Please join me, Councilman Bob Littlefield, in voting YES on Propositions 411 through 417.

These proposed amendments to Scottsdale’s City Charter will make our city government more efficient, more fiscally responsible, more accountable and more transparent to the citizens of Scottsdale.

Proposition 411 protects property rights by making it harder for city government to condemn private property.

Proposition 412 promotes fiscal responsibility and protects the taxpayers of Scottsdale by prohibiting the City Council from giving away taxpayer money to politically favored special interests. It is even stricter than the state law limiting subsidies, which I applaud.

Proposition 413 streamlines the process for acting on citizen petitions while preserving the right for citizens to petition their city government and making the right of the public to comment at Council meetings a Charter provision, not just a policy.

Proposition 414 makes the Charter Officers more accountable to the citizens and to the City Council. It also clearly defines the role of the City Treasurer as the city’s independent Chief Financial Officer. This long-needed reform (I first proposed this reform in 2003) makes Scottsdale City government more fiscally responsible, more accountable and more transparent.

Propositions 415-417 remove obsolete language from the City Charter and make various administrative changes that add clarity to existing language regarding ordinances and resolutions. While not as momentous as propositions 411-414, propositions 415-417 will make city government more efficient, more accountable and more transparent and so are also worthy of your approval.

I want acknowledge the effort and dedication of the citizen volunteers of the Charter Review Task Force, who held 17 public meetings over an 8-month period and recommended these propositions to the Council for the ballot and to the voters for approval.

I urge Scottsdale voters to join me in voting YES on Propositions 411 through 417.