 5 candidates that were endorsed by the Maricopa County GOP lost, including District 3's Colette Rosati, who was spanked by Sue Gerard 85,369 votes to 43,909.
In the races for Scottsdale Mayor and City Council...
The race for Mayor is tight, but challenger Jim Lane has a nearly-800 vote lead over incumbent Mary Manross, 41,255 votes to 40,663. As for the City Council, it appears that incumbent Ron McCullagh will be returned to the council with newcomers Lisa Borowsky and Suzanne Klapp joining him. Incumbent Betty Drake is in fourth place, less than 900 votes behind Klapp.
Both the Mayoral and Council races could change slightly as the final mail-in and provisional ballot totals come in, but it appears that the face of Scottsdale's municipal government has changed.
However, there will still be a huge number of issues decided by a 4-3 margin.
(Wayne Ecton, Klapp and McCullagh on one side, with Lane, Tony Nelssen, and Bob Littlefield on the other. Lisa Borowsky will be the wild card. Expectations seem to be that she will mostly side with the Chamber of Commerce crowd, Ecton, Klapp, and McCullagh. We'll find out for sure starting in January.)
As for the ballot propositions, Prop 100 (barring a sales tax on real estate transfers) passed by a more than 3-to-1 margin; Prop 101 (Health Care Choice, aka 'banning all public health insurance plans') looks to be going down to defeat by a margin of approximately 2000 votes; Prop 102 (constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages) passed by nearly 240,000 votes; Prop 105 (Majority Rules, aka "not voting counts as a 'No' vote) was easily defeated by a nearly 2-1 margin; Prop 200 (Payday Loan reform, aka 'permanent legalization of loan sharking'), was defeated by 400,000 votes; Prop 201 (Homeowners' Bill of Rights) went down to defeat by a more than 3-1 margin; Prop 202 (Stop Illegal Hiring, aka 'Protect Big Business' ability to depress wages and hire cheap labor') was defeated soundly (400K+ votes); and Prop 300 (legislative pay raises from the current salary of $24K to $30K) was also soundly defeated.
More later!
Most results still unofficial, but most are still clear. All results courtesy the websites of the AZ Secretary of State, Maricopa County Recorder, and the Scottsdale City Clerk.
In CD5, incumbent Democratic Congressman Harry Mitchell is returning to D.C. with a comfortable margin of victory. With 245 of 248 precincts reporting, Mitchell leads David Schweikert 118,849 to 97,569.
In CD3, Democratic challenger Bob Lord fell short of defeating incumbent Republican John Shadegg (R-Club for Growth), receiving 92,614 votes to Shadegg's 117,439.
While Lord was able to significantly cut into a daunting Republican registration advantage, much like Mitchell did in CD5. However, unlike Mitchell, he's not, well, Harry Mitchell.
In the race for Corporation Commission, Democrats Sandra Kennedy and Paul Newman and Sam George are leading the race with 2219 of 2239 polls reporting. This one is close enough that one of them, Sam George, could be overtaken by Republican Bob Stump as provisional and early ballots are counted and added to the tallies.
In LD8, Republicans Michele Reagan and John Kavanagh were easily returned to the lege over Democratic challenger Stephanie Rimmer, 43,385 and 39,865 votes to 30,189, respectively. State Senator Carolyn Allen was unopposed for reelection.
In LD17, incumbent Democratic State Senator Meg Burton Cahill easily won reelection over Republican Jesse Hernandez, 28,510 to 18,106 while Democratic State Representatives Ed Ableser and David Schapira defeated Republican challengers Mark Thompson and Wes Waddle, with 24,242, 26,469, 19,081, and 15,030 votes respectively.
In LD18, Republican Russell Pearce (R-Nativist) handily won his race for the State Senate over Democrat Judah Nativio 19,510 to 15,250 (100% of precincts reporting) and Republicans Cecil Ash and Steve Court defeated Democrat Tammie Pursley and Independent Joe Brown.
It seems that the residents of west Mesa have to look forward to another two years of not having people in the lege who are there to represent *them*, not an extremist ideology.
In LD20, in a bit of an upset, Democrat Rae Waters will probably be joining Republican John McComish in the Arizona House of Representatives - she's got a small lead over Republican Jeff Dial. On the Senate side, sign-slashing and elderly-woman pushing incumbent Republican John Huppenthal defeated Democratic challenger Ted Maish.
In LD21, Republicans Warde Nichols and Steve Yarbrough stood off the challenge of Democrat Phil Hettmansperger, 45,757 and 37,403 votes to 36,232. Republican State Senator Jay Tibshraeny was unchallenged for reelection.
In LD22, Republicans Andy Biggs and Lauren Hendrix defeated Democrat Glenn Ray, with 48,157, 46,132, and 35,211 votes, respectively. On the senate side, Republican Thayer Verschoor was unchallenged for reelection.
In Maricopa County races...
In the four contested County Supervisor races, all four Republican incumbents were returned to office easily, with none of the Democratic challengers surpassing 46% of the vote inteir race.
Republican County Attorney Andrew Thomas defeated Democratic challenger Tim Nelson 514,820 votes to 440,197.
Republican Sheriff Joe Arpaio defeated Democrat Dan Saban 588,550 votes to 444,551.
