This letter to the editor of the Scottsdale Republic appeared in yesterday’s print edition.
No voice for longtime residents
Many recently adopted ordinances, regulations and codes relate to inappropriate activity resulting from council’s decision to allow a concentration of bars in close proximity to neighborhoods. Some of these ordinances could benefit from a bit of cosmetic dentistry, since they seem to lack teeth — or perhaps the real issue is the reluctance of city officials to enforce them to the letter. Perhaps what residents really need is an ordinance that will protect them from the harmful secondary effects of poor decisions made by elected officials.
Recently, a group of concerned citizens met with city officials to discuss strengthening an existing city ordinance and the adoption of a rental ordinance, which many believe would assist in maintaining the character and integrity of neighborhoods besieged with an influx of rentals and investors hoping to make a quick buck in the rapidly warming real-estate market.
Here is a question worth pondering: Who will represent the interests of longtime property owners? Where is their lobby? The City Council? I suppose fighting the inevitable is akin to wandering through the downtown area without encountering a bar. What are the odds? It might be fun trying though. We may just win the battle but let’s hope we don’t lose the war. Scottsdale’s cachet might depend on it.
— Lisa Haskell, Scottsdale