Durham: Concerned about extremism’s impact on the City Council

Tom Durham (Submitted photo)

I am proud of the City Council’s record over the last four years. But I am concerned that our accomplishments could be imperiled by extremism on the City Council.

Adam Kwasman, who is running for the Council, has bragged about being the most extreme member of the Arizona legislature. As the saying goes, when someone tells you who they are — believe them. 

Kwasman’s latest extreme stance is that (as stated in an AZCentral interview) "there are hundreds of millions of dollars in wasteful spending” in Scottsdale’s General Fund.  But the General Fund expenditures are $376 million per year. Assuming “hundreds of millions of dollars” are “only” $200 million, that means Kwasman thinks more than half of Scottsdale’s operating expenditures are “wasteful.”

Fire and police protection alone require about $209 million of the General Fund, so eliminating $200 of so-called “wasteful spending” would defund police and fire to the tune of over $25 million — with nothing left for public works, parks, streets or other services. 

Does Kwasman really intend to cut our budget in half? I don’t know. But he hasn't identified a penny of so-called “wasteful spending” and has refused to attend public forums to defend his ideas. And he failed to attend any City Council meetings on the City’s budget. Information on the General Fund can easily be found on the city’s website. As the Arizona Progress & Gazette noted earlier this year, Kwasman simply refuses to do his homework. 

Kwasman’s extreme views, lack of preparation, and uninformed “fiscal conservatism” would be disastrous for Scottsdale.

The best interests of Scottsdale are always foremost in my mind, and for that reason I have endorsed two experienced, moderate voices in Maryann McAllen and Tammy Caputi for election to your City Council, and respectfully ask that you not vote for me. I will continue to speak out on election issues, particularly my support for Propositions 490 and 491.

While Tom Durham has announced he is dropping out of the race for City Council, he is still a candidate who will appear on the ballot. The Scottsdale Independent allows all candidates to address readers with one letter during the election cycle. Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.