City News
Scottsdale’s New Mayor, City Council Members and Assistant Chief of Police Take Office SCOTTSDALE RECENTLY WELCOMED ITS FIRST NEW MAYOR IN 12 YEARS WHEN DAVID D. ORTEGA WAS SWORN-IN AND TOOK OFFICE. He is joined by three new City Council members who all earned their seats in last November’s local election. According to the City, Mayor Ortega is a registered architect who designed many landmark buildings in Old Town Scottsdale. He is a graduate of the University of Arizona and was an apprentice architect to Bennie Gonzales, FAIA, the award-winning designer of Scottsdale City Hall, Civic Center Library and Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. Councilwoman Tammy Caputi has lived and worked in Scottsdale for over 20 years. She is the president and owner of Yale Electric West, Inc., a company she founded locally in 2001. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wellesley College
in Wellesley, Massachusetts and a master’s in business administration from Simmons University in Boston.
Councilmember Tom Durham grew up in a small town in Iowa and attended Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude in 1977, with majors in philosophy and history. After graduating from Cornell College, he attended New York University Law School in New York City and then went on to join the Mayer Brown law firm in Chicago where he specialized in tax law. Councilwoman Betty Janik was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Illinois Chicago. After college she worked as a research scientist at GD Searle, one of the premiere pharmaceutical companies of the era. After taking time off to start a family, she spent nearly 10
years teaching math and science at the middle and high school levels.
Scottsdale’s newly-elected officials join incumbents Kathy Littlefield, Linda Milhaven and Solange Whitehead on the City Council. SCOTTSDALE POLICE ASSISTANT CHIEF ANNOUNCEMENT The Scottsdale Police Department recently announced the promotion of Commander Joseph LeDuc to the rank of Assistant Chief. He fills the position vacated by Assistant Chief Popp, who retired in December. “I have worked with Joe LeDuc since day one of my police career and I am very excited at the level of leadership that he will bring to the assistant chief position,” says Chief Jeff Walther, Scottsdale Police Department Chief of Police. Chief LeDuc joined the Scottsdale Police Department in 1992. He served as a Patrol Officer, Field Training
Officer, Burglary Detective and Homicide Investigator. In 2005, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. As a Sergeant he worked as a supervisor in Patrol, the Special Victims Unit and Internal Affairs. In 2013, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. During this time, he served a term chairing the Arizona State Governor’s Parent’s Commission on Drug Education and Prevention and served on a council to address the opioid epidemic. In 2016, LeDuc was promoted to the rank of Commander where he was most recently responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Downtown District and municipal jail, supervising and leading over 100 civilian and sworn police employees. He also served as the public safety commander for the Waste Management Phoenix Open Birds Nest event for multiple years. Assistant Chief LeDuc will oversee the department’s Investigations and Forensic Services Divisions as well as the Public Information Office in his new role.
Scottsdale Police Department Warns of Recent Phone Scams THE SCOTTSDALE POLICE DEPARTMENT (PD) RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THAT THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED AN INFLUX IN CALLS FROM LOCAL RESIDENTS ABOUT A NEW PHONE SCAM. “We have had recent reports of people claiming to be offi-
cers or detectives with the Scottsdale Police Department contacting citizens by phone,” according to Scottsdale PD. In those calls the individuals demand payment by gift card or other online payment method to clear up arrest warrants. These calls are not legitimate. The Scottsdale Police Department does not make calls like this or demand payment by gift card. “No law enforcement agency will ever call a citizen claiming they have warrants or unpaid tickets or anything else and ask for payment in the form of gift cards. Ever,” emphasizes Sgt. B Reynolds with Scottsdale PD. To avoid being a victim, if you ever have a question about the legitimacy of a call related to the police department, call Scottsdale PD at their non-emergency line at 480-312-5000.
4 • February 2021 • THE SCOTTSDALE STANDARD
TO AVOID BEING A SCAM VICTIM, ARIZONA ATTORNEY GENERAL MARK BRNOVICH SUGGESTS THESE TIPS: • Do not give anyone your financial or other personal information unless you know who you are dealing with. • Do not wire money or send a check to someone you don’t know. • Do not trust a name or number. Contact a company or agency directly to verify if they made the call or sent the letter. • Register all your phone numbers with DoNotCall. gov. Scammers ignore it, but legitimate businesses generally honor the list. If you think you have been a scam victim, contact Scottsdale PD or the Attorney General’s Office at 602542-5025. myhyperlocalnews.com
