Off-cycle elections have been great for Scottsdale
OPINION — Councilwoman Solange Whitehead voted to send the Axon referendum to the ballot. Mayor Borowsky and Councilwoman Maryann McAllen also supported the vote. Barry Graham led the effort to block it.
His claim that off-cycle elections are bad is wrong. These elections have been great for Scottsdale!
North Scottsdale’s (wonderful) Ashler Hills park was one of Councilwoman Whitehead’s successes. It was funded by the 2019 bonds approved overwhelmingly by Scottsdale voters in an off-cycle election.
General Plan 2035, co-written by Councilwoman Whitehead, added barriers to urbanization, strengthened protection of the Preserve and NAOS. Voters in every precinct ratified it in an off-cycle election.
The first vote to create the McDowell Sonoran Preserve was approved by voters in off-cycle election on May 23, 1995!
The City of Glendale had a referendum petition submitted the same time as Scottsdale’s Axon referendum. Glendale residents got to vote in May 2025. We didn’t.
I’m hearing that Barry and Bob Littlefield may have delayed the vote so they could run on it in November 2026 – so the State stepped in and took away Scottsdale’s rights. See this quote from AZ Republic:
“Some officials argued that it’s unfair to keep voters and Axon waiting. Those in the majority, however, have noted that off-cycle and special elections limit voter participation. For (Bob) Littlefield, the Nov. 3, 2026, date is ideal.”
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