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    Home » Sedona Public Library Welcomes New Trustees
    Sedona Public Library

    Sedona Public Library Welcomes New Trustees

    June 20, 2014Updated:June 16, 2014No Comments5 Mins Read
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    logo_sedonapubliclibraryBy Pat Jansen, President, Sedona Public Library Board of Trustees

    Sedona AZ (June 20, 2014) – At the June 17, 2014, annual meeting of the Sedona Public Library (SPL) Board of Trustees, four new members were welcomed to the Board—each to begin a three-year term.  The volunteer Board of Trustees is responsible for administering the affairs of the Library, a private, non-profit organization that provides the services of a public library through contracts with local government.

    photo_patjansenThe following are some of the important duties that the Board executes:  1) Make and enforce all policies, rules, regulations, and bylaws necessary to administer and govern the SPL and all Library property.  2) Exercise and administer any trust declared or created for the Library.  3) Employ a Library Director, determine compensation, and empower the Director to administer the policies of the Board.  4) Authorize the sale or purchase of books, journals, publications, real estate, equipment, or other property or services of the Library.  5) Accept or reject donations to the Library.

    The FY2015 Board is pleased to welcome new members Steve Hunt, Stephen Schwartz, Eileen Sedacca, and Christina Tucker. Continuing their service on the Board this year are President Pat Jansen, Past President Anne Uruburu, Treasurer Abbie Denton Lander, Secretary Susan Sagahon, and Trustees Harvey Bershader, Cliff Hamilton, Gwen Hanna, Laura Lawrie, Paul Schwartz, and David Simmer.  Regretfully, James Williams is leaving the Board after serving for one year.  He is pursuing another opportunity in Boston. We thank him very much for his service to the Library and wish him well in his future endeavors. 

    Each of the new Trustees was asked to submit biographical information and to explain the reasons they volunteered to serve on the SPL Board. 

    Steve Hunt was born and raised on a large farm/cattle operation near Scottsbluff, a small rural town in the western panhandle of Nebraska. This formative experience instilled a strong independent work ethic that continues to this day. After graduating from Doane College with a BA in business administration/economics, he received an MBA from the University of Nebraska.

    Most of the first half of Steve’s business career was in various senior financial positions with GE and GE Capital. The latter half of his career involved CFO positions in a series of start-up, turnaround, and LBO businesses backed by private equity funds. After coming to Sedona in 2006, Steve obtained his broker’s license and co-founded a real estate firm where he remains active. Throughout his business career, Steve served on various corporate boards, both domestically and internationally, as well as several HOA boards. Steve stated that he is “pleased to be selected to join the SPL Board and looks forward to the opportunity to help make a difference for the Library and the Sedona community.”

    Eileen Sedacca has recently been involved in the non-profit environment as Field Operations Manager with the diabetes research organization JDRF. As a member of the development support staff, Eileen helped create a new program for administrative management in field locations, trained new staff, and provided the required assistance for improvement of internal audit controls. Eileen has participated in many endurance events, raising money for non-profit organizations to aid in the growth of valuable research dollars.

    Eileen’s mother was an avid reader, instilling her love of books in all of her children, and her father sold books to university and research libraries for 40 years. Eileen stated: “Libraries have always been a big part of my life, and I am excited to be a part of the Board of Trustees, bringing my personal and professional experiences to benefit the Library.”

    In explaining her interest in joining the Board, Christina Tucker stated: “I have always been motivated by a desire to act as a conduit for educational opportunities and information that would open up the world for people with a thirst for learning.” Christina worked at a land-grant university, and she also has extensive experience conducting programs for other audience ages and demographics.  She has found that providing positive public information through a variety of media and forums about topics such as water quality protection has been very gratifying.  

    Recently, Christina taught a writing class, The Passionate Writer, at OLLI to assist writers in finding their voice.  Christina adds, “I am active with the Oak Creek Watershed Council in my capacity as lead writer/editor for a 160-page book, soon to be published.  I have also been a city and county planner, housing commissioner, a silversmith, and a published poet.”

    Stephen Schwartz spent his first 35 years on the East Coast and has been a Sedona resident since 1993.  He has been practicing law since 1981 and has served on or been of counsel to numerous boards.  Stephen is one of the four founders of the import store Mexidona.  Stephen includes on his list of interests: seeing the dignity in every person, hiking with his dogs, meditating in the red rocks, sailing, diving and experiencing different cultures. 

    In stating his reasons for wanting to join the Board, Stephen emphasized the important role of libraries: “The convergence of information and media technologies offers libraries an opportunity to be much more than guardians of the word. Libraries can now become the vibrant core of communities having the ability to project all types of information to their patrons and serve as platforms through which communities can address needs such as job training, health, or education. Libraries can provide the forum through which public discourse takes place.” 

    The Board welcomes our new Trustees and looks forward to an exciting and productive year at the Sedona Public Library.

    Sedona Public Library is a private, 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, supported by donations and grants. Your tax-deductible donation may be sent to: Sedona Public Library, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, AZ 86336.

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    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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