Our Political Generation Gap.

It's "Event Season." If you live in Scottsdale, you know what that means. 
 
This is the annual period of time after the holidays that puts our city on the map as the place to be if you like expensive cars, millionaire golfers and hot women ... or at least more expensive cars, more millionaire golfers and more hot women than usual in Scottsdale. 
 
And this year jerks wearing Tommy Bahama shirts smoking Cuban cigars will be legal ... the cigars, that is. 
 
It's the time of year that the Rich and Famous, and those who want to be Rich and Famous, flood our streets, jam our restaurants and generally create havoc and chaos in our city. And this year the ante for the affluent is being upped by a football game called the Super Bowl - which will be played in Glendale, but the real action will be a 45-minute limousine ride to here in Scottsdale. Especially after dark. 
 
Bring it on! Because, after all, tourism is Scottsdale's number one industry - and snowbirds, celebrities and VIPs are our bread and butter. 
 
Yes, it's that two weeks when the entire city is turned into one big Entertainment District in which (almost) anything goes. Downtown advocate and neighborhood activist Bill Crawford may have to look the other way while public safety personnel becomes the City of Scottsdale's greeters to make sure everyone enjoys themselves during our city's version of Mardi Gras. But don't expect to be handed any beads - do, however, anticipate seeing a fair share of flashing. 
 
It's impossible for so many people to get together, like the nearly 170,000 who turn out for a typical Saturday at the Waste Management Open at TPC, without attracting some rascals - like pickpockets, drug dealers and ladies of the evening who are willing to make a rare daytime appearance. The golf tournament is a sea of humanity, half of which are people who only set foot on a golf course once a year in their 5-inch heels and pointy-toed loafers. It's safe to say they won't be traipsing around the course in the gallery following Tiger Woods. 
 
These 20 and 30 somethings are all about the Birds Nest - and, according to the golf tournament's website, that's where "great music, beautiful patrons and enthusiastic partying has earned legendary status on the PGA Tour." Translation: The Birds Nest is a high-octane cocktail of testosterone and estrogen where libidos are unleashed. It's a place where the young and restless can escape worrying about how they're going to pay off their student loans. 
 
That raises the topic: Who is this growing Millennial Generation? 
 
They're the ones who want to live in the apartments that so many others abhor. They're the people who want the downtown lifestyle and are unaffected by issues like height and density. They want to walk to restaurants close to where they live. They want to work out of coffee shops with their laptops. They're both the employees and customers of the Entertainment District. They like living in Scottsdale because of all our amenities and outdoor activities. 
 
This next generation also prefers a high-speed way of life - including the latest technology and light rail transportation. History has little to do with how they lead their lives. They're focused on the future. They scoff at someone who insists on calling Scottsdale "The West's Most Western Town." That's our past, not their present. 
 
Moreover ... these folks have to use their GPS to find City Hall. 
 
For most of them, politics are irrelevant. Voting in elections is like subscribing to the newspaper. Those are things their parents do. 
 
For example, last November, approximately 75% of those who voted in the Scottsdale election were over 50 years old. Even more startling was that 50% of those who voted were 65 or older. The Millennials made up less than 10% of the total vote. 
 
So, ironically, it's AARP members, those drawing Social Security and people on Medicare who are guiding Scottsdale's future. The Millennial population has virtually no voice about who's being elected to shape the vision and make the important decisions for our city. 
 
As long as that political phenomenon continues, we'll be rehashing the same issues and considering the same retreaded ideas ... and, obviously, continuing to get the same results.