By Henry Twombly
(August 23, 2018)
I am outraged by SRRN’s most recent editorial (8/22/18) and its article “News polls Sedona voters.” Once again the SRRN shows its true colors as a propaganda mouthpiece for the powers that be that seeks to manipulate public opinion. And again right before an election, it stoops so low one has to wonder about the paper’s objectivity and integrity. In the last election (2014) right before the vote, the SRRN editorial lambasted Cliff Hamilton with its version of fake news about him. The timing was such as to give Cliff no chance to respond to its false allegations. Once again its recent editorial does the same thing to Tony Tonsich. Nearly every paragraph begins with “Tonsich” did this. “Tonsich” does that. Again the editorial claims things that are wrong, facts that it couldn’t possibly know and/or that are extrapolated based on its biased opinions. Again the SRRN leaves Tony no time to respond…unless it is willing to publish his reply in Friday’s edition, which probably has already been formatted.
I am more upset by its more underhanded, insidious political ploy of its poll, because it’s a more subtle way of influencing public opinion. The SRRN surveys only 88 out of 10,000 plus residents and comes up with percentages, which are questionable due to such a small number of participants. It puts those results in a sidebar column with the article. These percentages just happen (coincidentally?) to show strong support for all its preferred candidates. (One has to ask if there was no such support for its candidates would the SRRN have published its poll. The strategy behind this poll ploy is that those who have yet to vote will see that most of the town (according to these questionable percentages) is voting for these candidates; and then these about-to-be voters will choose to vote the same way too. It’s a misuse of the standard obligations and probity of the press.
“While admittedly the point wasn’t to be the most scientific, we did take as many precautions as we could to make sure and get as wide of a survey group and result as possible.” My questions for SRRN General Manager Kyle Larson are then: What was the actual point; and What were the precautions that were taken. Furthermore “One of the challenges faced was finding enough people to actually take the survey,” he said. “Many simply didn’t want to be bothered.” SRRN did confirm that all 88 out of our 10,000 residents that were polled were residents of Sedona. But not the same can be said of its Facebook poll, where non-residents skewered the results in SRRN’s favor.
These polls and editorial show that the SRRN and the powers that be are afraid that they might lose the Home Rule vote and their support at City Hall. They are desperate to win. And as the saying goes, “Desperate times require desperate measures.” But I urge those who have yet to vote to see through this artifice and not let the SRRN pull the wool over your eyes.
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18 Comments
There is a line that gets crossed, that line is taste. When I see articles like this, I think this is more like the Red Rock Globe.
Too bad CFG leads the charge. There are some good people down there, we know they are biased but this was over the top.
Introduced a little movie today for those who could not attend our Town Halls. Enjoy
http://www.ArizonaInfo.us
Thank you Henry and Mike.
I believe that the voters can see through the obvious actions of the cabal and The Red Rock Fake News. The RRFN only motivation is to keep unearned City money, which is YOUR money. The City pays the Red Rock Fake News about $30,000 for notices and Ads than can be posted for free on the City website. That long with the Publisher of the RRFN being on the board of the Sedona Chamber and you have some serious conflicts of interest.
Oh, please, Henry, you are perennially “outraged” by simply everything. Fact of the matter is that you and your crew of hateful Haters just love being “outraged,” love to call everyone Fakes, and just want to destroy, destroy, destroy. Mr. Tonisch continually displays his ignorance, including his inability to understand basic accounting and, in his statement above about ads in the RRN, inability to understand that Az law requires many ads to be placed in the newspaper by the Arizona Legislature. Is this an outdated law that is costly to the taxpayers? Yes, but it’s the law and if Mr. Tonisch put as much energy into educating himself about … well, everything … as he does to making hateful and ignorant accusations, he might possibly be a viable candidate. If he weren’t so mean and defamatory, that is.
I’m no fan of the RRN or CFG but these editorials are right. Sorry, but cutting the city budget in half and pulling all money from the Chamber are going to help Sedona get better. The mean spiritedness of the Az Liberty faction is a real turn-off.
It’s a valuable evolutionary adaptation, this ability to tell when someone’s pissing on your foot and calling it a rainstorm.
To quote V. Carter above ” Sorry, but cutting the city budget in half and pulling all money from the Chamber are going to help Sedona get better. ”
The truth always gets out. Even if they don’t mean it to. That is the thing about lies, they are always found out.
NO on Home Rule, as V. Carter mentions above. No to All incumbents an ex government workers.
There have been threatening phone calls from blocked numbers to women who openly oppose the cabal and Home Rule. The cowards have not called me, my phone number is public record. Cowards and bullies don’t like those who might show them for what they are.
Steve Segner wrote me “getting elected it getting people to vote for you , you have gone after everyone.” Yea the bullies don’t like it when you call them out. They say, please, play nice, when they never do.
I met with someone today whose wife was threatened not to be against home rule, or her job would be in jeopardy.
I received a letter from a long time Sedona resident, they did not want to lose the town they love. I asked if I could use it and their name. They said no, they did not want repercussions.
I’ll admit, I’m not a politician. I never wanted to be one. I was asked if I had a warm and fuzzy side, very very few will ever see it.
If you want a tough leader to stand up to the bullies, the Sedona Mafia, those that make veiled and not so veiled threats, those that lie, those that write false editorials, well, sometimes you need someone tougher than the bullies.
