As you can imagine, I was very disappointed in the primary election results. Not only for me, but more for everyone who supported me, contributed hard-earned dollars, and invested so much volunteer time in the hope of renewed faith in city government. I’m very appreciative of that support, and am equally dismayed by Tuesday night’s outcome.

It’s All About The Money

No one envisioned Jim Lane winning a majority in the primary. For those who don’t know (and several have asked) we have non-partisan elections in Scottsdale, in accordance with our City Charter (our “constitution,” if you will). By Charter, any candidate who gets more than 50% of the vote in the primary automatically wins a seat. That’s how Jim won this now instead of having to go all the way to November.

Before you say otherwise, I think it’s a good rule. I just never thought Jim would be able to take advantage of it.

Clearly, with the way Jim spent money (I counted six mailers, three full-page newspaper ads, and heard he was running cable TV ads), he and his developer friends and bar buddies were concerned he might not win it, either. And yes, I sincerely believed I had a good shot to win the primary.

If You Want A Friend, Go Buy A Dog

My first campaign manager told me within the first five minutes of our first meeting that 94% of the time, the candidate with the most money wins. That’s exactly what happened with most of the primary races this week.

Of course, my campaign manager never raised a penny for me, and said with a parting shot as he wandered off to work for the competition, “If you want a friend, buy a dog.” Point taken!

Summing Up The Problem

I was just copied on an email that Jim sent out thanking folks for voting for him. In it,

Mayor Lane stated, “I thank the majority of voters who support my vision [emphasis added] for Scottsdale’s future; but I also want to let those who voted for my opponents know that I pledge to serve all of the residents of Scottsdale, whether they voted for me or not.”

If you had to pick a paragraph to sum up what’s wrong with Scottsdale, this is it. THE vision for Scottsdale is expressed in our General Plan, which was written by and ratified at the polls by the citizens of Scottsdale.

If the citizens really knew what a terrible steward of the General Plan that Jim Lane has been, they might have rejected him in the primary just like they rejected the General Plan changes in the spring.

It’s too bad I couldn’t make a better case for the connection.

There Is Some Good News

Here’s the good news:

• Jim Lane raised more than ten times as much money as I raised.
• He also spent nearly all of his campaign war chest, amassed from three years of raising money from developers and bar owners. Too bad the only newspaper in town didn’t report a word–not one–about the sources of that money.
• This worked out to almost $10 per vote for Jim compared to about $1.50 per vote for me.
• For all that money, Jim only got 55% of the vote. Clearly 45% was mine for the taking going into the general election, if only I could have pulled him down below 50% in the primary in order to force a runoff.
• Most importantly, the mayor is just one vote among seven on the City Council. In that role he serves as the ceremonial head of the City of Scottsdale and presides over Council meetings, But he has no greater influence in voting than any other seat on the Council.
• Since we got three great council candidates through the primary and we can still install a resident-friendly majority!

Chamber candidates Korte, Klapp, and Luoma spent a lot of money to get themselves into the general election runoff. I’m guessing the Chamber developers and bar owners are beating the bushes as we speak to make sure they can buy as many votes as possible for these three for the final round.

Of the previous 11 Council candidates, we’re now down to six. As you know, I support Schaffner, Phillips, and Phillips (no relation), and will continue working to get them elected in November.

What We Need From You

It’s going to take a lot of help from Scottsdale residents, but I’m confident that we can get Chris Schaffner, Guy Phillips, and Joanne “Copper” Phillips elected in November. They need to meet your neighbors and friends, and even small donations are very helpful. Every dollar allows them to reach two more Scottsdale voters!

Can we count on your help?

Please email me or call 480.229.1831.

Please also “subscribe” to ScottsdaleTrails for updates!

In keeping with my previous articles, here’s a day-before-Election Day question from a citizen:

Are you a Republican or Democrat???

Fair enough question, I suppose. I am a Republican, and I have been since I first registered to vote.

It’s somewhat amusing how many people have asked this question completely devoid of any context about Scottsdale issues. If they’d been paying attention prior to the election, they’d know exactly where I stand on every one of them. I’ve written and published over 250 articles on ScottsdaleTrails.com, and I speak at virtually every city council meeting.

However, to those for whom party affiliation is a shibboleth, I have some additional insights relative to this question:

1. All three Scottsdale mayoral candidates are Republicans. Your real choices are a) Crony Capitalist, b) Tea Party newcomer, and c) Me.
2. All the current city council members (obviously including the incumbent mayor) are Republicans. That means that all the bad things that happen in Scottsdale are the fault of…you guessed it: Republicans.
3. Our city campaigns are non-partisan by our City Charter (our constitution) and rightly so. Many of our local issues involve developers vs citizens, which is not exactly a partisan dynamic.

