Victoria Kauzlarich, Scottsdale Resident
Good governance requires sound decision-making, based on facts. Without it, there is no basis for citizen trust which is why angry residents keep showing up at Scottsdale council meetings (ditto for why Americans are showing up across the country).
This council’s assumption-based approach is no way to govern. There appears to be little or no basis in fact when it comes time for a decision and that takes us to a dark place.
With this in mind, it was easy to conclude that Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky either has a facility for comedy or she’s suffering from a serious case of magical thinking. In her first state of the city address to local business leaders last week, she said,
“We came out of the gate very strong, and we’ve got ourselves a lot of headlines, so I didn’t expect that for the first month. Some good, some controversial. Hopefully we’re going to move into a cadence that looks forward and is all about collaborating and coming together as a community so we can do our best work.”
Feel free to laugh loud and long. I’ll wait.
In less than two months, the council has repealed the city’s sustainability plan (it was too woke), replaced the acting City Manager, eliminated the city’s diversity office (alleging that the city was conducting quota-based hiring - it wasn’t and never has) and, most recently has demanded remote workers to return to the office (I’ll let you reach your own conclusions on that one). For more on this, read the Republic’s coverage of Mayor Borowsky’s state of the city address here.
I fear that this move-fast-and-break-things council majority will never be accountable to our residents. Their basis for decision-making precludes it. We must make our voices heard with this in mind.
To some of you, devoting your time and attention to the city council will seem like a waste of time. It isn’t. The more negative press this council gets, the better positioned we’ll be for the 2026 election.
Solange plans to run again. Kathy Littlefield is term-limited and cannot run. And, the never-popular Barry Graham is up for re-election. This is our opportunity to gain a couple of seats and restore good governance to our council.
What can you do to help - starting right now? I’m glad you asked.
You can start by getting up to speed on what this council is doing and when it plans to take action. Much of this you can do from the comfort of your own home.
1. Start at Scottsdale's website here and feel free to noodle around. You’ll find lots of good background. Scroll down on that page and you can also sign up for a subscription service that will deliver council meeting agendas to your inbox. While you’re there, search the city’s site for boards and commissions. It looks like the mayor plans to make changes to how these positions are appointed.
2. Commit yourself to emailing the council regularly. Let them know you’re paying attention and let them know what you think. Their email address is: citycouncil@scottsdaleaz.gov; all council members and the mayor receive email sent to this address. Whether your concern is general or specific, make your voice heard.
3. Attend council meetings, put on your big kid pants and make a public comment.
Write letters to the editor of local news sources.
These things are just a start. Dust off your activist chops and get going.
Your city needs you.
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