Guess this means another four years of invaded libraries, shackled journalists, and unbridled corruption.
In the race for the Maricopa County Special Healthcare District, 3 out of the 5 candidates that were endorsed by the Maricopa County GOP lost, including District 3's Colette Rosati, who was spanked by Sue Gerard 85,369 votes to 43,909.
In the races for Scottsdale Mayor and City Council...
The race for Mayor is tight, but challenger Jim Lane has a nearly-800 vote lead over incumbent Mary Manross, 41,255 votes to 40,663. As for the City Council, it appears that incumbent Ron McCullagh will be returned to the council with newcomers Lisa Borowsky and Suzanne Klapp joining him. Incumbent Betty Drake is in fourth place, less than 900 votes behind Klapp.
Both the Mayoral and Council races could change slightly as the final mail-in and provisional ballot totals come in, but it appears that the face of Scottsdale's municipal government has changed.
However, there will still be a huge number of issues decided by a 4-3 margin.
(Wayne Ecton, Klapp and McCullagh on one side, with Lane, Tony Nelssen, and Bob Littlefield on the other. Lisa Borowsky will be the wild card. Expectations seem to be that she will mostly side with the Chamber of Commerce crowd, Ecton, Klapp, and McCullagh. We'll find out for sure starting in January.)
As for the ballot propositions, Prop 100 (barring a sales tax on real estate transfers) passed by a more than 3-to-1 margin; Prop 101 (Health Care Choice, aka 'banning all public health insurance plans') looks to be going down to defeat by a margin of approximately 2000 votes; Prop 102 (constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages) passed by nearly 240,000 votes; Prop 105 (Majority Rules, aka "not voting counts as a 'No' vote) was easily defeated by a nearly 2-1 margin; Prop 200 (Payday Loan reform, aka 'permanent legalization of loan sharking'), was defeated by 400,000 votes; Prop 201 (Homeowners' Bill of Rights) went down to defeat by a more than 3-1 margin; Prop 202 (Stop Illegal Hiring, aka 'Protect Big Business' ability to depress wages and hire cheap labor') was defeated soundly (400K+ votes); and Prop 300 (legislative pay raises from the current salary of $24K to $30K) was also soundly defeated.
More later!
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Short Attention Span Musing - Primary Edition
...It's looking more and more like absolutely nothing was settled in Scottsdale on Tuesday. According to the City's results page, challenger Jim Lane leads incumbent Mayor Mary Manross by 217 votes. However, there are 849 ballots where the City races were left blank (undervotes), so it appears that he didn't receive the "50% + 1) vote total necessary to win the election outright. In addition, none of the City Council candidates reached that threshold either.
Hence, it appears that we get to do this all over again in November, with two fewer candidates for Council. Oren Davis and Joel Bramoweth, as the two candidates with the fewest votes, will be dropped off of the general election ballot. The other six candidates - Lisa Borowsky, Betty Drake, Nan Nesvig, Suzanne Klapp, Tom Giller, and Ron McCullagh - will fight it out for the three open seats.
Predictions: none for the Council race, there are too many variables, but as for the mayoral contest, Manross should win reelection. She was hurt by the large Republican turnout for the CD5 primary; in November, she will benefit from the increased Democratic turnout.
BTW - if the mayoral results stand without a run-off, Lane owes John Washington. Washington was a write-in candidate for mayor until he dropped out just before early ballots were sent out. If he had stayed in the race, he would have garnered enough votes to force the race to a run off, or even have given the race outright to Manross.
AZ Republic coverage here.
...Republican bloggers all over the state may be gleeful right now because of the large number of moderate Reps who were defeated in primary races, but that glee may be short-lived. It will be much easier for moderate Democrats like Cheryl Cage and Judah Nativio to defeat their extremist Republican opponents (Al Melvin and Russell Pearce, respectively) than the more moderate Reps who were defeated in the primaries (Pete Hershberger and Kevin Gibbons, respectively.)
No smack talk here (I'm not making any predictions. Yet), just an observation.
...Saving the worst for last, but have the Reps chosen David Duke as their national chair? I mean, whatever veneer of civility they might have had has been rubbed off during the pressure of a tough election cycle.
First, there was the abuse levelled at one of their own in LD6, Tony Bouie.
Then, there was Sarah Palin's VP-nominee acceptance speech where she denigrated community organizers in urban communities, but later praised folks in rural, and presumably paler, communities.
But the topper has to be Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-CSA), as quoted in The Hill -
And when asked to clarify, Westmoreland confirmed that he indeed meant to use the word 'uppity.'
Yes folks, whether it's Maricopa County Republicans (Arpaio and Thomas) campaigning against Mexicans, or national Republicans campaigning against black people, this is going to be an ugly two months.
Thanks to Tedski for the heads-up on the Westmoreland quote.
Hence, it appears that we get to do this all over again in November, with two fewer candidates for Council. Oren Davis and Joel Bramoweth, as the two candidates with the fewest votes, will be dropped off of the general election ballot. The other six candidates - Lisa Borowsky, Betty Drake, Nan Nesvig, Suzanne Klapp, Tom Giller, and Ron McCullagh - will fight it out for the three open seats.
Predictions: none for the Council race, there are too many variables, but as for the mayoral contest, Manross should win reelection. She was hurt by the large Republican turnout for the CD5 primary; in November, she will benefit from the increased Democratic turnout.
