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    Home » Letter to the Editor: Electioneering, Can’t Keep It Positive
    Election Coverage

    Letter to the Editor:
    Electioneering, Can’t Keep It Positive

    August 13, 20141 Comment2 Mins Read
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    logo_lettereditorBy Mike Schroeder
    (August 13, 2014)

    It is a shame that the political season brings the worst out of normally good people. The back stabbing, the slanderous comments, the lifting of words out of context all to get YOUR person elected. The voters need to pull the curtain back and see who is pulling the levers. Always a good practice is to “follow the money”. When you do that, the dirt in politics and the people pushing the dirt becomes apparent.

    You would think Sedona would be above that, but the emails I have seen about the plotting and character assignation are hard to believe in our little town of 9000+. OK…so what can YOU the voter do? How about this. Send a message. If someone is running a negative ad, tearing someone down, then vote for the other person. That’s pretty easy for a start.

    You could also actually listen to a plan, a fiscally responsible plan, a TRANSPARENT process that makes sense and is good for the community. Maybe it is time to stop the “What’s in it for me” and focus on people that will provide accountability. Creating a fiscally sound city with good management is the structure that attracts quality residents, young residents that will provide the needed energy to our city.

    Our tourism industry is important, but the solid infrastructure people are looking for to make this their home is probably a tad more important for the long term. If you are seeing the negative ads, look behind the curtain. I suspect you will see something you do not like.

    No plug for any candidate in this letter, although you will see comments I have made lifted out of context. So you be the judge; it’s our town, who do you want running it?

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    Sedona.biz Staff

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    1 Comment

    1. J. Rick Normand on August 18, 2014 9:39 am

      Let’s really keep this upcoming Mayoral/Council election positive by dealing in specific truths instead of generalities and tactical camouflage discussion topics. Should not, and would not, all honest candidates be willing to answer these questions immediately? Who, if any, will evade answering these critical questions?

      1] Do you support or oppose Home Rule? If you support it, please explain why reduction of the City’s estimated annual budget by 26% is a bad idea considering what that really means is that the City would be forced to put approximately $9 million dollars a year into a rainy day fund in light of the incontrovertible fact that the U.S., AZ, and local economies are in a state of serious decline with no evidence of a turn around on the horizon?

      2] Do you support or oppose awarding the City’s Destination Marketing contract to the Chamber of Commerce without requiring that it be done so through a competitive bidding process to assure the best potential players, such as Roger Brooks International or Total Destination Marketing, get fair consideration at the lowest price?

      3] Do you support or oppose the beneficial financial support, with City treasury money from sales/bed taxes, of non-City of Sedona Chamber members such as the Hilton and Enchantment hotels?

      4] Can you explain what the City’s revenue sources will be should the City’s tourist generated tax revenues significantly decline in the near future?

      5] Would you support or oppose property taxes to supplement revenue if Home Rule is voted in again?

      6] Would you support or oppose designation of the City of Sedona as an immigration “sanctuary” city?

    Paid Political Ad Paid For by Samaire for Mayor
    Paid Political Ad for Samaire Armstrong
    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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