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    Home » Letter to the Editor
    Letter to The Editor

    Letter to the Editor

    February 23, 2017Updated:August 2, 2022No Comments4 Mins Read
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    logo_lettereditorBy Henry Twombly, Sedona Resident
    (February 23, 2017)

    In response to the 2/22/17 SRRN editorial I sympathize with the critic of the SFD, who has “irreproachable credentials and experience” but who declined to serve on the bond advisory committee.  Most likely he surmised that due to his “adversarial” perspective, he would be ignored and outvoted.  This is the exact reason why my name is “conspicuously absent” from the list of candidates.  In fact I did apply to be a member of the Budget Oversight Committee, but was rejected by City Hall mostly because of my fervent belief in a balanced budget.

    So yes, I’m the other “resident who posted a winding rant against the bond and alleged SFD is somehow orchestrating a secret media campaign…”  First it wasn’t “a winding rant;” it was a straightforward account detailed with quotes directly from SRRN articles.  Secondly the media campaign is not very “secret” since it garnered front-page headlines in three SRRN issues in a row.  Also if you believe “government entities have no personality nor ideology” (e.g., Obama vs. Trump), then you might believe that the advisory committee is not going to recommend a bond.  But this is hard for me to believe, especially since the SFD is spending $25,000 to finalize its bond options. The question is not if there will be a bond; it is how much will it cost.  Moreover “reasons for and against haven’t even been discussed” is just not true.  SFD has presented its reasons “for,” and I have presented my reasons “against.”  Another false statement is that I “demanded” that my readers do anything.  I just pointed out the consequences of voting one way and then the other.  Rather than be on a committee where no one hears me, I choose to be “in the backwaters of the internet,” where anyone can read me…

    …Originally I was going to send this to the SRRN editor with the preface: Do you have the courage and integrity to publish a letter that contradicts one of your editorials?  But I realized that this passive-aggressive way of being defensive and combative would only create unnecessary rancor, which surely would nullify my slim-to-none chance of getting this published.  Moreover, I didn’t want to needlessly make my relationship with the editor any worse than it already is.
     
    So I decided to put myself in his shoes in hopes that I could empathize and gain some insight into his perspective.  I then imagined being the editor of a small, understaffed, local newspaper, whose owners/his employers have been shaping the past and now the future of Sedona.  For decades the paper has been the mouthpiece of the pro-growth, pro-business vested interests.  Consequently as the current editor, he must experience certain pressures from the top.
     
    So I decided to reread the editorial.  The first part is an objective recounting of facts about the SFD bond.  He then decries that a very qualified, prospective applicant declined to serve on the advisory committee.  His frustration over the residents’ lack of civic duty devolves into a subjective attack on me, in which he misrepresents what I wrote.  I don’t really know, so I’m hypothesizing here that he was (un)consciously following the orders/inferences from the top to discredit me.  Or this could just be my convoluted, cynical musing.  Nevertheless his language then becomes more incendiary and condescending.  I don’t hold this against him.  Under pressure we all are likely to do or say something we wouldn’t normally do or say.
     
    I believe the editor is a smart man, who wouldn’t normally write “government entities have no personality or ideology” or “reasons for and against haven’t been discussed.”  He was just carried away by his own “rant.”  At times we all get carried away by our opinions and beliefs.  Differences of opinion and their varied expressions are what free speech and democracy are all about.  So I commend the editor for wisely stating in this editorial, “adversarial voices are precisely what local governments need to make sure all the facets of a community are represented.”
     
    Henry Twombly
    Sedona, AZ  86336

     

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    Paid Political Announcement by Samaire For Mayor

     THE MOMENT IS UPON US

    Dear Sedona,

    The moment is upon us. The time for a united effort to shift the focus back to our community is now.

    The ability to thrive in our community, our environment, our workforce, and the tourist industry, is entirely possible because we have all the resources needed for success.

    Still, we need a council that isn’t afraid to ask the hard questions, that makes decisions based on data and facts, and through discussion, rather than moving and voting in group unison as they so regularly do.

