Scottsdale Progress - 10.04.2020 by Times Media Group

Mayor hopefuls tangle in forum / P. 6

COVID quiets stadiums / P. 28

FREE ($1 OUTSIDE OF SCOTTSDALE) | scottsdale.org

An edition of the East Valley Tribune

INSIDE

BUSINESS .................. 34 Old Town gets ﬁrst new hotel in decade.

ARTS................................ 37 Art Walk returns with restrictions.

Sunday, October 4, 2020

Scottsdale Realtor prime suspect in wife’s slaying BY JIM WALSH Progress Staff Writer

anell Mora accomplished many things in her life. She gave birth to two boys, earned two master’s degrees and represented Arizona State University on student recruiting conferences in China and other countries. But in the end, all Mora, 40, wanted was peace and safety for her two children and herself. After her marriage to Stephen Mora soured, she thought she had made arrangements to end the relationship amicably and had a meeting set up with Steve on Sept. 28.

see DOMESTIC page 16

Janell Mora, 40, was gunned down in the road as she jogged late afternoon Sept. 26 in Mesa. (Facebook)

Scottsdale Realtor Stephen Mora reportedly told a 911 operator he killed his wife, then tried to take his life. (Facebook)

Candidate’s lawsuits re�lect local GOP turmoil FOOD.............................. 41 They make beer and wine top priorities.

NEIGHBORS ......................................... 28 BUSINESS .............................................. 34 OPINION ................................................ 36 ARTS .........................................................37 FOOD ........................................................41 CLASSIFIEDS ....................................... 43

BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Progress Managing Editor

wo lawsuits filed by state legislative candidate Joseph Chaplik against political rivals have exposed infighting in the local Republican party in the months leading up to the General Election. Chaplik is running for one of two seats

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also filed to run in the race as a write-in candidate. Maricopa County Superior Court records show that Chaplik filed separate lawsuits in August against Lawrence and Romack, alleging both men defamed him in statements and social media posts alluding to a now-resolved IRS tax lien

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CITY NEWS

An edition of the East Valley Tribune Scottsdale Progress is published every Sunday and distributed free of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout Scottsdale. To find out where you can pick up a free copy of Scottsdale Progress, please visit www.Scottsdale.org. CONTACT INFORMATION Main number 480-898-6500 | Advertising 480-898-5624 Circulation service 480-898-5641 Scottsdale Progress 4301 N 75th St., Suite 201, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 Publisher Steve T. Strickbine Vice President Michael Hiatt ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Display Advertising 480-898-6309 Classifieds/Inside Sales Elaine Cota | 480-898-7926 | ecota@scottsdale.org TJ Higgins | 480-898-5902 | tjhiggins@scottsdale.org Advertising Office Manager Lori Dionisio | 480-898-6309 | ldionisio@scottsdale.org Director of National Advertising Zac Reynolds | 480-898-5603 | zac@scottsdale.org NEWS DEPARTMENT Executive Editor Paul Maryniak | 480-898-5647 | pmaryniak@scottsdale.org Managing Editor Wayne Schutsky | 480-898-6533 | wschutsky@scottsdale.org Staff Writers Kristine Cannon | 480-898-9657 | kcannon@scottsdale.org Jim Walsh | 480-898-5639 | jwalsh@scottsdale.org Photographers Pablo Robles | Probles@scottsdale.org Design Veronica Thurman | vthurman@scottsdale.org Production Coordinator Courtney Oldham | 480-898-5617 | production@scottsdale.org Circulation Director Aaron Kolodny | 480-898-5641 | customercare@scottsdale.org Scottsdale Progress is distributed by AZ Integrated Media, a circulation service company owned by Times Media Group. The public is permitted one copy per reader. For further information regarding the circulation of this publication or others in the Times Media Group family of publications, please contact AZ Integrated Media at circ@azintegratedmedia.com or 480-898-5641. For circulation services please contact Aaron Kolodny at aaron@azintegratedmedia.com

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 4, 2020

Council candidates spar on growth BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Progress Managing Editor

conomic growth and dominated the final Scottsdale City Council forum prior to the Nov. 3 General Election. With early ballots going out this week, Candidates Tammy Caputi, Tom Durham, Betty Janik, Becca Linnig, John Little and incumbent Councilman Guy Phillips are running for three open seats on the Council. All six candidates attended the online forum initially, though Linnig left following introductions due to a family emergency. The candidates sparred on several topics – most frequently economic development – at the Sept. 23 forum, which was hosted by the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce, Scottsdale Leadership, SCOTT and Scottsdale Arts and moderated by Scottsdale Community College President Chris Haines. The candidates uniformly supported elements in the city’s existing General Plan that designated three “economic growth areas” where economic development should be concentrated, including the Scottsdale Airpark, McDowell Road Corridor and downtown Scottsdale. But the field was split on what exactly constitutes appropriate development and how the city can continue to diversify and grow its economy while remaining attractive to residents. “Forty-seven percent of our city budget comes from sales tax revenue,” Caputi said. “And we have to make sure that we don’t antagonize the business

“Forty-seven percent of our city budget comes from sales tax revenue. And we have to make sure that we don’t antagonize the business community but that we encourage development in our city in areas that make sense.”

community but that we encourage development in our city in areas that make sense.” Still, she acknowledged a need to balance that development with the city’s open spaces like the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, arguing those amenities are made possible by the city’s strong economy. “Again, we can’t just have a city where we alienate all the people that want to invest in our future,” Caputi said. Durham, a critic of Council’s approval of some developments like Southbridge Two, said the city’s economy is already strong. He cited the city’s attractiveness as a job market, and that businesses seeking to develop here should have to abide by existing zoning and design guidelines. “My concern over development is that if developers want to come to Scottsdale, they’ve got to live by the rules,” Durham said. “We have very specific zoning rules that are intended to keep our special character.” Durham added that “too many developers are coming in who automatically ask for variances on height and density, and we’ve seen those variances granted over and over and over again over the last four years.” Janik, another Southbridge Two critic, took aim at large infrastructure paybacks handed out by the city in recent years to attract new investment from existing employers like Axon and Nationwide and an influx of high-rise developments planned for the downtown. “Southbridge Two is a perfect example,” Janik said. “It was approved (and) what happened? The citizens had to have a referendum to say, wait a second, it’s too much.” On the Axon reimbursement, Janik asked why the city was giving taxpayer dollars to a successful company. Janik argued information about the costs and potential benefits of the Axon deal were not readily available to average citizens and the city did not take enough time to weigh the risk versus reward of these deals before they were approved by Council. But Little, a former city manager in Scottsdale, said he felt the city was transparent in how it weighed compara-

tive costs and benefits of the Axon deal. “The development agreement was there for you to look at: $12 million investment on the city’s part; $16 million return on our investment for Axon,” Little said. Though he did not cite Southbridge Two specifically, Little – a supporter of that project – argued that growth and development in southern and central parts of the city actually subsidizes the quality of life elsewhere rather than harm it. He cited a 2011 development forecast by Applied Economics that found growth in the southern and central parts of the city would generate city revenue while growth in the northern reaches actually cost the city money due to the need to provide services in the less densely-populated area. “So in essence, we’ve got parts of the city that Betty and Tom and Guy are really worried about us doing development in but those are the areas that are paying for the quality of life that the people in the north enjoy,” Little said. “So let’s see if we can find a little balance in our community where growth does pay for itself.” Phillips, the only incumbent in the race, found himself partially in agreement with both sides. Phillips, like Janik and Durham, was an active participant in the referendum campaign that ultimately killed Southbridge Two “because it would have destroyed 5th Avenue.” But Phillips said the area north of Scottsdale Airpark near Loop 101 – the site of Nationwide and Axon’s new developments – is the right spot for new development because “the public benefit far outweighs the aesthetic look of what they wanted.” “Sure, for 30 seconds on the (Loop 101) freeway heading east you won’t see a portion of the McDowell (Mountains),” Phillips said. Phillips noted that much of the property backs up to the freeway and a city water treatment plant and the new Axon headquarters is expected to have an economic impact of around $8 billion over 10 years. “It’s very hard to say no to that,” Phillips said.

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 4, 2020

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SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 4, 2020

In-person forum spotlights mayoral candidates BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Progress Managing Editor

or the first time this election cycle, Scottsdale’s mayoral candidates debated their ideas in front of a live audience. On Sept. 29, candidates David Ortega and Lisa Borowsky spoke to a limited crowd at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts at a forum hosted by Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce, Scottsdale Arts, SCOTT and Scottsdale Leadership. The forum was also the first, and likely only, chance Borowsky and Ortega had to contrast their ideas and platforms in a oneon-one setting since winning the primary. Going into the primary, both campaigns relied on relatively similar messaging that painted their candidate as the one uniquely positioned to stop runaway highrise development in Scottsdale and champion residents’ input in all future decisions about Scottsdale’s growth. Both candidates used the forum as an opportunity to differentiate themselves, though each also had some missteps. Ortega struggled to stay on message early and was chastised once by Borowsky and Chad Arruda, a panelist, for failing to address the question that was posed. Some of Borowsky’s proposed “new” policies and projects appeared to mirror those already underway at City Hall. For instance, when asked what role the city government should play in helping small businesses adversely impacted by the pandemic, Borowsky said she would work to remove bureaucratic red tape and make it easier for businesses to receive outdoor use permits on public land as weather improves. “It’s time consuming; it’s expensive and it can be very defeating…So I think that’s one thing we can do right away that gets our businesses outside,” Borowsky said. Borowsky’s idea is similar to one pitched by council candidate Betty Janik in May and largely implemented by Council in June. Though some of her ideas are already in effect, Borowsky offered more concrete proposals than Ortega, who focused on the city using existing resources to attract new investment and support existing businesses, pointing to the city’s Economic Devel-

Scottsdale mayoral candidates David Ortega and Lisa Borowsky spoke before a limited crowd at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts at a forum on Sept. 29. (Progress file photo).

opment Department and its tourism arm, Experience Scottsdale. “There will be a huge surge of people coming to Scottsdale and to Arizona,” Ortega said. “That is accelerating, because people want to get away from high buildings, high density, mass transit, and all those other obstacles.” There are some indicators that Ortega is right. In September, online moving services database HireAHelper reported that more people have moved to Scottsdale during the pandemic than any other city. Scottsdale also saw an unexpected bump in sales tax receipts during that time. But City Treasurer Jeff Nichols warned that the over performance likely would not last into fall due to the expiration of supplemental federal unemployment benefits.

General plan discussed

The candidates differed most significantly on passing the city’s next General Plan. That plan, mandated by state law, is a city’s primary visioning guide for longterm growth and is developed using feedback from residents, city staff and the City Council. State law requires that each General Plan be approved by both the City Council and a popular vote. The City of Scottsdale has not adopted

and received voter approval of a new plan in nearly 20 years, despite a state law requiring new adoption or reapproval every 10 years. The city is currently in the process of updating its existing plan and plans to bring that update before voters in 2021. But Borowsky said she would like to see the city take more time developing the new plan to better incorporate resident input. “It’s been talked about today that we’re in a super big hurry; I think that’s how we fail,” Borowsky said. “I think we need to include as many people as want to want to get involved in the process; we hear from people in all parts of our city that want to be part of bringing their community forward.” “That’s how I think we get it passed,” she added. Currently, the plan is being developed by a Citizen Review Committee made up of residents who serve on city boards and commissions. Borowsky said the current group includes “the usual suspects” – people already engaged in city activities – and that the city should push back the 2021 timeline to cast a wider net. Ortega disagreed. “That’s where mayor and Council go off wheels,” Ortega said. “That’s why we start looking around saying ‘why is this building

popping up? What’s happening over here? Where are our standards?’” Ortega may have the law on his side. Scottsdale likely is violating Arizona law because it had not received resident approval of a new General plan or reapproval of the existing plan in over 10 years. “All other cities have got their general plan done,” Ortega said. “It’s a required, conversation…And when you fail to do that, what happens, the city council doesn’t get the directive and information from the citizens.” Following an inquiry from the Progress, staff from the nonpartisan Legislative Council at the State Legislature looked into the issue and concluded that Scottsdale is likely in violation of provisions of general plan law because it failed to submit a new plan for approval following the 2012 vote. Though city officials disagree, Scottsdale is required to submit a new plan to voters by 2021. Still, Borowsky suggested another rushed plan would again fail at the ballot box. Even though Borowsky’s plan to slow down the process would seemingly keep the city at odds with state law, there’s not much legally the state can do to stop the Scottsdale from again dragging its feet. The Legislative Council memo concluded that Arizona law contains no enforcement mechanism.

