Axon somehow sees itself the victim after driving a steamroller over Scottsdale voters' rights. Now, that's a stunner.
Corrections & Clarifications: A previous version of this column incorrectly noted who voted for the bill. When it comes to stunning people, there is
no better company than Axon . First, the Taser maker convinces a lame duck Scottsdale City Council to rezone land so it can build the state’s largest apartment complex as part of a proposed new corporate headquarters. Then, when nearly 26,000 citizens object and exercise their constitutional right to put the rezoning to a public vote, the company asks the Legislature to trample those rights, convincing our leaders to pass a bill expressly written so one company
can do an end run around the law . A bill that the vast majority of legislators who represent a piece of Scottsdale opposed. Only one, Rep. Janeen Connolly, D-Tempe, voted for the bill. Then, when Gov. Katie Hobbs also sells out the city and signs the bill — because the promise of tax revenues trumps the promise of the Arizona Constitution — the company’s CEO does a victory dance, calling it “a defining moment for Axon, for Scottsdale and for the state of Arizona.” Oh, it’s defining, all right, in a way that’s not so good for the rights of citizens, when a company can so easily muscle aside their constitutional rights.
Scottsdale explores a lawsuit. Axon plays the victim
So, now comes the Scottsdale City Council, exploring its legal options. The City Council on May 6
voted to hire an attorney to consider challenging a state law so brazen that it should be called the Axon law. And Axon plays … the victim? Cue the statement released by Axon after the May 6 vote, chastising the City Council. “We want our neighbors to be happy with this project before it commences,” Axon President Josh Isner said. “As such, last week I asked to meet with several City Council members and I left believing we had productive discussions. “Each meeting ended with my commitment that a deal could be reached in a matter of weeks. The only thing I respectfully asked was that the City not raise the temperature during this time, as it would be a distraction to progress. “Tonight, the Council instead chose to raise the temperature yet again. When the Scottsdale City Council decides to lower the temperature, we will be standing by as willing and productive partners.”
There's a much simpler fix: A public vote
Scottsdale … raised … the temperature? By standing up for the constitutional rights of its citizens? Is this what it feels like to be Tasered? If Axon’s executives truly “want out neighbors to be happy,” and if the Scottsdale City Council truly wants its citizens’ constitutional rights to be respected, then there’s a way to fix this mess. Give Scottsdale voters the final say on whether Axon’s project should be built. If Axon won’t vastly reduce size of its plan, then let company executives make their pitch for why they need to plop 1,900 apartments and condos on their 73-acre corporate campus at Hayden Road and Loop 101. Explain the economic impact, the good jobs they will bring as they consolidate their U.S. operations here, and the tax benefits, both to the city and the state. And let the people decide, as the constitution required before the Legislature did a number on our rights.
No one has a white hat. Axon wears the blacker one
That goes for the Scottsdale City Council, too. The council’s slow growthers could have avoided being neutered by state officials had they simply scheduled a special election for this year. Instead, it became clear that the council was going to delay and put the question on the November 2026 ballot, knowing full well that there likely would be no need for a public vote by then. Because Axon would have been gone. No company is going to wait nearly two years for a decision when there are other states that would roll out the red carpet. (Or probably a green one, lined with dollar bills.) Neither Axon nor the Scottsdale City Council has served the citizens well here. There are no white hats here. But Axon wears the blacker one. That it somehow sees itself as a victim after driving a steamroller right over our rights? Now, that’s a stunner.
Reach Roberts at . Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @LaurieRobertsaz , on Threads at @LaurieRobertsaz and on BlueSky at @laurieroberts.bsky.social . Like this column? Get more opinions in your email inbox by signing up for our free opinions newsletter , which publishes Monday through Friday.
