Scottsdale council candidates are set to clash on the debate stage this afternoon, when the Arizona Republic hosts a forum from City Hall.
Three hopefuls remain
in the Nov. 3 race to fill the last two open seats.Self-described political moderate Raoul Zubia is going for one of those spots, while the joint slate of incumbent Councilmember Barry Graham and former state lawmaker Michelle Ugenti-Rita look to help the council’s conservative majority hold on to power next term.
While all three fell short of winning a seat in the July 21 primary election outright, they earned enough votes to compete in the upcoming runoff race. As the top vote-getter, Councilmember Solange Whitehead avoided the rematch and secured her reelection bid.
Eight candidates
overall ran in the highly competitive race that pitted two distinct factions against one another, sharpening the partisan divide that already plagues the City Council.
In one camp were Graham, Ugenti-Rita and former Councilmember Bob Littlefield. They framed the election as a battle for Scottsdale’s character and ran against overdevelopment, which they believe is the root of Scottsdale’s traffic and water woes.
The other side included an unlikely mix of Whitehead, Zubia and Ethan Knowlden, along with self-described conservative Crystal Carroll. They told voters that the city needed to turn away from internal bickering and secret agendas and toward more common sense and consensus.
The eighth candidate, Eric Sloan, was effectively an outlier.
At The Republic’s last forum in Scottsdale, things turned feisty as candidates lobbed accusations and personal attacks over key election issues like multi-family housing, water security and civility.
On the campaign trail, Graham and Ugenti Rita continued to contend with Zubia over the same topics, namely water.
Scottsdale is bracing for cuts to the Colorado River, which supplies 70% of the city’s drinking water.
Zubia has campaigned on limiting growth while advocating for the city’s advanced water purification project. He said the stalled plans to deliver purified wastewater directly to residents’ taps will ensure Scottsdale’s water is secure.
Stressing that the city’s water is already secure, Graham and Ugenti-Rita have accused Zubia and other political opponents of using the issue to fear-monger. However, that security, they’ve claimed, is being threatened by apartment developments.
With early voting underway in the General Election, The Republic is again looking to give voters a chance to hear what the candidates’ priorities and initiatives are if elected.
The hour-long event, which will be livestreamed through the city's YouTube channel, will kick off at 3:30 p.m.
The Republic's First Amendment Reporter Taylor Seely will moderate the discussion in Scottsdale City Hall’s Kiva, located at 3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd.
Anyone can attend. There are 42 seats in the Kiva and standing room for additional attendees in the upper bowl area.
Like this story? Get more East Valley news straight into your email inbox by signing up for our free weekly East Valley Newsletter, which comes out Wednesdays.
Shawn Raymundo covers Scottsdale and Maricopa County. Reach him at sraymundo@gannett.com or follow him on X @ShawnzyTsunami.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How Scottsdale voters can watch live council election debate
