By Carl Jackson
SEDONA, AZ
(November 26, 2009) - What does a Vice Mayor do, and why does anyone
want the position, anyway?
For some city
councilors, the title is the "bone" that is thrown for a long
and distinguished career on the city council. For others, it's to
pick up the work slack at ribbon cuttings and other events when the
Mayor is unavailable. For still others, a Mayor and Vice
Mayor combo is the opportunity to create a unified "bully pulpit" to
espouse common views and
sway public opinion.
Officially,
the Vice Mayor's primary role is to serve in the Mayor's absence,
running city council meetings and work sessions.
After this week's Sedona City Council meeting,
however, one might add a new job function to that list: diplomat.
With the recent departure of Vice Mayor John
Bradshaw, at the November 24, 2009 Sedona City Council meeting, council
members voted unanimously to appoint Councilor Cliff Hamilton as Vice
Mayor.
| Open Council seat interviews
The council agreed to conduct interviews for departed Vice
Mayor John Bradshaw's open seat at 9 a.m.
on Friday, December 4, 2009.
The applicants are: Helen Knoll,
Jerry Frey, and Mike Ward. Both Frey and Ward have pulled
candidate packages to run for city council at the 2010 election and have
previously interviewed to fill the vacant council seat ultimately filled
by Councilor Mark DiNunzio.
The appointment will run through the
next city council election. |
It didn't start out unanimously, and it required
Hamilton professing profusely to be the Vice Mayor for the 'entire
council,' not just the Mayor, and to help build a bridge between warring
factions, most likely the ideological war over lights on 89A and a
National Scenic Area designation, occurring between Mayor Rob Adams and
Councilor Nancy Scagnelli.
The last item of the evening, the agenda
was both to discuss the interview process for filling Bradshaw's open
seat and to pick a Vice Mayor.
Hamilton started the Vice Mayor discussion by
asking the Mayor what the duties of the Vice Mayor are?
Said Mayor Adams, "If you want my
perspective...personally I think I have to have a good working
relationship with the Vice Mayor. The [Vice Mayor is] my backup
and I expect to be working with them more closely than the other
councilors. I think the Vice Mayor should serve as the liaison on
larger, regional governmental meetings, as well as sharing the duties
that the Mayor has. I can tell you that I'm overwhelmed. I'm
on over 15 committees and commissions, and I can't handle it. If I
was working, I'd have real trouble...With [Vice Mayor John Bradshaw],
I'd meet with him for breakfast every few weeks to discuss things but he
had his business, and his family and children and it didn't work out.
I do know that I need to shed some of these assignments. Whoever
we put in the Vice Mayor position I hope is going to be able to put in
the time and make the commitment to show up at all these events that
I've been doing."
Said City lawyer Mike Goimarac, "The Vice Mayor
substitutes when the Mayor is not available...I can't think of any
independent duties that the Vice Mayor has."
According to Mayor Adams, the total time commitment
for the Vice Mayor should be 20 hours per week.
Said Councilor Mark DiNunzio, "It seems that the
external role of Mayor has grown. I wonder if the council needs to
address that it some way. With the Mayor working 50 hours a week
and the Vice Mayor working 20 hours a week, that's pretty heavy.
Even if we spread it out over all the council members who haven't been
putting in that kind of time, it's still going to be a heavy load."
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Mayor Adams then fired the first salvo, "Obviously
there are some personality issues that need to be considered. I
really need someone to step up that is willing to work with me. That's
my plea. I will say this that [I nominate] Cliff [Hamilton].
Cliff shows up to more events and assignments than anyone else on
council. He would be a comfortable fit for me. Cliff, will
you be able to take that on?"
Said Hamilton, "I think we're all among friends and
I think I can speak frankly. I'll only take this on with the
support of the council. This wouldn't be a political pairing.
To quote Desiderata [a
poem by Max Ehrmann about attaining happiness in life], 'In so far as
possible without surrender be on good terms with all people.'"
Said Adams, "This is selfish on my part. I'm
trying to make my life easier."
Councilor Pud Colquitt then fired the second salvo
and nominated Scagnelli saying, "She
has served the city well for 3 1/2 years, but I nominate her only if she is willing.
She has served her constituents and the city very well."
Said Scagnelli, "I don't have a problem with the
commitment per se. I think the Mayor has made it clear, however,
that he
has a problem."
Said Adams to Scagnelli, "I have to admit that our relationship
has been strained and difficult."
Scagnelli replied, "So Cliff
is the only one you can work with? Who else can you work with?
Anybody?"
Said Adams, "I think I can work with Councilor Surber
and Councilor DiNunzio. I'm being totally honest here."