Growth

The candidates also addressed job growth and if they supported the city’s decision to designate three growth centers in the Scottsdale Airpark, downtown Scottsdale and the McDowell Road corridor. Ortega did not answer the question head on, and focused much of his response on the need to revamp the city’s approach to development downtown. He argued that tall, dense projects would overtax the downtown infrastructure. “What people need to realize is that the infrastructure is 50 to 60 years old, so many areas between Brown and actually 68th Street need so much upgrading,” Ortega said. Ortega acknowledged the downtown area needs some renovation but that it

see MAYORAL page 24

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 4, 2020

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SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 4, 2020

Most legislative candidates pass on education forum BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Progress Managing Editor

espite a packed field of candidates, Democrat Eric Kurland and Republican write-in candidate Joe Romack were the only participants in a Legislative District 23 education forum earlier this month. The online forum, hosted by Save Our Schools Arizona Network and The Arizona Center for Economic Progress on Sept. 24, focused heavily on education funding in Arizona – including the Proposition 208 ballot initiative that will go before voters in November. Kurland and Romack are both running for two open seats in the state House. Incumbent Rep. John Kavanagh and candidate Joseph Chaplik, who both advanced in the primary, declined to participate – as did incumbent Republican Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, who is running against Democrat Seth Blattman. Blattman cancelled shortly before the forum due to a family emergency. The relatively sparse showing gave both Kurland and Romack ample time to discuss their policy positions and views on education in Arizona. Both candidates cited a need to address a shortage of qualified teachers in Arizona classrooms when asked what resources are needed to have excellent schools. A recent report from the Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association found that Arizona’s years-long teacher shortage has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic as some teachers left the classroom due to health concerns. About 28 percent of all teaching positions – or about 1,729 positions – are unfilled across the state, according to the report. Romack said he supported scholarships for students who agree to become teachers in the state for a specified period of time. Under Gov. Doug Ducey’s Arizona Teachers College program, teaching students at the state’s public universities can receive scholarships in exchange for a commitment to teach in the state for a set number of years. Kurland said the state needs to do more to keep teachers from leaving, stating half of Arizona teachers leave the classroom by the fifth year.

Eric Kurland

Joe Romack

“We are losing half of our teachers two years before they reach maximum efficiency,” Kurland said, citing data from Arizona State University professor David Berliner. Kurland agreed with Romack’s support for the teacher scholarship program, but said the state should lay out a loftier 20year goal to support teachers from the beginning to the end of their careers. He said the program could train older teachers as mentors and pair them after retirement with all new teachers. He also suggested the state cover a portion of retirement investments through ASRS for teachers in years 4 to 10 so “they’re now vested in the Arizona state system” and pay health insurance for teachers after they retire. “Here in Arizona, we can be the state that goes from hire to retire with the most important resource for our kids, which is our teachers,” Kurland said. Romack also said he supported equipping schools to teach students hightech skills. “This also requires a modern-day curriculum teaching such courses as coding and computer design,” Romack said. Kurland, a former Scottsdale teacher, said the state needs to reverse decades of declining investment in education that has seen the Arizona’s funding-per-student rank near the bottom of all states nationwide for years. “We are so far out of the mainstream that if they took a statistical analysis, they would drop us off because we were so far out as an outlier,” Kurland said of Arizona’s current funding for education.

While both candidates supported investing in teachers, they differed on how to do that. Kurland said he supported passing Proposition 208. If passed, the proposition would levy a 3.5 percent income tax surcharge on top of the state’s existing 4.5 percent income tax on all income over $250,000 for individuals or $500,000 for couples filing jointly. The extra 3.5 percent surcharge would only apply to the income above the $250,000 or $500,000 threshold. So, if an individual earned $250,001, the first $250,000 would be taxed at the existing 4.5 percent rate and the remaining $1 would be taxed at 8 percent. The Arizona Department of Revenue estimated that the surcharge would generate $827 million in the first year. That money would then be deposited into a fund and distributed to specific educational purposes, including increasing salaries for teachers and student support staff. The proposition would go a long way to addressing the declining education investment Kurland referenced. “I would have preferred something a little bit different, but now that we’re here, and it’s been 25 years of failed promises to fund education appropriately, this is what we have, so I’ll be voting yes for it,” Kurland said. Kurland said he believed Prop 208 would also have strong support in LD 23 even though the area has more families with income over $100,000 per year than any other legislative district, according to a

2018 report from the Arizona Department of Revenue. He cited strong support for recent budget overrides in local school districts, which result in increased property taxes to fund services in specific districts. Romack opposed Prop 208 and said he would work for legislation with money specifically earmarked for teacher salaries. Still, Romack generally agreed with Kurland that using Arizona’s ballot proposition process to address education funding is not a bad move, though he argued Prop 208 is flawed. “In this case, Prop 208 has the right intent, but it’s hugely misguided and damaging,” Romack said. Romack alleged that the monies from Prop 208 would not make it into teacher’s pockets and would instead be sent to administrators and to fund “unproven” programs. According to a report by staff at the Arizona Legislature’s Joint Legislative Budget Committee, 75 percent would go toward hiring and raises for teachers, classroom support staff and student support personnel. Another 10 percent would go to teacher retention programs with an additional three percent dedicated to expanding the Arizona Teacher’s Academy. Twelve percent of the funds would be used to establish a new fund to career and technical training program run by the Arizona Department of Education. Romack also argued the tax surcharge would hurt the economy, stating, “raising taxes on entrepreneurs will crush an economy struggling to recover from COVID.” The Joint Legislative Budget Committee reported that Prop 208 would effectively give Arizona the 9th highest state income tax rate in the country and acknowledged that Prop 208 could potentially cause “taxpayer migration” and harm business investment by causing high-income individuals to leave the state. But the report also noted that any negative impact on state revenue caused by that migration could be offset by increased spending connected to increase wages for teachers and school staff. The report acknowledged that it could not determine with certainty how Prop 208 would impact the state’s economy overall.

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SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 4, 2020

CHAPLIK from front

against him. Romack denied the allegations and countersued Chaplik, claiming he only filed the suit to discourage criticism and wanted to paint his political opponents as bullies. “We believe the lawsuit is an attempt to silence citizens who may disagree with Joseph Chaplik politically, through threatened or actual litigation,” said attorney Steven M. Jackson, who is representing Romack. “This action is an attempt to bully, harass, and threaten Joe Romack, who was just a private citizen when Joseph Chaplik filed the matter.” Chaplik’s lawsuits alleged that Romack and Lawrence called him “a tax deadbeat, tax cheat and criminal” at a meeting of the Fountain Hills Republican Club in June. Chaplik also alleged Lawrence made similar claims in campaign mailers and other communications. Lawrence did not respond to a request for comment but denied the allegations in court. Chaplik also accused Romack of using two anonymous Twitter accounts to smear him, alleging he was behind two anonymous Twitter accounts with the usernames @JChapstick69 and @ ChapstickJoseph. Both accounts made posts alluding to the tax lien or alleging he does not pay taxes. “You know what they should teach in school? How to pay your taxes. You could have used a course like that, since ya know, you didn’t pay your taxes,” read a post by @JChapstick69 directed to Chaplik’s authentic account. Chaplik’s complaint said the statements are false and constituted libel but Romack’s attorney denied his client is behind the Twitter accounts. “Joe Romack is not the owner of that account(s) and we don’t know why Joseph Chaplik would believe he is,” Jackson said. “My client had no personal contact regarding the accounts or allegations with Joseph Chaplik prior to his filing this lawsuit.” Lawrence also fired back on social media, alleging Chaplik’s attorney offered to drop the lawsuit if Lawrence endorsed Chaplik and gave away his campaign mailing list. “That’s extortion and a felony,” Law-

Eric Kurland

John Kavanagh

Joseph Chaplik

rence posted on his personal Facebook page on Sept. 22. Chaplik’s attorney Mark Goldman said he did not believe the scenario laid out by Lawrence constituted felony extortion under state law. “Based upon any review of that statute, it’s exceedingly clear that, even if I did make such an offer on behalf of Mr. Chaplik to Mr. Lawrence, it would not be and could not be extortion,” Goldman said in an email to the Progress. “Based upon the foregoing, Mr. Chaplik did not commit a felony.” Goldman did not respond to a followup question asking to clarify whether or not he offered to drop the suit in exchange for an endorsement. This is not the first time Goldman has been accused of helping party allies smear political opponents. In 2010, Phoenix New Times reported that Goldman likely participated in an attempted prosecution of former Maricopa County Supervisor Don Stapley by former Sheriff Joe Arpaio and then-County Attorney Andrew Thomas. The prosecution, and others like it, ultimately led a three-judge disciplinary panel to disbar Thomas and Lisa Aubuchon, a deputy county attorney, in 2012 for violating ethical codes of conduct. A report by John Gleason, an independent investigator, found that Goldman had passed out information on Stapley to a Sheriff’s Department anticorruption task force. The report also found that either Aubuchon or Goldman likely initiated the investigation into Stapley. The lawsuits are the latest example of infighting in the local Republican Party

that has gone on for much of the election. Throughout the primary, incumbents Kavanagh and Lawrence sparred with Chaplik, going so far as to set up the domain nochaplik.com, according to a post by Kavanagh on republicanbriefs. org, an online sounding board for Republican candidates and supporters. The nochaplik.com website has since been disabled. In a statement on his campaign’s Facebook page in June, Chaplik addressed much of the criticism posted to the noChaplik.com website, including his tax history. “Successful businesses large and small with real estate holdings routinely enter into installment plans for taxes owed,” Chaplik wrote. “My agreement was entered into on Oct 11 and (as my opponents failed to admit) was paid in full on Oct 28. All my taxes are paid.” According to Maricopa County Recorder’s Office records, the Internal Revenue service filed a tax lien against Chaplik on Oct. 22, 2018 for non-pay-

ment of a 2016 tax assessment totaling $53,296. Chaplik has since paid off the assessment, according to a letter releasing the lien signed by an IRS operations manager in December 2018. The sparring has concerned some local Republicans as the party fights to defend the two legislative seats that have been considered safely Republican for decades. But this year, Kurland has out-fundraised both Kavanagh and Chaplik, according to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office. In 2018, Kurland ran against Kavanagh and Lawrence and lost the second seat to Lawrence by three percentage points. LD 23 GOP Chair Nancy Ordowski did not respond to a request to comment. The local party endorses both Kavanagh and Chaplik in a voter guide and leadership encouraged members to put differences aside and support the slate. In a newsletter sent to members in September, First Vice Chairman Rob Swoboda compared the election to a house fire and the candidates to a “bucket brigade.” “So, Alex Kolodin must hand the bucket to Michelle Ugenti-Rita who hands it to Sheriff Joe who hands it to Jerry Sheridan who hands it to Jay Lawrence who enthusiastically hands it to Joseph Chaplik,” Swoboda wrote. “We all must actively support our candidates in the general election especially those who were not our choice in the primary,” Swoboda added. “We must not lose a single race to the Democrat!”

