SCOTTSDALE, AZ — The strip clubs in Scottsdale, AZ are mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. Sick and tired of harsh new regulations that they believe will ultimately run them out of business, club owners have vowed to do battle with Proposition 401, a September 12th ballot measure that would require dancers to wear more clothes and remain four feet from club patrons, effectively making lap dances impossible.Lamar Whitmer, political consultant for Babe’s Cabaret and Skin Cabaret, which would each take a substantial hit from such a law, says the clubs tried to play nice, but now the gloves are coming off.
“We will have a full-fledged campaign,” he vows, adding that “The polling data looks very good and we feel very confident.”
Mayor Mary Manross, a strong a vocal supporter of the additional constraints is unmoved by the threatened political combat, insisting that it her intention to “stay the course and allow the city to vote on this.”
According to attorneys for the clubs, the city has made it nearly impossible for new clubs to open, something club owners thought might encourage relaxation of the already tough rules. Assistant City Manager Ed Gawf has admitted that business owners are correct that it would be “very difficult” for any new adult establishment to make Scottsdale its home.
In December the city council unanimously approved new limits on conduct within adult entertainment establishments, but the strip clubs were able to gather enough signatures to put them on hold until voters had an opportunity to weigh in. Joel Wright, a local pollster working with the clubs, says that only 30-percent of voters report having confidence in their elected officials, whereas 50-percent admit no confidence and 20-percent were neutral.
Wright believes that the club owners have a good chance of winning their fight and, in fact, that the process will not only “be bitter” but will also “further erode confidence in the city’s leadership.”
Councilman Tony Nelssen has been willing to reach some kind of consensus with the clubs but feels that their previously proposed compromise was unacceptable. The council voted as a block to reject it in spite of the testimony of First Amendment lawyers, insisting that it was too lenient.
It’s not just club owners and their legal council that think the battle will be ugly and pointless. Former council member Bill Crawford agrees that long-established businesses are having their rights violated and that the situation will not make the city or its representatives look good. “This is a train wreck,” he told the council. “You will be held accountable for this.”
