Coe: As early ballots arrive, consider who represents Scottsdale’s charm

I keep asking why are we electing people to represent us on the council who don’t care what we think or want? I don’t want high rise buildings, nor do I want intense traffic with little parking in Old Town.”

Laurie Coe, Scottsdale resident

Early voting has begun. Every election cycle feels like the most important election of our lifetimes, but it may just be truer for this one!

Lucky for us in Scottsdale, we have nine wonderful individuals running for three seats on the council.

I have been frustrated with four of the current members of the Scottsdale City Council, who, for some reason, think that they can direct the future of our beloved city based upon their individual views and their allegiance to wealthy developers.

Time and time again, we have seen people in our neighborhoods stepping up to disapprove of zoning changes that have come before the council. No matter, the developer wins.

The current council thinks they are better equipped than we are to determine the future growth of our town. We haven’t had a General Plan since 2000. This is true despite efforts.

There was a three day conference called Visioning that was hosted by Town Hall, a non profit legal team that builds consensus. I was on the Visioning board that lasted three days.

The council rejected the outcome. Then, a commission was formed to work on a plan. We still have no plan. Ask yourself how we got a Mercedes car dealership on Scottsdale Road? There have been far too many “give aways” by the current council.

Why did the citizens of Scottsdale have to fight so hard against the Desert Discovery Center?

Why did we have to fight so hard against Southbridge 2.0?

The only reason I can come up with, is that the majority on the council is bought and paid for by the development community.

The nine candidates running for the three seats on the council and the five running for mayor are all good people. I respect each one of them but do not think they are all the same regarding representing all of us and our vision for the future of Scottsdale.

Scottsdale has always prided itself on its livability. We love our parks and preserve. We love our low buildings that keep our views of Camelback Mountain and the McDowells. We love our world class Old Town arts district.

I keep asking why are we electing people to represent us on the council who don’t care what we think or want? I don’t want high rise buildings, nor do I want intense traffic with little parking in Old Town. We need to support our small businesses. We like to think of ourselves as a livable city and that includes clean air, open spaces, and beautiful views.

We also need to change the system that allows seven people to forever change our agreements about height and density without a say.

When you cast your ballot, please vote for the only two candidates who care about preserving our charm. I know that Betty Janik and Tom Durham, will read and study zoning variances and not just give developers a blank check.

Tom and Betty will strive to create a new General Plan so we can have a real vision for the future.

If Tom and Betty are elected, we the people of Scottsdale will get our voice back from the craven greed that has given us a bar district, and that has been running rough shod over our beautiful City.

No matter who you vote for, please vote the whole ballot. The great thing about mail voting is that we can do our homework. The stakes couldn’t be higher.

Editor’s Note: Laurie Coe is a Scottsdale resident.