BTW - if the mayoral results stand without a run-off, Lane owes John Washington. Washington was a write-in candidate for mayor until he dropped out just before early ballots were sent out. If he had stayed in the race, he would have garnered enough votes to force the race to a run off, or even have given the race outright to Manross.
AZ Republic coverage here.
...Republican bloggers all over the state may be gleeful right now because of the large number of moderate Reps who were defeated in primary races, but that glee may be short-lived. It will be much easier for moderate Democrats like Cheryl Cage and Judah Nativio to defeat their extremist Republican opponents (Al Melvin and Russell Pearce, respectively) than the more moderate Reps who were defeated in the primaries (Pete Hershberger and Kevin Gibbons, respectively.)
No smack talk here (I'm not making any predictions. Yet), just an observation.
...Saving the worst for last, but have the Reps chosen David Duke as their national chair? I mean, whatever veneer of civility they might have had has been rubbed off during the pressure of a tough election cycle.
First, there was the abuse levelled at one of their own in LD6, Tony Bouie.
Then, there was Sarah Palin's VP-nominee acceptance speech where she denigrated community organizers in urban communities, but later praised folks in rural, and presumably paler, communities.
But the topper has to be Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-CSA), as quoted in The Hill -
"Just from what little I’ve seen of her and Mr. Obama, Sen. Obama, they're a member of an elitist-class individual that thinks that they're uppity," Westmoreland said.
And when asked to clarify, Westmoreland confirmed that he indeed meant to use the word 'uppity.'
Yes folks, whether it's Maricopa County Republicans (Arpaio and Thomas) campaigning against Mexicans, or national Republicans campaigning against black people, this is going to be an ugly two months.
Thanks to Tedski for the heads-up on the Westmoreland quote.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
My vote in the Scottsdale election...
I wasn't going to weigh in on the races in Scottsdale, but since it seems that everyone else with an online outlet for their opinions is doing so (Scottsdale Republic endorsements here, Jim McAlister, an AZ Rep blogger, lists his votes here, and the EV Tribune has coverage of a number of different endorsements here), here's how I voted...sort of (more on that later)...
The candidates for Council basically fall into two camps (yup, I know that I'm simplifying their positions, probably far more than any candidate would ever want, but) -
- The continued unfettered growth/"whatever is good for developers is good for Scottsdale" crowd (supported by the Chamber of Commerce) - incumbents Ron McCullagh and Betty Drake, as well as candidate Suzanne Klapp. Candidates Liza Borowsky and Oren Davis seem to fall into this category (to be fair though, with Davis it's hard to tell because he's been dealing with some family medical issues and hasn't been able to focus on campaigning in an effective way. Could be an interesting candidate if he chooses to run again in two years.)
- The No Growth/"we like Scottsdale the way it is and won't let anything change no matter what" crowd - Nan Nesvig and Tom Giller.
As you might be able to tell from the way that I've simplified (perhaps oversimplified), I don't exactly subscribe to either school of thought. Mostly, I think that both schools of thought are shortsighted. The first ignores the needs and desires of most of Scottsdale's residents who just want *homes*, not a cover story in Architectural Digest. The second ignores the fact that change happens whether you want it to or not; trying to totally prevent rather than to control and guide change only leads to uncontrolled change.
Joel Bramoweth, the eighth candidate for council, doesn't really belong to either grouping. Therefore, I voted for him.
OK, not really. I *did* vote for him, but because he has nuanced, well-thought out positions and because he has worked hard for the last couple of years to learn about Scottsdale's government from the boards and commissions on up, not just at City Council meetings.
He does tend to ramble a bit when speaking in public (ok - he rambles a *lot*), but he's an educated, intelligent, and decent human being who will be an asset to the Council and to the City (even if occasionally annoying to listen to :) ).
While I'm sure that we are going to disagree on some positions and votes, I firmly believe that when we differ, his positions will be chosen because he truly believes that those particular positions are the right ones, not because he is in someone's pocket or because he wants to appease some local reactionaries.
In other words, he'll be wrong, but he'll be honest and reasoned about it (God knows when we disagree, it won't happen because *I'm* wrong, right?? LOL).
I did cast votes for Mayor and the other two seats on the Council, but those were all exercises in "trying to find the least bad candidates" rather than "voting for good candidates." I won't name who I voted for but will say that my votes for Council were split between the two camps.
Anyway, have a good week; don't expect any more posts at least until Friday from Denver.
Later!
The candidates for Council basically fall into two camps (yup, I know that I'm simplifying their positions, probably far more than any candidate would ever want, but) -
- The continued unfettered growth/"whatever is good for developers is good for Scottsdale" crowd (supported by the Chamber of Commerce) - incumbents Ron McCullagh and Betty Drake, as well as candidate Suzanne Klapp. Candidates Liza Borowsky and Oren Davis seem to fall into this category (to be fair though, with Davis it's hard to tell because he's been dealing with some family medical issues and hasn't been able to focus on campaigning in an effective way. Could be an interesting candidate if he chooses to run again in two years.)
- The No Growth/"we like Scottsdale the way it is and won't let anything change no matter what" crowd - Nan Nesvig and Tom Giller.
