Scottsdale City Councilwoman Linda Milhaven is finishing her last term this December, having served on city council since January 2011.
In emails to the Scottsdale Independent, Milhaven reflected on her service to the city, the impact city council has had on the community and engagement of residents with issues the city has faced.
- What is your takeaway from your terms on council?
As I look back over my 12 years on city council, we had many successes. I think our first responsibility is to be good stewards of resident’s tax dollars. The most significant is the financial strength of the city. During my tenure, we faced the great recession and the uncertainty of COVID. We made tough decisions, maintained city services and came through with strength. On a personal note, one of the most fun things I got to do was celebrate the opening of the long-planned Museum of the West. We can be very proud of our Smithsonian-affiliated museum and enjoy the celebration of our western heritage.
- What is your proudest accomplishment?
Our financial strength was improved with significant private investments in our community. As a result of these investments, our downtown and south Scottsdale has a new vibrancy with more people living, working and supporting the many new businesses in the area. The neighborhoods surrounding these new investments saw its home values increase faster than any other area in the Valley. New businesses brought jobs and valuable tax revenues. Our financial strength allows us to maintain the lowest tax rates in the region while providing the highest quality services for residents. While we still have many challenges ahead, today we are strong.
- Do you feel Scottsdale is better off now compared to when you got on council? In what ways?
Scottsdale is in a better place today than when I started on council thanks to many successes. When I was first elected, McDowell Road was full of empty car dealerships, SkySong mixed-use project was mostly a dirt lot and parts of our downtown had been designated as slum and blight.
New residents along McDowell Road have revitalized the area and made the area attractive to new businesses, including a new grocery store that is coming soon. SkySong has been built out and provides over 9,000 jobs and contributes over $1 billion in economic activity.
Home prices in the surrounding neighborhoods increased faster than any other neighborhoods in the Valley. Our downtown has seen significant private investments with more people living and working there than ever before.
In addition, we nearly doubled the size of McDowell Sonoran Preserve. We opened the Museum of the West. We passed a non-discrimination ordinance to let everyone know that everyone is welcome in Scottsdale. In the last resident survey, 97% of the folks rated the quality of life in Scottsdale “good or very good.” We kept tax rates among the lowest in the region. I am proud of these successes and many others.
- What is the hardest part about serving on council? What do you want people to know about working in service of the community?
The most challenging part of being a council member is trying to reconcile opinions when folks have differing points of view. If 60 people show up in favor of an issue and 40 people show up in opposition or vice versa, we need to consider the merits of their arguments and remember that there are 240,000 people who live in our community who rely on us to make the best decisions for the entire community.
I hope that people understand that their city council is listening and considering all the facts. Sometimes when there are disagreements, folks think that we are not listening, but we are. We listen, but sometimes we disagree.
- How has your time on council changed your perspective of issues? Not just city issues, but regional issues and how Scottsdale is connected to a greater community.
Sometimes when people feel deeply about issues, discussions can boil over. I have learned to be grateful to live in a country where we can come down to city hall, speak freely and tell our elected officials exactly what we think. When we can avoid personal attacks, either on council members or other residents with opposing opinions, then we can have a more constructive conversation and come to better outcomes.
Looking more broadly, state and federal regulations sometimes constrain our ability to do what we think is right for our community. One striking example is the state legislation that overturned our city ordinance prohibiting short-term residential rentals. As many know, this has caused a proliferation of short-term rentals that create havoc in our neighborhoods.
We continue to lobby the legislature for more local control and have implemented new ordinances to try to keep the peace in our neighborhoods. Unfortunately, our hands are too often tied by state and federal regulations.
- What is in the future for you?
In terms of what is next, I plan to stay involved. Given my 30 years of involvement in our city as a volunteer leader and council member, I plan to put my experience to use and continue to advocate for all the things that make and keep Scottsdale great.
