Councilwoman Tammy Caputi 1on1 discusses her re-election campaign
By Terrance Thornton | Digital Free Press
Local voters who call the city of Scottsdale home will decide from a field of nine candidates who will fill three seats at Scottsdale City Council at the upcoming Tuesday, July 30, primary election.
Scottsdale is hosting a primary election to elect a mayor and three members of Scottsdale City Council whereas for a candidate to win outright in the July primary they would have to receive the majority of ballots cast, election officials tell the Digital Free Press.
For races still in contention, a November general election will be held to decide those races, election officials say.
In the event it is necessary, the Digital Free Press is hosting two (2) general election debates — one that will feature candidates for City Council, the other a focus on candidates for the position of mayor. Each debate will be streamed and air live on cable access television:
- Scottsdale City Council candidates who emerge from the existing field of nine (9) will face-off during a debate hosted from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, at City Hall, 3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd.
- Scottsdale mayoral candidates who emerge from the existing field of three (3) will face-off during a debate hosted from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2, at City Hall, 3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd.
Candidates for Scottsdale City Council are:
- Tammy Caputi
- Stephen Casares
- Jan Dubauskas
- Tom Durham
- Mason Gates
- Adam Kwasman
- Justin Laos
- Robert “Bob” Lettieri
- Maryann McAllen
Part of the existing field is Scottsdale City Councilwoman Tammy Caputi, who is seeking re-election to Scottsdale City Council next month.
Councilwoman Tammy Caputi 1on1 discusses her re-election campaign
The Digital Free Press reached out to Councilwoman Caputi to better understand what she believes to be the No. 1 issue facing the Scottsdale community — and, if re-elected, what she intends to do about it.
Ms. Caputi talks about how she will work collaboratively with her peers and what she thinks is the best reason to become an elected member of Scottsdale City Council. This is what she had to say:
*What is the No. 1 problem facing City Hall and how did this problem emerge in your opinion?
Without question, the biggest problem we are facing as a city is the unpredictability of our future economic sustainability and success. We are facing rapidly shrinking tax revenues, decreasing state-shared revenue, the repeal of residential rental tax by the state legislature, and the sunset of our own preserve tax; when you couple that with the flat state income tax rate set by the legislature two years ago, the impact to our future revenue streams is in serious jeopardy.
Make no mistake, Scottsdale is on an economic precipice. While things may look good today, we are one recession away from true economic hardship. This problem is a combination of policies that are out of our control (set by the state legislature) and an overcorrection in shutting down and stifling economic activity.
*If elected, what will you do to cure this issue?
We need resilient, forward-thinking, fiscally conservative leadership. Our economic engine allows us to have healthy revenues that keep services and amenities high, property values strong, and property taxes low.
Our winning formula requires economic vitality – without sales tax growth the city council will have to make cuts to services or defer maintenance of assets. We need to be continually reinvesting to remain the gold standard. I’ve helped cut the project pipeline in half during my term, but we can’t shut it down completely. If re-elected, I will continue with the great work I’ve done in my first term to keep our economic engine strong:
- Increased job creation by 10% across diverse industries.
- Kept our budget in the black while dealing with a global pandemic and record high inflation.
- Protected our neighborhoods with new ordinance and oversight for controlling short term rentals.
- Improved downtown parking, improved traffic safety, and bulked up our streets with over 80 new lane miles of roadway.
- Fully funded Public Safety and paid down our pension liability.
- Brought tourism back to pre-pandemic levels.
- Helped pass a new voter-approved 10-year General Plan.
- Decreased water use through technology and conservation efforts.
*As a Scottsdale resident, how will you work toward common goals atop the local dais to ensure the exceptional quality of life?
I have a proven track record of working with my colleagues and the community at-large to ensure our high quality of life in Scottsdale. I believe in collaboration with all stakeholders in order to make fact-based, data-driven decisions that are best for our residents. I spend a great deal of time reaching out both via social media and regular community coffees and public events —- I’m the most accessible council member. I have shown the success of my message by the quality of the endorsements I’ve received from the backbone of our community —- firefighters, police, and realtors —- and by having almost 700 individual donors to my campaign, across all occupations and demographics of our city.
*What do think is the best reason to be a member of City Council?
The best part of being a councilmember is the ability to connect with people in our community and to have an immediate positive impact on their lives and livelihoods. We make decisions at a Tuesday night council meeting that can change people’s lives the next day. This is extremely rewarding.