By John Roberts, Sedona Resident
(June 21, 2018)
The 7/20 Red Rock News editorial by Christopher Fox Graham is headlined by ” Council, don’t listen to squeaky wheel NIMBYs “. Sounds good doesn’t it and it strikes home into the willing skeptics among us. But as a good solution to our traffic problems it is just about a zero. Graham has little education in highway/road/street design as far as I know so as an expert in the field that’s a gigantic and questionable assumption. As editor of one of our news media he does have license to voice his opinion just as does my aunt Tilly. My judgement as a past registered professional engineer in 3 states including Arizona is that they are close to being equals.
As the anointed funnel for the Chamber of Commerce for all chamber propaganda about tourism this news outlet is not unbiased and has never to my knowledge or recollection offered anything of technical value or related to engineering practices to expose the cause for our traffic problems. That includes the mostly unrelated nonsense in this editorial referenced above. Too bad their prejudice has been thrust upon a public audience which exists without much knowledge in the realm of the highway engineering profession.
No, Christopher Graham and Kyle Larson the only cause for our traffic situation is the tourist coming in hordes to drive through or stay in Sedona. The Chamber of Commerce ( good customers as they are for your paper ) is on a tear to get more of them to visit and bring their cars , trucks and vans to take up the road space we have available ( and shove us guys aside in so doing ). The terrain is not flat so normal traffic designs are not readily available for us like they are elsewhere in this nation. But to have spent hundreds of thousands of tax dollars for engineer consultations ( reports ) over the years and come up empty of engineering fixes, as the past councils have, must tell us the solution is not an engineering one. Which even though you don’t like it ( NEWS and Chamber ) leaves only the obvious. Too many tourists. So then intelligent hard nosed thinking has to lead us only in this direction which is to control the volume of tourist traffic and save us from becoming another tourist trap like Branson, MO. or Ruidoso, N.M..
The solution is not the almost entirely useless and wasteful Sedona in Motion concept being promoted by our city council and city staff. The only real solution will require much more than prejudiced decisions but rather a big bunch of compromising among all of us residents on how much tourism we will tolerate. We must have a new city council to reach this decision and the goal for containing traffic snarls.
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10 Comments
Well said.
Once Again, a wonderful assessment by one who actually understands.
Thank you Mr. Roberts
RJ
Right on, John!
Once paved, paradise cannot be unpaved. Additionally, Sedona In Motion is based on a ridiculously faulty online survey in which anyone could respond, even people who don’t live here.
Only three council candidates have said NO to more City sponsored tourist promotional advertising — Tony Tonsich for mayor, and Noelle Julian and Sam Tardio for council. Read my letter about that here:
Spot On John. Thank you for the clarity which seems to be evasive at times – and maybe that’s intended?
Well said, Sir. Residents who agree with these sentiments need to organize prior to the city election. Has such an effort begun?
I’m voting YES for Sedona Home Rule because I believe in making progress in Sedona for our community. Keeping the city’s budget and having them operate it, ensures the nonprofits I support will continue to be supported. Sedona Public Library, Meals on Wheels, Verde Valley Caregivers, Sedona Recycles and more, depend upon support from the city and we have community members depending upon them everyday. Join me in voting YES on Sedona Home Rule.
Change can be difficult and Sedona has seen a lot of it over the years. But, our city has a plan to help us moving forward with change, especially when it comes to traffic. We need Sedona Home Rule to pass in order to keep Sedona in motion. Traffic enhancements are planned and I’m looking forward to the benefits to our community. But, they won’t happen without Sedona Home Rule. Join me in voting YES for Sedona Home Rule and let’s keep Sedona moving!
The police department is vital to our community. If Sedona Home Rule doesn’t pass, the police department will have to cut 10-15 positions. Did you know they provide a resource officer at the Sedona Red Rock High School? If Home Rule fails, the school loses its officer. I’m not willing to put our students and their safety at risk on such a wide open campus. Join me in voting YES on Sedona Home Rule and let’s keep Sedona and our students safe!
steve segner always forgets to mention the $2,5 million the Sedona Chamber an Lodging Council will lose if home rule does not pass.