Said Surber, "I don't have the time to do
it...I just don't like it framed that you can't work with somebody."
Said DiNunzio, "Well, I don't have the depth of
experience to seriously consider myself as Vice Mayor. I'm willing
to be more active in the community. I'm really concerned about the longer term
concern of the workload. I could go either way but I'm willing to
go with the Mayor on who he wants as Vice Mayor. I think he should
have that option."
Said Adams, "This is not a political move.
This will not give me or Cliff any more power on this council. It's
clear we only have one vote."
Said Scagnelli, "I have no deep down burning
desire to be Vice Mayor. I will say in my defense that [Mayor
Adams] has not tried to work with me. I've been on a lot of
committees and I've never had a problem working with any one."
Said Adams, "I would be more than happy to work on
our relationship."
Said Hamilton, "I'd also see this as an opportunity to
build some bridges or open some channels as a facilitator. It is
important to me that I'm not the Mayor's Vice Mayor, I'm the
council's Vice Mayor."
Said Adams, "I didn't ask you to be my Vice Mayor."
Colquitt reiterated DiNunzio's position that at a
later date the Vice Mayor's duties need to be better defined to reduce the work
load for members of council.
Said Colquitt, "With the increasing workload, no
one's going to have the time to serve on council, and we're going to end
up with people on council all with grey hair. And I don't think
that's healthy."
Said Scagnelli, "Again, it's not a burning desire
for me. I'm willing to bow out."
With that, the council voted 6-0 to appoint
Councilor Hamilton as Vice Mayor.
Readers' comments
#1 I agree the duties of all mmembers of the
City Council are quite heavy. Just the
meetings are enough, and with the work
sessions and the special liaisons that they
each are supposed to do, the time required
is high.
Therefore I submit that we address the
question of pay for the City Councilors, and
Mayor. If the pay was enough that someone
who wants to step back from the working
world but cannot afford to quite completely,
or the spouse works and they do not need a
higher pay job, they could serve on Council.
I am thinking of pay on the order of $8,000
annually, and no benefits. That would be
about $56000 annually, less than we pay most
of the smaller consultant contracts the city
awards.
That would allow many more citizens to be
able to consider serving on Council.
Bill Eich
#2 I agree about the pay and quality and age
of the candidates. While I don't know how we
would fund it; thought should be given to
it.
MANY people have asked me to run for City
Council. I would love to be more active. I
run a business full-time and could not
commit to even just the meeting hours, let
alone committees and preparation time for
what is essentially a volunteer position.
Otherwise, the first commenter is correct:
mostly fully retired people can run. Young,
energetic, creative people, for the most
part, work and could not run.
I am grateful for each councilor's
commitment to the position. Especially to
Cliff Hamilton, because at every meeting
I've been to, he has hands down seemed like
the most prepared. He actually reads the
entire packet on each topic before raising
questions about it or voting! Yay!
Lin Ennis
#3 When is Mayor Adams going to figure out
that that Sedona City Council is not his
personal playground? One where he gets to
invite who can play and who are to be
shunned? Again, 4 other members show concern
for the community and the issues while Mayor
Adams makes it all about him and who he can
and can't work with. Vice Mayor has no other
“powers” than running the meeting if the
mayor is excused. This time the mayor's
complaining and personal wishes were
fulfilled but if the mayor is meeting and
discussing issues with the vice mayor and
how he/they are going to vote on agenized
issues we have an open meeting law
violation. I have attended council meetings
since 1988 and have seen many successful
mayors. Those are the ones who attempt to
work with all of the council members. Who
are fair and treat each council member
respectfully no matter how they vote. The
complaining and attacks on other councilors
are uncalled for and alienate everyone.
Carolyn Huggins, Sedona
#4 Our current crop of politicians while
harboring petty and pathetic animosities
toward each other are busy at work crafting
a fail safe plan to rescue Sedona the Ship
of State now listing hard amidships. Having
ignored altogether the economic downturn now
fully beginning its 4th year plans are afoot
to begin bailing water from starboard to the
port. All this with the help of coal stokers
in the engine bay the illustrious City
Staff.
A bucket full of property taxes, a half
bucket of grocery tax, and a cup of sales
tax audits and business registration, not to
mention a sewer fee increase with a sprinkle
of sugar.
Meanwhile the pinochle players play on while
Sedona slowly sinks into the vast ocean of
the 21st Century. It
was a fine ride, selling t-shirts, crystal
and overpriced real estate, not to mention
overpriced hotel rooms.
"It is better to live in the past than in
the 21st Century" now that should be the
motto for the New Sedona.
