Early voting in the Valley under way for March 9 election

Issues include tax hikes, leaders

Peter Corbett -
Feb. 11, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic .

Early voting begins today for the March 9 election, in which voters will consider hotel bed-tax increases in Scottsdale and Tempe and contested council races across the Valley.

Several Valley school districts also will have issues before voters, and the mayor of Carefree will face a recall election.


Mail-in ballots are being sent to voters this week.

With the Valley's tourism industry in a recession funk, hospitality leaders in Scottsdale and Tempe are asking voters to approve a bed-tax increase of 2 percentage points.

That would push Scottsdale's hotel checkout rates to 13.92 percent and add $2 to the tab for a $100 room.

Scottsdale would raise an estimated $5.5 million with the bed-tax increase. It plans to use the revenue for stepped-up marketing and to pay for new attractions.

"The tourism industry is taxing themselves to promote tourism," said Don Carson, owner of Don and Charlie's restaurant in Scottsdale. "The citizens are not being taxed."

In Tempe, Proposition 400 would increase the city's hotel checkout rate to 14.07 percent from 12.07 percent.

The increase, if approved, would generate a projected $1.7 million next year. Tempe would split the money with the Tempe Convention and Visitors Bureau. Visitors to both cities would face a further tax increase if Arizona voters approve a 1-cent-per-dollar increase in the state sales tax on May 18.

There has been little opposition to the Proposition 200 tax hike in Scottsdale, but Scottsdale Plaza Resort owner John Dawson formed a political action committee this week to oppose the measure. It is a bad time to raise taxes, he said, since travelers are very price sensitive and Scottsdale is already an expensive destination.

No opposition to the Tempe tax hike has surfaced.

Other issues and races on the March 9 ballot:

• Tempe's City Council race has four candidates running to fill three seats: Incumbents Onnie Shekerjian and Shana Ellis and challengers Mark Ortiz and Robin Arredondo-Savage.

• Queen Creek will select three new Town Council members from a field of seven candidates and choose a new mayor, although the sole candidate is Gail Barney.

The election promises to put a new face on town government: Barney resigned from the council to run for mayor, and none of the seven council candidates is an incumbent.

• Buckeye voters will choose candidates in three Town Council districts.

District 4 incumbent David Hardesty faces challenger Ray Strauss. In District 5, Craig Heustis and Larry Miller are vying to replace Councilman Robert Doster, who is not seeking re-election. District 6 incumbent Dave Rioux faces challenger Eric Orsborn.

• Litchfield Park's primary will feature four candidates vying for three City Council seats. Vice Mayor Paul Faith and Councilman Timothy Blake will face newcomers Diane Landis and Jeff Raible. Mayor Thomas Schoaf is running unopposed.

• Three Town Council seats will be filled in Paradise Valley by newcomers; three incumbents chose not to run again. The six candidates are Jim Baker, Michael Collins, Paul Dembow, Larry Fink, Russ Mosser and Lisa Trueblood.

• The Phoenix Union High School District is asking for approval of a budget override. Phoenix Union, with 17 high schools, is facing a $4.5 million cut in its maintenance and operations budget for the 2010-11 school year.

• The Tempe Elementary School District, with 26 schools, is seeking a maintenance-and-operations budget override. If approved, it is expected to provide an estimated $8.4 million next school year to fund various programs.

• Kyrene Elementary School District will ask voters to approve a $12.4 million budget override to keep class sizes small and pay other operating costs.

• In Carefree, Mayor David Schwan faces opponent John Traynor in a recall election to retain his seat on the council. If Traynor wins, Schwan will be recalled and the council will choose a new mayor.

For more details, visit recorder.maricopa.gov and click on "Elections & Voter Information."

Republic reporters David Madrid, Sadie Jo Smokey, Eddi Trevizo, Kerry Fehr-Snyder and Dianna M. Náñez contributed to this article.

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