As you might be able to tell from the way that I've simplified (perhaps oversimplified), I don't exactly subscribe to either school of thought. Mostly, I think that both schools of thought are shortsighted. The first ignores the needs and desires of most of Scottsdale's residents who just want *homes*, not a cover story in Architectural Digest. The second ignores the fact that change happens whether you want it to or not; trying to totally prevent rather than to control and guide change only leads to uncontrolled change.
Joel Bramoweth, the eighth candidate for council, doesn't really belong to either grouping. Therefore, I voted for him.
OK, not really. I *did* vote for him, but because he has nuanced, well-thought out positions and because he has worked hard for the last couple of years to learn about Scottsdale's government from the boards and commissions on up, not just at City Council meetings.
He does tend to ramble a bit when speaking in public (ok - he rambles a *lot*), but he's an educated, intelligent, and decent human being who will be an asset to the Council and to the City (even if occasionally annoying to listen to :) ).
While I'm sure that we are going to disagree on some positions and votes, I firmly believe that when we differ, his positions will be chosen because he truly believes that those particular positions are the right ones, not because he is in someone's pocket or because he wants to appease some local reactionaries.
In other words, he'll be wrong, but he'll be honest and reasoned about it (God knows when we disagree, it won't happen because *I'm* wrong, right?? LOL).
I did cast votes for Mayor and the other two seats on the Council, but those were all exercises in "trying to find the least bad candidates" rather than "voting for good candidates." I won't name who I voted for but will say that my votes for Council were split between the two camps.
Anyway, have a good week; don't expect any more posts at least until Friday from Denver.
Later!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
John Washington, candidate for mayor of Scottsdale, withdraws from race
Community activist John Washington has announced that he is ending his write-in candidacy for the office of Mayor of Scottsdale.
From his press release -
I'll concede that this isn't much of a surprise as he didn't have a snowball's chance of winning, but as an observer/writer, I'm going to miss his presence in the race. He changed the dynamic of the race and could have forced it to go to a November run-off election.
With his withdrawal, the two remaining candidates, incumbent Mayor Mary Manross and Councilman Jim Lane, will only have to plan their campaign expenditures for a sprint to September 2 rather than a possible marathon to November.
BTW - that sprint starts tomorrow when mail ballots for the September election go out.
BTW2 - It's interesting, but also not much of a surprise, that Mr. Washington didn't endorse either of the other two candidates. He entered the race in the first place because he isn't particularly impressed with either one.
Look for him to stay active in Scottsdale community goings-on, with an eye toward a run for Council in two years (no inside info there, just a guess on my part. :) )
From his press release -
It is with great respect and appreciation for my supporters and our citizens of Scottsdale that I hereby withdraw from the September 2, 2008 General Election race for Mayor.
My goal in running for mayor was to drive a higher level of conversation about the issues that are important to the citizens of Scottsdale. I am pleased the other candidates have embraced these issues, among them:
· Openness and honesty in creating public policy.
· Respect for, and value of citizen input.
· Financial responsibility, and good stewardship of taxpayers’ money.
· Traffic, growth, building height, population density.
· Value of Scottsdale’s history, identity, and community character.
· The importance of Scottsdale’s character to tourism and to our quality of life.
These issues have also become central themes during Council candidate forums and discussions. Our citizens have applauded these discussions with renewed interest in their government. I am proud to have accomplished this important goal. I also realize, though, that important work lies ahead during the last weeks before the election.
Our citizens better understand the issues facing the next Council. However, there are many Council candidates, and few opportunities for one-on-one conversation with them. Therefore, I want to focus my energy on expanding dialogue between the candidates and our citizens, encouraging our citizens to vote, and encouraging them to vote based on candidates’ track records rather than on campaign promises.
I am pleased to endorse Tom Giller (www.TomGiller.com) and Nan Nesvig(www.NanNesvig.com) for Scottsdale City Council. Tom and Nan have stood alongside our citizens, defending our neighborhoods and our quality of life. Through their efforts and personal sacrifice they have demonstrated their passion for, and their commitment to Scottsdale and her residents. I look forward to working with Tom and Nan during the next four years.
I encourage you to get to know Tom and Nan, and to give them your support and your vote on September 2. As I have learned, it is a lot of work for a candidate to get his or her message out to our citizens to help them make informed decisions. Please help Tom and Nan get on Council so they can look after our interests.
Your questions are welcome, and I will maintain www.ScottsdaleCitizen.com as a portal for information on the election.
Thank you for your support!
John Washington
480.229.1831
john[at]ReactionResearch.com
I'll concede that this isn't much of a surprise as he didn't have a snowball's chance of winning, but as an observer/writer, I'm going to miss his presence in the race. He changed the dynamic of the race and could have forced it to go to a November run-off election.
With his withdrawal, the two remaining candidates, incumbent Mayor Mary Manross and Councilman Jim Lane, will only have to plan their campaign expenditures for a sprint to September 2 rather than a possible marathon to November.
BTW - that sprint starts tomorrow when mail ballots for the September election go out.
BTW2 - It's interesting, but also not much of a surprise, that Mr. Washington didn't endorse either of the other two candidates. He entered the race in the first place because he isn't particularly impressed with either one.
Look for him to stay active in Scottsdale community goings-on, with an eye toward a run for Council in two years (no inside info there, just a guess on my part. :) )
Friday, July 18, 2008
Candidate Forum For Scottsdale Mayoral And Council Candidates
Back to boring (i.e. - content that's only relevent locally)...
