OPINION — At our first council meeting following the primary election, City Hall was filled to standing room only with residents from across Scottsdale and every political affiliation celebrating my outright re-election. The mayor’s recognition of my victory and the residents’ applause were an incredibly uplifting way to begin the evening. Thank you to everyone who came to City Hall!
Unfortunately, the council majority quickly turned the meeting negative.
Twice that night, with residents in the audience asking to speak, the council’s bloc of four (Graham, Dubauskas, Kwasman and Littlefield) voted to deny Scottsdale residents a voice at the beginning of the meeting, where it had been agendized for years. That should concern everyone, regardless of political affiliation. Public participation is not a partisan issue. It is a Scottsdale tradition and the foundation of representative government.
