OPINION — Following the town council’s Oct. 22 study session on leaf blowers, one thing is clear: residents shouldn’t count on the council to lead any effort to reduce leaf blower noise and emissions. This is despite the council’s acknowledgment that leaf blower complaints are perennial — and have been among the most persistent concerns residents have raised over the years.
But we don’t have to wait for the council to act.
Paradise Valley resorts have already switched from gas-powered to quieter battery-powered leaf blowers because they don’t want to disturb their guests. With no commercial businesses to speak of in town, that leaves our own yards as the major source of the noise that disrupts our neighborhoods. And that means we have the power to make a real difference.
