Brown: I will be voting for Tammy Caputi in Scottsdale City Council election

Scottsdale has been my home since 1987.

When I first moved here, I spent a lot of time on Main St. The Galleries and independent restauranteurs made Thursday nights special. I always said I want to live within 10 minutes of the art galleries, and I have.

I also spent time at the Dick Van Dyke Studio by the Boulders. I worked in the film industry then. The evening drive home though the untouched desert amazed me. Well, here we are today, the Studios gone, and development has taken over the scenery.

That’s what happens when towns grow up. I certainly have no right to judge the folks covering our desert. Things change. And now the virus is changing more than the scenery. Our incredible entrepreneurs are being tested. Large companies are learning new skills, like ZOOM meetings. Days gone by are just that, days gone by.

--- Denny Brown

I think we need new youthful voices in our city government. And youthful does not imply age. I think we need creative visions and abundant energy to help us recover from our current economic downturn. We can’t go back to the same formulas used for the last 40 years. Current challenges require new ideas along with an appreciation of our colorful past. We need leaders who have wide community support to represent all of our residents: natives, retirees, young families, and singles looking to start their careers and families.

I do not think single-issue candidates have a broad business and governance experience to help us find success in our post-COVID economy.

More than ever, we need candidates who have open communications and relationships with the residents, community and faith groups, and the business community. I don’t think candidates that say, we’ve always done it this way, have the ability to adapt to a new paradigm. I don’t think candidates who think working from home full time is a long-term solution appreciate people who can’t do that, parents and families who must choose between homeschooling their kids and their jobs.

I trust Tammy Caputi to take us to that next level. Tammy’s energy and business background make her a clear choice. She’s used to working on large-scale, complex projects like those that become focal points for our Council.

Tammy has a track record on the Development Review Board of negotiating with all stakeholders to make projects that best they can be. And you know what, I think she’s pretty darn smart, with a degree in economics from prestigious Wellesley College and an MBA.

Let’s surround a new mayor with a great supporting cast of characters. And that’s why I’m voting for Tammy Caputi for City Council.

Editor’s note: Mr. Brown is a resident of Scottsdale and a paid member of the Korte for Mayor campaign