The first round of campaign finance reports for Scottsdale’s upcoming election are now available, painting a vivid picture of which candidates are being financially supported by their …
You must be a member to read this story.
Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.
Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here
Otherwise, follow the link below to join.
To Our Valued Readers –
Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.
For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.
Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.
Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.
The first round of campaign finance reports for Scottsdale’s upcoming election are now available, painting a vivid picture of which candidates are being financially supported by their constituents --- and those with a stake in The West’s Most Western Town.
Nine individuals are running for a spot on Scottsdale City Council, while five others are vying for the spot of mayor in an Aug. 4 primary election.
Candidate’s officially qualified for the ballot on April 6, and the campaign finance documents are for Jan. 1-March 31 --- so any fundraising conducted was done during signature-gathering efforts.
Campaign finance reports are housed and maintained by Scottsdale City Clerk Carolyn Jagger. They require candidates to disclose where their campaign money comes from, what it’s being spent on and how much is in their coffer.
Candidates are only required to disclose the names of individual contributers who give more than $50.
Of the 14 people seeking public office, mayoral candidate Lisa Borowsky was the only person to site no financial activity during this first quarter reporting period.
Mayoral candidates
The mayoral candidates financial records show:
Lisa Borowsky: No financial activity.
Suzanne Klapp: $42,200 in donations more than $50 from 68 contributions; and $1,000 donation from Arizona Multihousing Association Political Action Committee.
Virginia Korte: $94,071 in donations more than $50 from 130 contributions.
Bob Littlefield: $7,550 in donations more than $50 from 30 contributions; $705 in donations less than $50; and a $5,000 loan from himself.
David Ortega: $11,700 in donations more than $50 from eight contributions; $54.30 in donations less than $50; and $31,450 in loans from himself.
City Council candidates
There are nine people seeking one of three open seats on City Council. The candidates financial reporting shows the donations of more than $50 for each were:
Michael Auerbach: $850 from seven contributions;
Tammy Caputi: $19,050 from 59 contributions;
Bill Crawford: $20,600 from seven contributions;
Thomas Durham: $8,405 from 26 contributions;
Betty Janik: $9,583 from 37 contributions;
Becca Linnig: $2,900 from five contributions;
John Little: $22,900 from 18 contributions;
Kevin Maxwell: $7,750 from 17 contributions; and
Guy Phillips: $9,638 from 43 contributions.
Mr. Phillips’ reporting includes donations less than $50, while everyone else's monetary numbers separate the two categories.
Who is donating?
Most donations range from $50-$1,000, but there are some names and monetary amounts that stand out on the financial records.
The only current City Council member with recorded donations for this first quarter period is Linda Milhaven. Ms. Milhaven donated to Ms. Korte’s mayoral campaign, and Ms. Caputi’s and Mr. Maxwell’s council campaigns.
Mr. Maxwell, who is her brother-in-law, received $1,000 from Ms. Milhaven.
In addition, there are four groups who donated heavily to the 2020 candidates.
David Hovey Jr., president and principal architect for Optima, Inc. donated $5,000 to Ms. Korte’s campaign; and $2,500 each to Caputi, Crawford, Linnig, Little and Maxwell.
Les & Diane Corieri, who run Evening Entertainment Group --- the entity behind a number of Scottsdale restaurants and bars --- donated $12,900 to Mr. Crawford, Ms. Korte, and Mr. Little. The Corieris also donated $1,000 to Ms. Caputi.
Ryan Hibbert, CEO of Riot Hospitality Group, donated $6,400 to Ms. Klapp and Ms. Korte. Riot Hospitality has a number of establishments in Scottsdale as well.
Shawn and Steven Yari, managing principal of Stockdale Capital Partners, donated $4,000 total to Mr. Crawford; $2,000 total to Ms. Caputi; and $3,000 total to Mr. Maxwell.
Other heavy hitters include Bob and Renee Parsons giving Ms. Korte a total of $12,900.
A.R. Mays Construction President Adam Mays donated $6,450 to Ms. Korte; and $3,000 to Mr. Little.
Paradise Valley resident Randy Kendrick donated $6,400 to Ms. Klapp. Ms. Kendrick is listed as “retired” on the finance document, however she is listed online as former attorney who is a board member of the Goldwater Institute. Her husband serves as managing general partner of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Melissa Rosequist Managing Editor | East Valley @mrosequist_
I first started my journalism portfolio at the age of 15 while in high school before going on to study at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Being in the journalism field is the only professional avenue I was ever interested in, and have worked hard covering topics from school boards to hard news while working for the Independent, where I have been awarded for my reporting.
By 