“Successful businesses large and small with real estate holdings routinely enter into installment plans for taxes owed. My agreement was entered into on Oct. 11 and (as my opponents failed to admit) was paid in full on Oct. 28. All my taxes are paid.”

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 4, 2020

CITY NEWS

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 4, 2020

School board candidates discuss budget, enrollment BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Progress Managing Editor

our of the six candidates running for Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board participated in a forum last week to discuss a range of topics facing the district, including financial responsibility and enrollment decline. The online forum featured candidates Julie Cieniawski, Dr. Libby Hart-Wells, Zachary Lindsay and Rose Smith. Candidates Kathleen Angelos and Lucy DiGrazia declined to participate. The forum included questions submitted by the host Scottsdale Parent Council and families. One question centered on the candidates’ approach to fiscal responsibility – a significant topic in SUSD, which came under scrutiny by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office three years ago due to alleged impropriety under former Superintendent Dr. Denise Birdwell. Cieniawski, a retired SUSD teacher and former head of the Scottsdale Education Association, said fiscal responsibility

Four candidates for SUSD Governing Board participated in a virtual forum hosted by the Scottsdale Parent Council on Sept. 29. (Progress file photo)

begins with understanding how district finances work, a point echoed by other candidates. Cieniawski said she has taken several courses in school law and finance, including a course taught by recently-retired SUSD CFO Jeff Gadd years ago. She also suggested the district bring stakeholders back into the budgeting

process. “I think they were effective promoting fiscal responsibility,” Cieniawski said. Hart-Wells, an adjunct faculty member in the chemistry department at Glendale Community College, also emphasized a need to understand the budget, stating she her approach to fiscal responsibility is “understanding expenses compared to

Committed to economic recovery and job creation Maximize sales tax revenue through business development Diversify and strengthen our economy Maintain low property taxes and protect community assets

revenue, and then understanding justification for expenses.” Smith, a former SUSD para-educator and staffer, argued she has a leg up on her fellow candidates in understanding the budget due to her job history. “Having worked for the schools, I understand the different buckets of money,” Smith said. “I understand the chart of accounts and how things are funded…I know where to look and where the funding is coming from for different school allocations.” The candidates also pointed to changes that could be made to improve transparency and accountability. Hart-Wells pitched a role for a “visionary CFO” that would “have deliverables to the board where the principles of the sites are also involved and become part of that discussion of justifying expenses as long as they’re in line with the mission, not as a micromanaging tool, but as an oversight mission.” Both Hart-Wells and Lindsay, who works

see SCHOOLBOARD page 20

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 4, 2020

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SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 4, 2020

DOMESTIC from front

The meeting never happened. Instead, the Scottsdale Realtor, 53, is suspected of fatally shooting his wife of three years and four months on Sept. 26 as she jogged near her Mesa home at Power Road and the Loop 202, leaving her in the road. Mora then drove to the Mesa Police Department’s downtown headquarters, where he shot himself in the head in his vehicle. He remains in the hospital in critical condition. Detective Nik Rasheta, a Mesa police spokesman, said officers responded to a reported shooting in the 3100 block of N. Power Road “and located Janell Mora deceased on the roadway,’’ with witnesses present. “The suspect fled the scene and called 911 to say he shot his wife and was now suicidal. He stated he was at the police station and when officers arrived at the Main Police Headquarters, they heard a single gunshot and then observed Stephen exit the vehicle bleeding profusely from a head injury.’’ Mora is expected to face homicide charges if he survives. “She was out for a jog. He ambushed her,’’ said Amy Hall, Janell’s sister. “They were going to get together and sign some documents in a couple days. She was trying to escape the situation.’’ Hall said her sister was a devoted mother of her two boys, 8 and 9, from a previous marriage. She said Janell’s motivation was to protect her children and herself from Mora after the marriage unraveled, though she declined to elaborate. The couple met on the dating app Tinder, in early 2016, two years after she divorced her first husband. They married on April 26, 2017 – 10 months after Mora got divorced. At the time they were married, Janelle posted numerous pictures of their wedding, writing, “I married the most charming, kind-hearted, loving, supportive, family-oriented, handsome, hilarious and FUN man I’ve ever known." It’s unknown how long Janell and Stephen had been living apart before he apparently decided to take his wife’s life and attempt a murder-suicide, Hall said. “They had an agreement to mutually separate. They were going to meet,’’

A memorial quickly was set up by mourners at the spot where Janell Mora was gunned down in Mesa Oct. 26. (Special to the Progress)

Hall said. “She was smart. She was trying to get away. She was trying to get out.’’ Janell’s slaying was one of two fatal domestic violence cases in the Valley last weekend. The morning after her slaying, a Laveen woman was killed by her husband only a few minutes after police had left her home. They had answered her 911 call about her husband but he had fled by the time the officers arrived. They told her how to file for a protection from abuse order and left. Minutes later her husband returned, shot her and then killed himself. The two slayings occurred only a few days before the beginning of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, an annual effort in October that spotlights a chronic problem that has become worse during the pandemic.

The month is devoted to educating the public about domestic violence, encouraging people – mostly women – to leave abusive relationships and raising money to support shelters and other services focused on saving lives. But the pandemic has given special significance to those activities. In the East Valley and elsewhere, social service agencies say the problem has been inflamed by the social isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the recession it ignited, increasing financial pressures as jobs vanished. With more people working from home, there are fewer opportunities for survivors to escape, for intervention by friends and employers who might notice bruises, for family members to visit and notice something is wrong with a relationship, or even for a survivor to report abuse without an

abuser overhearing the conversation. Gordon Sims, director of philanthropy for Phoenix Sojourner Center, said Janell Mora’s murder is tragic but not surprising. “People sometimes believe the myth of anger and being out of control. Domestic violence is actually about control,’’ Sims said. “The ultimate form of control is murder. If they can’t have them, nobody can.’’ Domestic violence also cuts across all socio-economic segments of society, he said. “All of us as Americans say, ‘that will never happen to me,’’’ Sims said. But that attitude is a misconception. “They believe that because they are educated,” he said, “they are not susceptible to it.’’ He said the breakup of a marriage in an abusive relationship is always dangerous and that Janell did nothing wrong. “So many times, the women we work with have done everything they are supposed to do. So many times, the abuser seems to get wind of it,’’ Sims said. He said all Maricopa County shelters are full, not only because of demand during a stressed time, but because social distancing requirements forced to a reduction in capacity. That eventually impacts funding, with the state Department of Economic Security reimbursing shelters only for beds used. Laura Bode, director of community engagement for A New Leaf, a multifaceted Mesa social service agency, said hotlines operated by her agency get 16,000 domestic violence calls a year. A New Leaf’s Autumn House shelter in Mesa provided a safe haven for 155 women last year, while Faith House in Glendale provided shelter for another 255. Another 388 survivors took refuge in a hotel that serves as an overflow shelter when necessary through the DV Stop program. And that was before the pandemic increased stress in households, isolation of victims and aggravated an already serious problem, Bode said. She said A New Leaf is receiving more new calls and reports of more severe

see DOMESTIC page 18

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 4, 2020

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SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 4, 2020

DOMESTIC from page 16

threats. “We have more callers who say, ‘he’s starting to get violent. I’m really scared for my life. Please help me,’’’ she said. She said some callers are whispering, “hiding in a bedroom, trying to call for help’’ in the hopes their abuser won’t hear their pleas for help. Bode said the opportunities for women to escape from abuse are less frequent, with both the abuser and the survivor working from home. The abuse can also be harder for friends and family members to spot. “The victims aren’t getting out and accessing their normal safety network,’’ Bode said. “Sometimes, it’s work colleagues who will see the bruises’’ and ask if something is going on at home. Rasheta, the Mesa police spokesman, said a domestic violence detective told him, “we have not had any spikes in cases. Our numbers have been pretty steady through the year with no abnormalities in the numbers.’’ But police in Phoenix, Chandler and other cities around the state and nation have noted an increase in domestic violence reports. Between March and August, Chandler police responded to 2,782 domestic disturbance/fight calls in 2020 – a period spanning the onslaught of the pandemic to the latest month statistics are available. In contrast, there were 2,536 such calls during the same period in 2019. In a report to the Phoenix City Council, Phoenix police noted a spike in domestic violence- related calls during the first six months of 2020, including an 11.5 percent increase in dispatched calls, a 31 percent increase in incident reports, a 27 percent increase in arrests, a 34.8 percent increase in aggravated assaults and a 20.7 percent increase in criminal damage. Through the end of August, the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence had recorded 73 domestic violence slayings statewide this year, compared to 63 through the same period in 2019. Coalition CEO Jenna Panas said domestic violence homicides are 16 percent higher this year. She said the coalition noticed a decline during the early stages of COVID in women seeking shelter, probably because of con-

Janell gushed on her Facebook pageabout her new husband, who is now the prime suspect in her slaying, when she married him in April 2017. (Facebook)

fusion about whether shelters were open. No shelters closed during the pandemic. “Most of our shelters, while they may have reduced capacity, we’re not turning people away,’’ Panas said. Janice Podzimek, interpersonal violence liaison with Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona, said it is “a grave concern’’ that victims in Mesa may not be reporting incidents of domestic violence because they fear it will trigger an attack. “It’s every aspect of their life that is controlled and manipulated,’’ she said. Normally, a survivor might have an opportunity to escape while her abuser is at work or leaving the house for another reason. For Podzimek, who is an abuse survivor, her opening came when her then-husband was arrested by police.

“My abuser was put in jail. That gave me two or three days to gather my things, pack my car and get out of dodge,’’ she said. When survivors get to a shelter, they should be assessed for potential traumatic brain injury, a problem that can be caused by repeated beatings, but is sometimes overlooked because it is invisible, she said. It’s an ugly side of life that seems to stand in sharp contrast with Janell Mora, who was described in a series of condolences left on her obituary through Beard’s Funeral Chapel in her native Fayetteville, Arkansas, as a ray of sunshine, a positive person who loved her children. Many of them worked with Mora during her more than 15 -year career at Arizona State University, where she

most recently served as associate director of Global Career Initiatives until 2018, when she took a job recruiting Master’s in Business Administration students for internships and full-time positions with Cognizant, a professional services company. “Janell was a treasured member of the W. P. Carey School of Business family at ASU. First as staff, then student, then alumna. We are collectively grieving her loss and a life ended far too soon. Our deepest sympathy for all her family and friends,’’ wrote Dean Amy Hillman. Cindy Parnell, ASU’s dean of career and professional development services, also wrote that she has fond memories of Mora. “Janell brought so much beauty to everyday life. She was a kind soul, strong woman, loving mom, and amazing professional. I loved working with Janell. Her energy was contagious. I’ll remember Janell for so many things, but most of all, her positive spirit and generous heart. Your ASU family will miss you, Janell,’’ Parnell wrote. Hall and other family members came to Mesa and established a memorial for Mora, near the place where she was shot, after receiving numerous condolences from friends. A celebration of Mora’s life is scheduled for Oct. 7 in Arkansas and a GoFundMe account was set up for Mora’s sons that can be found by searching under “trust fund for Brighton and Owen McClelland.” “She will not be forgotten. I know that for sure. She was too important to people,’’ Hall said. “She did not deserve this as no one deserves this.’’ Hall said she is hopeful that her sister’s death will encourage domestic violence victims to seek help and escape from their abusers during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. “Domestic violence is not right. We all know that,’’ Hall said. A New Leaf’s hotline number is 1-800-SAFEDVS, or 1-800-723-3387. Pledge Purple at Home, a digital education session about domestic violence and fundraiser, is scheduled for Oct. 29. For more information, go to turnanewleaf.org Funeral services for Janell are set for Wednesday in Arkansas, where she will be buried under her maiden name.