I have also noted the mayor and council (all Republicans) have no problem with (for example) taxpayer subsidies to private businesses, opposite of traditional Republican principles.

So, don’t vote for me because I’m a Republican. Don’t vote against me because I’m not a Democrat.

Vote for me because I have a ten-year track record of volunteer public service,

1. Defending our Scottsdale quality of life (as described in our General Plan) through;
2. Fighting for better stewardship of our tax dollars and public assets; and
3. Advocating for real innovation in city governance and efficiently providing public services.

You can read more of these questions-and-answers at

• Questions from a Citizen
• More Questions from Citizens
• Even More Questions from Citizens
• Clowns to the Left of Me, Jokers to the Right
• Three Distinct Views
• Scottsdale Mayoral Candidates Live Chat

There have been some complaints about robocalls (automatic phone calls that play a recorded message) that are recommending me to voters. These were done independent of any of my campaign planning, but I was notified as required by statute.

I’m not a fan of robocalls. I’m also not a fan of campaign signs. That’s why I didn’t buy either. Well, that and the fact that I put all my limited campaign funds into postcards, which I hope were more effective and less annoying.

I wish the robocalls would just go away…but they are effective, which is why even the bad guys who HAVE plenty of funding put so much money into them.

To quote Councilman Bob Littlefield on the subject of robocalls:

I also receive several robocalls a day and I don’t like them either. However, I consider them a small price to pay to allow candidates such as the ones I endorse to have a chance to remain competitive against the well-funded special-interest candidates who most certainly do NOT have the best interests of you and your fellow Scottsdale residents at heart.

The inconvenience of receiving that call will pale in comparison to what it will cost you and your fellow Scottsdale residents in lowered property values and higher property taxes if the incumbent Mayor and his allies are re-elected and allowed to continue destroying Scottsdale’s special character and high quality of life.

I sincerely hope you will look beyond your annoyance at this call and vote in the best interests of both you and your fellow Scottsdale residents, which would be a vote for John Washington for Mayor and Guy Phillips, Chris Schaffner and Joanne “Copper” Phillips (no relation to Guy) for City Council.

If you want to avoid political robocalls in the future just call Maricopa County Elections at 602-506-1511 and ask them to remove your phone number from the voter list. You are not required to list your phone number to be registered to vote.

I apologize for the inconvenience.

Councilman Bob Littlefield
602-228-9145 (mobile)
www.boblittlefield.com

For those of you who have complained to me, I appreciate your feedback. I’m grateful for the opportunity to converse with you. If you have some time (perhaps after Election Day), I’d be happy to get together with you and discuss campaigning, but also any issues that may be of concern to you, as well.

Thanks to everyone who attended our meet-and-greet tonight.

Have you seen “The Campaign“?

As you may know, I’m living it.

A few of my committee volunteers took me to this movie when it first opened. No need for a spoiler alert, but I will tell you that the baby-punching scene provided some much-needed laughter for us all. This is one funny movie. We all enjoyed it.

Melissa, Me, and Michelle at Tanzy

And as a result, the kind and generous folks at Tanzy and iPic at the Scottsdale Quarter sponsored a “John Washington for Mayor event this evening.

Those who decided to stay for a show (I recommend “The Campaign,” for obvious reasons), were impressed with their amazing facility. It’s definitely not your grandfather’s movie theater…

I’m still attempting to meet every interested Scottsdale resident before our Primary Election this Tuesday August 28. I’d love any opportunity to chat with you and/or your friends to answer any questions may have for your potential Mayor!

Please help spread the word, and please vote for John Washington for Scottsdale Mayor!

The Phoenix New Times ran a story dated Friday 24 August entitled,

That’s So Scottsdale

Scottsdale Mayor Voted to Give Taxpayer Coin to His Campaign Consultant, Jason Rose, for Polo Tournament Run by… Jason Rose

It’s no surprise to me

that crony capitalism is alive and well at the Scottsdale City Hall Kiva. I registered my objection to this $75,000 taxpayer subsidy to a private business back in May. Look at time index 00:10:00.

In addition, however, I also voiced my objection that same night to a $4 MILLION subsidy. That’s at time index 00:05:30. The Scottsdale Cultural Council (a private business) gets this money every year under a 20-year, no-bid “management services agreement,” for occupying the taxpayer-owned Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, among others.

Did I mention SCC’s city contract permits them to charge admission and keep all of it? Furthermore, SCC’s board of trustees is stuffed with a who’s who of the Chamber of Commerce, including Chamber CEO Rick Kidder and SCC board chair Mike Miller from Scottsdale Insurance.

