Reject

WhiteheadKnowldenZubia

Section A · Investigation · ScottsdaleEvery claim sourced

Save Scottsdale.

Don't Turn Scottsdale Into Los Angeles!

Three seats are open on the 2026 Scottsdale City Council. Three candidates on the ballot, on the public record, line up with the high-rise-corridor, gridlock-and-mega-project direction Los Angeles already chose. Here's the public record on each one — sourced, dated, and linked.

01File 01File 01Solange WhiteheadVoted NO on ending DEI · YES on Swags · YES on Greenbelt 88
02File 02File 02Ethan KnowldenScottsdale since 2018 · AZ Housing Coalition board · Milhaven money
03File 03File 03Raoul Zubia6 of 7 in 2022 · endorsed by Councilwoman McAllen · anti-NIMBY lane

Wire

THREE NAMES. ONE PRO-DENSITY LANE ON THE PUBLIC RECORD.GRIDLOCK IS A LAND-USE CHOICE — NOT AN ACCIDENT.WHITEHEAD: VOTED NO ON ENDING DEI (FEB. 11, 2025 · 5–2)WHITEHEAD: VOTED YES ON SWAGS REZONING (JAN. 9, 2024)WHITEHEAD: VOTED YES ON GREENBELT 88 APARTMENTS (FEB. 8, 2022)UGENTI-RITA: “SOLANGE WHITEHEAD CANNOT BE TRUSTED.”KNOWLDEN: “LIMIT DEVELOPMENT TO WHAT IS IN THE GENERAL PLAN, NOTHING MORE.”KNOWLDEN: ARIZONA HOUSING COALITION BOARD MEMBERKNOWLDEN: TOP Q1 DONOR — FORMER COUNCILMEMBER LINDA MILHAVENKNOWLDEN: MOVED TO SCOTTSDALE IN 2018ZUBIA: 6 OF 7 IN THE AUG. 2 2022 SCOTTSDALE PRIMARY (10.4%)ZUBIA 2022: “IF WE STOP GROWING... IT’S JUST GOING TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.”ZUBIA 2022: ENDORSED AS THE “ANTI-NIMBY” CANDIDATEZUBIA 2026: ENDORSED BY COUNCILWOMAN MCALLEN · HOST COMMITTEEDENSITY OVER NEIGHBORHOODS. IDEOLOGY OVER RESULTS.NOT LOS ANGELES TRAFFIC. NOT LOS ANGELES TOWER ROWS.THREE NAMES. ONE PRO-DENSITY LANE ON THE PUBLIC RECORD.GRIDLOCK IS A LAND-USE CHOICE — NOT AN ACCIDENT.WHITEHEAD: VOTED NO ON ENDING DEI (FEB. 11, 2025 · 5–2)WHITEHEAD: VOTED YES ON SWAGS REZONING (JAN. 9, 2024)WHITEHEAD: VOTED YES ON GREENBELT 88 APARTMENTS (FEB. 8, 2022)UGENTI-RITA: “SOLANGE WHITEHEAD CANNOT BE TRUSTED.”KNOWLDEN: “LIMIT DEVELOPMENT TO WHAT IS IN THE GENERAL PLAN, NOTHING MORE.”KNOWLDEN: ARIZONA HOUSING COALITION BOARD MEMBERKNOWLDEN: TOP Q1 DONOR — FORMER COUNCILMEMBER LINDA MILHAVENKNOWLDEN: MOVED TO SCOTTSDALE IN 2018ZUBIA: 6 OF 7 IN THE AUG. 2 2022 SCOTTSDALE PRIMARY (10.4%)ZUBIA 2022: “IF WE STOP GROWING... IT’S JUST GOING TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.”ZUBIA 2022: ENDORSED AS THE “ANTI-NIMBY” CANDIDATEZUBIA 2026: ENDORSED BY COUNCILWOMAN MCALLEN · HOST COMMITTEEDENSITY OVER NEIGHBORHOODS. IDEOLOGY OVER RESULTS.NOT LOS ANGELES TRAFFIC. NOT LOS ANGELES TOWER ROWS.

