From A Peek at the Peak, February, 1996 issue
MAYOR’S COLUMN
By Mayor Herb Drinkwater
Herb Drinkwater, Mayor, City of Scottsdale, 1996
As everyone knows by now, there will not be a recall of your Mayor and City Council. Those who circulated the recall petitions did not receive enough signatures. And it’s a good thing – the recall election would have come right on the heels of our City’s Primary and General Elections, (during which the Mayor’s seat and three Council seats are up anyway). Scheduled elections such as the Primary Election (February 20, 1996) and the General Election, (to be held March 26, 1996, if needed) are the appropriate forums for ensuring that that your opinion is being represented on the City Council.
Obviously, I’m relieved that this recall effort is behind us. Still, I think that regardless of how many people did or didn’t sign the recall petitions, there’s a message for us all – we need to take a serious look at the effect growth is having on this community and on our quality of life.
Cover, A Peek at the Peak magazine, February, 1996 Issue
Growth is the major challenge facing our state, valley and city. Most of us moved to Arizona because of warmth – the warmth of the sun and the warmth of our people. Others are still coming. It doesn’t matter if the entire area were zoned one home per acre -people would still move here and we’d end up having homes from here to Prescott with no open space in between.
People need to understand that to save our environment – to protect our mountains and desert- it takes money. It’s easy to be an environmentalist with someone else’s land and money. You can’t take someone’s land from them without compensation. I’m proud of my fellow citizens for voting “yes” to preserve our mountains and desert, even when it meant a slight increase in our sales tax. That’s the type of commitment it takes to keep growth under control.
Regardless, we’ve all got to take a look at how we’re going to deal with growth. I don’t know the answer. Nobody does. A recall election is not the answer. Neither are threats and intimidations. The only way we’re going to meet this challenge is to come to the table ready to talk, discuss and work together to find a solution. We’11 never please everyone, but we’ll never have the chance if we don’t try.
There have been several opportunities, most recently the Scottsdale Visioning process and CityShape 2020. Every Scottsdale citizen had the opportunity to get involved and many did- but many didn’t. I urge citizens who are concerned about Scottsdale’s future to come forward when called, as you were in Visioning and CityShape 2020. The opportunities are there- it’s up to you to take advantage of them.
The bottom line is- this recall effort points to the very serious concerns people have about growth. The message has been heard…we’re paying attention. Now we all need to pay attention and take positive action to do something about it.
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