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CITY NEWS

SCHOOLBOARD from page 14

in financial services, also advocated for an internal auditor position to monitor compliance with the district’s policies. Current board member Jann-Michael Greenburg has long advocated for an internal auditor since he first ran for office in 2018, though those conversations have not found much traction thus far. Smith applauded the district for its existing online dashboard that includes all of the district’s budget documents over the past several years, but said the information should be expanded. “And it would be nice to have more reports and such available to the public just at a click,” Smith said. Lindsay said SUSD should fall in line with other Valley districts by increasing the amount of financial information available to the public on the agendas posted online before every board meeting. He pointed to SUSD agenda information on newly-hired administrators that only showed the individual’s name and school site. “And you can go to any other district and you can pull up the same information and they show salaries, start dates, where they

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 4, 2020

went to school,” Lindsay said. “Just much more out in the open with the way they’re spending money. The topic of school budgets is inextricably linked to enrollment in Arizona, a school choice state where funding follows students. Enrollment has declined in SUSD for years. In 2018, Rick Brammer with Applied Economics told the district that it had lost about 4,800 students since 2001 and projected a loss of another 1,800 by 2028. Some of that loss is attributable to the rise in popularity of charter schools, according to experts. In 2018, Brammer said the district lost 4,000 students since 2010, a time period in which charters in the district added 5,200 students. Lindsay said it’s difficult to narrow down why individual families chose to leave, though he argued the issues during Birdwell’s tenure were a contributing factor. “Our chaos and disruption was their gain,” Lindsay said. Lindsay said he believes SUSD already has programming and offerings to compete with charter schools but that the district needs to do a better job marketing

them. Cieniawski cited marketing as a contributing factor to enrollment decline, stating she believes parents are “being sold a bill of goods that really creates the sense that the public schools are failing due to fiscal starvation.” “And doesn’t everybody want what’s best for their kid? Cieniawski said. “Of course they do, but I’m going to ask…does the crest on the shirt or this shiny new building really mean improved academics? “I don’t think it guarantees that,” Cieniawski said the district needs to do a better job publicizing its successes to the public, listing off achievements like its Spanish and Mandarin immersion programs, dozens of National Merit finalists and International Baccalaureate programs. Hart-Wells said one of the board’s main points of focus should be the district’s success stories, going so far to use her final closing statement to congratulate various students and staff that had notable achievements in recent weeks. Both Hart-Wells and Smith said exit surveys of families leaving the district would be helpful but acknowledged they could be hard to compile in a way that would provide valuable data.

“We may find some things we don’t know already,” she said. Smith said that the surveys would only be beneficial if they can be done “with fidelity” and noted, in many cases, that is unrealistic. “Sometimes parents, we don’t even know that they’re leaving,” Smith said. “We get record requests from the school that they’re enrolling to and we don’t have time to even ask them why they’re leaving our schools.” Hart-Wells said the district should seek to find out why families are choosing to come to SUSD “and only then can we come up with an effective and efficient strategy to increase enrollment.” Smith said the district should focus on areas where it can compete with charters, contending it can offer many of the same or similar academic programs that are typically used in charter marketing materials. Over the course of the hour-long conversation, the candidates touched on a number of other topics, including COVID-19 and student mental health. The forum can be viewed on the Scottsdale Parent Council’s official YouTube page.

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25 years later, Sunset Limited mystery still unsolved BY GARY NELSON Tribune Contributor

little before midnight on Sunday, Oct. 8, 1995, an Amtrak passenger train called the Sunset Limited pulled out of Phoenix under a full desert moon, heading west. Its two locomotives pulled 12 cars. There were 268 souls on board, of whom 20 were Amtrak crew members. Earlier they had cruised through Mesa and Tempe, passing Sun Devil Stadium and crossing an arid riverbed that was still more than three years away from becoming Tempe Town Lake. Before long the train was churning through the Maricopa County desert, bound for Los Angeles after originating in Miami. The passengers who were still awake could glance out the silver cars’ panoramic windows and see a moonlit monotony of scrub brush, power poles and saguaros. Out in the desert, someone had been busy. He, or she, or they, found the spot where the tracks curve toward a concrete bridge that crosses Quail Spring Wash. They pulled 29 spikes that bound the rails to the wooden ties. They shoved one of the rails out of alignment and propped it in place with a metal bar. And they bypassed the alarm wires that run along the tracks so the engineers on the train could not know what lay ahead. The Sunset Limited, traveling about 50 mph, rolled into the sabotaged section of track sometime after 1 a.m. on Oct. 9. Somehow the engines made it across the bridge. The passenger cars did not. Four of them lurched off the tracks and into the wash 30 feet below. The lead car smashed into a 2-foot-thick abutment, gouging a huge hole into the concrete. Mitchell Bates, a 41-year-old sleeping-car attendant, died. Another 78 people were injured, many of them critically. After the engineers called in their SOS, it took 45 minutes for the first help to arrive in an area so remote that even the tiny outpost of Hyder was still 15

The derailment of an Amtrak passenger train 25 years ago a few hours after it passed through the East Valley remains an unsolved mystery of domestic terrorism. (Special to the Tribune)

miles away. The area was so isolated that news organizations had a hard time even putting a dateline on the story. Some said Hyder. Some said Palo Verde. But really, it was the middle of nowhere. The wreck of the Sunset Limited remains one of Arizona’s enduring mysteries. It has defied the concentrated efforts of one of the most sophisticated investi-

gative agencies in the world, namely the FBI, and those of numerous other law officers as well. It endures despite a $310,000 pot of reward money for information leading to the killers. And at this stage its solution – which may or may not lie in the convoluted and bloody politics of America in the mid-1990s – seems as elusive as in the benumbed immediate hours after the crash.

That is not to say the FBI has given up. Jill McCabe, spokeswoman for the Phoenix FBI office, said the derailment is still being investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force as an act of domestic terrorism. That implies that the FBI believes there was an ideological motive behind the sabotage. According to McCabe, the FBI defines domestic terrorism as “violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/ or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.” But the terrorists here left only the most cryptic of clues.

A note in the moonlight

Authorities believe that whoever sabotaged the Sunset Limited knew something about trains and that particular route. (Special to the Tribune)

Emerging from one of the undamaged cars after the crash, a passenger named Neal Hallford saw a piece of paper protruding from under a rock. He picked it up. The page told – or at least it purported to tell – of someone’s rage over the actions of federal agents at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, and Waco, Texas.

see SUNSET page 23

CITY NEWS

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SUNSET from page 22

At Ruby Ridge, in 1992, the government had engaged in an 11-day siege with a segregationist named Randy Weaver in which Weaver’s wife, son and a federal agent were killed. Months later, in early 1993, nearly 80 people died in the fiery climax to the federal siege of a Branch Davidian religious compound near Waco. To many Americans, those events betokened a government far too big for its britches – a government, in fact, at war with its own citizens. Anti-government domestic terrorists already had taken bloody revenge on April 19, 1995, by bombing a federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people in a scheme that had actually been hatched in Arizona. And now, if the note in Hallford’s hands was to be believed, they had struck again. Claiming that Ruby Ridge and Waco served as justification for the train attack, its author signed off with an ominous appellation: Sons of the Gestapo. The problem was, no one had ever heard of any such outfit. Not the FBI. Not any of the civil-rights organizations that keep a close watch on home-grown American hate groups. Nobody. “While the manifestos were signed by the Sons of Gestapo, to date, we have not been able to verify that they are an actual group,” McCabe told The Mesa Tribune. Suspicion arose, and never went away, that “Sons of the Gestapo” was a red herring. And theories were all over the map. Right after the derailment, a Los Angeles Times reporter quizzed people in small towns along and near Interstate 17 up toward Prescott, finding plenty of theories. Maybe the derailment had been the work of leftists out to discredit the flourishing militia movement. Maybe it had been government agents trying to gin up support for an anti-terrorism bill languishing in Congress. Maybe it was white supremacists angry over the recent acquittal of O.J. Simpson in a spectacular Los Angeles murder trial. In 1995 – just as in 2020 – just about any theory could find its promulgators and its adherents.

Eerie echo of the past But if the Sons of the Gestapo note (actually, four of them were found at the derailment site) was indeed a red herring, there was a far more prosaic – and possibly more reasonable – theory. “Whoever did this knew something about trains,” former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said at the scene as government authorities probed the wreckage. His comment pointed to what emerged as the most commonly cited theory – that the derailment had been the work of a disgruntled, or perhaps psychotic, lone wolf, perhaps someone with ties to the railroad industry. The FBI poured resources into the case, at one point enlisting 90 agents in what the bureau called its biggest-ever investigation to that point outside the Oklahoma City bombing. The location of the crash suggested that the perpetrators were familiar with the area, maybe someone who lived nearby. Agents fanned out to knock on doors to no avail. Oddly, a magazine for railroad buffs had recently published an article about a 1939 passenger train crash in the

The FBI has never given up looking for the person or persons who sabotaged the Sunset Limited, killing an employee and injuring 78 passengers. (Special to the Tribune)

remote Nevada desert that had been attributed to similar methods of sabotage. That crash killed 24 people. No one was ever arrested. After the Arizona derailment, agents interviewed people who subscribed to the train magazine, but that part of the investigation led nowhere. In the quarter-century since the

crash, no groups known as the “Sons of the Gestapo” have emerged, and no further crimes have been associated with that name. Amtrak still runs the Sunset Limited, three days a week between New Orleans and Los Angeles with stops in

see SUNSET page 24

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MAYORAL from page 6

should be limited. Ortega said the city needs to appoint a utilities czar “to establish what kind of infrastructure we need to be successful.” Borowsky took a more direct approach, stating that the airpark is “ripe” for redevelopment as long it does not impede views of the McDowell Mountains and that the city should focus efforts on improving parking and transportation downtown to better utilize the area as a “centerpiece of the community” and a hub for tourism. She said that tourism, long the city’s top economic driver, would be foundational in her approach to growth. “I believe if we use tourism as our backdrop for how we move forward into our future, we will succeed in the best possible way,” Borowsky said. That focus on tourism directly ties into the city’s downtown, home to restaurants, bars and other attractions like Scottsdale Stadium. Both candidates have argued in the past that runaway development downtown could damage the area’s attractiveness to tourists. Both Borowsky and Ortega criticized the

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 4, 2020

existing Council’s continued approval of concessions to developers that allow them to skirt design guidelines and height or density limitations. But Borowsky did not totally write off increased height and density downtown. “I’m not afraid of height and density,” she said. “It’s got to be quality; it’s got to enhance the area, and it’s got to be good for Scottsdale’s future in a longevity way.” Ortega, too, said some height could be acceptable if developers adhere to architectural guidelines, citing the original Optima apartment project near Scottsdale Fashion Square as an example of quality development that adheres to the city’s stepback and setback requirements. The candidates also tackled the question of how to promote continued economic growth along the McDowell Road corridor. The area has been on the upswing in recent years economically due to the success of the SkySong development. A handful of other multi-use redevelopments are now in the works on McDowell Road to replace defunct dealerships and the old Papago Plaza shopping center. Borowsky pitched an idea to further reinvigorate McDowell Road by bringing an outdoor music venue to the area.