File 01 — WhiteheadSection B · Profile

Solange Whitehead, on the record.

Three terms of policy choices that residents kept losing.

Whitehead is the only candidate in this trio with a Council voting record — and that record is what voters should weigh. She voted NO on closing the city's DEI office (Feb. 11, 2025, 5–2). She voted YES on Aaron Wagner's Swags rezoning (Jan. 9, 2024, 4–3). She voted YES on the Greenbelt 88 apartment rezoning (Feb. 8, 2022, 5–2). Fellow 2026 ballot candidate Michelle Ugenti-Rita has now put it in writing under the headline “Solange Whitehead cannot be trusted.” The pattern is consistent. So is the policy direction.

VOTE

ON THE RECORDFile · 01

Voted NO on closing Scottsdale's DEI office.

On Feb. 11, 2025, the Scottsdale City Council voted 5-2 to eliminate the city's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office and end the use of city funds for DEI programs. Whitehead voted NO. From the dais she objected: “Let me be clear this ordinance was done behind closed doors without a community process.” Days later she went on KJZZ to defend keeping the office — a position she has not walked back.

FEB. 11, 2025 · 5–2 VOTEVOTE

Source:Scottsdale Progress — Council targets DEI programs (Feb. 11, 2025) · KJZZ (Feb. 20, 2025)

VOTE

VOTE RECORDFile · 02

Voted YES on Aaron Wagner's Swags rezoning.

On Jan. 9, 2024, the Scottsdale City Council took up a rezoning sought by Aaron Wagner's proposed Swags fine-dining restaurant in Old Town. Whitehead voted YES to allow the third floor. The Council split 4–3 in favor, but the rezoning was denied because a legal protest by neighboring businesses required a 5-vote supermajority. Whitehead expressed “bewilderment” at the opposition. In late 2024, federal prosecutors charged Wagner with multiple counts of wire fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering tied to an alleged Ponzi-style scheme — charges Wagner is contesting. Whitehead’s vote came before those charges.

JAN. 9, 2024 · 4–3 (FAILED ON SUPERMAJORITY)VOTE

Source:Scottsdale Independent — Council denies Swags a third floor (Jan. 2024)

VOTE

VOTE RECORDFile · 03

Voted YES on the Greenbelt 88 apartments.

On Feb. 8, 2022, the Scottsdale City Council voted 5–2 to approve Greenbelt 88, a mixed-use redevelopment of the Lucky Plaza site at Hayden and Osborn replacing the existing strip mall with 228 apartments and 25,000 sq ft of retail. Whitehead voted YES, alongside Caputi, Janik, Durham, and Milhaven; Mayor Ortega and Councilwoman Littlefield voted NO. Residents had spent nearly two years organizing against the original 338-unit plan. Whitehead is on the record asking whether the project could be built sooner to “alleviate some of Scottsdale's housing shortage.”

FEB. 8, 2022 · 5–2 VOTEVOTE

Source:Scottsdale Progress — Controversial Greenbelt 88 wins Council OK

QUOTE

“Solange Whitehead cannot be trusted.”

QUOTEFile · 04

“Solange Whitehead cannot be trusted.” — Michelle Ugenti-Rita.

Former Arizona state senator and 2026 Scottsdale Council candidate Michelle Ugenti-Rita sent a campaign email under the headline “Scottsdale Councilwoman Solange Whitehead Cannot Be Trusted.” In it, Ugenti-Rita argues Whitehead’s record on water, growth, and the city’s biggest development fights shows she will not be straight with voters about “one of the most consequential development decisions in our city.” That’s not us calling Whitehead untrustworthy — that’s a colleague on the same 2026 ballot, in writing.

UGENTI-RITA CAMPAIGN EMAILQUOTE

Source:Michelle Ugenti-Rita campaign email (archived on Scott Dalevoter, Facebook)

File 02 — KnowldenSection C · Profile

Ethan Knowlden, imported.

