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OPINION
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To our readers
The Scottsdale Progress invited the seven candidates for Scottsdale City Council to write two opinion pieces on any topic of their choosing. The first set, published last month, can be read at Scottsdale.org, along with the candidates’ questionnaires. This is the second set, Candidates who do not appear either did not submit a column or missed our deadline. Late columns, along with these, also will be on Scottsdale.org.
Carter: I will �ight for the people of Scottsdale
BY PAMELA CARTER Progress Guest Writer
Iam Pamela Carter, and this is why I am running in the race for Scottsdale City Council. I am a native of Arizona and grew up in Scottsdale. I am a former business owner of the largest sports medicine and weight training facility in the nation in south Scottsdale.
Our clients were celebrities, on-air personalities and national sports teams who visited our system to rehabilitate injuries and maintain their fitness in every sphere of life. In fact, Mayor Drinkwater was one of our best clients!
I was in charge of a multimillion-dollar television station in Phoenix, as the station manager and community services director of community programming. I ran my production crews, onboarded employees and was the on-air host and producer of over 2000 episodes of my own programs for over 20 years.
I met people from all walks of life, politicians, community leaders and governors. I also fed the poor and reached out to the needy with food pantries and prayer calls through our nonprofit organizations.
Do you want your wide-open spaces or an urban jungle littering our sky lines in Scottsdale?
This city was founded by a man who was not afraid to take chances and risks, Chaplain Winfield Scott had a vision for a place of healing, healthy living, and ranching. Guy Stillman fulfilled his dream for Stillman Railroad Park, still enjoyed by almost a million visitors each year.
There are so many more children to
seeCARTER page 29
Graham: You deserve more say in city’s future
BY BARRY GRAHAM Progress Guest Writer
The Aug. 2 election for three seats on the City Council is all about the path Scottsdale takes. I believe that it is residents – not theories or conjecture – who should decide the direction of the city.
In today’s economy, with the cost of living rapidly rising, there is an obvious demand for more affordable places for people to live.
There are those, including some running for a seat on the council, who say the city’s housing dilemma is a “simple supply and demand issue,” suggesting that adding substantially more housing units will fix the problem.
That one-dimensional solution takes Scottsdale down the same path we’ve seen harm other cities, something they ultimately regret.
A strict application of “supply and demand theory” reduces residents’ voices because it decides the future of our city for them.
Not only is there virtually no evidence to support their claims, their so-called solution actually contradicts what residents have witnessed over the past 15 years: Record construction of multifamily housing matched by record increases in rental prices.
This “trust us” type of thinking ignores Scottsdale’s history and character. It also diminishes how much residents are able to contribute to the decision-making process.
Instead of relying on conjecture to
seeGRAHAM page 29
Little�ield: Overdevelopment threatens Scottsdale
BY COUNCILWOMAN KATHY LITTLEFIELD Progress Guest Writer
Overdevelopment has always been bad for Scottsdale residents because it clogs our streets with traffic, overtaxes our infrastructure, blocks scenic views, and degrades our city’s special character and high quality of life.
It also makes Scottsdale less desirable as a tourist destination when our unique character is diminished by large numbers of tall, dense bland apartment complexes.
But now there are two other reasons why overdevelopment is bad for Scottsdale residents. The first is its negative impact on public safety. Adding more residents means more demand for public safety services. The call by some to defund the police (an idea I vehemently oppose) has made it harder to recruit new police officers. Scottsdale is currently short 50 sworn officers and is struggling to make up that deficit, especially when our neighboring cities, facing the same challenge, are competing with us for recruits. I have been endorsed for re-election by Scottsdale police and firefighters because they know I will fight for public safety. But we also must stop adding additional demand for their services whenever a developer asks us to approve a new tall, dense apartment project!
Another major reason to oppose overdevelopment is drought! Arizona is in the middle of its worst drought in centuries and the water levels in the lakes we depend on for our water supply are dropping rap-
SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | JULY 3, 2022
Stratton: Let’s keep Scottsdale great
BY TIM STRATTON Progress Guest Writer
If you believe my antigrowth opponent Barry Graham, Scottsdale is falling apart, no one wants to visit or live here, and the city has lost its luster due to years of out of control development. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Since they have been trying to use the boogeyman of apartments and development to scare voters since at least 2012, Scottsdale has continued to thrive, much to their dissatisfaction. The half-truth about “10,000 apartments coming to a neighborhood near you” was coined by Bob Littlefield and is now being parroted by his protégé Graham, in a silly and almost comical way. That would be funny if it wasn’t designed to scare voters and perpetuate bad policy.
Scottsdale is thriving precisely because of the policies of forward thinking prior city councils led by former Mayor Jim Lane. Lane and his Council did much to secure Scottsdale’s financial future, to reinvigorate the City’s economy, and to significantly grow tourism and retail to the benefit of the City.
This allows the City to keep your taxes low while still offering the best municipal services, police and fire and amenities in the Valley. All of that is now under threat. But don’t take my word for it.
