Scottsdale Rejects Enforcement of Democrat-Supported Campaign Sign Limits

By Matthew Holloway |

In the latest Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board election, allegations of rule-breaking dominate the campaigns. The City of Scottsdale Code Enforcement Department finds itself accused of favoritism in the controversy.

A concerned citizen brought the issue to AZ Free News with photographic evidence showing that candidates Donna Lewis, Matthew Pittinsky, and Michael Sharkey had put up large street signs over a month before the allowed period, which starts on August 26.

Social media posts from North Scottsdale Democrats and campaigner Shea Najafi corroborated the premature installation of these signs.

City of Scottsdale Code Enforcement Officer Cathy Maldonado confirmed that signage for school board campaigns is only permitted starting August 26, according to her correspondence with AZ Free News.

Despite multiple complaints, city officials informed the citizen that they couldn’t remove school board election signs based on their early placement unless they were in a sign-free zone, posed a safety hazard, or lacked contact information.

The City of Scottsdale’s Campaign Signs Guidelines and Regulations specifies that “Campaign/Political Signs are allowed beginning 71 days before a primary election and ending 15 days after the general election.”

The guidelines also note that candidates exceeding this time limit could face enforcement actions, including sign removal.

In a statement to AZ Free News, a supporter of conservative candidates Gretchen Jacobs, Jeanne Beasley, and Drew Hassler outlined the sequence of events:

“On 7/23, a supporter was informed that the City removed a Sharkey/Pittinsky/Lewis sign.”

“On 7/24, I filed a second complaint for another sign. Richie from the City of Scottsdale confirmed in text that the city would contact the candidates and give them 24 hours to remove the signs.”

“Throughout the day, additional complaints were filed as more signs were discovered. But now the City is denying these complaints, claiming school board signs can’t be removed, despite being out early. Only certain rules are being enforced–safe zones, yes; timing, no.”

“On 7/25, Officer Richie confirmed in text that the signs are out early but stated he would not be allowed to remove them as previously mentioned.”

In an email provided to AZ Free News, Melanie Schwandt, an Administrative Secretary with the City of Scottsdale, relayed a response from the City’s Legal Department, which had determined that “School Board signs could not be removed even prior to the 71-day mark.”

Arizona Women of Action took to X to highlight the unfair advantage given to candidates breaking city codes, noting, “Some candidates are breaking city codes & getting away with it. This creates an unfair advantage for those candidates who don’t mind taking risks to get their names out early.”

Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity echoed similar sentiments, stating, “The @scottsdaleazgov confirmed that school board candidate signs may not be displayed until Aug 26th … yet after democrat candidates installed signs more than 1 month early, the City will do exactly nothing.”

AZ Free News reached out for comments from ‘Protect SUSD,’ the campaign for Sharkey/Pittinsky/Lewis, North Scottsdale Democrats, and the Scottsdale Code Enforcement, Legal, and Communications Departments. No responses were received by the time of publication.

Matthew Holloway reports for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.