Scottsdale's City Council candidates in runoff election talk housing, short-term rentals, abortion

Early voting for Scottsdale's City Council runoff election will begin Oct. 12, when residents will decide between two political newcomers — Barry Graham or Pamela Carter — who are vying for the seat of termed-out Councilmember Linda Milhaven.

The winner will help make key decisions on city policies ranging from short-term rental regulation to housing affordability.

Scottsdale voters must be registered to vote by Oct. 11 to participate in the Nov. 8 election. Residents can register or check their status at the Maricopa County Election Department's website.  

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In-person voting will be available at Florence Ely Nelson Desert Park and Indian Bend Wash Visitor Center beginning Oct. 12. Other voting locations and hours are available on the county's web page.

In August's primary election, Graham and Carter received the third and fourth highest number of votes, respectively. They beat out three other contenders to advance to November's contest.

Incumbents Kathy Littlefield and Solange Whitehead were the top vote-getters in August. They received enough votes to win outright and avoid a runoff.

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Graham is a Scottsdale native who works in accounting at Arizona-based firm Wallace Plese + Draher. He has served on Scottsdale's Planning Commission since 2020.

Carter is a businesswoman who owns an athletic facility in Scottsdale and runs a nonprofit called Creative Genius Media, which produces faith-based and family-friendly films and other content.

She trailed Graham by about 4,500 votes in the primary election, but both candidates said they were confident they could come out on top this time around.

The Arizona Republic asked each candidate questions on key local issues ahead of the August election. The runoff candidates were asked another round of questions to help voters decide who they will choose in November.

Some responses were edited to meet the 150-word limit.

Affordable housing

Police, firefighters and teachers are among the essential workers who are being priced out of Scottsdale’s housing market, according to a recent study commissioned by Home Arizona. Incentivizing developers to include “workforce” units in their projects may be a solution, but only if the city approves enough developments. Given that both of you have limited development positions, what will you do to retain Scottsdale’s most important public servants and ensure they are able to live in the city?

Graham: "While serving on the Planning Commission, I was successful in leading the effort to add 60% more “workforce” units to a first-of-its-kind project that voluntarily offered such housing. Perhaps that will be a model for other developers to follow. It’s also important that our essential workers are paid wages that are competitive with other communities."

Carter: "I am a huge proponent of home ownership, having worked and saved to purchase my first home before the age of 23. Since then, I have owned several homes both in Arizona and in the Midwest. … We should always support our first responders and teachers. Home prices are falling or stagnant in (recent) months in Scottsdale and inventory is increasing. We need to reduce the time to build diverse housing options, such as condos, duplex(es) or triplex(es). My solution would be to give salary increases to our essential workers so they can afford to live in the city … The 'token' of eight units of workforce housing … by the Toll Brothers for the Miller in south Scottsdale does not address the root issue. Our police force needs to be fully staffed and made attractive to … candidates by giving them a more substantial increase in salary and benefits."

Short-term rentals

Is Scottsdale doing enough to regulate short-term rentals? What further regulation would you pursue now that the state has granted cities more control over vacation homes?

Graham: "No. While Scottsdale is doing most of what it legally can, the state has overridden most local-control of the issue. There are short-term rental bad actors menacing our neighborhoods by converting nice homes into raucous, unstaffed mini-hotels that affect residents’ property values and quality of life. The city should vigorously press enforcement of recently added regulations and lobby for more zoning authority."

Carter: "I was the only candidate to mention the bill to regulate “party houses” … which allowed cities to place stricter regulations for those running a mini hotel … SB 1168 additionally allows … permits to be suspended if a short-term rental has … at least three health and safety violations within a 12-month span. Local governments can attempt to suspend a property's license for a single violation if (it) involves a felony offense committed at the residence, a wrongful death … on the property, or if a host intentionally houses a sex offender. … Our police have … created an additional unit … (to) enforce our … nuisance ordinances … and to better respond to our homeowners … We (must) respect property owners without allowing our neighboring citizen’s rights to be violated, especially during (the) Super Bowl coming up … I will continue to fight for enforcement of our existing nuisance ordinances."

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Post Roe v. Wade

Some cities in Arizona have taken steps to protect abortion rights following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. The local initiatives range from providing assistance for city employees who must travel out-of-state for the procedure, to directing police not to enforce an abortion ban. Would you support any similar actions in Scottsdale? If so, what specific initiatives could you get behind?

Graham: "Realistically, I don’t foresee this hypothetical issue reaching the City Council. But if it did, I wouldn’t support them."

Carter: "With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Arizona is currently one of the most pro-life states in the nation. However, in Pima County there was an injunction filed and a judge is allowing abortions to happen in Arizona, specifically Pima County until Sept. 18. At that point, litigation will start to determine whether or not the 15-week abortion bill is law or the 1901 law that restricts all abortions except in the case to save the life of the mother. This is currently a state issue, not a city issue."

Reach Sam at sam.kmack@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @KmackSam.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Scottsdale runoff election: Q&A with Barry Graham, Pamela Carter