\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the time, no one in the crowd even chuckled \u2013 but in retrospect it was quite a laugh line.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a forum,\u201d Sasha Weller said, in introducing the first event of Scottsdale\u2019s election season.<\/p>\n
Then, he delivered what proved to be the punchline: \u201cIt\u2019s not a debate.\u201d<\/p>\n
But when you throw eight people of divergent viewpoints struggling for attention together \u2026<\/p>\n
Though it was never a formal debate, there were plenty of sparks and feisty exchanges \u2013 entertaining those who like a little dramatic tension \u2013 at the Scottsdale Firefighters Association\u2019s\u00a0 \u201ccandidate forum.\u201d The April 13 event at the Scottsdale Civic Center Library Auditorium was the unofficial kickoff of Scottsdale\u2019s election season.<\/p>\n
All eight of the candidates who will be on the July 21 primary ballot attended.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They will be fighting for three seats \u2013 and battle lines quickly became clear at the forum.<\/p>\n
The day before the event, Councilman Barry Graham sent out a newsletter saying he was eager for \u201can attack-free forum.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yet a few score people were settling in their seats when Graham found himself in the crosshairs.<\/p>\n
Councilwoman Solange Whitehead \u2013 the other current politician running for reelection \u2013 went after Graham, who impatiently waited to return fire.<\/p>\n
While Graham-Whitehead might have been the main event, the forum provided an energetic undercard.<\/p>\n
Newcomer Ethan Knowlden targeted former state representative Michelle Ugenti-Rita, who won the unofficial \u201csnappy comeback of the night\u201d award.<\/p>\n
Former Councilman Bob Littlefield is the husband of current Councilwoman Kathy Littlefield, who is terming out to open the third Scottsdale seat. In his bid to return to council, the leader of the group Taxpayers Against Awful Apartment Zoning Exemptions identified a clear combatant, even if it wasn\u2019t present: Axon.<\/p>\n
Similarly, business owner-turned-candidate Crystal Carroll\u2019s teed off on her foe \u2013 the planned Old Town parking garage two blocks from the library.<\/p>\n
Raoul Zubia, who failed in a previous run, perhaps restrained himself from saying \u201cI told you so\u201d as he punched away at the reputation of the current City Council.<\/p>\n
Eric Sloan, another newcomer to local politics, tag-teamed on Zubia\u2019s battle. \u201cA lot of people agree the fighting amongst the Council has gotten out of hand,\u201d Sloan proclaimed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s an embarrassment.\u201d<\/p>\n
The event was moderated by Weller, Scottsdale Firefighter Association president.<\/p>\n
According to the billing, \u201cThe discussion will focus on the candidates\u2019 visions for the city\u2019s future and their positions on critical public safety issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
With an endorsement on the line, Sloan and others trumpeted their backing of the city\u2019s firefighters and police.<\/p>\n
No cops were present and \u2013 though no laws appeared to be broken \u2013 the rules of the forum were quickly and frequently violated.<\/p>\n
Tone setter<\/strong><\/p>\n Whitehead set the aggressive tone for the two-hour event.<\/p>\n The first person to call out the Graham-led \u201cbloc\u201d on City Council went after her target early:<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we’ve been dealing with this past 16 months or so is a council that is focused on politics and willing to put that politics ahead of financial security and public safety and ahead of our quality of life,\u201d Whitehead passionately pronounced. She then teed up an attack on a planned North Scottsdale roundabout that was \u201ccanceled\u201d by Graham and his cohorts, who successfully pushed for an extension of the current four-way intersection at Scottsdale and Dynamite.<\/p>\n \u201cThis past year,\u201d Whitehead ranted, as Graham did a big double-take, \u201cwe forfeited $31 million in federal money \u2013 we’re never going to see that money again \u2013\u00a0 to make Scottsdale streets less safe and divert $31 million plus an extra probably $10 million of transportation dollars we need to pave our roads to fix this roundabout into a less safe intersection with a traffic light.\u201d<\/p>\n Graham patiently waited for six others to speak before the microphone was handed to him.<\/p>\n After talking briefly on the positive economic picture in the city, Graham noted: \u201cI want to clarify and go back to what Councilmember Whitehead said.\u201d<\/p>\n He said in 2024, when three representatives were up for reelection, \u201cresidents threw them out of office.