Thursday evening, all three of Scottsdale's mayoral candidates (incumbent Mary Manross and challengers Jim Lane and John Washington) and 7 of the candidates for Scottsdale City Council (incumbents Betty Drake and Ron McCullagh and challengers Nan Nesvig, Tom Giller, Lisa Borowsky, Joel Bramoweth, and Suzanne Klapp) gathered for the candidate forum sponsored by the Coalition of Pinnacle Peak (COPP).
None of the candidates did a bad job there, though the one who didn't participate, council candidate Oren Davis, didn't do his candidacy any favors by not showing up.
While there were some differences in their positions, all of the candidates showed a grasp of the main issues facing Scottsdale.
Their positions, shown by their responses to a COPP candidate survey, can be found on this page.
Impressions -
Of the candidates who did participate, Lisa Borowsky had the weakest night - she was all but drowned out by the gaggle of candidates on dais. It's not entirely her fault (COPP should have split the forum based on office sought - 10 on the stage was just too many). In addition, after the first couple of questions that had been prepared by COPP, a series of audience questions were presented to the candidates, but in a move that was unique compared to the other candidate forums that I've attended over the last few years, those questions were directed at specific candidates, not the entire panel. The 'free-form' format of the debate might have worked with a smaller panel, but not here.
On the other hand, the other candidates faced the same conditions, too. If she wants to run for office, Borowsky needs to learn to adapt her presentation style on the fly.
The strongest presentation was from council candidate Nan Nesvig. She was prepared, spoke clearly, definitively and intelligently on a variety of issues. The only flaw in her presentation that I could find (and it's a technical one!) was that she spent a little too much time reading from her prepared notes.
Joel Bramoweth, as has been noted here before, tended to go on a little too long and sometimes made his answers more of a project than was necessary. However, he also was the funniest of the candidates, frequently connecting with the audience poking fun at his own speaking style. Overall, he probably helped himself a little.
Tom Giller (council) and John Washington (write-in candidate for mayor) did a good job of delineating their differences with the status quo, and did so strongly but without being strident.
Incumbent council members Drake and McCullagh stressed the need for a return to civility in Scottsdale politics (Drake) and that they were running to represent the entire city, not just one neighborhood or single section of the city (McCullagh).
In addition, all of the incumbents, including Mayor Manross, pointed out that the city is in decent shape (and to be fair, while there *are* problems here, as in any other city, Scottsdale really *is* in good shape overall).
On the other hand, most of the challengers, including current council member Lane, cited distrust between the City government and the citizens of Scottsdale as one of the big problems facing the city, and used that to call for a change in city goverment.
Anyway, the forum went fairly smoothly, other than some of the format issues cited above. It was not recorded on video, so anyone who couldn't make Thursday's event should plan to attend the EV Tribune Mayoral forum on Tuesday, July 22 in the City Hall Kiva from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. It will be broadcast live on CityCable11 and repeated at various times.
Later!
Thursday evening, all three of Scottsdale's mayoral candidates (incumbent Mary Manross and challengers Jim Lane and John Washington) and 7 of the candidates for Scottsdale City Council (incumbents Betty Drake and Ron McCullagh and challengers Nan Nesvig, Tom Giller, Lisa Borowsky, Joel Bramoweth, and Suzanne Klapp) gathered for the candidate forum sponsored by the Coalition of Pinnacle Peak (COPP).
None of the candidates did a bad job there, though the one who didn't participate, council candidate Oren Davis, didn't do his candidacy any favors by not showing up.
While there were some differences in their positions, all of the candidates showed a grasp of the main issues facing Scottsdale.
Their positions, shown by their responses to a COPP candidate survey, can be found on this page.
Impressions -
Of the candidates who did participate, Lisa Borowsky had the weakest night - she was all but drowned out by the gaggle of candidates on dais. It's not entirely her fault (COPP should have split the forum based on office sought - 10 on the stage was just too many). In addition, after the first couple of questions that had been prepared by COPP, a series of audience questions were presented to the candidates, but in a move that was unique compared to the other candidate forums that I've attended over the last few years, those questions were directed at specific candidates, not the entire panel. The 'free-form' format of the debate might have worked with a smaller panel, but not here.
On the other hand, the other candidates faced the same conditions, too. If she wants to run for office, Borowsky needs to learn to adapt her presentation style on the fly.
The strongest presentation was from council candidate Nan Nesvig. She was prepared, spoke clearly, definitively and intelligently on a variety of issues. The only flaw in her presentation that I could find (and it's a technical one!) was that she spent a little too much time reading from her prepared notes.
Joel Bramoweth, as has been noted here before, tended to go on a little too long and sometimes made his answers more of a project than was necessary. However, he also was the funniest of the candidates, frequently connecting with the audience poking fun at his own speaking style. Overall, he probably helped himself a little.
Tom Giller (council) and John Washington (write-in candidate for mayor) did a good job of delineating their differences with the status quo, and did so strongly but without being strident.
Incumbent council members Drake and McCullagh stressed the need for a return to civility in Scottsdale politics (Drake) and that they were running to represent the entire city, not just one neighborhood or single section of the city (McCullagh).
