Scottsdale political notebook: Mayor candidates' claims examined

Spin outweighs truth in the campaign literature being used by Mayor Mary Manross and Councilman Jim Lane in their race for the city's top seat. We'll start with Manross, analyzing the four claims she is making in her latest campaign literature.

" Lane opposed restrictions on predatory lenders."

Manross is using the term to describe payday loan stores.

It's true that Manross pushed to limit new payday loan stores in a remodeled south Scottsdale strip center while Lane did not like the council doing so. However, in the final vote, Lane voted for the restriction. And while it was Manross that initiated the still ongoing process to require a separation distance between payday loan stores, Lane voted for that as well.

"Lane voted against new jobs in Southern Scottsdale."

The ad said Manross supported SkySong and Lane did not, which is true. The ad implies SkySong is generating 4,000 good-paying jobs. That number is a buildout projection, although workers have filled the first building.

"Lane opposed investing in Downtown and Southern Scottsdale."

The ad says that Lane worked against this (downtown and southern Scottsdale) renaissance taking place in Scottsdale but offers no evidence or votes in which he worked against investing in the areas. Lane actually has voted for the largest downtown projects that have come before the council since he took office.

"Lane voted 'no' on public safety funding." The ad says that Lane voted against "critical funding for additional police officers" and new fire stations in the 2007-08 budget. While it's true Lane voted against the budget - citing 6 percent cost-of-living raises for city employees - the entire budget is voted on at one time, not by department. Lane's issue was with pay raises, which included police and fire, but did not advocate reducing the department. Using this logic, Lane was against funding every city program, road improvement and employee.

On the other side, a new Lane campaign mailer cites 10 reasons to vote for him. Manross is not named anywhere on the mailer.

However, in previous literature Lane has referred to Manross as "The Mistake Mayor." Here are some of the claims.

"In the last 8 years, Mary Manross has led the Scottsdale City Council into secret, behind closed-door executive session meetings 190 times." While the mayor does call for the closed sessions, a majority council vote is required and all the council members participate. While Lane has complained about some of the sessions, and is more likely than Manross to question its need, he has voted for the overwhelming majority of them.

"The Toll Brothers land fiasco cost taxpayers an additional $46.652 million or nearly three times the original appraised value."

Manross is the only sitting council person who was on the council (as mayor) during the entire lead-up to the state land auction that eventually cost the city millions more than planned. Lane was elected after the major decisions were made and the case was heading to litigation. But the city's decisions were based on top management input and the direction of the entire City Council, not the mayor alone.

"The land adjacent to our Water Campus will cost us an additional $7-8 million because the mayor signed an invalid lease, which she had no authority to sign in the first place."

The statement could one day prove to be true. Manross did sign a lease without the approval of the council, which is a violation of city policy. Ironically, this is now the city's defense, claiming the lease is not valid because it didn't get the proper council approval. The city could lose between $7 million to $8 million because of the lease. The issue is still in court and there is no guarantee Scottsdale will be out the money Lane claims.

"We paid $86.516 million for a 200-year investment of our tax dollars in ASU's SkySong for which we'll never see a penny of return."

The money and timing is basically accurate - Scottsdale has a 99-year lease with the Arizona State University Foundation, which can be renewed for another 99 years. The total cost dropped a bit when the city voted to allow apartments on the site. The city, however, is projecting to see some return. The site is projected to generate city sales tax, property tax on the improvements (but not the land), construction sales tax, hotel pad lease revenue, permits and fees. The city estimates these revenues will be between $26 million and $32 million over 30 years.

NEW MAILERS

The Coalition of Greater Scottsdale, a resident activist group, has formed an independent expenditure committee to back City Council candidates Tom Giller and Nan Nesvig.

The group has sent out a mailer that said the two will bring fiscal responsibility, protect neighborhoods, support open and responsive government and support tourism and local businesses.

The group has spent close to $7,000, with the major funding coming from Alfonso Stein of Granada Hills, Calif., whose listed as retired, and Wendy Noble-Brown of Simi Valley, Calif., whose listed as a real estate agent.

Both gave $3,000. Committee chairwoman Sharon Oberritter said both donors have family connections in Scottsdale.