In her anonymous (courageous, huh?) blog, Virginia’s “Voice of Korte” predicts a 100% chance of the sky falling in Scottsdale upon the election of Bob Littlefield as mayor.
For starters, “Mayor Littlefield” would stunt business growth, so sales tax, the lifeblood of the city’s budget, would plummet. Some city employees would then be laid off and basic services would be on the chopping block. Most of the downtown area, now experiencing a renaissance, wouldn’t be allowed to keep evolving and would end up on life support. The revitalized McDowell Road Corridor would also suffer. The only area that would survive is the Bar District, because people always want to party.
Perhaps the most damaging thing Littlefield could do as mayor is to sabotage the city’s future needs by proposing funding the city’s rapidly deteriorating infrastructure with money from the General Fund – which would be a virtual death sentence for key city services.
“People always want to party.” Now there’s a political and economic analysis for ya. But it’s very telling.
And the second paragraph is essentially saying that fiscal descipline is bad, while government borrowing, deficits, wanton spending, and massive taxpayer subsidies for polo matches, golfers, and the Super Bowl are great!
Even though Korte hates Lane because of his homophobia and because he’s a Philistine, they actual have some supporters in common in the Barf District and the developer lobby. So, while it must rub Virginia the wrong way pretty vigorously (which comes through in her column), Lane is the lesser of the evils…in her mind.
But the taxpayers are starting to figure out that the truth is the opposite of Korte’s Chicken Little tale. Scottsdale CAN balance the budget AND maintain high-quality services. We can have a “business-friendly” government…for ALL businesses, not just bars and housing project builders. We just need a mayor willing to cut the pork. Like Bob Littlefield.
5 Comments
the quality of life for us locals just gets worse and worse as korte and her cronies up the ante for more growth, more bars,more high end shopping malls and clogged streets. i would like to see her gone along with lane. i remember the charming scottsdale of the 70’s and that is why i moved here.
Yes, ‘Caroline,’ many Scottsdale taxpayers remember the once iconic City of Scottsdale…BEFORE Manross, Lane ad nauseum.
Virginia Korte is, with only Lane, Klapp and Milhaven slightly more two faced and phony, concerned with her legacy as sensitive to the needs of residents. What those in Scottsdale need is less pandering to special interests and the connected. There is nothing these miscreants will not do for developers, churches and the noxious lobbyists that deny Women’s Rights, those of the LGBTQ Communities, immigrants, and minorities.
There are so many lies in this “Voice” column it’s hard to know where to begin refuting it, but the biggest lie is that development enriches the city treasury. The truth is development doesn’t pay, it COSTS. More development means more costs for city infrastructure and services, costs which must be by current residents because AZ’s impact fees are woefully inadequate. If development really paid, with all of the development Lane, Korte, Milhaven and Klapp have approved over the last few years the city treasury would be bursting at the seams. Instead, that cupboard is so bare Lane and his allies have twice in the last few years asked Scottsdale residents to increase their property taxes! Overdevelopment also costs current residents by lowering their quality of life (more traffic congestion, blocked views, etc.).
Bob, I believe that each property owner in Scottsdale has received their new Property Tax Statement. Another BIG increase….think this may speed the number unable to own, who will have to rent in a Lane sanctioned ‘luxury barrio’?