Very few people who live in Scottsdale are natives, so my question to you is — Why did you move here?
I chose to move to Scottsdale because of its world class arts and culture and because it is more sophisticated in many respects than other cities. We all paid for that cache when we purchased our homes.
Property values in Scottsdale are higher than other communities and I believe in the old sayings: “You get what you pay for” and “There is no free lunch in this world.”
In order to maintain our special quality of life and protect property values, we are being asked to vote on a $319 million bond package in November. It’s time for Scottsdale citizens to come together and vote YES.
The bond projects are available for all to see on the city website. After attending most of the 2018 Capital Improvement Project budget meetings, I came to the realization that we need to reinvest in our infrastructure.
It is no different than owning a car. You cannot keep driving it without investing in the maintenance — oil changes, mechanical work, etc.
Scottsdale has been driving for many years without doing necessary maintenance nor have we kept up improvements for the future needs of our rapidly growing city for optimal performance.
My emphasis is on Question #2 — Community Spaces and Infrastructure. Those bond projects will help improve our tourism business.
Tourists bring a lot of money into Scottsdale. They enjoy our Old Town, arts district, exploring, hiking, entertainment and dining. They generate sales taxes for our General Fund. If our city is not improved, tourism will suffer.
We need to vote for a bond package to fix much needed infrastructure and improve our tourism venues so that Scottsdale will shine again.
Our luster has been diminishing for years so it’s time to take pride in what we have and why we moved here. It’s time to improve the city to make it the best that it can be.
A friend of mine who is an executive at an advertising agency recommended we use the campaign slogan ‘Step Up for a Better Scottsdale’ to promote the bonds which I think is a fantastic message.
We all need to step up to the plate and pay for improvements to enhance our city. The bond measures also address very important issues related to public safety, senior centers and projects that improve our quality of life.
My recommendation is to take time to study the projects and understand a Yes vote will improve Scottsdale and keep it moving forward into the future.
Scottsdale is a lovely city, and many have contributed so much over the years to make it a first-class place to live. Please do not drop the ball now. VOTE “Yes” on November 5.
You may recognize me as a normal skeptic of city government. I speak at City Council meetings when I do not agree with city government. This time I think the city has it right.
Information: scottsdaleaz.gov/elections
-Sandy Schenkat is a citizen advocate and member of the For The Best Scottsdale steering committee.