Tom Durham
Which of the City Council candidates will protect our parks and Preserve?
Partisan candidates are more concerned with sticking to their ideology than protecting our parks and giving YOU a vote.
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Tom Durham
I grew up in a small town in Iowa and attended Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, where I graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude in 1977 with majors in Philosophy and History.
Some of my earliest memories are of visiting my grandfather in Mesa. He had a pasture behind his house where we rode horses. His house is miraculously still standing, just down the street from Hohokam Stadium, but the pasture is now a dirt parking lot for the stadium.
After graduating from Cornell, I attended New York University Law School in New York City, graduating in 1980. During my time in law school, I served as research editor of the Review of Law and Social Change, one of the law school's journals.
Once I graduated from New York University, I wanted to return to the Midwest and joined the Mayer Brown law firm in Chicago. Mayer Brown is an international law firm with offices throughout the United States and the world. I specialized in tax controversy, representing the firm's clients in audits, trials, and appeals against the IRS. I argued several appeals in the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which is generally regarded as the second most important court in the United States. In order to represent my clients in court, I was often called on to master new and complex subject matter. I have visited candy, computer, pharmaceutical, and shingle factories around the world to understand these industries. My ability to analyze complex legal and factual situations and to "cut through" to the heart of the matter are essential to the City Council. During my time at Mayer Brown, I was recognized by Chambers USA as one of the top 25 tax controversy lawyers in the US. I retired from Mayer Brown in April 2015.
About thirteen years ago, I was elected to join Cornell's Board of Trustees. During my term on the Board, I have served as the College secretary, the chair of the Governance Committee, the chair of the Audit and Assessment Committee, and as a member of the Executive Committee. In January of 2013, Cornell's Board of Trustees held its annual retreat in Scottsdale.
My wife and I both enjoyed our visit to Scottsdale. Over a long weekend, we hiked in the Gateway and were captivated by Scottsdale’s unique character and environment. Soon after our visit, we engaged a real estate agent and began looking for a home here. We have been full-time residents of Scottsdale since 2015.
One of the features of Scottsdale that stood out to me on our visit was the obvious respect for Scottsdale's unique environment which is reflected in zoning. The zoning allows for modern development while preserving the beauty of our surrounding landscape. My primary goal if I am re-elected to the City Council is to continue to balance development with Scottsdale's unique environment and heritage.
In 2018 I became interested in the controversy over the Desert Discovery Center and was asked to serve as the treasurer of Protect Our Preserve PAC. The PAC was successful in protecting the McDowell Sonoran Preserve by putting Proposition 420 on the ballot, in which the protection of the Preserve won in a landslide. The treasurer of the PAC is responsible for legal and financial reporting, and I was honored by the confidence my fellow citizens in Scottsdale placed in me.
Following the battle over the future of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, I paid increasing attention to the events at City Hall, including the Marquee development, which the City’s own staff concluded violated the Urban Design and Architectural Guidelines. However, four members of the City Council approved the Marquee even though it violated these Guidelines. I also opposed the Southbridge 2 development, which would have brought about a radical change to the character of Old Town.
I am proud of the work the City Council has done over the last three years. We have worked to restrict short-term rentals, adopted and passed a new General Plan, kept taxes low and services high, passed an anti-discrimination ordinance, created a task force to sustain the financial future of the Preserve, and increased cash reserves.
On development issues, the Council has strengthened development requirements. I have attempted to compromise between Scottsdale’s economic vitality and protecting Scottsdale’s unique character.
I am married to my wife Martha, a retired Episcopal Deacon. We have two sons, Matt, a computer engineer in Indianapolis, and Wes, a city planner in Minneapolis. We also have two dogs, Bentley and Ozzie.
I have been coaching the mock trial team at Sandra Day O’Connor High School in Phoenix ever since I moved to Scottsdale. Our team won an invitation to the state championship last year.
I am an avid cycler and enjoy riding my bike in Scottsdale, Europe, and in the annual great bicycle ride across Iowa.
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