By Alison Melnychenko | Point of View
Scottsdale’s 2023 demographic report showed that the city has 60,126 residents who live in multi-family housing units, which includes apartments. That’s over 25% of the city’s total population.
During a City Council Candidate forum on June 26, I heard Adam Kwasman say that people who live in apartments “aren’t part of the community” and “are only here temporarily.” He also said, “Let’s be honest, who’s moving into apartments, those who don’t share the values of people in this room.”
Unless Adam Kwasman personally knows everyone living in an apartment in Scottsdale, he is making assumptions about residents that are highly prejudicial.
As a 41-year resident of Scottsdale, I’ve lived in a variety of different residences, including an apartment. Many of my neighbors in the apartment complex had been there for years. They had jobs, their children attended local schools, and they were active members of the community.
While I no longer live in an apartment, I know plenty of people who do.
For example, a longtime friend who is a single mom and healthcare worker has lived in an apartment in Scottsdale for years. For her, owning a single-family home in Scottsdale isn’t financially possible, but she wants to live close to her job and her children attend SUSD schools.
Or a city of Scottsdale employee who, with his wife and son, lived in an apartment in Scottsdale for three years. He wanted to live in the community where he worked while he saved for a down payment to purchase a single-family home.
Finally, my neighbor who lost her husband and wanted to stay in our community but didn’t want the upkeep on her home, so she sold it and moved into an apartment just a few blocks away.
I firmly believe that it is the job of the City Council to represent all of Scottsdale’s residents, but based on his own words, Adam Kwasman does not. And it’s not like we can ask him to explain his harsh comments about anyone living in an apartment because Adam Kwasman chose not to participate in the last two public City Council forums.
To publicly state that up to 25% of the city’s residents “aren’t part of the community” and “that they don’t share the values” he has just because they live in an apartment seems very biased.
It also goes against a core value the city highlights on their website, Scottsdale For All, which promotes community pride and understanding by profiling different people and perspectives, which make our community a great place to live and work. Or one of the values that appears on signs all over city buildings which says, “Respect the Individual – We value one another, regardless of who we are, what we do, where we work, where we live…”
Scottsdale needs City Council members who value all of the city’s residents and that’s not Adam Kwasman.
Editor’s Note: Ms. Melnychenko is a resident of Scottsdale
