Jason Rose, who basically lies for a living, has put out a press release in which he claims, “Substantial and Deep Voter Support for November Bond Measures.” That presser bounces through many more hyperbolic adjectives and adverbs like, “strong” (several times), “sweeping,” “substantial” (again), and “diverse.” Hey, the more, the merrier, right? Reminds me of […]
Before you vote to raise your taxes…
Until the last election, Scottsdale had a 100% “Republican” city council and mayor. I put “Republican” in quotes, because I always thought the party platform’s primary plank was fiscal responsibility. During the last decade, our elected officials (including Mayor Jim Lane, Virginia Korte, Suzanne Klapp, and even some who are supposedly populist politicians who are […]
City’s apartment boom raises residents’ concerns | City News | scottsdale.org
City planning double-speak: Scottsdale Senior Planner Jeff Barnes said. “Although the land use is not in direct review as part of that process, there is focus on how the allowed land uses are applied to a site and conformance of that application with established code and policy parameters.” — Read on www.scottsdale.org/content/tncms/live/
Scottsdale Police Still Classify Many Rapes as False or Baseless | Phoenix New Times
So typical of SPD administration, particularly Chief Rodbell, who never saw a statistic he couldn’t misuse. Many of these cases undoubtedly trace back to Scottsdale’s bar district, from where property owners and bar operators donate massively to the political campaigns of Mayor Jim Lane, and council members Suzanne Klapp, Virginia Korte, and Linda Milhaven. High […]
How the South Won the Civil War | The New Yorker
Resilience and resistance are the same activity, seen at different moments in the struggle. A good, long read from Adam Gopnik. Source: How the South Won the Civil War | The New Yorker
ASU gave away $37 million to a Texas billionaire in hotel deal, Arizona attorney general says
ASU gave away $37 million to a Texas billionaire in hotel deal, Arizona attorney general says — Read on amp.azcentral.com/amp/3366789002
The Noblest of Dogs
“Noblest of all dogs is the hot-dog; it feeds the hand that bites it.” Dr. Laurence Johnston Peter, EdD (1919 – 1990), Canadian educator and “hierarchiologist,” who postulated the Peter principle: “In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence… [I]n time every post tends to be occupied by an employee […]
General Plan Update: The Best Bad Idea We Have?
Our local “indy” newspaper printed a letter from Don Henninger a couple of days ago regarding the state of the local political climate, and Scottsdale’s aggravatingly-persistent General Plan Update. It reminded me of a scene from the Ben Affleck film, Argo, about the CIA rescue of the US Embassy hostages from Iran in 1981, under […]
One-Eyed Jackass
This crazy ‘public art’ installation was recently… ahem, erected, at Indian School Road and Marshall Way. “In the end, they [the artist and the public art division of Scottsdale Arts] went directly to the city council, which has the power to overrule the [city] design board. In February, all but one city council member voted […]
Coronado High School: Defining “Success”
Former Scottsdale Unified School District superintendent Denise Birdwell, who recently departed under a cloud of controversy and criminal activity, instituted the “Coronado Success Initiative” last year with much fanfare. School district governing board members Kim Hartmann, Pam Kirby, board president Barbara Perleberg, and others brayed about the good things to come. Meanwhile, Birdwell undertook a […]