In addition, all of the incumbents, including Mayor Manross, pointed out that the city is in decent shape (and to be fair, while there *are* problems here, as in any other city, Scottsdale really *is* in good shape overall).
On the other hand, most of the challengers, including current council member Lane, cited distrust between the City government and the citizens of Scottsdale as one of the big problems facing the city, and used that to call for a change in city goverment.
Anyway, the forum went fairly smoothly, other than some of the format issues cited above. It was not recorded on video, so anyone who couldn't make Thursday's event should plan to attend the EV Tribune Mayoral forum on Tuesday, July 22 in the City Hall Kiva from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. It will be broadcast live on CityCable11 and repeated at various times.
Later!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Short Attention Span Musing
...In this post, Greg at Espresso Pundit brought up a good point about Scottsdale's elections, and the impact of the move to a September/November cycle from a March/May one.
The point that he made was that the Republican primary in CD5 likely will elevate the Republican turnout for September's election.
This wouldn't be significant under the old March/May municipal election schedule, as Scottsdale's municipal elections are non-partisan.
Under the old schedule, it wouldn't matter that Mayor Mary Manross is a registered Democrat or that her challenger Councilman Jim Lane is a Republican.
However, the new schedule and the expected elevated Republican turnout on a primary day where the only significant Democratic race is for County Attorney (not a race that will elevate Democratic primary turnout - most of us are focused on November, not September) could contribute to a Lane upset over the favored incumbent, Manross.
Greg's point is a valid one, but I'm not sure it quite fits in Scottsdale.
In a city like Scottsdale, partisan political concerns take a back seat to financial political concerns, and Manross is seen as whole-heartedly representing the city's moneyed interests (witness the Chamber of Commerce's endorsement of her); Lane is quiet about it, but he supports the more socially extreme wing of his party (witness his active support of JD Hayworth in 2006).
The CD5 primary *will* elevate Republican turnout in Scottsdale for September's election, but the increased turnout won't just bring out the socially conservative Republicans, it'll bring out the money-focused ones, too.
In short, the elevated turnout *should* help Lane somewhat, but it's going to have some benefit for Manross, too. The key factor in the race could be John Washington's write-in candidacy. If he pulls in enough votes to keep both Manross and Lane below 50% in the final tally, it will force a November runoff, and as Laura Pastor learned in last fall's elections in Phoenix (and Hut Hutson learned in Tempe this spring), it doesn't matter who's favored, *anything* can happen in a runoff.
...Want another reason to understand why change is needed in the Sheriff's office?
The East Valley Tribune is running a five-day series on the MCSO. Wednesday's headline -
"Reasonable Doubt: The evolution of MCSO into an immigration agency"
Just a reminder - the "MC" in "MCSO" stands for Maricopa County, not Border Patrol.
Even though Maricopa County is the stolen car capital of the country, Joe Arpaio's obsession with Mexicans has led to him taking dozens, sometimes hundreds, of deputies off of patrol duties to deploy them on anti-brown people, "broken taillight" sweeps.
Vote to return professionalism to the office of the Maricopa County Sheriff - Vote for Dan Saban.
...On July 20th, there will be two Democratic fundraisers that, while scheduled so as to not overlap, should provide an interesting contrast -
- From 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m., there will be a Happy Birthday party for Congressman (and Tempe icon) Harry Mitchell at Shalimar Golf Club in Tempe (contact the campaign at 480.755.3343 or via email to herschel[at]harry2008.com for more details.)
- At 7:00 p.m., the Arizona Democratic Party is holding its annual Heritage Dinner, featuring special guest Congressman (and bane of grassroots Democratic activists everywhere) Rahm Emanuel (D-IL). (Contact the ADP at RSVP[at]azdem.org or (602) 234-6814 for more details.)
Can anyone guess which one will have the larger and more enthusiastic crowd? :)
Somebody should tell the ADP's schedulers that there are 365 days per year, and other than (maybe!) Christmas, Thanksgiving, and election days, any of the other 364 would have been a better choice for the Heritage Dinner.
BTW - I'm just teasing a little with this one - I've already been told that Harry will be at the Heritage Dinner. Turnout should be just fine there, too. :))
...The Arizona Sierra Club's report card for the just-completed session of the Arizona lege is out (and thank to Zelph at AZNetroots for the heads-up :) ).
It's interesting to note that the three Republicans who were in the lege but are running for Arizona Corporation Commission (those darn term limits!), Marian McClure, Bob Robson, and Bob Stump (state reps one and all) each earned "Fs" from the Sierra Club for their efforts in the lege.
It's hard to tell from the name, but the Corporation Commission is the political body best positioned to lead the quest for affordable alternative energy options and cleaner air in AZ.
Well, at least it will be when we elect actual public servants to the board, instead of people who are just as much industrial tools as any strip-mining excavator or coal-powered electrical generator.
Remember: Paul Newman, Sandra Kennedy, Kara Kelty, and Sam George for Corporation Commission - three of them will move on after the primary, and any of the four is better than any of the Republicans running. (Sorry, Sam George supporters, still haven't found a website for him :) ).
House report card here; Senate report card here.
BTW - LD17 legislators Sen. Burton Cahill and Representatives Ableser and Schapira all earned grades of "A" or better. Congrats to all three on jobs well done!
Later!
