From Scottsdale city councilman Bob Littlefield:
On Saturday 9/8 the Scottsdale Republic printed this letter to the editor I wrote:
In its editorial “Voters can give council clear direction for a change,” the Scottsdale Republic got one thing right: The primary results set up a potential clear choice for voters in November regarding Scottsdale’s future.
What the editorial writers got wrong was their claim that it is a choice between the past and the future. Guy Phillips, Chris Schaffner and Joanne “Copper” Phillips represent those of us who want to keep using the formula that made Scottsdale the best place to live and visit in the Valley. Their opponents want to let the development community bypass that formula for short-term gain.
What is that formula? Simple: high standards for design, development and code enforcement, lots of open space, unobstructed views of the stunning landscape nature has given us, low density and Western character. These qualities not only make Scottsdale a great place for us to live, they also attract tourists, who heavily support our local economy.
That formula most certainly does not include tall buildings that block our views, urban-level density that clogs our streets with traffic and taxes our infrastructure, an oversupply of apartments or an out-of-control bar district.
4 Comments
Thoughts are always clear to the author. The challenge is making them relevant and accessible to the reader, especially when she does not reside in the author’s brain , or is not deeply immersed in the author’s personal circumstances. I will wager, that the vast majority of homeowners like Scottsdale as it is. Change can be good, but it’s not necessary in a town like ours. Let Phoenix grow and grow. Then homeowners will move here to enjoy
our town and its suburban lifestyle. These refugees from Phoenix will pay up to live here, just as they have for the past 20 years.
That is the challenge indeed!
How do we do it, short of starting a newspaper?
Maybe the challenge is how do we FINANCE a startup newspaper?!
Newspaper readership has been trending down for YEARS. Newspapers have been “circling the drain” from a financial perspective. Az Republic’s circulation including digital is down 4.62% as of March data. Content is king and the effective distribution of the content is the challenge. The younger generation reads their news via twitter and facebook. The question is what is the most effective use of FINANCES to get distribution of content.
Good points, Steve. Of course one must have SOME finances in order to calculate the most effective USE of them!