Sedona City Council candidates were welcomed to the final election forum by Keep Sedona Beautiful President Barbara Litrell on Thursday, Feb. 7.

Voters jammed the seating area and stood in the hallways of KSB’s Pushmataha Center for their last chance to hear five council hopefuls together before the election on Tuesday, March 11.

By Susan Johnson

Larson Newspapers

Sedona City Council candidates were welcomed to the final election forum by Keep Sedona Beautiful President Barbara Litrell on Thursday, Feb. 7.

Voters jammed the seating area and stood in the hallways of KSB’s Pushmataha Center for their last chance to hear five council hopefuls together before the election on Tuesday, March 11.

Councilwoman Nancy Scagnelli and Councilman Ramon Gomez have two years left in their four-year terms, leaving four other seats open for council, in addition to the mayor’s seat.

Councilman Rob Adams’ term is up and he’s not seeking re-election, however, he is running for mayor against incumbent Pud Colquitt and first-time candidate Matthew Turner.

Incumbent Councilman John Bradshaw is running for re-election to a four-year council term while newcomers Suzanne Chaffee, Cliff Hamilton, Marc Sterling and Dan Surber are trying for seats vacated by Adams, Vice Mayor Jerry Frey and Councilman Harvey Stearn.

Surber is running unopposed for the only two-year council term.

Robyn Prud’homme-Bauer moderated the forum, allowing each candidate three minutes for their respective platforms, and a chance to answer questions posed by the audience.

While the prepared statements illuminated each candidate’s vision for the city, the questions and answers provided a preview of the dilemmas they may face.

Platforms

Native son Bradshaw’s goal, if elected, is to strengthen the community’s economy by attracting a broader base of industry and by helping existing businesses, particularly those adversely affected by Hwy. 179 Improvement Project construction.

He said his vision is for Sedona to become environmentally savvy.

The foundation of Chaffee’s campaign is National Scenic Area designation for Sedona.

Her vision is for the city to become the “green capital” of the world, becoming a model for other municipalities and attracting like-minded visitors from all over the world.

Hamilton asked the audience to consider the nuances between growth and progress and to seek creative and inexpensive ways of getting things done.

He said that he was affiliated with no special interest groups, a condition that he said allows him to be fair and balanced in his decision-making.

Children and money are Sterling’s mantra.

Sterling said the city should be run like a fiscally responsible business, and that a policy of long-term planning and accountability would allow proactive financial decisions rather than those that are fear-based and emotional.

Surber said he wants to make Sedona sustainable and believes his background serving on the city’s Housing Commission and his strong understanding of the community plan will be an asset in working toward that goal.

His goal is to strike a balance in all the diverse issues the city faces.

In the question-and-answer period, members of the audience asked candidates what they would do about several issues.

Barbara Antonsen

Memorial Park

A rustic, open-air bandshell has long occupied an overlook on Posse Ground Road. There is a proposal to build a larger enclosed structure, which is opposed by some neighbors.

“It’s an area where we have a school and a lot of public uses and we need to make sure we can control and enforce traffic issues, parking and noise,” Bradshaw said.

“The council agreed to limit the number of people that can attend and they should live up to that to minimize the impact on neighbors,” Chaffee said.

“We need to work with the neighbors to see if there’s a way to develop situations where agreements can be reached that speak to both sides without having winners and losers,” Hamilton said.

“We need to facilitate communication, look at the traffic and noise issues and also get a handle on concerns about the skate park,” Sterling said.

“The performance shell has been there for years, but there needs to be a balance as far as impact on the neighborhood,” Surber said.

Proposed Lomacasi Mall

A Phoenix developer plans a 170,000-square-foot mall and 800-car underground parking lot on an 8.8-acre plot, on Hwy. 89A in Oak Creek Canyon north of the city.

The property currently contains the Purtymun cabin which is considered architecturally and historically significant.

“This is the kind of problem that absolutely has to get fixed by putting in place a 20-year plan,” Bradshaw said.

“We need to be concerned about the effect the project will have on the quality of our water and on the erosion of the streambanks,” Chaffee said.

“The reality is that, even if we tell a developer what we want, if the zoning says they can, they can. We need to use the leverage we have with [the Arizona Department of Transportation] and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality,” Hamilton said.

“It would be great if we could take Sedona and create what we’d like it to look like, proactively, using form-based code,” Sterling said.

“We need to find a balance between private property rights and zoning and to provide public input to the Planning and Zoning Commission,” Surber said.

ADOT tree removal

Residents reported the bulldozing and chainsawing of dozens of trees in the state’s right of way by Arizona Department of Transportation.

“ADOT has dealt with Sedona long enough to know that we’re not going to just lie down and take it,” Bradshaw said.

“It’s our town and the removal of trees ought to be decided in the court of public opinion just like what happened when we saved the trees at Tlaquepaque,” Chaffee said.

“We tend to think that it’s a state highway so we can’t do anything about it. It may be their highway, but it’s our city street and this is where relationships come into play,” Hamilton said.

“I agree with John Bradshaw on this,” Sterling said.

“We need communication, participation and partnerships,” Surber said.

Susan Johnson can be reached at 282-7795, Ext. 129 or e-mail sjohnson@larsonnewspapers.com