David Ortega, mayor of Scottsdale (Submitted photo)
David D. Ortega | Scottsdale mayor
This week, two significant water-related issues made the headlines. First, Governor Hobbs acted to stop Fondomonte, the Saudi Arabia-owned alfalfa farm, to halt it from draining billions of gallons of Arizona groundwater. Secondly, the Rio Verde Standpipe District met state statutes and City of Scottsdale’s stringent requirements to operate, serving Rio Verde Foothills (RVF).
Supervisor Thomas Galvin is also the Fondomonte lawyer, responsible for the Fondomonte debacle, which the State will cancel. On the other hand, the Rio Verde Standpipe District succeeded, despite Supervisor Galvin’s failures.
Supervisor Galvin truly is disoriented when he states, “I am still baffled why it took so long” for hauled water (originating at Scottsdale Water facilities) to arrive in RVF. Galvin dismisses unanimous decisions made by the Scottsdale Council.
In April 2022, Council unanimously approved the Rio Verde Foothills statuary request to establish a RVF self-directed Domestic Water Improvement District (DWID). But Supervisor Galvin conspired with the anti-DWID participants in April 2022, and shockingly rejected the DWID in August 2022. After years of progress, Galvin killed the DWID at the Board of Supervisors (BOS), leaving RVF high and dry.
The January 2023 restrictions and cutoff were mandatory according to federal declaration and state law.
In January 2023, Council unanimously approved and forwarded an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) to Maricopa County, the jurisdiction which serves RVF. Galvin vociferously killed the IGA, again stranding RVF constituents.
But why? Because Fondomonte lawyer Galvin promoted what he called “My plan” or, “My elegant plan.” Galvin admitted with the help of a former councilwoman, in 2022, he went directly to Scottsdale Water staff, without City Council permission. Co-conspirators planned backdoor access to encumber Scottsdale Water facilities. Galvin tried to bail out unincorporated wildcat subdivisions and entangle directly Scottsdale Water with commercial truckers and Canadian-owned EPCOR.
Galvin was busy behind the scenes. After rejecting the DWID, he continued communication with anti-DWID protagonists, who in January 2023 filed a lawsuit against Scottsdale. For more than a year Galvin’s maneuvers were accusatory, counterproductive and Galvin’s anti-DWID allies filed a lawsuit which cost Scottsdale residents $43,250 to defend.
In August 2023, Council unanimously approved the IGA with the Rio Verde Standpipe District, which became an authorized jurisdiction by state statute, signed by the governor. The IGA conforms to Scottsdale requirements and Supervisor Galvin had absolutely no role in the outcome. Galvin’s claim, “I mediated the dispute between Scottsdale and RVF” is totally untrue.
Sadly, Supervisor Galvin asserts that the unanimous Council actions “will be a legacy of those who waged a campaign of cruelty” and, falsely disparaging “a mayor who prioritized his selfish political interests” are Galvin’s attempts to deflect his failures. Defending Scottsdale water rights, and protecting the investment of 93,000 metered Scottsdale customers, is no vice.
