9 Feb 20th-Feb 26th, 2025 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Ditching Diversity Echoing Trump, Scottsdale votes to gut diversity office. BY TJ L’HEUREUX A t a Feb. 11 Scottsdale City Council meeting, Don Logan looked on in dismay. Nearly three decades ago, Logan was tasked with getting a diversity office off the ground in Scottsdale. This was a new venture among Valley cities, and the going was often tough. So tough that he nearly gave his life for it. In 2004, six years after the city founded what was then called the Office of Diversity and Dialogue, a package arrived at the office. When Logan opened it, a pipe bomb exploded, nearly killing him. A subsequent investigation showed that the package had been sent by white suprema- cists enraged by the mere idea of diversity. Logan survived that brush with death. But 20 years later, the office he built was sentenced to an ignominious demise. On Feb. 11, the Scottsdale City Council voted 5-2 to gut the department Logan built, now called the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. There was no apparent justifica- tion for doing so other than for the council to align itself with Donald Trump’s base- less, culture war crusade against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. “I gave my blood for this organization,” Logan told Phoenix New Times about the diversity office. “If I hadn’t opened that package the way I did, I wouldn’t be here. To have this group of electeds come along and whitewash it the way they’re doing it tonight is a travesty.” Created in 1998, the city’s diversity office has two employees who are charged with keeping the city compliant with anti- discrimination laws and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Those two employees will be reassigned to other city departments. Logan spoke at the meeting along with dozens of other residents enraged by the city’s move. The meeting was uncharacter- istically packed, with hundreds of resi- dents standing along the chamber’s perimeter. “This is bullshit,” one person shouted while others mumbled similar expletives. “Shame on you,” residents began chanting. During the public comment section of the meeting, at least 45 people spoke out against the change in ordinance. Only two voiced support for it. Ann Lyter, a Scottsdale United Methodist Church pastor and employment lawyer, noted that diversity is a tested corporate strategy. “Bias is real, and we need to address it so that we can hire the best people,” she said. “Companies that prioritize DEI tend to have happier and more innovative employees, higher reten- tion rates and are better at problem-solving.” Several speakers, including Hispanic Chamber of Commerce CEO Monica Villalobos, argued to the council that hiring based on merit and valuing diversity are not mutually exclusive. “Merit must include access,” Villalobos said. “Please don’t stop the momentum.” Others lambasted the move as nakedly dogmatic. “How do I know that this is all about ideology?” asked resident Andrew Scheck. “Monday I called the Department of Diversity and I asked them, ‘How many people from the city council called you to understand what this department does?’” Scheck said the answer he received was just one — Maryann McAllen, who voted against gutting the office. Howls and applause ensued. Don Logan was nearly killed by a pipe bomb sent to Scottsdale’s diversity office in 2004. (Photo by TJ L’Heureux) >> p 10 | NEWS |
