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    Home » Sedona Election Questions
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    Sedona Election Questions

    January 9, 20221 Comment3 Mins Read
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    By Tommy Acosta

    Sedona News: A Sedona.biz reader recently posted a comment on my last article “In Sedona The Only Way Out Is In.”

    Sedona NewsShe raised a question on how candidates in the coming City elections would handle the pandemic crisis, if elected and had the right to make mandates.

    I found that question intriguing. What if the governor indeed gave the right to issue mandates to municipalities in Arizona?

    That got me thinking as to what questions I would ask the council candidates.  Questions whose answers might spell life or death to the Sedona we still have.

    Whipping out my reporter’s notepad, my first question would be for the mayoral candidates.

     “If you had the power, would you issue a mask mandate in Sedona, if things continue along the present Covid variant path” I would ask?

    My next question would be: “If you had the right, would you issue a vaccination mandate requiring a vaccine passport to enter businesses, restaurants, etc., in Sedona?

    My last question along this line would be: “If things got worse, would you mandate a lock-down?”

    The answers to these questions would reveal where the mayoral candidates stand on this extremely important issue, where not just the lives of citizen are at stake but the future of Sedona as well.

    For the other council candidates, I would ask that if they had to power to rule over Airbnbs, would they (a) leave Airbnbs as they are; (b) make them illegal; or (c) regulate the daylights out of them?

    I would ask if they oppose or support destination marketing and if they support funding the chamber.

    The way they answer the Airbnb, destination marketing and funding the chamber question would reveal how far ahead the candidates can think and their ability to separate wheat from the chaff.

    I know. Some might question what’s the use asking what a candidate’s position might be on Covid mandates since the city has no rights, presently, to issue any. But things can change in the future. One never knows.

    Also, the answers to the mandate questions, whether a candidate would do so if they had the right, reveal a lot about the character of that candidate and the belief systems they operate under; whether they would be willing to shut down the city if they felt it necessary. Or resist any effort or temptation to do so.

    It’s a long way to the August 2022 elections and anything can happen between then and now. Who knows what new variants are lurking out there ready to spawn more misery upon the world.

    Maybe Amicron is the virus’s last gasp. Perhaps that is why it’s not as deadly as its predecessors. Maybe it has realized, if it has a survival instinct as some postulate, that killing its host is less favorable than keeping it alive as a forever food and shelter source.

    I want to know where the council candidates stand on the above raised questions, to better prepare my support or opposition to their election. I hope to maintain Sedona.biz as a platform for citizens and candidates to express their views as we head into the elections, without fear of retribution.

    Of course we will cover where the candidates stand on traffic, transit, affordable housing, homelessness, etc. But all these are secondary to the main question on how they will handle the pandemic.

    I won’t say where I stand on any of the questions I aforementioned. The only certainty is that I will maintain a fair stance and report the news as honestly as I can.

     

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    1 Comment

    1. Michael on January 10, 2022 11:56 am

      As a candidate, my answer would be that, since history has shown that mandates don’t work, I would not use that fear-based control technique on a free people. Research has shown that this virus has a 99.5+% recovery rate for people under 70, and I believe that free-thinking adults are fully capable of caring for themselves and I honor their choice. This same research has shown a 95-96% recovery rate for those over 70, and I honor how they choose to care for themselves as well. We do need to care for the at-risk groups, but this does not demand an artificial mandate for all. In regards to the Airbnb’s, I believe that Homeowner Associations should get the pulse of their residents and honor that environment. If the majority of residents do not want Airbnbs in their neighborhood, then that should be honored. For areas that do not have an active Homeowners Association (lucky them!), then a meeting of the minds would benefit that community and should be honored. It will also need to be honored by real estate agents, who are the front-line of defense in educating their buyers and managing their expectations.

    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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