I have far more pleasurable things to do than be mayor. I do have a very particular skill set. It may be of use to Sedona at this time. I’m running because I fell in love with Sedona.
It’s your choice. But as you have seen, the bullies ruining our home and those taking your lunch money do not play nice.
“I was asked if I had a warm and fuzzy side, very very few will ever see it…I have far more pleasurable things to do than be mayor. I do have a very particular skill set.” says Tony T.
From all you’ve written in the past, it seems your primary skill set includes black-and white thinking (it doesn’t allow you to consider all aspects of a situation or others opinions and concerns), anger (at anyone who doesn’t agree with you or may not like you), schoolboy sarcasm (“I ate bacon this morning in your honor brave Mr. Bacon”) and hyperbole (”Sedona Mafia”, “Cabal”).
You obviously you have an interest in being Mayor. However, you may not enjoy the work or the time it takes. And, it certainly doesn’t seem you have the demeanor for the job.
@Max Bacon
Use your real name if you expect any respect. If choosing a alias like ” Max Bacon ” is not schoolboy, I don’t know what is.
“includes black-and white thinking” do you mean like Justin Clifton’s “Sedona is a tourist town” and “Traffic is our destiny.”
Do you want me to consider the Sedona Chamber’s position? I have, it is unfair to the residents and not deserving of further consideration or compromise.
I will work for the residents, not for the city staff or the chamber as does most of the current council.
Oh…I forgot to mention the disgusting, vile, irrational email you sent to Kyle Larsen at the Red Rock News:
You should be proud. You’re a real class act Tony T.
If Kyle Larson and Christopher Fox Graham are a couple, it would explain a lot. A rumor going around town is they are. There are a lot of really happy same sex couples. They just should not let their personal relationship get in the way of running the newspaper. There still has to be a degree of professionalism which was sorely missing from Chrissy’s recent editorial.
I wish every couple happiness, even them.
Wow Tony, give you a shovel and you dig a hole …. You are a terrible candidate and they called you on it. That’s there job,
The Sedona cabal’s fear is showing.
Steve, you want taxpayers in Sedona to use their shovel and dig for your benefit. You, the chamber, the City and the Sedona Red Rock Fake news don’t like the truth getting out or people having a choice.
We shall know tomorrow the will of informed voters. I’ll be happy that they had the right to make a choice.
hope you have a big family
Permanent Base Adjustment is the Only Choice. If the public defeats Home Rule, tomorrow, remember we must go through this nonsense every 4 years, then PBA rules and with the way it’s set up we will NEVER have to vote on Home Rule again. NEVER.
There are cities in Arizona right now that are voting in November for a PBA and Home Rule is still in effect for two years in their cities. In two years, their Home Rule will expire and they will not have to ever vote on it again because their PBA auto increases with population and inflation.
How do you think Surprise Arizona got a PBA expenditure level of 1 Billion dollars? That’s the one thing that Scott Jablow stated on council on June 26th that was correct, but he had no clue how they got there. They could not do that number today. In 2008 they had a council and a voter base who understood and got off the HOME RULE drug by adjusting their Permanent Base. Our 2008 moment is TOMORROW, August 28th and then November 6th. Are we smart enough to recognize it?
In Sedona, the greed of certain business groups, the huge salaries of some city workers, and the fear of loss of the city grants to many has frozen the brains of common sense.
People are so scared about an immediate loss, (that won’t happen by the way…we fixed that despite the city’s illegal actions against the ballot initiative), it prevents them from using their head in planning for the city’s financial future. This has created a total lack of vision and abandons fiscal responsibility.
I seriously doubt that anyone voting to maintain the nonsense of Home Rule when an option is there to eliminate it have EVER had to run a real business with $5 million or more in revenue and expenses. I think not. 19 Cities in Arizona have figured it out.
We will see tomorrow how many people “get it” or are stuck in the here and now and want to wade through this nightmare again in 4 years.
So why is every city in Arizona that uses PBA number larger then there current budget? in some cases by 200%
But not the Sedona Tea Party PBA number ? Voters are not dumb.
“So why is every city in Arizona that uses PBA number larger then there current budget? in some cases by 200%”
The most obvious reason is Sedona budgets and spends far more than it should. The $2.5 million to the Chamber for example.
So if the state gave sedona $3,000,000 in matching grants to work on roads you would say NO.
Tony, under your plan Sedona will have no money for matching grants. Tony how can Sedona be over spending, if you will not show us you plan on saving 15,000,000?
if Sedona spent $33,814,641 in 2007 and 33,968,013 in 2017 10 years later just how are they over spending? with inflation it should be closer to $ 50,000,000 You see Tony just does not know his numbers ….. all he knows is hate the chamber kill the chamber and kill the city at the same time …
$33,814,641 in 2007
$33,968,013 in 2017
Not fake news or fake numbers
Steve,
Just like Goebbels you believe if you tell the lie often enough people will believe it. Your numbers are fake Steve, just like the BS in the Red Rock Fake News.
Tomorrow will give the voters a chance to vote on what they believe is the truth.
They will make their choice.
I doubt at this stage any informed voter believes you or the Red Rock Fake News. Truth matters Steve.
Tony
show us the lie, what in my post is not true?