“We have a great venue for the arts, but not for concerts or performances outdoors,” Borowsky said. “Outdoors is our bread and butter.” While Borowsky said the venue “would be an amazing draw,” it would also likely compete with another project that is already being built a few miles north in downtown Scottsdale with millions of dollars in city investment. The city’s $319-million bond package that was approved by voters in 2019 included $27 million earmarked to turn Civic Center Plaza into an outdoor event center. Ortega criticized Borowsky’s stadium idea, noting it might not fly with neighbors. “I think if you’re looking at some sort of outdoor venue, you better think about noise,” Ortega said. “You better talk with neighbors. You better make sure that won’t interrupt our quality of life.” But Ortega did not pitch his own idea to bring more economic activity to McDowell Road, noting, “There’s so much work at home that we will see a revival of a lot of activities, because of all the housing that’s going there." ”Voters can view a recording of the entire forum on Scottsdale Arts’ Vimeo page at vimeo.com/457905704.

SUNSET from page 23

Maricopa. The stretch from Miami to New Orleans, however, has been out of commission ever since Hurricane Katrina struck the South in 2005. “We are going to pursue every bit of evidence, every lead, very thoughtfully, without any preconception about what may be correct and what may not be correct,” she said. “It may take a day, it may take a week, it may take a month.” Twenty-five years later, her words linger unfulfilled, as fading and untouchable and haunting as a train whistle in the night.

In case you know something

The reward for information leading to the arrests and conviction of those responsible for the 1995 derailment of the Sunset Limited passenger train totals $310,000. The money comes from the FBI, Amtrak and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Ofﬁce. Tips may be phoned in to the Phoenix FBI ofﬁce at 623-466-1999 or reported to tips.fbi.gov.

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Frankly Speaking

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REAL ESTATE PANDEMIC CAUSE AND EFFECT David M. Brown

Market Dynamic For Q4 2020

Canadians may not be coming to the Valley for a while, but Californians are coming on strong. The Maricopa County luxury market was red hot in a red-hot summer, despite COVID-19 and in some ways because of it. Buyers are from out West and from back East and even in town. They want bigger homes with new spaces inside and they want homes with more space outside: residential social distancing. They even want more pets. What’s more, they bought in the hottest summer ever recorded in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. Only Death Valley made the Valley of the Sun look cool. “In a nutshell, everybody’s staying home, and everybody’s buying a home,” says Frank Aazami, Brand Ambassador, principal of the Private Client Group at Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty, Scottsdale. “The first thing we’ve noticed is that no one has said, ‘Let’s take our home off the market. Instead, this summer we’ve thrown seasonality conversations out of the window –– despite how hot it was and the pandemic.” Aazami and his 17-member Private Client Group have been telling their seller clients, “If you don’t list now, the next market may be a different cycle when the forbearance program is lifted.”

This has been a good market: Real estate licensees have increased worldwide. In Maricopa County, that total was 87,983 for fiscal year 2019; that increased to 88,616 in fiscal year 2020, based on Arizona Department of Real Estate numbers. “People are selling their luxury homes here,” Aazami says. “Demand is at a record high.”

A State of Movement, a Statement on Space

The top five states for in-migration to Maricopa County, and a recent monthly tally: California, 4,762; Washington, 1,722; Colorado, 1,292; Illinois, 1,167; and Minnesota, 774 (U.S. Census Bureau). “People still want to come here,” he says. “We have the combination of great weather, jobs and the lifestyle advantages.” With the Canadian border closed at least until September 21 and the cost of the Canadian dollar low against the American, the regular inter-country trek to the Valley may be cancelled for a while, Aazami explains. Not so California, which continues to send many buyers of luxury homes across the state border: “They’re tired of politics and policies, taxes and the price of real estate –– and now the pandemic,” says Aazami. “They want privacy and space and they find it here at prices unheard of there.”

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 4, 2020

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And Easterners, many of them snowbirds, are thinking: theaters, closed; restaurants, restricted or closed; sports, playing to cheerless empty seats. They ask: Is that a future, especially now that we have obtained some success in our lives? “And, the high cost of living relative to the Valley is difficult to justify and high-rise living is getting lower and lower on their enjoyment scale,” Aazami says. “They also want the elbow room that we offer abundantly here.” Valley homeowners buying luxury properties have shifted their home-size goals as well. Pre-COVID-19, they wanted downsizers, less than 5,000 square feet; now they want 6,000 square feet and above, whether the children have fledged or not. Give me space: I can empty nest with more branches around me. “People are saying they cannot spend time in smaller spaces; they feel locked in,” he says. pcgagents.com/2025Missouri

Because of this, Arizona communities that are particularly strong for luxury sales offer large parcels and open space: Fountain Hills, Cave Creek, Gold Canyon, Tucson and Flagstaff. “There’s a shortage of inventory, which is good for sellers, and people are acquiring them to live in, not just for seasonal stays,” Aazami says, noting that his group is also seeing more demand for hillside and multi-acre parcels. “People want space and are buying space.” Many people are working at home now. Cromford® Associates cites a recent MIT report, documenting that 34.1 percent of pandemic-affected U.S. workers had switched to telecommuting from home beginning in April. Another 14.6 percent told the researchers they were already doing this prior, making 48.7 percent of the workforce home based. “Employers see how much they can save on high rents, especially in high-dollar spaces with high taxes and parking issues,” Aazami explains. He notes that this may also affect the commercial market, reducing office leases and the footprint size desired. Add the costs of travel to work, personal safety and insurance. “Business owners are finding that they can be more productive working from home, they’ve had less to none HR-related complaints and their people are liking the arrangement, too,” he says. Many have noticed the impact on traffic and air quality nationwide. As a result, COVID-19 buyers are asking him for bigger spaces to accommodate two split offices, multiple zoom walls are most popular. They want an exercise room to stay fit in place. And outdoors, they’re listing fenced larger yards with multiple patios. A guest or pool home is popular, as older parents will be staying with their children; many millennial and Z-gen children will also be remaining in nest longer before breaking away. Larger garages are also requested, including an RV garage so travel can also be socially distanced. Buyers have even asked for in-ground trampolines and sport courts.

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 4, 2020

pcgagents.com/2025Missouri

These changes relate to quality of life as much as to pandemic effects. Aazami says, “They can spend more time with their families, they can balance work/ play and even adopt more dogs for companionship.”

“Attribute this, too, to a rise in demand and a decline in inventory,” Aazami says. “The fed printed too much money, and this caused hard assets, like brick and mortar, gold and other precious metals to rise in value. It’s unprecedented.”

Figuring Out the New Market

Another figure: The average year-over-year appreciation rate, August 2019 to August 2020, is 15.2 percent across all areas and types of homes in the county based on the August Cromford Report Daily Observation developed from Arizona Multiple Listing Service (ARMLS) figures, says Mike Balzotti, M.Ed., at RLSIR.

Aazami notes that Maricopa County broke the mark for average price sold this August, posting $358,279, according to Cromford Associates –– an alltime high. Compare this to the very strong $339,029 for August 2007, just at the verge of the Great Recession, and $157,140, as that bottomed out in October 2011. Moreover, the number of homes under contract in Maricopa County is up 20 percent year over year for all categories: 13,471 for August 2020 against 10,700 for August 2019, again says Cromford Associates. “All the factors are there supporting this,” Aazami explains. “Demand for homes exceeds supply; interest rates are low; there’s a housing shortage with public reports up countywide for new housing developments from fiscal year 2019 to fiscal year 2020; we have that high relocation figure; and home priorities have shifted for locals.” In June 2020, 1,200 homes exceeding $500,000 sold in Maricopa County; in July 2020, that rose to 1,800 sales of $500,000 plus. In August, the county’s total sales volume was $4 billion; compare that to the previous high in 2008, pre-recession, $3.2 billion for the month, according to Cromford Associates.

Regarding appreciation, the Daily Observation adds, “Prices are now beginning the powerful surge upward that was predicted when the Cromford Market Index started to rocket skywards in June.” Breaking down market dynamics further, the Daily Observation suggests: “The age of the home is crucially important because a home that is updated and modern is going to sell for a whole lot more than one that is tired and outdated. This is why fix and flip works, even when the size of the home is unchanged.” And a final. For Scottsdale, the monthly average sales price (different from appreciation) is showing a 25-percent year-over-year increase. Balzotti: “That’s rather stunning.” Contact Frank Aazami for a consultation, 480.266.0240, text “SIRFAAZAMI” to 87778 or email frank@PCGagents.com PCGagents.com. Brown is a Valley-based writer (azwriter.com).

Frank Aazami, Global Advisor

480-266-0240 | frank@pcgAgents.com PrivateClientGroupAgents.com | 844-PCG-8080

NEIGHBORS

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Neighbors

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Desperate nonprofits turn to public for help BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer

cottsdale area nonprofits are in need of the community’s help this fall and winter. When COVID-19 swiftly canceled the galas and fundraisers this spring that typically draw hundreds of donors, nonprofits suffered. Now, nonprofits, such as Camelot Therapeutic Horsemanship, have pivoted to virtual fundraisers, some of which take place this month. For the Scottsdale-based nonprofit’s 11th Annual Starry Knights fundraising event, Camelot has replaced its in-person gala – which sold out last year – with a virtual event. “A lot has changed since we celebrated Starry Knights 2019 but the strength, resolve, passion and commitment of the entire Camelot community remain the

Mary Hampton, a Scottsdale-based entrepreneur, recently launch a new nonprofit organization, Rare Ambition, with her son Hunter and daughter Cambria. (Rare Ambition)

same,” said Mary Hadsall, Camelot’s executive director. As part of the virtual fundraiser, Camelot

is selling exclusive gift boxes, called Camelot Prize Packs, that are filled with the nonprofit’s goodies and mailed to par-

ticipants. Prize Packs range in price from $100 to $900 for a party of 10. Participants will also receive early access to the online silent auction, a door prize ticket and inclusion in the keynote video. “In addition to Prize Packs, supporters may also purchase stars in various denominations to dedicate to a loved one,” Hadsall said. “Stars are hung at the Camelot ranch and are a beautiful way to honor a cherished person or animal while also supporting Camelot’s therapeutic riding program,” she added. Camelot offers free lessons in horsemanship to kids and adults with physical disabilities and depends on their annual galas to feed horses, maintain their facility and pay instructors. The nonprofit hopes that the new virtual format will reach more people and encour-

see NONPROFITS page 33

Bleachers will be different Friday nights BY ZACH ALVIRA Progress Sports Editor

ttending a fall high school sporting event will be a different experience than in years past for Scottsdale due to the pandemic. Scottsdale Unified, like many school districts, is limiting the number of tickets sold to households and the public. Other measures, such as the use of masks and social distancing, are also in place to ensure a safe environment. With the abbreviated season beginning last Friday, SUSD is limiting the number of tickets sold to each athlete to two, with no tickets for sale at the gate. Families that wish to purchase tickets must do so electronically.

