Henninger: Scottsdale’s future decisions are paramount as local politicians line August ballot

Scottsdale residents cannot let slogans, sound bites and social media rantings rule the day. Pay attention Scottsdale. Voters, do your homework. Demand solutions and elect the best. The stakes have never been higher.”

Don Henninger

The forecast for how long the COVID-19 crisis will last remains murky but two things have become crystal clear for Scottsdale in the months ahead.

One, the city will be facing potentially devastating economic shortfalls that could leave deep gaps in its spending ability. Economic recovery is the top issue facing the city right now and the road ahead likely will be a long one.

And two, now more than ever, the case can be made that the most effective leadership in this country comes at the local level --- mayors and City Councils --- and that means the 2020 campaign season in Scottsdale might be the most critical one ever.

A city with an economy that has lots of questions, but few answers, needs leaders capable of grasping the challenges, setting priorities and developing solutions. If residents want to influence the fiscal health and direction of their city, now they have the chance --- no, call it a responsibility --- to elect candidates based on their specific ideas on how to solve the problems we face.

As of this week, the campaign lineup has been established. Five mayoral candidates and nine people vying for the three open council seats have filed petitions with the necessary signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Assuming they get by any potential petition challenges, they’ll square off in a primary Aug. 4. Mail-in ballots for that will arrive to voters in July. That is not very far away.

Before the COVD-19 crisis, growth (or slow growth) and development was the dominant issue, more like a lightning rod. But now anyone who says that’s still the No. 1 issue looks foolish, short-sighted and probably not worth electing.
Scottsdale is in a crisis mode. Even more so than some of its neighbor cities.
COVID-19 brought the tourism industry to its knees.

It’s the industry that Scottsdale depends on most and it came at the worst time --- the peak of the season. The city collects nearly half of its total annual bed tax collections in the first four months of the year. Bed tax and sales tax revenue from tourists is 26 percent of the city’s annual privilege tax. The retail, food and beverage and service industries also are suffering.

Downtown, an important economic engine for the city, is a ghost town, clear evidence that the city’s core needs renewal, look at it now. Who wants to argue now that 18,000 parking spaces are insufficient now, or even in the near future?

The city’s revenue stream has dried up. Prospects for any kind of quick recovery are dim, too. If we are lucky enough for the crisis to fade in the next couple months, we’ll be right in the middle of summer, the down season. The city needs to establish a vibrant, diverse year-round economy, not one that is tied to seasonal impulses.

The aftershocks of this crisis will last long beyond this year. Which is why it’s important to find leadership that can help restore the city to economic health over the long haul.

Many national political observers have been saying the most effective political leadership in our country today is coming at the local level, from the cities and towns across America.

An often-dysfunctional federal government is causing a resurgence in local leadership, where mayors and city councils are on the front lines of their communities, affecting residents’ daily lives --- parks, public safety, water and sewer, garbage pickup --- certainly more directly than what happens, or doesn’t happen in Washington.

A book by Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s first chief of staff and mayor of Chicago for two terms, made the point in his book: The Nation City: Why Mayors Are Now Running the World. Put simply, he says good mayors can get the job done, can drive innovation and lead effective governance, improving job conditions, infrastructure and environmental policies.

That’s precisely what Scottsdale needs right now: leaders who can come up with innovative solutions to the problems specific to this city and the skills to make their solutions happen. The time for negative carping is over.

We will be electing a new mayor and filling three council seats starting in just a few months. Scottsdale residents cannot let slogans, sound bites and social media rantings rule the day. Pay attention Scottsdale. Voters, do your homework. Demand solutions and elect the best. The stakes have never been higher.

Editor’s Note: Don Henninger is the executive director of SCOTT and can be reached at donh@scottsdale.com. Mr. Henninger serves on Independent Newsmedia’s Board of Directors.