    This is my home. I have been a part of the Sedona community for 28 years. I witnessed the road debacle, the lack of planning, the city circumventing the local businesses ability to thrive, while making choices to expand the local government and be in direct competition with private industry.

    I am a unique candidate because unlike the incumbents, I don’t believe the government should expand in size, nor in operations, nor would I attempt to micromanage every aspect of our community.

    City government should stay in its lane and allow the competitive market of local private industry to prosper. And it should defend our community from corporate takeover and infiltration of our town.

    I do not agree that we should sign onto International Building Codes and regulations by signing Sedona up to the ICC. It is imperative that we remain a sweet, rural community.

    Where are the arts? Where is this organic thriving element that we allege to be animated by. Where is our culture? Where is our community?

    The discord between the decision making process and the desires of the community have never been more clear. It has been nearly a decade in the making.

    It is time for a new era of energy to take charge. An energy that is reflective in the ability to succeed rather than be trapped in out of date consciousness.

    It has been a great honor meeting with each of you. I hear your concerns over the insane and out of control spending and I echo them. A budget of $105,000,000 in a town of 9700 residents is completely unacceptable. A parking structure (that looks like a shoe box) originally slated to cost 11 million, now projected to cost 18 million, is incomprehensible. Especially, considering there is no intention of charging for parking.

    For those who are concerned that I lack the political experience within our established system- that is precisely what Sedona needs… Not another politician, but instead a person who understands people, who listens to the voices within the community, and who will act in service on their behalf with accountability, for the highest good of Sedona. What I am not, will prove to be an asset as I navigate the entrenched bureaucracy with a fresh perspective. Business as usual, is over.

    Creative solutions require new energy.

    Every decision that is made by our local government, must contemplate Sedona first.

    • Does this decision benefit the residents?
    • Does this decision benefit the local businesses?
    • Does this decision actually help the environment?
    • Will this decision sustain benefit in the future, or will it bring more problems?

    What we have now is a city government that expands to 165 employees for 9700 residents. Palm Desert has 53,000 residents and 119 city employees. Majority of our city department heads are not even in town. I find this problematic.

    Efforts towards championing in and courting new solutions for our medical needs are imperative. We are losing our doctors. We must encourage competition with other facilities rather than be held hostage by NAH, who clearly have their own set of dysfunctions.

    We must remember that so many move to Sedona for its beauty, hiking, and small town charm. Bigger, faster, and more concrete does not, in broad strokes, fit the ethos of Sedona.

    The old world must remain strong here in balance, as that is what visitors want to experience. Too many have noted that Sedona has lost its edge and charm.

    As Mayor I will preserve the rural charm of our community, and push back against the urbanization that is planned for Sedona.

    As mayor I will make it a priority to create opportunities to support our youth.  After school healthy, enriching programs should be created for our kids, and available to the Sedona workforce regardless of residency and regardless of school they belong to.

    As Mayor, I will create an agenda to deliberately embody the consciousness of our collective needs here, allowing private industry to meet the needs of our community rather than bigger government.

    I hope to have your vote on Aug 2nd. I am excited and have the energy to take on this leadership role with new eyes, community perspective, and the thoughtful consciousness that reflects all ages of the human spectrum.

    Thank you deeply for your consideration.

    Sincerely,

    Samaire Armstrong

    Sedona elections
    Armstrong vs. Jablow: The Main Event
    Ready to Rumble

    By Tommy Acosta
    In the Blue Corner stands Scott Jablow and in the Red Corner of the ring stands Samaire Armstrong, ready to rumble to the bitter end in their fight to become the next Sedona mayor. Jablow weighs in with 1,137 primary election votes (36.13%) under his belt, having wielded his advantage as sitting Sedona City Council vice-mayor to his favor. He brings his years of serving in that capacity into the fray and waged a solid fight in his campaign to make it to the run-off. Armstrong, however withstood a blistering smear campaign from the other opposing candidates and their supporters to make it to the final bout with 967 votes under her belt (30.73%), an amazing feat for a political newcomer. Unfortunately, for the other two candidates, Kurt Gehlbach and sitting mayor Sandy Moriarty, neither put up enough of a fight to make it to the championship bout. Read more→
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