The point that he made was that the Republican primary in CD5 likely will elevate the Republican turnout for September's election.
This wouldn't be significant under the old March/May municipal election schedule, as Scottsdale's municipal elections are non-partisan.
Under the old schedule, it wouldn't matter that Mayor Mary Manross is a registered Democrat or that her challenger Councilman Jim Lane is a Republican.
However, the new schedule and the expected elevated Republican turnout on a primary day where the only significant Democratic race is for County Attorney (not a race that will elevate Democratic primary turnout - most of us are focused on November, not September) could contribute to a Lane upset over the favored incumbent, Manross.
Greg's point is a valid one, but I'm not sure it quite fits in Scottsdale.
In a city like Scottsdale, partisan political concerns take a back seat to financial political concerns, and Manross is seen as whole-heartedly representing the city's moneyed interests (witness the Chamber of Commerce's endorsement of her); Lane is quiet about it, but he supports the more socially extreme wing of his party (witness his active support of JD Hayworth in 2006).
The CD5 primary *will* elevate Republican turnout in Scottsdale for September's election, but the increased turnout won't just bring out the socially conservative Republicans, it'll bring out the money-focused ones, too.
In short, the elevated turnout *should* help Lane somewhat, but it's going to have some benefit for Manross, too. The key factor in the race could be John Washington's write-in candidacy. If he pulls in enough votes to keep both Manross and Lane below 50% in the final tally, it will force a November runoff, and as Laura Pastor learned in last fall's elections in Phoenix (and Hut Hutson learned in Tempe this spring), it doesn't matter who's favored, *anything* can happen in a runoff.
...Want another reason to understand why change is needed in the Sheriff's office?
The East Valley Tribune is running a five-day series on the MCSO. Wednesday's headline -
"Reasonable Doubt: The evolution of MCSO into an immigration agency"
Just a reminder - the "MC" in "MCSO" stands for Maricopa County, not Border Patrol.
Even though Maricopa County is the stolen car capital of the country, Joe Arpaio's obsession with Mexicans has led to him taking dozens, sometimes hundreds, of deputies off of patrol duties to deploy them on anti-brown people, "broken taillight" sweeps.
Vote to return professionalism to the office of the Maricopa County Sheriff - Vote for Dan Saban.
...On July 20th, there will be two Democratic fundraisers that, while scheduled so as to not overlap, should provide an interesting contrast -
- From 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m., there will be a Happy Birthday party for Congressman (and Tempe icon) Harry Mitchell at Shalimar Golf Club in Tempe (contact the campaign at 480.755.3343 or via email to herschel[at]harry2008.com for more details.)
- At 7:00 p.m., the Arizona Democratic Party is holding its annual Heritage Dinner, featuring special guest Congressman (and bane of grassroots Democratic activists everywhere) Rahm Emanuel (D-IL). (Contact the ADP at RSVP[at]azdem.org or (602) 234-6814 for more details.)
Can anyone guess which one will have the larger and more enthusiastic crowd? :)
Somebody should tell the ADP's schedulers that there are 365 days per year, and other than (maybe!) Christmas, Thanksgiving, and election days, any of the other 364 would have been a better choice for the Heritage Dinner.
BTW - I'm just teasing a little with this one - I've already been told that Harry will be at the Heritage Dinner. Turnout should be just fine there, too. :))
...The Arizona Sierra Club's report card for the just-completed session of the Arizona lege is out (and thank to Zelph at AZNetroots for the heads-up :) ).
It's interesting to note that the three Republicans who were in the lege but are running for Arizona Corporation Commission (those darn term limits!), Marian McClure, Bob Robson, and Bob Stump (state reps one and all) each earned "Fs" from the Sierra Club for their efforts in the lege.
It's hard to tell from the name, but the Corporation Commission is the political body best positioned to lead the quest for affordable alternative energy options and cleaner air in AZ.
Well, at least it will be when we elect actual public servants to the board, instead of people who are just as much industrial tools as any strip-mining excavator or coal-powered electrical generator.
Remember: Paul Newman, Sandra Kennedy, Kara Kelty, and Sam George for Corporation Commission - three of them will move on after the primary, and any of the four is better than any of the Republicans running. (Sorry, Sam George supporters, still haven't found a website for him :) ).
House report card here; Senate report card here.
BTW - LD17 legislators Sen. Burton Cahill and Representatives Ableser and Schapira all earned grades of "A" or better. Congrats to all three on jobs well done!
Later!
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Mayor Mary Manross
As promised in my previous post, the first candidate statement is in.
From Mayor Mary Manross' reelection campaign -
Mayor Mary Manross
www.marymanross.com
It has been an honor to serve as your Mayor for 8 years, along with 8 years on the Council. The clouds of uncertainty which hung over our city when I took office have been lifted. It really is a bright new day in Scottsdale! Today there is an all-time record $3.3 billion dollars of new investment in downtown and Southern Scottsdale where much needed revitalization is in full swing. Our budget is balanced and it is going to stay that way. Scottsdale’s AAA bond rating was, once again, reaffirmed in spite of a national recession. Scottsdale’s property tax rate is less than half that of neighboring Phoenix’s.
We have increased the number of Police Officers by 33% since I took office in 2000, and we are better off for it. Violent crime in Scottsdale is at a 23 year low! The 101 is also safer due to the leadership we demonstrated by implementing photo enforcement on the freeway.
