Former Sedoana City Council- man Jerry Frey is back on the council.

Following three hours of interviews Friday, Dec. 4, in which Helen Knoll, Mike Ward and Frey were questioned, the council made its selection with a 4-2 vote.

Mayor Rob Adams and Vice Mayor Cliff Hamilton supported Knoll and voted against Frey.

Frey will serve the next six months of the seat John Bradshaw held before resigning at the end of October.

Frey said he decided not to run in the last council election so he could take care of his dying father. He is running for mayor in the Tuesday,

March 9, primary election.

He said the biggest item council needs to iron out is the 2010-2011 budget and hopes his past experience on council helps him.

He said the questions asked by council were not surprising, but added he was not sure if he would be appointed, since another candidate had gone through the process before and likely was well prepared.

At times, Frey became tongue tied during the council interview and attributed this to over-preparing, mentioning he had already seen the questions and knew his answers.

“I understand Sedona and realize what we are,” he said. “We are a tourist town.”

He also said the city survives on a 3 percent sales tax and another 3 percent for lodging and added there is no property tax for the city.

Frey previously served on council with council members Nancy Scagnelli and Pud Colquitt and Mayor Rob Adams and thinks their familiarity with him and his past knowledge were advantages in being appointed.

He informed council repeatedly if selected there would be no learning curve, and he could hit the ground running.

Frey also said he has no problem voting against the majority or against a special interest group if he thinks it is for the best. He added there will be times when he will walk into council meetings with a notion on how he will vote on a certain matter. He said discussions with council on other items will help with his vote.

When asked how he would help council to be more harmonized, Frey said it is not something he is concerned with, since each council member has his or her own opinion, and stressed there will be disagreements.

“That’s human nature. I live and die with Sedona,” he said.

Councilwoman Pud Colquitt said Frey’s experience was something she could not overlook when thinking about who should serve on council the next six months.

“It’s just his experience with the budget being the primary purpose,” she said. “We need someone with council and business experience.”

Adams said he thought Knoll would have been a wiser choice, and added she did an outstanding job during the interview process.

The mayor said Knoll has been extremely involved in issues affecting Sedona and knew what council must work on.

Another reason he supported Knoll over Frey was her previous job experience. She worked with the federal government for more than 20 years.

Michael Maresh can be reached at 282-7795, ext. 125, or e-mail mmaresh@larsonnewspapers.com