“Gresham’s law of virtue: phony virtue drives out the real thing. It’s partly mathematical – what the government steals cannot be donated – but it goes much deeper. The cynics—right about politics more often than anyone else—suggest good intentions often cloak a ruthless drive for votes, payola, and power.” Robert Gore, Straight line logic.
The $30 million Sedona in Motion plan has been said by city management ” If it only takes a few cars off the road it is worth it.” Really , $30 million for a few cars? Only someone in government could make such a statement. They always omit the over 50% of cars that do not stop in Sedona by their own survey.
I want to put residents first. It’s your money. Sedona was much better off before the City decided it could do everything better than residents.
Please help me take Sedona back, Vote No on Home Rule.
The city of Sedona’s budget includes about $2.5 million annually that is allocated to the Sedona Chamber of Commerce — an “outside agency”. Tens of thousands more dollars are paid out in other contracts to non-city organizations which provide a host of services. Most of these sums, however, appears to be doled out through political lobbying and patronage to certain favored organizations without competitive grants (awarded after judging by a panel of unbiased city staff members and by letting the public to weigh in).
A new unbiased city mayor and council members are desperately needed to develop an accountable and effective criteria (formula) for each contract made to fund outside agencies — to ensure they are awarded in a fair, transparent and accountable fashion. City leaders should recognize that certain programs or services are more necessary or important than others to the city taxpayers they serve. Awards to outside nonprofits should be based on competitive proposals by organizations who can demonstrate effectiveness and positive outcomes, and provide core services the city needs most as opposed to the status quo of entitlement.
To manage gridlock — it is time the city take a proactive approach to studying and adopting the most advanced and cost effective, flexible, expandable and proven traffic management technologies available on the market worldwide today, including cashless (wireless) toll booths, to manage Sedona’s traffic flow and to help mitigate growing air pollution caused by idling vehicles. It just makes sense that if non-residents had to pay tolls to use roads during peak traffic hours, the toll revenue could be used to fund road maintenance, road improvements, and to expand public transportation, bike trails and pedestrian bridges for a better quality of life for residents and visitors.
Tony Tonsich says:They always omit that over 50% of cars that do not stop in Sedona by their own survey. Exactly so the city and chamber are not flooding the town with cars! There just driving through.
Thanks Tony we have been saying that all along, we bring is two and three day hotel stays.
Thanks, Tony for proving our point, Sedona sits on two state hwy. And we need to get the traffic moving better and faster, the city has a plan and the money.
Tony want to stop it! WHY? He hates the chamber and city government and the library…. and all other community projects.
Tony uses the number 50% and 80% all the time either way he proves my point Sedona traffic is out of “the” control of the city and chamber, so lets manage it.
The yellow shirts have helped and Sedona in Motion will make traffic move faster and make the canyon safer.
The city manager showed that a NO on home rule will mean huge cuts to the police and all other departments.
Tony will not show us his no on home rule budget, why He is all talk no knowledge
steve Segner seems to forget the billboards paid for by Chamber advertising in Phoenix and Tucson, and the electronic signs and advertising in Phoenix hotels and airport. Those are exactly the actions that clog our roads with day trippers. Those are the things the Chamber agreed to stop, this summer only. Could it be they know their actions are bringing day trippers and want things to get better during our election?
It’s time to end the $2.5 million NO-Bid Chamber of Commerce and lodging council contract.
Sorry steve, the residents are getting aware of your scam.
Just a reminder, the Larsons, the owners of the Red Rock News, have been on the chamber board of directors for years. The Red Rock News also receives about $30,000 per year in advertising that could just be posted for free on the City website.
Does that look like a conflict of interest to you?