From an AZCentral article this morning:
Jim Lane made headlines in 2008 when he defeated incumbent Scottsdale Mayor Mary Manross, marking the first time in city history a sitting mayor lost a re-election bid.
Now, Lane is seeking to retain the top seat for another four years. The retired accountant says he has kept his promises and steered Arizona’s sixth-largest city toward economic prosperity.
Lane already has tallied ample campaign contributions — more than $150,000, according to the most recent finance statements — and no challenger is anywhere close.
Despite that, a grass-roots effort is building to oust the one-term mayor. It includes a City Council member who once considered Lane a strong ally.
Councilman Bob Littlefield and other critics claim the mayor has sold out to special interests and deep-pocketed developers who are boosting his campaign finances.
After forming an exploratory committee [for a mayoral campaign] in January, Littlefield said he will not seek the mayor’s seat in the Aug. 28 primary, dissolving any hope of a contentious matchup.
Running would have required his resignation from the council. Instead, Littlefield has thrown his support to candidate John Washington, an activist who ran as a write-in candidate for mayor in 2008.
They said the plan failed to capture the views of residents.
Resident Howard Myers, a longtime advocate of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, said that vote sent a message.
“The defeat of the General Plan was as much an indicator to the way people see the city going as to the plan itself.”