Randy Crewse cares deeply about two things: his community and music. He has combined these two passions by using an AI program to create a song about an issue that he sees as critical for his hometown of Sedona, AZ.
“I live here, my family is here, I worked here, and I volunteer here,” he said. “A lot of what I love about Sedona is possible because of Home Rule.”
Randy is referring to Prop 400, a local government spending measure that goes before the City’s voters every four years and will be on the July 21 ballot. The Alternative Expenditure Limitation allows the city to control its own budget, balancing spending against actual revenue it receives from lodging and sales tax, which is mostly paid by the city’s estimated 3.5 million annual visitors. The city has no property tax on residents. Without Prop 400 passing, the city’s spending would be limited to an outdated state expenditure level, leaving approximately $70 million in untapped resources.
“I enjoy our new and expanded parks, my road is in great shape, and art, music and recreation programs are flourishing. Without Home Rule, funding for these things would not be available and my and my neighbors’ quality of life would diminish.”
To drive his point home, Randy started experimenting with an AI program that writes songs. He fed in the things he cares about, like the Community Library, the local Meals on Wheels Program, The Humane Society, public art and culture, trail upkeep, food assistance programs, and parks, and started working on a song. He shared what he had with some like-minded friends who made suggestions and added images and the result was exactly what Randy had hoped to achieve.
“This song and the visual slide track that goes with it are the result of community coming together, caring about and issue, and working together to share art and information. Nothing is more Sedona than that.”
NOTE: The song was produced with the help of AI. This back story was written by a 100% human about a 100% human.