A San Francisco attorney's resume in a Scottsdale Council race.

Knowlden moved to Scottsdale in 2018 after a Wall Street / Dallas / San Francisco / London legal-and-business career. He has never run for or held elected office in Scottsdale before. He tells voters “I support limiting development to what is in the General Plan approved by voters in 2021, nothing more,” while currently serving on the Board of Directors of Arizona's largest housing-stability advocacy organization. His biggest Q1 2026 donor is former Scottsdale Councilmember Linda Milhaven — the development-era Council voters keep pushing back against.

ON RECORD

TWO RÉSUMÉSFile · 01

Tells voters “limit development.” Serves on Arizona's largest housing-advocacy board.

On the Arizona Progress Gazette candidate questionnaire, Knowlden told voters: “I support limiting development to what is in the General Plan approved by voters in 2021, nothing more.” At the same time, he is publicly listed as a member of the Board of Directors of the Arizona Housing Coalition — which describes itself as “the largest housing stability advocacy organization in the state,” with 300+ member organizations advocating for more affordable and supportive housing across Arizona. Two résumés, one candidate — voters get to weigh which one would steer his Council vote.

DIRECT QUOTE · BOARD MEMBERON RECORD

Source:Arizona Progress Gazette — Knowlden candidate questionnaire · AZ Housing Coalition About Us

EST. 2018

WHO IS HEFile · 02

Wall Street to San Francisco to Scottsdale — in 2018.

By his own campaign bio, Knowlden built his career on Wall Street, then in Dallas, San Francisco, and London — closing his professional chapter with a move to Scottsdale in 2018. He is a retired attorney, member of the State Bar in Arizona and Texas. He has no record of running for or holding elected office in Scottsdale before this 2026 Council bid.

BIO · CANDIDATE'S OWN SITEPUBLIC RECORD

Source:Ethan for Scottsdale campaign site — Meet Ethan Knowlden

HOA PRESIDENT

HOA PRESIDENTFile · 03

Runs a north-Scottsdale HOA. Now wants to run the city.

Knowlden serves as President of the DC Ranch Community Council, the master association governing the DC Ranch gated-community area in north Scottsdale, where he says he oversaw a $10 million community center build. He also serves as President of the Scottsdale Industrial Development Authority. His Council pitch is to scale that gated-community leadership to a city of more than 240,000.

DC RANCH · SIDA · AZHCPUBLIC RECORD

Source:Scottsdale Independent — Knowlden steady leadership endorsement letter

OLD GUARD

OLD GUARD MONEYFile · 04

Linda Milhaven is his top Q1 donor.

According to the Arizona Progress Gazette's reporting on Q1 2026 Scottsdale Council campaign-finance filings, former Councilwoman Linda Milhaven was Knowlden's top contributor in his opening fundraising quarter. Milhaven — a former Scottsdale councilmember who voted YES on years of high-density Old Town and corridor approvals, including the 2022 Greenbelt 88 rezoning — personifies the development-era Council that voters have repeatedly pushed back against. Knowlden's biggest check is from her bench.

Q1 2026 CAMPAIGN FINANCEON RECORD

Source:Arizona Progress Gazette — Q1 Money Race (Knowlden top donor: Milhaven)

File 03 — ZubiaSection D · Profile

Raoul Zubia, returned to ballot.

Already rejected — coming back with the same developer agenda.

Zubia ran for Scottsdale City Council in 2022 and finished 6th of 7 candidates in the nonpartisan primary (17,755 votes, 10.4%). His 2022 endorser — Paula Sturgeon — handed off her campaign with Arizona Progress Gazette explicitly framing him as carrying “the anti-NIMBY torch” against the “Council of No.” At a 2022 candidate debate he argued: “If we stop growing or slow down our growth, it's just going to go somewhere else.” For 2026, sitting Councilwoman Maryann McAllen — Whitehead’s closest ally on the current Council — has formally endorsed him and headlines his campaign-launch Host Committee. Same lane, new packaging.

