Yesterday’s Scottsdale Republic (aka the Chamber of Commerce newsletter) contained an expensive right-of-centerfold campaign ad for city council wallflower candidate, Suzanne Klapp.
The belt line of the ad was an endorsement from “PFFA President” Brian Jeffries. What the heck is “PFFA”?
PFFA is the “Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona,” one of the organizations that incumbent mayor Jim “Waffles” Lane has railed against and mischaracterized as “labor unions,” during debates with his similarly-endorsed dominating challenger, Bob Littlefield.
I find Klapp’s inclusion of this obscure (by Chamber of Commerce standards) endorsement amusing, made even more so by the almost completely opaque attribution. Obviously, Klapp has a shortage of endorsements, yet she is sensitive to the anti-labor union rhetoric that Lane has employed.
Connecting this dot to a couple of others tells me that Klapp is in trouble. This is partly because the Chamber power brokers decided to run yet another Chamber-type to try to unseat Guy Phillips, rather than focusing on positive campaigning to reelect stooges Klapp and Korte, who already had warm seats at city hall.
And a big part of Klapp’s trouble is if her own making. Having tried to straddle the fence between the developers and liquor magnates on one side and the residents on the other, has not won her many friends on either.
Klapp would have been better off to just lie to the voters about who she is, like Virginia Korte. Ironically, lying seems to come more naturally for car salesman Korte than for frame shop owner Klapp.
7 Comments
Great post, John.
well, with so few options where does that leave us?
can’t understand why there are no others willing to step up to the plate and take on those who are selling scottsdale down the river. this is not the resident friendly city i moved here in 1972 to enjoy.
>no others willing to step up
A) It’s a lot of work to run, at least half of that is convincing your “friends” you are worthy,
B) It costs a lot of money, and your friends don’t have any…Klapp has probably raised $150,000 from bar owners and developers.
C) Council members are paid $18,000/ year for a job that really requires about 40 hours/week.
ok so besides guy and bob, in your estimation, are there any lesser of the evils left? should i just vote only for bob and guy and leave the others blank? i really detest korte. i will be very disgusted to see her re-elected. it’s all about the money. there is no democracy any more. at age 75 i sure hope re incarnation does not exist!!
what a sad state of affairs.
caroline bissell
In short, “no.”
Korte and Schweiker are firmly sold-out to the Chamber of Commerce. Klapp has lost some of their support because of her fence-sitting and getting cozy with Lane, but if she gets re-elected she’ll be back on the party line quick enough.
Best strategy is to vote for Bob, and single-shot Guy.
thanks john,
very disappointing. do you see any strategies for the future?
caroline bissell
Short of hitting the lottery and starting our own newspaper, no. I have to believe that the voters will wake up and start paying attention to what’s happening right under their noses. But the city is going to be in really bad shape before too much longer.
It makes me sad to think of all the effort our citizens invested in making Scottsdale what it was, and how it’s all being thrown away for personal profit and political advantage.