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    Home » Sedona City Talk: Councilor John Martinez
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    Sedona City Talk: Councilor John Martinez

    March 31, 2013No Comments5 Mins Read
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    By Sedona City Councilor John Martinez
    (March 31, 2013)

    An American Hero

    City of Sedona ArizonaThis article highlights the Veterans History Project – the national project to document the wartime contributions of civilian volunteers, support staff, and war industry workers, as well as the experiences of military personnel from all ranks and branches of service: Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, US Coast Guard, and the Merchant Marines.

    Nineteen million war veterans currently live in the United States, and every day we lose approximately 1,600 of them. Motivated by the urgent need to collect the stories and experiences of those veterans while they are still among us, the United States Congress created the Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress. The Sedona Public Library is the only official partner of this great project north of Prescott in AZ. This is an on-going project, not a one-time task, and it is estimated that there are 29,000 veterans living in the Verde Valley who are qualified to contribute. As of this writing 192 have volunteered to tell their story, and we look forward to the contributions of many more.

    Do you know of anyone who contributed to the war effort in World War II or the Korean Conflict? At this time, the greatest need is for interviews revolving around those who participated or contributed in those wars. Personally, I am in awe of them and would love to hear their stories.

    On December 7, 1941 when Pearl Harbor was attacked, it became irrefutable that America was not a fortress – not isolated from what was happening in the rest of the world. That day changed the lives of all who heard the radio broadcast – the news that electrified the nation and called this generation to train for War. These men and women came of age during the Great Depression, when economic despair hovered over the land like a plague. Now the nation turned to those same young people to carry the heaviest war burden, to fight in enemy territory, and keep the home front secure and productive. And they valiantly answered the call to help save the world from the two most powerful and ruthless military machines ever assembled.

    Tom Brokaw stated in his bestselling book The Greatest Generation that “they faced great odds and a late start, but they did not protest. The U.S. government asked of them extraordinary service, sacrifice and heroics. At a time when their days and nights should have been filled with innocent adventure, love and lessons of the workaday world they were fighting, often hand to hand in the most primitive conditions.” New branches of the service were formed to get women into uniform, working at tasks that would free men for combat. Other women went to work in the laboratories and in the factories, and besides building ships, planes, and tanks, they raised their families. It was a critical time in the shaping of this nation, and I am honored to say that my uncles Louie and Frank, and my dad John Sr. (USS Hector) fought in WWII. My mother-in-law Ruth also contributed by becoming a “Rosie-the-Riveter” at the Lockheed Aircraft Plant in Burbank, California, building the B-17 bomber. Other uncles Marcello and Frank, as well as my childhood next-door neighbor, fought in the Korean Conflict.

    When the war ended, more than twelve million men and women put their uniforms aside and returned to civilian life. Their service was not widely recognized outside of their immediate families or communities, but they were proud of what they had accomplished. They rarely discussed their experiences, even with each other, but their legacy remains. That is why the Veterans History Project was created – to help us all remember.

    The Veteran’s History Project, sponsored by The Sedona Public Library is also interested in documenting veterans that participated in the Vietnam, Grenada, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The interviews cover five areas: Biographical details of the Veteran, Early days of Service, Wartime Service, Life Following Separation from Service, and Reflections by the Veteran on Service. It is the goal of the Sedona Public Library “that every veteran not to be forgotten,” and no preconceived judgments or expectations will be made during the interview. After the completion of the interview, the veteran will receive a DVD in a format that can be played on DVD player or computer. A second copy of the DVD is sent to the Library of Congress for preservation as part of our nation’s history. To learn more, and to see and hear some of the thousands of interviews that have been collected nationwide, log on to www.loc.gov/vets. If you are interested in an interview for yourself or to refer a local veteran, please contact: Jolene Pierson, Sedona Veterans History Project Chairperson: by phone at (928) 282-7999, or jpierson@commspeed.net.

    Knowing that this and future generations of Americans (just ask Emma Keider, SRRHS) have much to learn from those who have served, the United States Library of Congress and the Sedona Public Library have embraced this project. The Sedona Rotary Club currently funds this project and tax-deductible donations to support the Veterans History Project can be made to the Sedona Public Library.

    The Veterans History Project will be hosting the first of a series of Coffee with a Vet events, which started on Monday, March 25 from 10 a.m. to noon in the Si Birch Community Room at the Sedona Public Library. Everyone is invited to come in for free coffee and to meet and chat with local veterans. The second event will be at the same time and place on Friday, April 12. Volunteer members of the Veterans History Project will be available both days to answer questions about the project and to schedule interviews of interested veterans.

    The views that I have expressed are my personal opinions and not necessarily the opinions or positions of the city of Sedona or the City Council.

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    Paid Political Ad Paid For by Samaire for Mayor
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     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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