By Joseph Rittenhouse
The knives are out, thirsty for the future of Sedona Mayor Scott Jablow, who stands ready to be hung for the mortal sin he allegedly committed by not following the rules—by talking directly to staff rather than through the city council concerning the erection of state-of-the-art automated license plate readers throughout Sedona.
People are already calling for his resignation while a local newspaper prepares to fillet his political career over the alleged infractions and accusations that the mayor is somewhat power-mad and guilty of harassing staff department directors and heads.
Under Title 2 of the Sedona City Code, elected officials are not supposed to talk to staff, and staff can only be given direction by the council during sessions. Jablow stands accused of violating that code by communicating directly with staff.
Let us ask ourselves: does that warrant censure or expulsion? Could it be that in his eagerness to protect the city, especially through his support of the ALPRs, he crossed the lines? Or maybe it’s because his office is in the same building as all the other departments, creating a sense of camaraderie and friendship that blurs official lines.
And look at the city. Is it falling apart? Are we in a crime wave? Are council meetings free-for-alls?
On the contrary, the city is moving smoothly, is well represented throughout the state, is crime-free, is clean, and is well managed.
Aside from his desire to be involved in everything, Jablow has done well in his role as mayor and should only be reprimanded rather than disciplined, censured, or removed from office. Perhaps his office could be moved to another building to keep things on a professional level?
If anything, it’s a lesson well learned, and we can be sure Jablow will stay within the lanes now and in the future.
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2 Comments
The city has been miss managed for years. A “clique” of city officials have worked around proper channels to manipulate and promote unpopular programs such as “safe parking”. It is time to clean house and get elected officials who listen to the tax paying residents, not their own personal political agendas.
With all due respect for Scott, he was part of the council that voted to buy the Cultural Park for $23 million, between the time the Public voted for 3 new council members and the time they were seated. The new council members never had a say.
And he had an issue with our police chief, and possibly still does.
Let’s hope things change. He’s our mayor for another roughly a year.