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    Welcome to the Other Sedona

    August 7, 2012No Comments6 Mins Read
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    By James Bishop, Jr.

    Thou shouldst eat to live; not live to eat
    —Cicero

    Sedona AZ (August 7, 2012) – Observing the mind-numbing presidential campaign and U.S. government inaction on the ailing economy isn’t time for citizens everywhere to actually think locally, act locally? On that score, greater Sedona is way ahead of the game. Known around the world as a Shangri-la for artists, tourists, and New Age high jinks what’s rarely celebrated is the fact that Sedona citizens “step up to the plate when asked,” asserts swarthy Vince Monaci. “This is a powerful community. I hear people say what do mean? Sedona people need a food bank, I don’t believe it. Believe it not, they do.”

    He should know. Since 1999, he’s been the executive director of the Sedona Food Bank located in the lower level of the Adventist Church at 680 Sunset Drive. From the four room headquarters free food was distributed to an average of 5342 households per week last year and that adds up to 185,350 pounds of food of all kinds. For the first six months of this year, 2938 households per week were recipients, 91,621 pounds of food distributed through June. No newspaper yet has reported that on last July 4th, two tons of food were handed out, one box per household, ten pounds per member of a household, up to eight people in a household. “These days we serve anybody and everybody,” states Monaci, 79, who first volunteered with the Sedona Food Bank in 1993 back when twenty-six households received food. “We thought that was a lot of people but as time went by we learned about the growing numbers of hungry people. We are free of government bureaucracy. When the need arises the community takes up our cause. When we need them, they are there. I enjoy my job.”

    When he talks of community he means financial donations (tax deductible) and food from Bashas, Safeway, Heartline Café, many others and churches such as Church of the Red Rocks where members recently collected more than 2,000 pounds of non-perishable food after pastors Ault and Cavedon put up a challenge. “We’d hoped for 1,000 pounds; unbelievable people around here.”

    Every so often Vince has moments he’ll never forget. When he recalls them, he’s been known to choke up. There were days in 2008, when the stock market was crashing when couple after coup, reliable donors in the past, arrived at the food bank, tears running down their checks, telling him they were hungry, they’d lost it all. Then there were the young people, newly married, who said they needed food. They were headed for Texas where friends awaited them. “Good luck,” said one of the bank’s phenomenal 29 volunteers. “We don’t have money for gas,” said the husband. Immediately, silently, a hat was passed, and soon the couple left town with enough money to make it to Texas. Then there was the woman who appeared as if she were a customer for a food box. Instead, from out of her purse she pulled four 100 dollar bills, saying “You saved me four years ago when I was hungry and on the ropes. I will never forget this food bank, and the volunteers here.” Neither will shut-ins who are provided food once a month or the needy children, referred by teachers at West Sedona or Big Park Schools, who receive 33 backpacks filled with food weekly. Meanwhile, volunteers have noted a change in some of the attitudes around Sedona toward citizens having trouble making ends meet. Many of the same people who felt that way now stand in line waiting for food with the people they once looked down upon.

    To be sure, the Sedona Food Bank remains a mystery to many people. “Public and official denial remains strong,” observes Harvey Grady, treasurer for the Verde Food Council aimed at facing the fact that in Sedona, and elsewhere in the Verde Valley and Arizona, hunger exists in these lands of abundance. All the while, for some of our leaders, existence of the need for a food bank is embarrassing. Not to Steven Benedict, however, the longtime local and legendary wilderness guide. “I was overwhelmed by my first visit there, packed as it was with an amazing diversity of people, yes packed with all ages, backgrounds, colors. I suddenly realized that hunger and poverty exist for many right here in our midst.”

    Not so surprising is news of the prevalence of hunger and poverty in the Verde Valley communities where incomes are dramatically lower than Sedonan. Indeed one out of four citizens is considered food insecure by the Verde Food Council For example, The Cornville Mission Food Bank, as reported by the Camp Verde Bugle, handed out food to 3,700 people, including 1000 children in one month. Also to be found are food banks and pantries in other valley communities-Camp Verde, Rimrock, Cottonwood, Beaver Creek.

    A frequent visitor to many of those dispensers of free food is the lady I’ll call Rose. A grandmother she has raised three kids all around the Valley, works odd jobs wherever there is work and was last seen checking out the Sedona Food Bank. Says she, “Nobody should go hungry around here yet many times I would have gone hungry if not for help with food and my kids would have too, without volunteers we all would have.” Like others when she gets paid she will usually make a donation to a food bank. “I am sort of paying forward for when I might be in need again someday.”

    When viewed from a distance, Sedona, and the Verde Valley are fortunate to have emergency food resources. Poverty and hunger increase together according to Harvey Grady, Throughout Arizona, as well, “hunger has risen dramatically since the 2008 recession that resulted in job losses, reduced work hours, lower wages etc. Now 30% of the people in food bank lines are working but unable to feed their family or themselves without assistance.”

    No doubt efforts are being made to urge schools to feed hungry kids and everyone to plant gardens so that food supplies are sustainable. As it is, most of Sedona’s food is imported from thousands of miles always, brought here on large trucks! What if war is fought over oil, and the wheels on those big trucks stop running?

    In the enduring words of screenwriter William Goldman, “nobody knows anything.” Hollywood was what he was referring, to. But the same could be said for greater Sedona. Sums up Vincent, “the people come and they tell me they never thought they’d have to stand in line for food. We thought we were set for the rest of our lives. It moves you. It brings you back down to earth. It happens. It is happening here.”

    By James Bishop, Jr. onetime Newsweek’s economics correspondent

    (Normal hours are Wednesdays 8:30 to noon, and by appointment on Mondays and Tuesdays in the morning—928.204.2808)

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    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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