With the mayoral election close to a month away on Tuesday, Nov. 8, the race between candidates Samaire Armstrong and Scott Jablow is a close one.
During the Primary Election on Aug. 2, the total mayoral votes tallied was 4,369, with Armstrong receiving 1,340 votes and Jablow, 1,492. Of the remaining votes, 801 were cast for incumbent Sandy Moriarty and 618 votes for Kurt Gehlbach with five write-ins.
Both runoff candidates campaign competitively, show up at local events, meet with residents and participate in local debates.
The main debate is scheduled Thursday, Oct. 6, between Armstrong and Jablow, sponsored and hosted by Larson Newspapers at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. During the debate, a panel of moderators will pose live questions the candidates have not seen and encourage back-and-forth discussion so that candidates can debate issues most vital to Sedona’s residents.
In addition to the debate, and weekly news stories featured in Sedona Red Rock News, Larson Newspapers General Manager Kyle Larson created the “After Press” podcast, which allows him to expand our brand of storytelling and delve into a subject matter more deeply.
“We are happy to announce our brand-new digital product,” Larson stated. “‘After Press’ is a local, high-quality podcast that will bring readers face-to-face with Sedona’s most interesting people. With this mayoral election, it just felt right.”
“After Press” initiated its first podcast last week with an in-depth interview with mayoral candidates Armstrong and Jablow. It can be accessed via YouTube, Spotify, of via our RSS feed in your favorite app. Links are available at linktr.ee/afterpress.
The purpose of the interview was to get to know the candidates in a personal one-on-one discussion about their backgrounds, careers, thoughts on leadership, how their lives’ journeys brought them to Sedona and their reasons for instituting change in a city they love.
During the podcast, Armstrong was asked about a life-changing moment she incurred as an actress and how she coped with living in the Hollywood bubble.
“There was a life-changing moment when I realized that the acting wasn’t just between ‘action’ and ‘cut,’” Armstrong said. “A large part of that industry was acting — you would have to act in your everyday life and I don’t like that feeling. I like being authentic. I like being real. I like when people are real with me.”
Throughout the interview, Armstrong discussed how she deals with public scrutiny, the teachings of being a Samurai Warrior and her purpose in campaigning for mayor. No matter the outcome, she feels she has already initiated changes in the community.
Jablow talked about his career as a police officer at John F. Kennedy International Airport for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. His most life-changing and emotional experiences happened during the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001.
“It was a trying time, but still to this day, 21 years later, it bothers me,” Jablow said. “I lost 37 friends, coworkers, people I knew. We lost one of every rank.”
Jablow discusses his New York roots, his role in bringing a steel girder from the World Trade Center to Sedona, the political landscape and his goals and being of service to the community.
While the podcast allows listeners to get to know the candidates more intimately, both felt it was a great moment to share their insights.
“I loved the opportunity to sit together as community members in our beloved city,” Armstrong stated. “The particularly lovely point of this podcast was the ability to share on a personal level who I am, to hopefully share some unique insights as to why I am running and how much the stewardship of this sacred land means to me, for our current era of community and for when the community is in our children’s hands.”
Jablow stated that having an interview like this is a new concept.
“I appreciate the opportunity to share my personal side instead of always focusing on political issues,” he said.
