Scottsdale mayoral race: Where do candidates stand on affordability, noise?

Scottsdale voters are deciding who will be the city’s mayor in the July 30 election, a race that’s slated to be competitive with three contenders who are already well-known in Scottsdale’s political scene.

The victor will guide Scottsdale policy on key issues ranging from development, to homelessness, to water security over at least the next four years.

During this election, Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega is vying for his second term in the city’s top leadership spot.

He’s up against two former City Council members, Linda Milhaven and Lisa Borowsky. Both have taken shots at the incumbent mayor’s handling of city finances throughout the campaign.

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The Arizona Republic asked each candidate about everything from their reason for running, to their plan for fiscal management, to their view on development in Scottsdale and the issues like increased traffic that accompany growth.

Ortega did not respond to The Republic’s questionnaire. Here’s what his two challengers had to say. Responses are in alphabetical order and may be trimmed to meet the agreed to length for all.

Vision: Why are you running for Scottsdale mayor?

Why are you running for Scottsdale mayor? If elected, what will your first priority be?

Lisa Borowsky: I'm running for mayor because Scottsdale is heading in the wrong direction with mediocre development, lack of citizen involvement and an out-of-touch city government. Our top priority has to be involving our residents in the decisions that will impact their future, and that of their children and grandchildren. My top priority as mayor will be to restore trust with the citizens of Scottsdale and encourage them to be part of the process at City Hall. Specific goals include, reining in high-density development, prioritizing quality projects, providing direct appointments on city boards and commissions, restoring the Citizens Budget Commission, and bringing forward a districting system for voter approval to strengthen resident voices and the accountability of their elected representatives.

Linda Milhaven: We need a mayor that understands our city’s financials, wants to protect the taxpayers from reckless spending, and has the experience necessary to sustain a strong local economy. All of these are needed to have the financial resources to improve our quality of life.

We need a mayor who can listen, respect and respond to differing opinions in order to move the city forward. I am that person. I am honored that the police and the realtors agree that I am the best candidate and have endorsed me.

As compared to other candidates, I bring greater experience as a businessperson, a banker, a former council member and a volunteer community leader that provides me with the knowledge and skills to manage the city's finances, ensure the continued prosperity of our local economy, and the ability to work with everyone.

My first priorities will be to dig into the city’s financials to see why our expenses have grown faster than inflation and population growth in order to control our spending. Next, I will reach out to community leaders to build collaborative relationships and find common ground and shared goals to protect what makes Scottsdale special while leading to a more prosperous future.

David Ortega: Did not respond.

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Taxing and spending: Where do the Scottsdale mayoral candidates stand?

New state policies will affect city budgets. If faced with a deficit, will you support raising taxes to maintain city services or cutting programs? Which specific services and/or taxes would you consider first and why?

Borowsky: Done accurately, we should not be faced with a deficit regardless of state policies. No, I will not raise taxes and, no, I will not cut services. As a matter of policy, we will identify and cut budget fat and duplication of efforts without impacting vital services or raising taxes as was successfully accomplished during my prior council service.

Milhaven: In the event of a deficit, the first step must be to eliminate wasteful spending and functions that are not resident facing. During my time on council, I managed through the Great Recession and the uncertainties of COVID-19 by cutting expenses without reducing services to residents. Since my time on council, expenses have risen faster than inflation without adequate explanations. I will dig-in to identify how this happened and eliminate wasteful spending.

Ortega: Did not respond.

Tourism: How would Scottsdale mayoral candidates balance night life and noise?

How do you balance the need for tourism and nightlife in Old Town Scottsdale with preventing excess noise and traffic?

Borowsky: There is a place for a vibrant downtown and, by actually enforcing already existing noise and nuisance ordinances the city currently seems to ignore, we can accomplish a cohesive environment for residents and businesses. We don't need a traffic (or) transportation policy specific to Old Town, we need a coherent policy to improve traffic city-wide. The downtown-Old Town area needs a meaningful circulator transportation option so people visiting the area can get around with ease. As mayor, improving the Old Town experience is a top priority, and I will work with the business owners, residents and stakeholders in the area to accomplish these goals.

Milhaven: Old Town businesses – all businesses – must be good neighbors. With noise, we must strengthen and enforce our noise ordinances. With traffic, commercial uses in Scottsdale are clustered together to reduce their impacts on the broader community. We must ensure that we have adequate road capacity and better signal timing to ensure the safe and efficient flow of traffic in our more heavily traveled areas.

Ortega: Did not respond.

Housing: Where do Scottsdale mayoral candidates stand on density vs. affordability?

In recent years finding affordable housing for working people has become increasingly difficult. How do you balance the need to provide workforce housing with community pressures to limit density? What is your philosophy and if you had to choose between these competing interests, how would you? 

Borowsky: The city cannot and should not “provide” workforce housing but we can involve far more residents in the decision-making process so they can influence the best plans and outcomes for their neighborhoods. The current administration continues to ignore the most important component of neighborhood developments – the people already living there whose voices are being silenced. First and foremost, we need to protect established neighborhoods and existing residents’ quality of life, which should not be compromised by the push to attract more and more residents.

Milhaven: Affordable housing is a regional supply and demand problem that we cannot solve alone in Scottsdale. Scottsdale is an amazing community in high demand. We all pay a premium to live here. In terms of affordability, we are victims of our success. We can make small improvements, but they may not be enough to make Scottsdale more affordable.

New housing projects must be considered in the context of their impact on the community and their compatibility with the surrounding areas. The densest housing should only go in existing commercial areas near employment centers and should not intrude on single family neighborhoods. I have never – and would never – approve new, dense projects in existing single-family neighborhoods.

New projects should also be reviewed broadly comparing the impacts of the proposed uses with the impacts of the existing allowed uses, particularly in terms of quality, traffic and water. All development will have impacts, but different uses will have different impacts. For example, an office building may create more car trips than a similarly-sized residential project, or a residential project may use less water than an existing commercial use. All of this must be considered when reviewing project proposals.

Ortega: Did not respond.

Inspiration: Who shapes the Scottsdale mayoral candidates' thinking?

Who in public life, past or present, do you admire most? Why? And what lesson do you draw from that person’s experience?

Borowsky: Ronald Reagan was a great example of what one person can accomplish, through principled commitment to the greater good, with grace, diplomacy and strength. Leaders are successful when they bring out the best in others and inspire; he was an example of a great leader.

Milhaven: Herb Drinkwater, former mayor of Scottsdale. Herb listened and responded to everyone. He was an amazing ambassador and a positive representative of the city demonstrating civility and respect for everyone. He created a vision that people could get behind, brought us many of the amenities we enjoy, and laid the foundation for the amazing city we are today. I work to model the same respect, civility, responsiveness and vision that Herb displayed.

Ortega: Did not respond.

Election integrity: Where do the Scottsdale mayoral candidates stand?

Do you think Arizona elections are fairly run? Do you trust the results? Will you abide by them? Why or why not? 

Borowsky: No election is perfect or issue free. Our future focus should be on making the process as transparent and reliable as possible. We must continue to improve the processes which are in place, including ongoing and timely maintenance of voter rolls to ensure registered voter information is kept up to date.

Milhaven: I have not seen any evidence to support that our elections are not fair. Yes, I will respect the outcome of the election.

Ortega: Did not respond.

Reporter Sam Kmack covers Tempe, Scottsdale and Chandler. Follow him on X@KmackSam or reach him atsam.kmack@arizonarepublic.com.