Games between Saguaro and Chaparral typically draw thousands of fans every year. But this year the atmosphere was different. (Progress File Photo)

“I think the atmosphere on Friday nights will be really low,” Chaparral High senior running back Jared Williams said. “I feel like it will be more like a freshman game than a varsity game, and that kind of sucks. The only reason why games are really big is because of the fans. “They bring a lot of energy to the games that, in my opinion, helps us play a lot better.” Williams and the rest of his Chaparral teammates faced rival Saguaro Friday in the season opener. A game that typically draws standing-room-only crowds was limited to just parents. Saguaro junior quarterback Ridge Docekal echoed much of Williams’ sen-

see FANS page 30

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 4, 2020

NEIGHBORS

FANS �� page 28

timent about how different the atmosphere would be. He said it would be up to him and his teammates to make up for the lost energy due to a smaller crowd. “One of the greatest things about playing football is the atmosphere on Friday nights,” Docekal said. “The band, the student section, the fans. Even away games you get really pumped by the energy. “We are going to have to create our own energy with our teammates to keep each other hyped when things may not be going our way.” Several other districts have adopted similar policies as Scottsdale for the fall season. Higley was the first district to announce its plans for fans to attend fall sporting events. The district decided not to put a limit on the number of fans that can attend. The only limitation is for an athlete’s household, which is set at four. Mesa Public Schools will allow athlete’s families to purchase four tickets per game. Gilbert Public Schools will allow only 25 percent capacity in its sta-

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 4, 2020

diums and gyms, with each athlete allowed to purchase two. When capacity is reached, general admission tickets will no longer be sold. Chandler Unified School District is also limiting capacity to 25 percent for football volleyball and swimming competitions. Four tickets will be available for football, cheer, pom and marching band participants, while only two will be available for volleyball. Tempe Union High School District is allowing athletes to purchase two tickets. District Athletic Director Dave Huffine said because Tempe Union has not yet opened its classrooms to students in a hybrid model, students will not be allowed on campus to attend games. Other restrictions Scottsdale and other districts have adopted include social distancing measures while on school grounds. Families must stay separated from others at all times. Scottsdale fans are also required to wear masks at all times and must exit the stadium immediately after the game. Once seated, fans are only allowed to leave the stands to go to the restroom.

The restrictions from Scottsdale also call for all concession stands to be closed, which has caused headaches for booster clubs in the district. Chris Somerville, the president of the Saguaro Sabercat Football Foundation, said he had hoped the loss in sponsors this year would be made up in concession sales. Now, however, they will explore other options. “We have a new scoreboard and we used that as a selling point last year for our sponsors,” Somerville said. “Because we won’t have as many fans this year, we had some sponsors not renew with us. We thought about going around and selling so we didn’t have anyone line up. We also thought about using an app where fans can order food. “We can’t do that, either.” Somerville said they are in the process of reaching out to local restaurants that will host viewing parties with games streamed live on the NFHS Network. He hopes to get some sort of kickback from food sales to go toward the program. Aaron Minor, the president of the Chaparral Firebird Football Foundation,

reminder that in order to keep our schools and extracurricular activities open, we must have the strong cooperation from all families, students and staff to monitor their health, recognize and report symptoms, and stay at home when sick or when a family member is sick.” According to the district, the player was last at practice Sept. 25, just one day after the varsity team scrimmaged against Dobson High. SUSD said in its statement Chaparral is working with county health officials to conduct contact tracing “to help identify any others who may have been exposed to the virus through close contact with the student athlete.” “‘Close contact’ is defined by public health officials as having been within 6 feet for longer than 10 minutes,” the release added. The Chaparral team's quarantine came just a day after Cactus Shadows’

varsity program was forced to do the same after a positive test. The Falcons’ game against Combs has been canceled. Arete Prep in Gilbert, a 2A Conference school, also had its first game of the season canceled after the team was forced into isolation two weeks ago. “We are obviously very disappointed,” Saguaro head coach Jason Mohns said, “but it’s out of our control. So, we’ll stay focused and start working on Brophy.” Chaparral senior offensive lineman Mason Osborn took to Twitter to express his disbelief with the news of the Firebirds’ season opener being canceled. “Can’t believe this,” he said, linking to a highlight tape from the team’s scrimmage against Dobson. Aaron Minor, the president of the Chaparral Firebird Football Foundation, whose son, Max, is a senior

said they thought fundraising would be more difficult than what has actually transpired. Overall, he’s pleasantly surprised with the amount of support the Chaparral program has received despite difficult times. “We’re very fortunate. We have seen a level of support we weren’t expecting,” Minor said. “Obviously, some businesses aren’t able to support in ways they have in the past, so we are doing our best to support them. Fundraising and membership on a family level has been nearly as good as in year’s past.” Somerville and Minor, whose sons, Quintin and Max, are senior captains, both believe the atmosphere at games will be difficult to get used to. They can no longer celebrate directly alongside other parents with high fives, fist bumps and hugs. “It’s going to be strange,” Somerville said. “Not to be able to have that celebration, it’s a part of the game. I enjoy a high five or turning around to a parent and saying, ‘good job’ for a play their son made. “It’s just not going to be the same atmosphere we normally have.”

Chaparral team quarantined, games canceled BY ZACH ALVIRA Progress Sports Editor

he Chaparral High varsity football team has been told to quarantine for at least 14 days after a player tested positive for COVID-19. The positive test also prompted the isolation of Chaparral’s junior varsity football program, according to Scottsdale Unified. Both varsity and junior varsity contests have been canceled the next two weeks. Chaparral’s freshman team will continue with its season. Chaparral’s varsity team was scheduled to play Saguaro Friday and Sandra Day O’Connor Oct. 9. “We feel so badly for the affected students that they will not be able to partake in their regular activities during this isolation period,” said district Superintendent Dr. Scott A. Menzel. “However, this does serve as a sharp

captain for Chaparral, questioned the reason for cancellation. “I have limited information about why the Scottsdale Unified School District Athletic Department has made the decision to cancel varsity and JV football operations after a positive and isolated COVID-19 case,” Minor wrote SUSD officials. “It is clearly written by SUSD and AIA that a single incident does not meet the criteria for suspension of activities.” AIA guidelines state activities should be suspended if three or more players on one team of 25 test positive. “Why has SUSD made the determination to not follow their own posted guidelines and suspend football operations?” Minor asked. “This decision is reckless, harmful, and inconsistent with publications and practices by multiple school districts in the Phoenix Metro area, most importantly SUSD.”

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NONPROFITS �� page 28

age new friends and family to participate. “Ticket sales have always been an integral part of this fundraiser and since we won’t be holding an in-person event, we needed to get creative,” Hadsall said. The online auction opens Oct. 19 and runs through Oct. 23. The gala finale starts Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. and the online auction closes Oct. 23 at 8 p.m. New to the nonprofit scene, but just as in need of the community’s support this holiday season, is Rare Ambition. Founded by a mother and her two children, Rare Ambition’s mission is to ensure families in need have food on the table this Thanksgiving. This year, its goal is to raise enough money to give away 100 Thanksgiving baskets to families in need. The baskets, worth $250 each, are filled with everything families need to make and serve Thanksgiving dinner, from the turkey to the tablecloth and centerpiece. The idea for Rare Ambition started at dinner five years ago. “My kids were being bratty and entitled, and I didn’t like it,” said founder and Scottsdale-based entrepreneur Mary Hampton. “So, I went and got some blank pieces of paper and said, ‘Each of you write 10 things you’re going to do nice for other people.’ And I then sat down and did the same.” Together, they completed 30 random acts of kindness within one month – iincluding putting together a Thanksgiving dinner for a needy family. Over the next five years, Hampton, her daughter Cambria, and her son Hunter, anonymously donated more than 20 Thanksgiving baskets to Scottsdale-area families. “It became more about tradition and more about the memory that was going to get created for the family. It really hit us, it really resonated, and that changed us,” Mary said. “We started doing more and more baskets each year, and it became a real soft spot in my heart and with my kids.” Not only was it important for Mary to continue the family tradition, but it was also important to her to name Cambria and Hunter as cofounders of the nonprofit. “That title is actually really important because … they really learn who they are as people,” Mary said through tears. “They get to step up for others and,

Instead of an in-person gala, Camelot Therapeutic Horsemanship is hosting their 11th annual Starry Knights fundraising event virtually this year. (Camelot Therapeutic Horsemanship)

Rare Ambition also welcomes nominations for families deserving of the baskets. “They can email [us], and it’ll go to me, Cambria, and Hunter. We would be able to then be able to help those families,” Mary said. While not based in Scottsdale, Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona and Duet: Partners In Health Camelot Therapeutic Horsemanship offers free lessons in & Aging both supScottsdale horsemanship to kids and adults with physical disabilities. port (Camelot Therapeutic Horsemanship) area residents. Both nonprofits when they do, their life becomes greater are hosting virtual fundraisers in October and more fulfilling. They have a real sense and December, respectively. of purpose.” Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona Rare Ambition is in need of monetary was to hold its annual Art From the Heart donations, which they will then use to art auction in the spring, but had to postequip each basket with food and tables- pone due to COVID-19. cape items. Months later, the nonprofit will now host “It’s our attention to detail that makes a virtual version of the art auction from Rare Ambition truly different by adding Oct. 21 through 26. extras, like place settings, tablecloths, bakThe six-day event will feature the work ing dishes and even accent quotes,” Cam- of approximately 80 local artists, the feabria said. tured artist being John Randall Nelson, “A lot of love, thought and preparation whose “One-Eyed Jack” steel, 26-feet-high goes into each one,” Hunter added. jackrabbit sculpture sits on the corner of

NEIGHBORS

Marshall Way and Indian School Road in Old Town. “We’re thrilled to bring the community a robust art gallery online to benefit the children served by Free Arts,” said Lisa Greves, event chair. “Art Auction is always a favorite event for our supporters. This year, we’re hoping they can relax in the comfort of their own homes with a glass of wine or cup of coffee and enjoy supporting the great work of Free Arts online,” Greves added. Funds raised during the Art from the Heart auction will fund the programs and services that serve neglected, abused, homeless and foster care children in Arizona. Free Arts programs are delivered by 900 volunteer mentors and artists who serve more than 8,000 children annually through partnerships with more than 40 social service child welfare agencies at more than 100 sites across Maricopa County. Free Arts estimates that, due to COVID-19, more than 150 traditional activities were cancelled between March and September, resulting in more than 2,700 children not being served in a traditional, in-person way. In response, Free Arts pivoted to host alternative programs, like take-home art projects and virtual theater camp, in turn serving nearly 4,000 children and adults throughout the state, including in Scottsdale. As for Duet, the nonprofit’s 30th Annual Poinsettia Tea will be streamed online on Dec. 6 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. As part of the event, guests will not only bid on silent auction items but also have the option of receiving a Poinsettia Package filled with tea, coffee, delectable treats and fun surprises that will be delivered to their home prior to the event. Funds raised from the event supports Duet’s health and aging services, which are provided free of charge for family caregivers, grandparents raising grandchildren, homebound adults, and faith communities. Tickets are $75 each, and guests must register ahead of time. “There’s no greater joy than losing the excuses and stepping up for another person,” said Hampton. “It would bring my family pure joy if the community would embrace this cause and help us make a genuine difference this holiday season.” Information: camelotaz.org/sk2020, rareambition.com, duetaz.org

BUSINESS

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Old Town gets �irst new hotel in years BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer

ld Town’s �irst new hotel in over a decade has �inally opened its doors. Opened Oct. 1, Canopy by Hilton Scottsdale Old Town is a 177-room, sevenstory, more than 200,000-square-foot, full-service hotel located on the northeast corner of First Street and Marshall Way. “It’s amazing to see our vision for the hotel come to life as the entire team has put their best effort into embracing the historic arts community while delivering a new destination that will become a gathering place for locals and guests alike,” said Devin Mahoney, hotel general manager. Described as “ushering in a vibrant Southwest energy infused with Mid-Century Modern sophistication to the neighborhood,” Canopy boasts approximately 2,000 square-feet of meeting space, an expansive rooftop bar and lounge and a new signature restaurant, Cobre Kitchen + Cocktails. “With curated, local experiences being at the core of everything we offer, we’re looking forward to the hotel becoming a gathering place for both locals and guests to pop-in before a meeting for a coffee and gourmet breakfast bites from the grab-ngo counter, take out a Canopy bike to explore the surrounding shops and art galleries, and enjoy an innovative cocktail from the rooftop bar with friends overlooking the city from seven-stories high,” Mahoney said. Designed by Dallas-based Studio 11 Design, Canopy is inspired by Arizona and the Southwest in nearly every aspect of the hotel, from its design — the hotel features artwork by local artists and a rich color palette inspired by the state — to its food and beverage offerings. Cobre Kitchen + Cocktails is an American brasserie under the direction of Valley