\u201d After insisting voters rejected a \u201cpolitical agenda\u201d of road diets, \u201ca city-run homeless shelter\u201d and \u201cthousands and thousands of apartments that were being approved,\u201d Graham returned to Whitehead.<\/p>\n \u201cI also want to call her out and say that there is\u00a0 not a $31 million forfeiture of funds \u2013 that is a legal technicality. The funding is secure \u2013 and that is false information,\u201d Graham said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI also want to call out that Councilmember Whitehead voted to waive your water when she approved Axon.<\/p>\n \u201cShe gave away your water,\u201d Graham stated, to a smattering of applause.<\/p>\n Jumping the line, Whitehead grabbed a microphone.<\/p>\n Despite Weller\u2019s insistence that \u201cI don\u2019t want to turn this into a debate,\u201d Whitehead fired back at Graham:<\/p>\n \u201cI do need to correct the record. There was no action on Axon water. It was water credits negotiated by the mayor \u2026 And I also want to absolutely say that the forfeiture of $31 million is a matter of public record. The price of that project went up $10 million.\u201d<\/p>\n After applause for Whitehead\u2019s emotional defense died down, Weller again repeated: \u201cThis is not a debate \u2026 please stick to the format.\u201d<\/p>\n Even so, the moderator set the candidates up for battle by inviting each participant to ask a question of another.<\/p>\n Knowlden took a sharp dig at Ugenti-Rita, framing a question on one of her votes by saying, \u201cyou\u2019ve been unsuccessful in the last couple of campaigns.\u201d<\/p>\n Ugenti-Rita\u2019s razor retort to Knowlden:<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes you don’t win everything \u2013 as you’ll get to know soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps under the \u201crules are made to be broken\u201d philosophy, Littlefield went off script, instead of asking a fellow candidate a question, posing a rhetorical one.<\/p>\n \u201cWho stood up to Axon?\u201d Littlefield demanded.<\/p>\n \u201cVote for me \u2013 I was the one who stood up to Axon.\u201d<\/p>\n Whitehead did not leave that slide without a comment.<\/p>\n After Carroll demanded of her why she did not support a move to put the TAAAZE referendum on the ballot last year, Whitehead defended her two votes approving Axon\u2019s office-apartments-hotel plan.<\/p>\n \u201cThat company is of state importance,\u201d Whitehead said. \u201cOur chief of police said Axon leaving makes us less safe \u2026 but anonymous donors are funding Bob Littlefield\u2019s TAAAZE.\u201d<\/p>\n Whitehead defended the Axon plan as \u201clow density \u2013 with a dog park \u2026 It\u2019s going to be a fabulous development.\u201d<\/p>\n Carroll, the owner of an Old Town cafe, would hardly use the term \u201cfabulous\u201d to describe the planned parking garage at First and Brown.<\/p>\n Responding to Weller\u2019s question on the topic, Graham, Littlefield and Ugenti-Rita said they support expanding the two-level lot into a garage.<\/p>\n Graham: \u201cThe 2019 bond passed overwhelmingly \u2026 voters told us we need more parking \u2013 a garage \u2013 in Old Town.\u201d<\/p>\n Ugenti-Rita: \u201cI support it. Voters voted for it.\u201d<\/p>\n Littlefield: \u201cYou have to build the garage\u2026 People said \u2018build the f-ing garage.\u2019 I predict: if you build it, they will park.\u201d<\/p>\n An apparently incredulous Carroll turned to the audience.<\/p>\n \u201cGuys,\u201d she pleaded, \u201cyou did not approve that garage on that spot \u2026 That garage was not talked about in the bond, that location was not talked about.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s absolute lies.\u201d<\/p>\n Sloan, Zubia and Knowlden all said they opposed the garage plan.<\/p>\n Whitehead?<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not for or against it.\u201d<\/p>\n Introductions<\/p>\n Weller gave the eight candidates time to introduce themselves.<\/p>\n Ugenti-Rita:\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere are two types of candidates in this race, those who are ready to lead and those who are more interested in playing personality politics. Scottsdale deserves the first \u2026 As a veteran of the Legislature, I have a record of making the tough but necessary decisions, defending taxpayers, fighting for your right to vote and citizen referendums, not getting bullied by special interests that want to take your vote away from you. I will protect our quality of life, our character.\u201d<\/p>\n Whitehead:<\/p>\n \u201cVoters twice elected me to represent your values at City Hall \u2026 on my watch, we have funded infrastructure, we have protected neighborhoods, we have dedicated new parks and secured 30 years of funding to reinvest in our city’s oldest parks. We doubled the city’s financial reserves, we paid down pension liability, we lowered your taxes, and we stopped the export of Scottsdale water to Rio Verde foothills.