Time after time credible third party surveys and resident opinion polls show that our residents love Scottsdale and want to live and vacation here precisely because of the many options we offer in terms of attractions, recreation, housing and amenities. Our diversity of options is what makes us great--not a focus on the narrow and outdated economy my opponents would promote.
Scottsdale has an embarrassment of riches. We have a large and varied geographical area that allows us to offer a wide variety of lifestyles, options and experiences. This large footprint means we can have both rural land in the northern part of the City, as well as more urban portions in appropriate areas. We are not a one-size-fits-all community—and we have never been. The antigrowth minority is simply out of touch with today’s Scottsdale and the needs of our residents, both young and old, as well as our families. Just drive around Scottsdale and you’ll see our residents and tourists alike enjoying all Scottsdale has to offer. We have never been so popular.
Most recently, an analysis by the national group WalletHub said this about Scottsdale, “Scottsdale has been ranked as the No. 10 best city in the country in which to raise a family”. For their study, 2022’s Best & Worst Places to Raise a Family, analysts with WalletHub say they ranked
seeSTRATTON page 29
Whitehead: Some questions from the campaign trail
BY COUNCILWOMAN SOLANGE WHITEHEAD
Progress Guest Writer
Serving on the City Council, I meet hundreds of engaged residents and their guidance helps me achieve community goals. During campaign season, I seek out those that aren’t engaged.
My mode of choice is walking and knocking on doors. I hear great ideas and respond to questions including those below.
Are you funded by developers?
NO. My campaign is funded by hundreds of people. The majority of my donations are $100 or less, not a handful of $6,550 checks. While state law allows candidates to accept developer donations, I choose not to do so. This improves public trust and strengthens my ability to negotiate. In this campaign cycle, I have declined donations in order to uphold my strict criteria. What is happening on Development?
Apartment approvals are down over 50% and those approved have lower heights, higher design standards, include public open space and pedestrian paths, and have earned community support. In the voter ratified General Plan 2035, I was able to remove developer incentives and add barriers against future urbanization. On transportation, I removed proposed road projects in order to limit overdevelopment, protect the Preserve, and save tax payers many millions of dollars.
Development teams that don’t adapt to the new community-driven standards will not succeed.
What about affordability?
An unprecedented number of apartments were approved prior to my being on Council. Today, many of those projects are getting built and will put downward pressure on rents. While my approved projects
seeWHITEHEAD page 29
BY RAOUL ZUBIA
Progress Guest Writer
Iam Raoul Zubia a lifelong resident of south Scottsdale, a longtime community volunteer and a businessperson.
My 25-year banking career, as well as my service asthe chairman of the Human Services Commission for the City of Scottsdale, president of the Partners for Paiute Board of Directors, the Charros Foundation, Charros Coronado Promise, and the Parada Del Sol Committee gives me the expertise, passion, and experience to help Scottsdale thrive and prosper today and into the future
I am running for City Council because the city’s financial prosperity and our quality of life is at risk. Our prosperity allows us to enjoy the lowest tax rates and the highest amenities.
Over the last few years, our growth has slowed, and our share of state revenues is declining. If this continues, we will not have the revenues we need to sustain the high-quality services the citizens of Scottsdale deserve and enjoy.
Scottsdale has been a wonderful place to grow up. When my parents moved to Scottsdale in 1960, the population rose to 10,000. At the time they were able to purchase a four-bedroom ranch style home on a single income. Today, the population is over 240,000.
As the population increased, housing was plentiful. Scottsdale had plenty of land on which to build. Today, that is no longer true. New home building has slowed. Yet, people are still moving to Scottsdale.
In recent years, home prices in Scottsdale have risen so much, it is impossible for many to afford. Homelessness is on the rise.
Housing affordability is important so that our children can build lives in their hometown, so seniors can age in the community where they raised their children and so that businesses will be attracted to Scottsdale, contribute tax revenue, and keep our tax rates low.
Economists tell us that in Scottsdale, and across the region, housing starts have not kept pace with our population growth, and it will take years for us to catch up with demand. This phenomenon – the lack of housing supply and soaring prices – threatens our financial stability and our quality of life.
For many years, Scottsdale was reliant on tourism and real estate, two sectors that are extremely sensitive to boomand-bust cycles. Diversifying our business community adds strength, stability and certainty, the foundation of a bright eco-
raise, schools to choose, visitors to meet and dreams to fulfill. Do you want to narrow Hayden, fill it with bicycles and pedestrians and walk in 110-degree weather in the summer and traffic jams in the winter? Do you want to urbanize Old Town and downtown with 75-150-foot high rises? Do you want to bring in more trolleys, buses, or light rail?
This is what is planned for your city for the future. It is all in the General Plan and being approved by your current city council members, which will create a nightmare for drivers while under construction.
As I am talking to voters in Scottsdale, I am hearing more complaints about the out-of-control atmospheres surrounding their neighborhoods. Blaring music, party buses, alcohol and drugs are pouring into our short-term rental suburbs.
