Mayor David Ortega took it on the chin from fellow city council members as well as members of the public over a perceived road diet on Thomas Road during the Scottsdale City Council meeting June 13.
The council discussed and voted 4-3 to purchase several easements on Thomas Road between 56th and 73rd streets in order to do some work to make the road compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The move is a precursor to repaving the road, but a crowd of about 15 people feared the meeting was about removing a lane of traffic in order to make a bike lane — sometimes referred to as a road diet.
When Ortega tried to keep speakers to talking about the easements, the crowd jeered and shouted “Let him speak” and “free speech.”
When Councilman Barry Graham suggested he let members of the public speak about road diets, Ortega read Graham the rule stating members of the public must speak only on the topic on the agenda.
Shaking with anger, councilwoman Betty Janik then broke in and admonished Ortega.
“I would like to make a comment,” Janik said. “It’s not a nice comment but it needs to be made. This is the first time you’ve enforced that rule. All of us have spoken off topic and it was never stopped before. Why is tonight the night?”
Ortega thanked her, but Janik would not be quieted.
“No, no, I’m tired of this nonsense,” she continued, raising her voice. “It’s not okay. We know if we pass ‘A’ (the purchase of easements) then it will be ‘B’ (reducing traffic lanes) and you have never enforced that rule before!”
Ortega responded with, “And the rest of that sentence is, thou shall refrain from making personal attacks in indecorous language.”
He added, “We had a complete work study (session). We had two and a half hours on that subject and that’s a good thing. This subject will come up again on its own day … unfortunately I hear a lot of anger there.”
Janik responded, “There is anger. I wish you would be consistent.”
Local activist Bob Pejman, said the meeting was indeed about road diets because there was a picture in the council’s packet showing a lane reduction.
There was some speculation by council members whether that was done on purpose in order to sneak the road diet by people, but council member Tom Durham responded, “We are not bound by pictures in a pamphlet. We are bound by what’s on the agenda. There is nothing on the agenda about complete streets or road diets or whatever.”
Councilwoman Solange Whitehead insisted, the vote was simply to repave the road and purchase easements to make the roads compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“I want to make our sidewalks safer for everybody and I want to be ADA compliant,” she said.
Chris Rodriguez, president and CEO of Ability 360, a nonprofit that empowers people with disabilities, spoke in support of the move.
After the meeting, Whitehead questioned how many in the crowd were actual Scottsdale residents.
City Clerk Ben Lane said his office does not divulge the addresses on speaker request forms without a public records request, but noted, “I can tell you that all submitted Scottsdale addresses, but some may be business addresses.”
Ultimately Janik, Graham and Vice Mayor Kathy Littlefield voted against Tuesday’s move, leaving Durham, Whitehead, Ortega and Councilwoman Tammy Caputi in support.
Original article can be found here.
J. Graber can be reached at [email protected]. We invite our readers to submit their civil comments pro or con on this issue. Email [email protected].
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