Scottsdale City Council: 3 Candidates for 2 Seats

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The race for the two remaining seats on the Scottsdale City Council officially narrowed to three candidates after former councilmember Bob Littlefield withdrew his candidacy, leaving former state lawmaker Michelle Ugenti-Rita, incumbent councilmember Barry Graham, and community activist Raoul Zubia as the only contenders on the November 3 ballot.

The July 21 primary election—in which Councilmember Solange Whitehead secured direct re-election by receiving a majority of votes—left these four candidates competing for the two remaining spots. However, Littlefield's decision to drop out to focus on his opposition to apartment developments through the group TAAAZE has reshaped the electoral landscape.

Littlefield, who served three consecutive terms on the council between 2002 and 2014 and whose wife, Councilmember Kathy Littlefield, was unable to seek re-election due to term limits, received 22,091 votes in the primary, enough to advance to the runoff.

However, the former councilmember argued that the primary results "changed the political landscape" and that he would be more useful to his cause—fighting massive apartment development, particularly the Axon project near Hayden Road and Loop 101—by working from outside municipal government.

Littlefield will return to his role as president of TAAAZE (Taxpayers Against Awful Apartment Zoning Exemptions), a group challenging Scottsdale's agreement with Axon that, according to the former councilmember, will benefit from having more "boots on the ground" in the fight against overdevelopment.

Zubia in a Two-Against-One Race

With Littlefield's departure, the race has polarized into a two-against-one matchup: conservatives Graham and Ugenti-Rita, who campaigned together against overdevelopment, facing self-described moderate Raoul Zubia, a lifelong resident of South Scottsdale and graduate of Coronado High School.

Zubia, who received 21,897 votes in the primary, noted that he shares Littlefield's concerns about excessive development, but advocates for a different approach.

"We need to be strategic in our growth rather than banning development completely or using our water resources as a deterrent." In a statement, Zubia called his opponents "extremists" and warned that voting for Graham and Ugenti-Rita "promises more of the same chaos."

Zubia has built a coalition of support that crosses party lines, endorsed by the Scottsdale Firefighters Association, the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police, Scottsdale Realtors, and political figures such as Councilmember Maryann McAllen, and former mayors Sam Campana and Ginny Dickey.

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Likewise, former officials from the administrations of Senator John McCain and Governor Janet Napolitano have offered support.

Councilmember Solange Whitehead, who has already secured her re-election, publicly endorsed Zubia and presented him as the choice who will safeguard Scottsdale's AAA credit rating, arguing that the other candidates have put the city's fiscal stability at risk by politicizing the water issue.

Regardless of the runoff outcome, at least one new member will join the council in January 2027, as Kathy Littlefield's departure due to term limits guarantees a change in the composition of the city government.

The three remaining candidates—Graham, Ugenti-Rita, and Zubia—will compete for the two open seats in an election that will define the direction of a city facing internal tensions and criticism over controversial development decisions.

For Zubia, the goal is clear: "Protect what we love and build a future that Scottsdale can be proud of."