I love Scottsdale and want to preserve its beauty and safe neighborhoods I was privileged to enjoy in my childhood. Let’s enforce our noise ordinances and work with police and state legislators to pass more litigious penalties. I will fight for you, the people of Scottsdale, the citizens, the homeowners, and legal residents. Scottsdale is earned and you’ve earned Scottsdale!
Under my watch it will not be overtaken by unsightly high-rise development and low-income housing or crime. These are my core values, and I will fight to keep Scottsdale free from unnecessary over development, crime, homelessness, and urbanization of one of the best cities in the nation!
Vote for Pamela Carter for Scottsdale City Council. PamelaCarter.com
GRAHAM ���� page 27
gamble with Scottsdale’s future, we must find the balance between protecting Scottsdale’s unique character and adding more housing.
Over the past few months, I’ve communicated with thousands of residents. I trust them when they overwhelmingly tell me they want to take a political path that respects our city’s character because that’s what preserves our quality of life, expands our economy, and attracts visitors.
Residents want and deserve more say in the future of our city. They want their ideas and input to matter.
I am committed to making it easier for residents to determine the best path forward to achieve their objectives.
BarryGrahamResidentsFirst.com
LITTLEFIELD ���� page 27
idly. There is no end in sight; in fact, things are getting worse!
Last month the commissioner of the US Bureau of Reclamation said the status of the Colorado River system is dire and the seven Basin States will need to conserve between 2 million and 4 million acre-feet of Colorado River water in addition to current conservation efforts.
While our water department does a great job of conserving water, they cannot make new water out of thin air. Water saving methods should be a given and expected on all development projects, and we should all do our part to conserve.
But we cannot conserve our way out of this drought crisis – we must stop adding additional demand for water whenever a developer asks for a new tall, dense apartment project!
How do we justify to our citizens the unceasing increase in water demand newly approved development creates, while at the same time asking them to cut their own water use? The totals just do not add up.
I believe it is past time to take this bull by the horns. There are already over 10,000 apartments approved but yet to be built in Scottsdale. We need to be forward thinking and limit the approval for new development to those which we can currently sustain.
Reality, folks, is when you turn on the tap and nothing happens. Parts of California are already implementing water rationing; it would be wishful thinking on our part to assume that can’t happen here.
We need to be pro-active and forwardthinking to protect our citizens from a shortage of clean water. Let’s take steps now to limit the crisis before it blows up in our faces.
STRATTON ���� page 28
182 major U.S. cities based on 46 key metrics, including housing affordability, the quality of public schools, median income and poverty rate. Scottsdale came out #10 in the United States.
That would hardly happen if the phantom menace of development, and over 10,000 evil apartments had started to destroy Scottsdale since it was first raised in 2012 by the no-growthers.
I am running for Scottsdale City Council because, unlike my opponents, I focus on the big picture and facts. I love Scottsdale and our potential.
I will keep Scottsdale relevant and make sure we are maintaining our leading position as one of the top destinations in Arizona, the Southwest and beyond. I will make sure Scottsdale stays on the positive trajectory set forth by generations of prior Scottsdale leaders.
That is why I am proud to say I have been endorsed by Mayor Jim Lane. I ask for your support to make sure Scottsdale stays the leading city we have always been.
WHITEHEAD ���� page 28
have had lower heights and density, I’ve negotiated shorter construction timelines and workforce housing units.
What about short-term rentals?
The State government continues to place the interests of the short- term rental industry above our interests of residents which is causing great harm. Next week, the Governor will likely approve a new law that will give Scottsdale additional tools to reign in bad actors.
The new law will not restore local zoning control and the repercussions for bad behavior are very limited. Still, the city will increase resources and staffing to provide maximum relief for residents.
Is light rail coming to Scottsdale? No. I co-wrote and voters ratified General Plan 2035, which excludes light rail in Scottsdale. And there is no funding now or any planned over the next decade for light rail.
Scottsdale’s transportation budget is focused on improving safety and efficiency of car travel, improving pedestrian safety, and refining the trolley routes to serve those without cars. For instance, many seniors come by trolley to the Granite Reef Senior Center.
Why does Scottsdale allow ugly campaign signs? Are they recyclable?
Scottsdale has an ordinance that prohibits signs in public right-of-ways. But the State legislature passed a law that preempts Scottsdale’s authority to enforce the ordinance during election cycles.
I am not aware of a recycling option but have found good uses for my signs. Liberty Wildlife uses my 2018 signs as shade covers for animal enclosures. This year’s signs are headed to Scottsdale PD for target practice!
ZUBIA ���� page 28
nomic future.
As businesses look to expand or relocate, access to talent is an important consideration. We must be able to provide housing at a reasonable price for all their workers to help make Scottsdale an attractive place to locate.
We must continue to support quality projects that provide more housing options, both for sale and for rent, across many price points. Our future prosperity and quality of life are at stake. Vote Raoul Zubia for City Council. zubiaforscottsdale.com.