\u201d<\/p>\n Zubia:<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a council who is not listening to the people. We have a council who’s determined to do whatever they want to do when they want to do it. We don’t need that in our council, we need someone who is the leader \u2013 who is the adult in the room and who is going to make sure that you the voters, you the citizens, are being listened to. That is what I will do.\u201d<\/p>\n Sloan:<\/p>\n \u201cMy wife and I have lived in Scottsdale for over 20 years. We’ve had a business in Scottsdale for over 18 years. The reason I decided to run this race was because I have a 14-year-old daughter, and so I want to see Scottsdale be the amazing city that it’s always been for her. But more importantly, I wanted to focus on something that’s very important to every citizen in Scottsdale, and it’s not a political issue, it’s public safety.\u201d<\/p>\n Littlefield:<\/p>\n \u201cI’ve lived in Scottsdale since 1984 \u2026 I’ve already served three terms on the Scottsdale City Council, and when I termed out, I didn’t stop caring about what happened in Scottsdale. In fact, just the opposite. I went to work fighting various initiatives in order to make Scottsdale a better place. \u2026 I am the one candidate race who is the proven quantity. I have a 20 year record of citizen activism.\u201d<\/p>\n Carroll:<\/p>\n \u201cI love Scottsdale so much. I invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in a business in Old Town. So I am invested in the community.\u00a0 \u2026 I’m not beholden to anybody. I’m not in politics. I’m not from politics. I want the cream of the crop to be running our city. I have managed hundreds of thousands of dollars. I’ve created hundreds of jobs. I’ve been an entrepreneur for the last 20 years, and I know how to get things done.\u201d<\/p>\n Knowlden:<\/p>\n \u201c… I was recruited into a biotech company in California, and that’s the industry where I spent the remainder of my legal career doing transactions. So I was a deal guy. I would bring sides together, try to find some common ground, negotiate agreement terms, get them to sign and move the teams forward. \u2026 I got to do it all around the world. I got to meet incredible people, and I got to learn a lot of great skills and experiences. Those are the skills and experiences that I think this council desperately needs.\u201d<\/p>\n Graham:<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you elected me four years ago, I made two promises that I would always put residents first, and then I would never \u2018go along to get along.\u2019 I have my kept word on both. I’m the only Council candidate running for re-election who listened to 27,000 residents who signed a petition opposing Axon apartments and defended their right to vote on the mega development. Also listened to 37,000 residents who voted in 2019 to add much needed parking in Old Town.\u201d<\/p>\n Key dates<\/strong><\/p>\n June 22 is the last day to register to vote in the primary election.<\/p>\n On June 24, early voting begins and early ballots will be mailed.<\/p>\n July 21 is the primary election day.<\/p>\n Any of the candidates can win outright by securing enough votes during the primary. If any of the three seats are not filled during the primary, finalists will battle it out at the Nov. 3 general election.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a0 At the time, no one in the crowd even chuckled \u2013 but in retrospect it was quite…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":740481,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5131],"tags":[5229,5643,1587,166900,166898,304829,270104,270106,305463,183858,270103,1589,241098,7600,235725,152497,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":["post-740480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-phoenix","tag-america","tag-arizona","tag-az","tag-barry-graham","tag-bob-littlefield","tag-crystal-carroll","tag-eric-sloan","tag-ethan-knowlden","tag-graham-whitehead","tag-kathy-littlefield","tag-michelle-ugenti-rita","tag-phoenix","tag-raoul-zubia","tag-scottsdale","tag-scottsdale-firefighters-association","tag-solange-whitehead","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116436126014841933","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/740480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=740480"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/740480\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/740481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=740480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=740480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=740480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}