6 OF 7

VOTER VERDICTFile · 01

Finished 6th of 7 in the 2022 Council primary.

In the Aug. 2, 2022 nonpartisan primary for three Scottsdale City Council seats, Zubia finished 6th of 7 candidates. He received 17,755 votes — 10.4% of the total — ahead of only one opponent, and did not advance to the general election. He is back on the 2026 ballot.

AUG. 2, 2022 PRIMARYPUBLIC RECORD

Source:Ballotpedia — Raoul Zubia (2022 nonpartisan primary results)

QUOTE

“If we stop growing... it's just going to go somewhere else.”

OWN WORDS, 2022File · 02

“If we stop growing... it's just going to go somewhere else.”

At a June 2022 Scottsdale Council candidate debate covered by Scottsdale Progress, Zubia argued against slowing growth, saying: “If we stop growing or slow down our growth, it’s just going to go somewhere else and they are going to be using the same water we should be using.” His position was to require developers to add density “responsibly” rather than reject development. Same record, same lane — just rebranded for 2026.

JUNE 2022 DEBATEQUOTE

Source:Scottsdale Progress — Council candidates debate Scottsdale issues

ANTI-NIMBY

ENDORSEMENT (2022)File · 03

Endorsed in 2022 as the “anti-NIMBY” candidate.

When activist Paula Sturgeon dropped out of the 2022 Scottsdale Council race, she endorsed Zubia as her replacement. Arizona Progress Gazette — a pro-development outlet — covered the handoff under the headline “Can He Carry the Anti-NIMBY Torch?” and explicitly hoped Zubia shared Sturgeon’s “pro-business views” against the “Council of No.” That’s the lane Zubia’s 2022 endorsers placed him in. His 2026 campaign now markets him as a neighborhood protector — voters can decide which version of Zubia is the real one.

2022 ENDORSEMENTON RECORD

Source:Arizona Progress Gazette — Sturgeon endorses Zubia (anti-NIMBY torch)

SLATE

SLATE SIGNALFile · 04

Endorsed by Councilwoman Maryann McAllen.

Sitting Scottsdale Councilwoman Maryann McAllen — the same colleague who joined Whitehead in voting NO on closing the city’s DEI office on Feb. 11, 2025 — publicly endorsed Zubia for Council in a Facebook ad paid for by ZUBIAFORSCOTTSDALE: “Raoul Zubia lives and breathes all things Scottsdale… He would be a strong addition to the Scottsdale City Council, and I look forward to working with him.” McAllen is also listed first on Zubia’s own published Host Committee for his Feb. 24, 2026 campaign launch. Same lane: the Whitehead–McAllen wing of the Council is recruiting Zubia onto its bench.

PAID FB AD · HOST COMMITTEEON RECORD

Source:Facebook Ad Library (Zubia for Scottsdale, McAllen endorsement ad) · Arizona Progress Gazette (Zubia launch Host Committee)

Editorial

Three names. One anti-resident agenda.

They want you to read them one at a time. Read all three together.

Whitehead, Knowlden, and Zubia want voters to evaluate them one at a time — because each one's individual record is harder to defend in context. Read together, the same lane shows up: yes-on-density votes on the dais, anti-NIMBY framing on the trail, and old-guard development money under the hood.

Whitehead has the votes (Greenbelt 88, Swags). Knowlden has the donor list (Linda Milhaven's top Q1 check) and the housing-advocacy board seat that sits awkwardly next to his “limit development” quote. Zubia ran in 2022 as the explicit “anti-NIMBY” candidate and finished 6 of 7 — and is back in 2026 endorsed by Whitehead's closest current-Council ally, Maryann McAllen. Same lane, three names — the traffic-and-towers bargain Los Angeles already bought with decades of council votes.

“Three candidates. One pro-density lane on the public record. Read the votes, read the donors, read their own words — then vote.”

References & Public Record

Don't take our word for it.

Every claim on this page links back to a published news article, an official Council vote, or a public endorsement from the candidates themselves. Read them yourself.

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