OPINION

Opinion: Scottsdale's power set is mounting a disinformation campaign against Prop. 420 in their quest to build inside the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

Laurie Roberts | The Republic | azcentral.com

Scottsdale voters have a decision to make.

They can “Protect Our Preserve”, by voting yes on Proposition 420 so the city can’t start building on pristine desert that voters taxed themselves – and anyone who shops in Scottsdale – a billion dollars to preserve.

Or they can “Protect Your Preserve”, by voting no on Prop. 420 so that city leaders and their pals can build a $68 million tourist attraction inside the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. And presumably, anything else they’d like to build.

Cute, huh?

Prop. 420, simply put, would require city officials to get permission from voters before they could build inside the preserve paid for through a boost in the city’s sales tax.

Naturally, the city’s power set is not pleased.

Building on preserved land?

View | 17 Photos

McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale

For decades, Scottsdale’s leaders have dreamed of building a desert interpretative center at the gateway into the preserve.

What they haven’t dreamed about: asking voters whether they actually want to disturb the desert and foot the bill.

The city already has spent nearly $2 million on various studies to plan the Desert Discovery Center (later rebranded Desert EDGE after DDC became a dirty word in Scottsdale).

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The city contract to plan the latest version of the project went to Desert Discovery Center Scottsdale, a non-profit group of well-connected preserve activists, tourism officials and business leaders.Their plan calls for a $68 million “living structure” showcasing the desert, with the city picking up most of the tab – and subsidizing its operation in the early years.

Scottsdale: no public vote needed

What the plan doesn’t call for is a public vote to see whether the public actually wants to build and subsidize a living structure showcasing the desert on land that's supposed to be left alone. Or whether, perhaps, the public thinks the preserve provides a nice desert showcase all by itself.

A pair of citizen groups asked that the plan be put to a public vote but the City Council refused. So they decided to put the issue before voters themselves.

Last year, they formed Protect Our Preserve and launched an initiative drive to put a proposed charter amendment on the November ballot.

Thus, comes Proposition 420, which would require the city to seek voter approval before altering preserve land from its natural state. Under the proposal, trails and parking areas still could be built without voter approval, just not tourist and commercial attractions.

You’ll see Prop. 420 signs all around Scottsdale, asking voters to Protect Our Preserve by voting yes.

Enter the sneak factor.

A campaign to confuse voters

Wochit

On Aug. 29, opponents of Prop. 420 formed their own political-action committee and just happened to call it Protect Your Preserve.

Not, of course, because they want to confuse voters. Nooooo.

Merely a coincidence, I am sure.

So how, exactly, does a no vote that allows city leaders to build whatever they want in the preserve actually protect the preserve?

Beats me.

The chairwoman of Protect Your Preserve, former City Manager Jan Dolan, didn’t return a call to explain it. Others who oppose the ballot prop have told me they believe the charter amendment is poorly written.

Jason Alexander, a spokesman for the citizen drive to stop Desert EDGE, thinks he can explain the signs.

"It's all fear and rumors, trying to confuse the issue," he told me. "We have had the name 'Protect Our Preserve' for two-plus years. I think anyone who reads the (opponents') material or tries to respond realizes it's shallow but they are counting on first-impressions. We're not happy about it but its the fight we have."

Is Prop. 420 dangerous?

The anti-Prop. 420 group’s Facebook page paints the pro-Prop. 420 group as “elite” north Scottsdale residents out to control the preserve.

“Proponents of Prop 420 admit it’s an end run on the City Council designed to empower a small group of unelected and unaccountable people to make decisions about what’s 'appropriate' in your preserve,” the anti-420 group’s campaign material says.

“This makes 420 a dangerous proposition.”

Dangerous … for citizens to exercise their constitutional right to make laws via initiative when their elected leaders ignore them?

Dangerous … to give voters the power to decide what, if anything, they want to build on land they taxed themselves a billion dollars to preserve?

Or dangerous … to city leaders and their pals who suddenly find their multi-million-dollar development dream smack in the hands of … gulp … voters?

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com.