Information & Perspective by Warren Woodward
(June 17, 2018)
I was recently forwarded responses to a question that a resident asked all candidates for Sedona City Council. In response (or by not responding) to one simple question, the candidates revealed much about themselves that should help voters in determining for whom to vote in the election coming up on August 28th.
The question emailed to all candidates was this:
Hi, I see you are running for Sedona City Council. In order to help me make an informed decision, I would appreciate your answer to the following question. I know all the reasons both for and against, so please answer just YES or NO. If elected, would you support the City’s long standing practice of financially supporting promotional advertising for Sedona tourism?
This is an advertisement
8 Comments
This is a PS to my letter to the editor.
Candidate Janice Hudson contacted me today to inform me that she never received any email questions. After I sent her a date stamped copy of one of them showing that it in fact had been sent and to the correct address, she responded to the sender with the email below and Cc’d me.
Ms. Carmella, I have been sent a copy of your email of May 22 by Mr. Woodward. It is my understanding that you sent this email and a follow-up email to jhowes3309@gmail.com. I wanted to let you know that I have searched that email, including spam, as well as my campaign email, janiceforsedona@gmail.com, including spam, and nothing with your email address is showing up in my email system. I do not know why your emails did not arrive.
I have responded to all resident requests that I have received within a very short period of time and, I can assure you that, had I received your emails, I would have responded to you in a timely fashion as well.
Now that I am in possession of your original email and you wanted a simple “yes” or “no” response, my answer is “yes”. If you would like to discuss my reasoning for this answer, or you have questions regarding any other issue, please feel free to contact me at janiceforsedona@gmail.com or, given our recent email problems, please feel free to call me at (928) 301-2120.
Janice Howes Hudson
Thanks Warren for this most informative post. Now I know who I’ll be voting for as well!
Politicians: Put nothing in writing…
FYI
I wrote the current council only on 6-14-18 on 2 issues and as of 6-18-18 only 2 replies.
The responses and lack thereof will help me to decide who to vote for.
In the SRRN the editorials brought up beekeeping and chickens in backyards in Sedona last week. News to me – so I contacted council.
In part I wrote are bees allowed __yes __no (that’s easy, but 2 almost answers)
Plus is the City, etc ready to deal with attacks
and more
In part I wrote are chickens are allowed __yes __no (again easy)
I stated what other towns are doing – cage distance to property line, number of chickens allowed, one town number allowed per total lot size …….
Scott Jablow “…you raise some points I have not seen.” (nothing else)
John Martinez “…you are exaggerating the facts.” (nothing else)
…..no other replies from our leaders.
Warren So you’re asking people running for office in a city that is 70% funded by visitors to stop funding the engine that drives the economy, is that correct , wouldn’t it be better to ask all the candidates how they feel about home rule ? No on home rule will virtually bankrupt the city and stop all city services.
Azelections18.com for facts.
Don’t you think that a city Council should represent the visitors the residence and the large merchant class that have made huge monetary investments and their employees that work and Sedona ?
Warren attacking the chamber, attacking tourist,is not the answer the answer is supporting the councils new Sedona in motion the $30 million project to work on the roads you knew when you moved here this was a tourist town .
Sedona sits on two state highways, one hundred miles from the Grand Canyon 8, miles from the busiest state park, Slide rock.
Warren ,we need solutions for managing traffic not shutting down tourism. Tourist will come,Traffic is in our future., the chamber works on slow periods ,Summer winter and bringing upscale visitors from out of state for longer stays , visitors and yes even daytrippers drive or engine they pay our bills
Warren if you want to get mad about traffic then I think you should contact our governor he’s the one that forced through SB 1350 it filled up Sedona with more than 1000 new nightly rentals
Warren ,Sedona has tens of millions of dollars in back logged project that it doesn’t have funding for, the city of Sedona has had double digit tax growth the last five years, we should all be thankful for our strong
economy and the visitors to make it happen .
I ask all the readers to keep in mind that all the city management projections of shutting down the city are made on an almost $50 million projected budget. This when the city’s normal budget is $35-36 million. Segner and city staff squeal, “Oh no we will have to cut everything !!” In fact what will be cut is excessive city staff and the $2.5 million the chamber gets every year, of which Segner benefits.
When someone argument is based on false numbers, you can dismiss it immediately.
You see the traffic from day trippers making you a prisoner in your own home. It started about the same time the city started gifting the chamber the annual $2.5 million.
Your vote of NO on Home Rule and a new city council can change things.
Steve Segner is flim-flamming us us when he says the City “is 70% funded by visitors.” The SEDONA COMMUNITY REPORT SPRING 2018 states under Sedona Facts: “FY 2017 city revenues generated by sales & bed taxes . . . .57%, two-third of which is paid by visitors.” Two-thirds of 57% is 38%.
Stevie, stick to the facts. 38% of the City is funded by visitors, not 70%.
T party Tony said:
I ask all the readers to keep in mind that all the city management projections of shutting down the city are made on an almost $50 million projected budget.
Tony any way you cut it the new number will under $13,000,000 Fact,
funding police and waste water you will have $1,500,000 or less to run the city!
Facts… What is your budget….. For get the 38 or 50 million budget that paves roads and fixes roads, gone….for Get the saving by firing all the staff and cutting the chamber…
You will still only have $1,500,000 or less….and That will not cover severance packages for all the city employees…
All city services will stop….
The is “T” part starve them
Tony please show us how you will run the city with $1,500,000 happy to meet you any time let do the numbers at the Library you want to De fund