This is typical of the “businesslike approach” of our current mayor and city council, and it needs to change.

I was doing a little research the other day and ran across a nice remembrance of Herb Drinkwater from a few years ago by Pierre O’Rourke.

I don’t have any illusions that I can live up to Drinkwater’s legacy, and I don’t want to try. But there were a lot of things to like about him, so I thought I’d share some of Pierre’s perspective on the man.

Isn’t it funny how every Scottsdale candidate says they are “resident friendly” in their campaign mailers?

But what does it mean to to be “resident friendly?”

To me, it means engaging with city government on behalf of your neighbors when there’s NOT an election in the near future.

It means having a track record that extends beyond the filing date of your campaign organizational statement.

I have been advocating for public safety, quality of life, better city planning, and fiscal responsibility for more than a decade. There are other city candidates who also have track records of fighting for you on these issues.

A frequent question from my supporters that goes right to this point is, “Among the candidates for Council, who can you work with?”

Fair question. I can work with anyone who is willing to work with me, especially if they do their homework and really understand the issues.

Beyond that, though, there are some with whom I have ALREADY worked.

Chris Schaffner has fought for his neighbors and for neighborhoods like his and yours for years.

Guy Phillips has, too. He’s been there when neighbors have called, and he’s petitioned the City Council for better decisions.

Joanne “Copper” Phillips (no relation to Guy) has been involved twice as long as I have…20 years!

Keep that in mind as you consider your vote on Tuesday. You are voting your trust to these candidates for the leadership of your city for the next four years.

We have challenges ahead and they’ll be difficult enough even for folks who have been involved. We can’t afford to vote based solely on campaign-season postcard rhetoric. We don’t want to have to figure out whether they’ll support us; we need to KNOW it.

I had computer crash yesterday afternoon that caused me to miss the filing deadline for the pre-primary report that was due. I finally managed to get everything going again and get the report done by about 9.

It has been uploaded to the city’s election website at

https://eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/eservices/CampaignfinanceReports/

where you can also review reports for all other candidates and political committees.

Thanks for your patience!

As Scottsdale City Councilman Bob Littlefield says, “If every Scottsdale voter would watch ONE City Council meeting, Scottsdale would be a much different place after the next election!”

Did you know that you can view City Council Meetings via Cox Channel 11? Or online via the City’s web site?

That means you can check out a rare Monday night City Council meeting (normally on Tuesdays) without leaving your house. Invest just 30 minutes starting at 5 p.m. and see your candidates in action.

You can bet they’ll address the Council – Monday night’s agenda includes things like:

• Approving imminent domain condemnation of private property;
• Residential development by the Scottsdale Airport;
• And trails in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve where hunting is legal (I was surprised, too!).

This is your last chance to see your candidates in action, on the eve of Election Day. You can help determine the future of OUR city by choosing resident-friendly candidates, instead of those supported by developers and the liquor lobbyists.

So, attend the meeting in-person, watch on Cox CityCable Channel 11, or streaming on your computer via these simple instructions on the city’s website.

Your vote DOES matter, now more than ever!

There was a good article in the Republic this week about the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. You probably read my much more extensive article on this website about it, but the Republic actually added some good details.

As you know, I’m concerned about hunting, safety, and about proper game management in the Preserve.

I’m also concerned about funding to complete our planned acquisitions, and the amount of money that will be required to complete the Desert Discovery Center if we go ahead with the Disneyland version (which I oppose).

City staff is working on an updated plan for land acquisition. I also hope we can institute a moratorium on hunting until we’ve had a chance to complete the proper baseline populations studies of game there, AND have a community conversation about whether hunting is in keeping with the spirit and stated goals of the Preserve.

Preserve advocate Michael Mayer sent this message today:

One thing is clear, fighting for her life is in the DNA of the Preserve.

Herb [Drinkwater] knew he had to fight the richest guy in Arizona: Kemper Marley.  Not a job for a lightweight.  The Corrigans and Marley had the entire mountain range subdivided with planned roads and home sites…I saw their 30-year old map which is kept in the original glass framed case.

Herb…delayed the development long enough until he had enough taxpayer support to buy it.

I am fighting for it because I had to…no one else had the will to do it.

You keep hitting Lane over his lack of action against hunting and over-development inside the Preserve.

I told [Chamber of Commerce CEO Rick] Kidder [we need] to put up NO HUNTING signs everywhere in the Preserve immediately…not these vague signs that are clearly meant to evade and deceive the public.

Let Game and Fish sue Scottsdale.  Herb did it 35 years ago.   Herb is showing us the way still.

Absolutely right, Michael.