SkySong, the ASU/Scottsdale Center for Innovation, is effectively putting Southern Scottsdale on the global map and bringing $750 million of new investment along the McDowell Corridor. Throughout our community, we have created over 20,000 new quality jobs.
Our commitment to completing the McDowell Sonoran Preserve has never been stronger and we will soon be constructing the all important Gateway to the Preserve.
Under my leadership Scottsdale is Stronger, More Confident, and one of the Most Desirable places to live in America. Let’s keep it that way!
I will continue to champion reinvigoration of original Scottsdale, revitalization of mature neighborhoods, attraction of the arts, tourism, high quality jobs, completion of our Preserve, building Scottsdale’s sustainable future and maintaining our unmatched quality of life. I will ensure that Scottsdale remains a city you will be proud to call home.
Scottsdale Area Chamber and Community Leaders endorse Mayor Manross
The endorsement by the Scottsdale Area Chamber comes the same week that Bob Parsons, founder and CEO of GoDaddy, Brad Casper, President and CEO of Dial corporation, and Dan Schweiker, founder and Chairman of China Mist endorsed Mayor Manross.
Recently Manross announced the endorsements of Dr. Art DeCabooter, President of Scottsdale Community College, Jamie Drinkwater Buchanan, community leader and daughter of legendary Mayor Herb Drinkwater, Jim Bruner, former County Supervisor and Councilmember, Virginia Korte, past President and CEO of the Scottsdale Area Chamber, and Ellen Andres-Schneider, Scottsdale Cultural trustee.
Manross carries Green Building message far and wide
Within the past month Mayor Manross, winner of the national “Mayor’s award for Energy Efficiency”, has delivered the Green Building and Sustainability message to the South Lake Tahoe, California, City Council, the Sustainability Town Hall hosted by Rep. Harry Mitchell at SkySong in Scottsdale, and the Southern Arizona Solar Energy Development Conference held at the U of A. in Tucson.
Valley Mayors elect Mary Manross Chairman of the Maricopa Association of Governments
As Chairman, Mayor Manross will continue to advocate for regional transportation solutions, acceleration of projects impacting Scottsdale, effective water policy and growth management.
More statements as they come in...
From Mayor Mary Manross' reelection campaign -
Mayor Mary Manross
www.marymanross.com
It has been an honor to serve as your Mayor for 8 years, along with 8 years on the Council. The clouds of uncertainty which hung over our city when I took office have been lifted. It really is a bright new day in Scottsdale! Today there is an all-time record $3.3 billion dollars of new investment in downtown and Southern Scottsdale where much needed revitalization is in full swing. Our budget is balanced and it is going to stay that way. Scottsdale’s AAA bond rating was, once again, reaffirmed in spite of a national recession. Scottsdale’s property tax rate is less than half that of neighboring Phoenix’s.
We have increased the number of Police Officers by 33% since I took office in 2000, and we are better off for it. Violent crime in Scottsdale is at a 23 year low! The 101 is also safer due to the leadership we demonstrated by implementing photo enforcement on the freeway.
SkySong, the ASU/Scottsdale Center for Innovation, is effectively putting Southern Scottsdale on the global map and bringing $750 million of new investment along the McDowell Corridor. Throughout our community, we have created over 20,000 new quality jobs.
Our commitment to completing the McDowell Sonoran Preserve has never been stronger and we will soon be constructing the all important Gateway to the Preserve.
Under my leadership Scottsdale is Stronger, More Confident, and one of the Most Desirable places to live in America. Let’s keep it that way!
I will continue to champion reinvigoration of original Scottsdale, revitalization of mature neighborhoods, attraction of the arts, tourism, high quality jobs, completion of our Preserve, building Scottsdale’s sustainable future and maintaining our unmatched quality of life. I will ensure that Scottsdale remains a city you will be proud to call home.
Scottsdale Area Chamber and Community Leaders endorse Mayor Manross
The endorsement by the Scottsdale Area Chamber comes the same week that Bob Parsons, founder and CEO of GoDaddy, Brad Casper, President and CEO of Dial corporation, and Dan Schweiker, founder and Chairman of China Mist endorsed Mayor Manross.
Recently Manross announced the endorsements of Dr. Art DeCabooter, President of Scottsdale Community College, Jamie Drinkwater Buchanan, community leader and daughter of legendary Mayor Herb Drinkwater, Jim Bruner, former County Supervisor and Councilmember, Virginia Korte, past President and CEO of the Scottsdale Area Chamber, and Ellen Andres-Schneider, Scottsdale Cultural trustee.
Manross carries Green Building message far and wide
Within the past month Mayor Manross, winner of the national “Mayor’s award for Energy Efficiency”, has delivered the Green Building and Sustainability message to the South Lake Tahoe, California, City Council, the Sustainability Town Hall hosted by Rep. Harry Mitchell at SkySong in Scottsdale, and the Southern Arizona Solar Energy Development Conference held at the U of A. in Tucson.
Valley Mayors elect Mary Manross Chairman of the Maricopa Association of Governments
As Chairman, Mayor Manross will continue to advocate for regional transportation solutions, acceleration of projects impacting Scottsdale, effective water policy and growth management.
More statements as they come in...
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