Keck: Candidate campaign finance article left out relevant numbers
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By Andrea Keck
The recent article on political contributions made to candidates in Scottsdale’s mayor and City Council races was incomplete in two ways.
First, it only tabulated contributions made in the first quarter of 2020. Some candidates collected money in the fourth quarter of 2019, and it is the cumulative totals that are most relevant.
This is most notably true for Suzanne Klapp who, in addition to the $42,200 reported for the first quarter, collected $104,900 in the fourth quarter, for a total of $147,100 to date.
The second significant fact that was left out was more detail about exactly who is funding these campaigns. Right now a very concerning issue to many Scottsdale citizens is the issue of development, or some feel over-development, in Scottsdale.
This topic dominates conversations among voters in their personal conversations, and in questions they are asking of candidates. It’s a “hot topic” as witnessed by the recent Southbridge 2 controversy.
A closer analysis of the campaign contributions reveals the percentage of contributions greater than $50 coming from people involved in some way in the real estate and development industries. (Real estate, construction, land use, apartments, commercial engineering, electrical contractors, etc. to name a few.)
This data does not include those donors who listed themselves as “Retired,” some of whom may still be benefiting from companies in these industries through stock options, etc.
Here’s what the data shows about what percentage of donations (above $50) each candidate received from people in some way associated with real estate and/or development:
Mayoral candidates:
Lisa Borowsky - No contribution from any donors
Suzanne Klapp - 44%
Virginia Korte - 35%
Bob Littlefield - 17%
David Ortega - 1%
City Council candidates:
Michael Auerbach - 7%
Tammy Caputi - 75%
Bill Crawford - 32%
Tom Durham - 1%
Betty Janik - 4%
Becca Linning - 84% (denominator $2900)
John Little - 24%
Kevin Maxwell - 73%
Guy Phillips - 15%
For me, looking at these numbers, I ask myself “Who Do I Want Running My City Council?”
Editor’s Note: Andrea Keck is a Scottsdale resident.