Old Town Scottsdale’s ﬁrst new hotel in over a decade, Canopy by Hilton Scottsdale Old Town, ﬁnally opened its doors on Oct. 1. (Canopy Scottsdale)

chef Patrick Gaudet, who most recently served as chef de cuisine at Boulders Resort and Spa and also worked at Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Hotel, the Wigwam and the Phoenician. Notable menu items include chicken chilaquiles ($14) with chile-braised chicken, Hass avocado, lime crema and over-easy eggs; chilled shrimp and house guacamole ($15) with shrimp marinated in tomato and lime with guacamole that features pepitas and pomegranate; and Elote Kernels ($7) with cilantro lime aioli. During the hotel’s initial opening phase, Cobre will have a limited, scaled-back menu for all meal periods. The restaurant will also implement distanced seating and Hilton’s CleanStay procedures. “Within the hotel, we’ve honed in on the spirit of the Southwest in every aspect of its architecture, design, art and culture and have created a truly local experience that captures the essence of our neighborhood whether you’re looking to work, play or rest in Old Town

Scottsdale,” Mahoney said. Outside, the Outrider Rooftop Lounge located on the hotel’s seventh �loor offers Old Town’s newest rooftop pool where guests can view 180-degree panoramas of the city as well as enjoy private cabanas, a �ire pit, and posh plates and locally inspired cocktails. The pool and cabanas are open for hotel guests and those who purchase a resort pass. The last hotel to open in Old Town was the W Hotel in 2008; Triyar Hospitality LLC broke ground for it in 2005. Construction on Canopy Scottsdale began in February 2019. “Canopy by Hilton is a very signi�icant project on the east side of Scottsdale Road,” said Chuck Carefoot, senior vice president of construction with Ryan Companies US, Inc, the hotel’s general contractor. “Canopy is really the kickoff of what we hope is the revitalization of the arts district in Old Town Scottsdale. Canopy is also in an opportunity zone, so hopefully it will be a catalyst for future proj-

ects,” Carefoot continued. Experience Scottsdale echoes Carefoot’s excitement. “As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, this continues to be a dif�icult time for our industry and the thousands of people who depend upon visitors for their livelihoods,” said Stephanie Pressler, Experience Scottsdale Director of Community Affairs. “But Experience Scottsdale remains excited to welcome the new hotel into the fold.” According to Pressler, when the Canopy by Hilton Scottsdale Old Town broke ground last year, Scottsdale had experienced several years of increasing visitation and hotel occupancy. “This year was meant to be another record-breaking year for the local tourism industry, and we wish the Canopy could open to the fanfare it deserves as the �irst new build in Old Town Scottsdale in over a decade,” Pressler said. But, she continued, Experience Scottsdale looks forward to promoting the new hotel to residents for staycations this fall and winter, as well as to outof-state visitors when travel becomes more accessible. “And to meeting planners who are already planning conferences and conventions for the years ahead,” Pressler added. Canopy by Hilton Scottsdale Old Town is located at 7142 E. 1st Street. Bookings for overnight stays, as well as a special Summer Stretch package, are now open. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to lead the expansion of the city’s historic arts district and offer a new hotel experience that gives locals and travelers a new destination to work, rest and play within Scottsdale,” said Mahoney. “There’s really no other new hotel like it in the area.” Information: hilton.com/en/hotels/ phxotpy-canopy-scottsdale-old-town

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Letters Lisa Borowsky’s stand on rioting is paramount Protests and riots have swept many big cities in America this past spring and summer. Prominent �igures in these events are the mayors, in cities such as Seattle, Portland, Or., Minneapolis, Chicago, Washington, DC and Atlanta. The severity visited upon miscreants depended largely on a mayor’s mobilizing police or ordering them to “stand down.” One of two candidates for mayor of Scottsdale in November is attorney Lisa Borowsky. I was struck, watching a campaign video, by Ms. Borowsky’s fervent stand against criminal behavior during political protest and her determination to allow police to respond vigorously to such criminality were she to be elected mayor. This issue is paramount in my decision to support Lisa Borowsky for mayor of Scottsdale. -Rick Sorgen

John Little is and will be collaborative, decisive I have known John and his wife Lori for 16 years. Over the years John and Lori have always been generous of their time and help. They are always off to help raise money and pitch in for the charities they treasure. They are genuine. Through John’s vast connections with the City, he has helped neighbors with issues within our neighborhood. He always knows who to call for assistance; getting to the right person that can help. He cuts through red tape and provides a plan to resolve the situation. John has also been helpful for my business, assisting us to understand an issue that was coming before the City Council, explaining the process

thoroughly and helping with people we could talk to. One of John’s greatest talents is being a re�lective listener for all sides working to �ind the win-win in situations. The City of Scottsdale needs a person like John Little on the City Council to contemplate the complex issues that come before Council, listen to all sides, be collaborative and decisive. -Jan Shemanske

Tammy Caputi would be good council addition Earlier this year I was introduced to Tammy Caputi. Over coffee I became impressed with her energy, her enthusiasm and especially her love of Scottsdale. Like most of us, she came from another state, moving here about 20 years ago. Her history in founding and owning a very successful small business is impressive, a dif�icult feat to accomplish. Later I checked into her background. She has an undergraduate degree in Economics and a masters in business administration. She has been active in our community serving on Scottsdale’s Design and Review Board for three years. In her personal life, she and her husband have three children in local public schools. In her spare time, she is a marathon runner. My wife Sandy and I think she would be perfect on our city council and plan to vote for her for one of the three council seats open. We would encourage you to also consider giving her one of your three votes. -Jim Bruner

Roosevelt’s words should echo in Scottsdale races “Leave it as it is! You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on

it, and man can only mar it.” These are Theodore Roosevelt’s epic words that have been the inspiration for all who have worked to preserve beautiful areas of our country. In Scottsdale we have the largest urban preserve in the country, but developers wanted to build inside its boundaries. City Council Candidates Betty Janik and Tom Durham showed great leadership in helping to lead the successful 420 proposition that protected our Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve. That is real leadership, not just empty words. Betty and Tom have a great deal of talent that will help provide much needed leadership on our city council. Theodore Roosevelt’s words are also relevant to the recent effort to knock down a large area of our downtown and build 12 story towers which would change the entire character of the area. David Ortega, a mayoral candidate, helped lead the successful citizen referendum to gather 17,000 + signatures to overturn the project. That is demonstrated leadership. As a professional architect, in Scottsdale for 41 years, David has helped to design our community. David can also help revitalize downtown, while retaining its history and character. I am a 48-year resident and will be voting for Betty Janik, Tom Durham and Dave Ortega. -Larry Manross

Prop 207 stands up to any criticism by anyone

I have been a lay minister for 25 years. I am 64 years old. I am disabled, and an advocate for my fellow citizens who are challenged likewise. I am a Republican.

So that makes me a most unusual person to be an enthusiastic supporter for Proposition 207 on Arizona’s Nov. 3 ballot – and an appropriate one to counter some of the limited criticism about it. I say limited because the measure has smartly watched the examples of other states that have come before Arizona. Wouldn’t we rather have an adultuse recreational program by and for Arizona, rather than have one jammed down our throats by some national group that can surf the rapidly changing voters’ attitudes on this subject? We can harness and use it to our state’s benefit. That’s exactly what Proposition 207 does. First, backers obviously listened to the critiques that led to a narrow defeat in 2016. Concerns expressed then by employers, law enforcement and others have been changed or eliminated. Second, wouldn’t it be nice to generate hundreds of millions of dollars every year at a time when our state government really needs it, for critical causes, by taxing and legalizing marijuana use? Proposition 207 would also decriminalization marijuana use. We don’t need to be burdening our police, especially these days, with such tasks. By limiting most of the future sales of a recreational program to existing dispensary sites, we avoid problems of other states and respect what’s working now. There are numerous other reasons I support Proposition 207, including eliminating or reducing the onerous costs for a medical marijuana card that are challenging for those on limited incomes like me. But among the most important rationales for my support, is how this measure stands up to its critics. -Paula Sturgeon

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 37

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Canal Convergence has big virtual plans BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer

ou’ll need more than just your face mask and hand sanitizer at this year’s Canal Convergence. To get the most out of the 10-day experience, attendees will also need to download a cell phone app to experience the more than 20 augmented reality experiences. “We wanted to do something like this for some time,” said Natalie Marsh, director of Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation, “and given our current situation where we’re encouraging people to experience the artwork during Canal Convergence all the time but experience things in smaller groups, we just felt this was the right year to launch augmented reality.”

Due to COVID-19, the hands-on, inperson activities and workshops were stripped from the annual event. However, attendees will have the opportunity to engage with more than 25 augmented reality experiences and virtual offerings, including a few virtual workshops, across the Waterfront and downtown area. Canal Convergence partnered with Boston augmented reality platform and camera browser Hoverlay. The AR experiences are triggered via location or QR code. People will either be notified on their phone of an AR experience once they have stepped into a location with one or scan a QR code on-site to activate the experience. “What’s great about it is we’re still able to provide all of those experiences people

are used to having, but people can do it on their own terms now,” Marsh said. “You can still have fun with Canal Convergence, no matter where you are.” AR experiences range from hologram videos of the artists discussing their artwork to AR artworks people can interact with from anywhere, including their backyard. Phoenix artist Casey Farina is one of the Canal Convergence artists working on the latter. “It seems like a good use for the technology really motivated by the circumstances,” Farina said. In addition to providing a physical art installation called “Across the Divide,” Farina is working on “Keeping Time,” described as a “kinetic sculpture presented in aug-

mented reality.” Best experienced under an open sky, Farina’s audio-visual experience immerses the user in an array of animated, rotating bell-like structures that extend toward the sky. The user will also hear bell-like sounds as the structures orbit around the user. While Farina has created plenty of other interactive video installations, “Keeping Time” marks his first finished AR piece. “I’ve done a lot of interactive work before but seeing how people interact through this window and the actual space should be to be really interesting. I’m anxious to see how that plays out,” Farina said. Fellow Phoenix artist Jen Urso is also

see VIRTUAL page 39

Gold Palette ArtWalk returns to galleries BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer

he weekly, year-round Scottsdale ArtWalk may still be suspended due to COVID-19 but the Gold Palette ArtWalk series is back. The Scottsdale Gallery Association marks the return of their long-running Gold Palette ArtWalk series with a Art + Chocolate-themed event on Oct. 8. From 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., participating Scottsdale Arts District galleries will welcome masked event attendees with wrapped chocolate samples from local chocolatier Cerreta Candy Company and, for some of them, special exhibits. “We are grateful to bring our beloved ArtWalk back to the streets of Old Town Scottsdale,” said Scottsdale Gallery Association President French Thompson.

