Derouin: Anyone but Bob Littlefield for Scottsdale mayor

Now that ballots are out and residents are voting in the primary for mayor and City Council, it is important to note that, once again, Bob Littlefield is running for mayor — again (as was the case in 2016 when he last ran for mayor) while his wife, Kathy, is on the City Council.

The conflicts of interest arising from both serving on the City Council at the same time are enormous and are reason to vote for another candidate for mayor.

Bob Littlefield’s 12 years on the City Council were a waste of time. He spent his entire time in office, from 2002–14, trying to figure out what he could vote against. The more 6-1 contrarian votes, the better.

He contributed nothing to making Scottsdale a better place to live. He was and is a “nattering nabob of negativism.”

He never encountered a positive thought that he liked. He now decries tall buildings yet he, himself, voted for the Scottsdale Waterfront towers.

He was for tall buildings before he was against them.

Most recently, Littlefield was the guy who helped set up Guy Phillips’ GoFundMe account — specifically directing that the fund be set up so that all gifts were untraceable and anonymous.

He, then, contributed to the account. And when the three judge panel was manipulated by Scottsdale’s former city attorney and held that it was appropriate for Phillips to accept thousands of dollars of anonymous and personal gifts, Kathy Littlefield voted to accept the report legalizing the “Littlefield-Phillips Loopholes.”

Astonishingly, the panel held, and Kathy Littlefield agreed, that a councilmember can accept unlimited “personal” gifts without violating the city’s ethics code. But, then, the code also provides that a councilmember should avoid an “appearance of impropriety” (such as by voting on an issue which involves a councilmember’s immediate family is involved), but such admonitions obviously don’t matter if you are a Littlefield.

As a result, anonymous, and unlimited, “personal” gifts to councilmembers are acceptable. All thanks to Bob Littlefield; and all approved by Kathy Littlefield.

This is a great example of what a Littlefield/Littlefield administration would look like. Voters should reject this temptation and should vote “no” on Bob Littlefield in the primary. There are four better choices. Anybody, but Littlefield.

Editor’s Note: Jim Derouin is a longtime Scottsdale resident, and involved in the creation of the city’s ethics code.