Do you know who “your” City Council members are? Not really, because councilmembers are spread too thin.

Since 1951, the mayor and City Council have been elected at-large. When Scottsdale was incorporated, there were barely 2,000 residents within one square mile. Today, there are over 240,000 residents and Scottsdale is 31 miles long, encompassing 184.4 square miles. For too long, at-large council elections have resulted in selections who reside 10, 15 or 20 miles distant from original Scottsdale.

At-large election of councilmembers is obsolete and broken.

3-2-ONE Scottsdale is a “game changer” to reform the City Charter, so all voices are represented at City Hall. Voting districts are straightforward and will be discussed in detail at the City Council Work Study meeting on Feb. 15.

Three districts of equal population would be designated as south, central, and north. District boundaries would be set and adjusted every 10 years according to the US Census data.

Two councilmembers would represent each district, elected in staggered terms. Every two years, voters can vote for a councilmember serving a four-year term and have a second councilmember to represent them. Meaningful “grassroots” campaigns are then feasible.

Looking at past election results, at-large elections have obvious flaws. In the 2020 City Council General Election, voters cast 156,656 ballots. Three council posts were open, allowing voters to vote for three. However, there were 152,602 undervotes, meaning nearly all voters cast only two votes, not three. Undervotes indicate candidates are unknown and a failure of at-large elections.

Recently, several council candidates spent as much as $290,000 campaigning citywide, mostly funded by special interest groups, zoning lawyers and developers. And there were “dark money” attacks funded by unknown sources.

3-2-ONE Scottsdale enables balance, so that each district can always have two council members held accountable. City Council elections this November remain at-large and the 3-2-ONE Scottsdale measure to change the Charter would be added to the 2022 ballot.

Comparisons might be made to cities which have six or eight voting districts. Representation consists of a single councilmember elected every four years.

The advantage of three districts with two councilmembers is that Scottsdale voters elect their council every two years. 3-2-ONE Scottsdale is unique and local democracy.

Scottsdale city government must be inclusive and balanced geographically. Charter reform is long overdue. Together we can deliberate citywide issues such as growth, Old Town, budget, sustainability, transportation, the Indian Bend Greenbelt, and the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

For more information, go to 32OneScottsdale.com.

Editor’s Note: Paul Simonson is chair of 3-2-ONE Scottsdale political action committee. Paul Messinger is a longtime Scottsdale resident, business owner and served as City Councilman in the 1970s.