The Gold Palette ArtWalk returns Oct. 8 with Art + Chocolate. sociation)

(Scottsdale Gallery As-

The return of the Gold Palette ArtWalk also celebrates the Scottsdale Gallery Association’s 46th season. “We hope continue to be the collaborative force for our artists to thrive in here Scottsdale — as well as on a national and global scale — despite the challenges of the pandemic,” Thompson said. According to a press release, the ArtWalk will “abide by all state and local mandated regulations in regards to COVID-19,” including a mask requirement for people as they stroll the Scottsdale Arts District, enjoy special musical entertainment by a steel drum band, and view live artist demonstrations. Participating galleries featuring chocolate sampling and/or special

see ARTWALK page 39

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 4, 2020

MY GOALS AS MAYOR OF SCOTTSDALE Police protection, Fire and EMT safety, quality city services and fiscal responsibility are priorities during this COVID-19 era. Protect neighborhoods from massive block apartments and restore local control of short-term rentals. General Plan 2035 written by all stakeholders must enhance our quality of life and support economic vitality. McDowell Sonoran Preserve improvements must be citizendriven and voter approved. I voted YES on Prop 420. Voting Districts: Bring voting districts to the ballot by 2022, since no council member resides south of Shea. Build-out Bond 2019: Citywide capital projects must move forward to expand our infrastructure. Strengthen ties with Scottsdale schools and Community College for better senior wellness and youth programs.

Dave is a 41-year resident of Scottsdale and a registered architect.

YOUR GUIDE TO VOTING INFORMED. Read candidate statements and find out when and where to vote with the Citizens Clean Elections Commission Voter Education Guide. Look for it in the mail by October 6 or find it online at azcleanelections.gov/guide. The guide is also available in Navajo, ASL (American Sign Language), large print, HTML/screen reader and as an audio version. For more information, call 877-631-8891. 22027-32-11_CCEC_VoterGuide_EastValleyTribune_10x4-9.indd 1

9/3/20 2:23 PM

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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VIRTUAL �� page 37

creating an AR experience for Canal Convergence. Urso’s AR artwork is called “Magnified Mundane Magnificent” and is considered a geo-located AR artwork, meaning you’ll have to be in the area for it to activate. The exact location of Urso’s AR is yet to be determined but it will be somewhere in Old Town. “When you hold your phone up to that location, you would see this thing blossoming out of the ground, like a bouquet of line drawings that magnifies everything that’s shown in that very small spot,” Urso explained. After scouting several spots in Scottsdale, Urso found an alleyway where she was able to sample different plants, which she then took home and looked at under varying levels of magnification. “And I’m creating drawings of that in all those varying levels of magnification,” she said. Urso’s AR also teaches users about the plants. “You’d be able to hold it up and explore this micro world,” she said. Budapest-based Koros Design will also have a unique AR experience at the Scottsdale Artists’ School. Guests will be able to walk into a portal and through 360-degree images, see their workshop, including all the tools they use and the kinds of machine-work they have in their studio. Koros Design is also hosting a virtual workshop via Zoom from their studio in Hungary. “That’s another benefit of this time we’re

ARTWALK �� page 37

exhibitions include Art One Gallery, Xanadu Gallery, and more. Royse Contemporary, on the other hand, is not only extending their group exhibition, “Elements of Style II,” through Oct. 31 but also celebrating their three-year anniversary. “We are thrilled that the Scottsdale Artwalk is relaunching,” said owner Nicole Royse. “Elements of Style II” is described as an “eclectic,” “dynamic” collection of multi-media work that includes assemblage, drawing, mixed media, painting, and photography works created by 12 Arizona artists. “With such a variety of work, there is

living in,” Marsh said. “Now that we’re becoming used to using technology as a vehicle for connecting with each other and learning more, this just seems like the right time to launch these pieces and do some more of this kind of technically based engagements.” Canal Convergence will offer a few other virtual workshops in place of the more than 130 physical ones they hosted last year. Farina will host one on the coding and the technology he uses when creating interactive video installations and AR. “The [virtual workshops] are still not going to be anywhere near the number of people we engaged last year, but the quality of them is what we’re aiming for – that personal experience,” Marsh explained. Scottsdale Arts is also working on permanent AR experiences in the downtown area. For example, at One-Eyed Jack, the larger-than-life white rabbit sculpture on the corner of Marshall Way and Indian School Road, users can watch Tempe-based artist John Randall Nelson talk via hologram about the inspiration behind the piece. At Bob Parks’ Bronze Horse Fountain on Fifth Avenue, users can watch Scottsdale Public Art’s Curator of Collections & Exhibitions Wendy Raisanen give the history of the donated artwork, including that the horses do, in fact, have names. And at the Passing the Legacy sculpture located at the Marshall Way roundabout near Olive & Ivy, users can listen to the head of the Navajo County Sheriff’s Hash Knife Posse talk all about the Hash Knife and how it culminates at said sculpture.

something for everyone and I am truly honored to showcase these talented artists and excited to bring such proactive work to Scottsdale,” Royse said. “I feel the combination of work and energy that each artist brings will be a stellar combination for our summer group exhibition and three-year anniversary of Royse Contemporary.” Presented by the Scottsdale Gallery Association, the Gold Palette ArtWalk is offered eight times a year and brings together the finest art in Scottsdale, including 28 galleries and two museums, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West. The rest of the 2020-21 ArtWalk schedule includes Canal Convergence

Cosanti Foundation is creating time-lapse videos and 360-degree videos that invite users to walk through a virtual portal and explore both Cosanti and Arcosanti. “We didn’t want to ignore our permanent art collection, also located in the vicinity, so we’ve selected about 12 pieces from the permanent collection that are within walking distance of the waterfront,” Marsh said. Marsh said they were initially worried about adding the AR element to the Canal Convergence artists’ respecPhoenix-based artist Jen Urso is working on an aug- tive workloads, but “surprismented reality artwork for Canal Convergence. (Jen Urso) ingly, every single one of them came up with a cool “What’s cool about these is that uncreative way to do it.” less you’ve gone on a public art tour, a lot Now, Marsh’s concern is attendees won’t of these stories are sometimes hidden,” know to use their phones and the Hoverlay Marsh said. app to activate the AR experiences. Canal Convergence is also partner“Be prepared to engage in the artwork ing with Phoenix College and the Cosanti in a different way,” Marsh said. “Unless you Foundation to design permanent AR expe- played Pokémon Go, you probably have riences along the canal and at Soleri Bridge never used AR and so you don’t know how and Plaza. fun it can be.” Phoenix College will design an experi“I really hope that people take advantage ence at the canal that invites people to ex- of this and they play with it,” she added. plore the wildlife beneath its surface. Canal Convergence takes place Nov. 6-15. “They’re working with information from Hoverlay is available for download on SRP,” Marsh said. “And when you hover both the Apple App Store and Google Play. your phone over the QR code, it’ll trigger The Canal Convergence AR experience almost like an aquarium to pop up and will be available under the “Canal Converhave that virtually swimming in front of gence” channel on Hoverlay closer to the you,” Marsh explained. start of the event.

Art + Chocolate participating galleries Art One Gallery 4130 N. Marshall Way Altamira Fine Art Scottsdale 7038 E. Main St.

Bonner David Gallery 7040 E. Main St.

Carstens Fine Art Studio & Gallery 7077 E. Main St. #5

French Designer Jeweler 7148 E. Main St. J Klein Gallery and The Art Factory 7012 E. Main St.

On the Edge 7077 E. Main St. #1

Quan’tum Art, Inc. 7077 E. Main St. #16

on Nov. 12, Scottsdazzle on Dec. 10, Western Week on Feb. 11, and Native Spirit on March 4, among other to-be-

Mainview Gallery 7120 E. Main Street Royse Contemporary 7077 E. Main St. #6 Signature Gallery 7177 E, Main St.

Xanadu Gallery 7039 E. Main St. #101

Wilde Meyer 4142 N. Marshall Way

determined events. Information: scottsdalegalleries. com

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 4, 2020

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FOOD & DRINK

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Rift aims for both wine and beer lovers

BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer

wo summers ago, Phish spent three nights at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington playing a slew of their hits from their most popular albums. And among the sea of Phish-heads that weekend were two buddies from Arizona, Jonathan Coppins and Damien Kanser, who would later open a wine bar and tap house in Scottsdale inspired by and named after one of their favorite Phish albums. Opened in August, Rift Wine + Tap is a 2,600-square-foot lounge and shop that boasts a 22-seat bar and offers a wide variety of highly curated craft beer and boutique wines. Coppins said he and Kanser chose “Rift” because it was “the perfect divide between wine and beer and trying to bring those two groups together.” The name was also �itting locationwise: Rift sits on Scottsdale Road close to the Scottsdale-Tempe border. The tap house features 25 rotating craft beer handles as well as a large selection of cans and bottles to-go. Coppins said retail has been, so far, “unbelievable.” “Way more than we would’ve expected,” he said. “Especially with our neighborhood, people are really willing to go out on a limb and try something new: try a new beer, try new wines. Plus, people love new stuff. They want the next thing, the next day. So, it’s a constant rotating shelf.” New beers show up on Rift shelves two to three times a week “and wine shifts once a case leaves,” Coppins added. While Coppins and Kanser may be relatively new to the beer world, wine is where their expertise shines. Coppins been a winemaker at Su Vino Winery for 10 years and Kanser has

Jonathan Coppins and Damien Kanser are the owners of the newly opened wine bar and taphouse Rift, located in southern Scottsdale. (Tim Sealy)

worked in the wine industry in sales, distribution and at wine bars for 15 years. “We were sitting around [the Phish concert] after bouncing around from winery to winery the day before, and we were talking about how we’ve been in this industry the whole time and maybe we should start our own shop,” Coppins said. Rift has about 100 different wines from which to choose, with most bottles ranging from $15 to $25. Coppins and Kanser will also offer a red and a white �light. They added beer to the concept because “all the great beer places have mediocre wine selection and at best. So, we �igured we could be the in-between between both of them,” Coppins continued. The Rift team will be available for customers to tap for guidance on choosing the right wine. “Honestly, it’s best to always ask for

help, especially in a small store like ours because we’ve trained our staff. They’re all wine geeks and beer geeks. And with me as a winemaker, I can teach them like how it’s made and the things that they look for and to actually engage the customer, ask questions,” Coppins said. “We don’t want people to walk in, look around, not have any help, panic, and grab something,” he continued. “We’re going to help guide you to try something new and inexpensive.” What also really sets Rift apart is the soon-to-come podcast studio, where Coppins and Kanser will continue to record their podcast “Spilling the Truth.” Guests will have the opportunity to watch and listen to them record with leaders in the beverage industry, including winemakers, brewers and brand ambassadors. Coppins said they should have the stu-

dio �inished in the next two weeks. “I’m going to do the old school radio window where you can look in and see us all recording and everything,” Coppins said. Their most recent podcast — their �irst since the onset of the pandemic — welcomed guest Yousef Hawash of “The Social Distance Drinking Club” podcast, who discussed his recent beer collaboration with Tombstone Brewing. “I love it,” Coppins said of “Spilling the Truth” and being behind the mic. “I love to talk. I love to teach and educate people on things. So, when people get that look in their face, like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know that,’ and lights up. I love that moment. That’s why I love having guests on our show.” Coppins said they plan to post an episode once every month or two as they continue building the podcast studio. “The second we have the studio done, we’ll hit the ground running and do once each week, if not two,” he said. The duo’s business plan was done in January, their leased was signed Feb. 1 and they began construction in March. But once the pandemic hit mid-March, they had to immediately rethink the design, which originally was one large community area with shared tables, hands-on games and other now-unsavory features. “We had to quickly adjust to more retail and get people to come and try new things,” Coppins said, adding that they keep the shop “as clean as possible.” “We want you to come in and feel safe and get what you need, especially to take home,” he said.

If You Go

Rift 431 N. Scottsdale Road 480-758-5111 riftbaraz.com

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