For most, 2020 is a year they’d rather forget. But now that the new year is here, there may be hope for optimism, including among those on the Sedona City Council.

Each of the seven current members of council, as well as the two who chose not to seek re-election this year, were asked to give their personal opinions on 2020 and the struggles, and in some cases accomplishments, that came with it as a council and city.

■ Mayor Sandy Moriarty: “The year 2020 will go down in history as unique and chal­lenging in many ways for all of us. It has been a year of great loss, due to a pandemic the likes of which we have not seen in our lifetimes. It has forced us to think about our lives differ­ently, changed our behavior and habits and taught us lessons we may not have otherwise learned. Challenges often bring innovation, as well as other unexpected consequences, and there are always silver linings.

“Because the pandemic hit when we were about to create our annual budget, we naturally anticipated some significant loss of revenue, but it seems that once the stay-at-home order was lifted, everyone wanted to come to Sedona to escape the density of big cities and take advantage of the many outdoor activities offered here. Some also wanted to live in a smaller town, so real estate prices and rents have escalated. Because we have planned and budgeted conservatively and have larger reserves than many cities, we have not had to lay off any employees, and hope to be able to continue to operate as planned and without severe budget cuts in 2021 while still taking a conservative approach.

“With vaccines on the horizon by mid-2021 for most of those who want them on a voluntary basis, and front-line workers beginning to receive them now, we should be doing well by the end of next year.”

■ Vice Mayor Scott Jablow: “Every year during my tenure on the City Council has been challenging on some level; 2020 proved to eclipse all others. Of course, the pandemic caused the most distress to our residents and businesses.

“While some think that we are just a small retirement town, many of our residents are also local business owners who have built their businesses from the ground up to cater to tourists, our main economic driver. With the drastic decline of tourism, several businesses, some in place for decades, have closed their doors. It’s sad to know that we have lost two very long-established restaurants and even an ATV company; hopefully, we won’t lose any others.”

■ Councilman Tom Lamkin: “For Sedona, the year 2020 has seen many challenges, both large and small. Some of them are fairly constant such as citizens’ concerns with traffic, tourism impacts, short-term rentals, noise, pool hours and others. City council continues to monitor, assess and act in ways that it feels serve the people in the best way possible while remaining fiscally respon­sible to maximize the resources available to it.

“In 2020, a new issue emerged in the form of a pandemic that affected all areas of Sedona. It was a year of political change locally, statewide and nation­ally. It was a year in which social injustice and racism became more recognized. It was a year of unprecedented unemployment and financial crisis for many. It was a year that sadly seems to have caused great divisiveness in the hearts of the people of Sedona and caused a rift in the spiritual fabric of our community. It was a year of separation, illness and death for many. It was a year of issues that cannot be addressed by council, because while poli­cies can be passed to define socially desired behavior, they cannot change hearts. It cannot eliminate racism. It cannot eliminate pandemics.”

■ Councilman Bill Chisholm: “The largest chal­lenge we dealt with in 2020 was related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This issue not only impacted the public health and safety of our community, but also impacted our business owners, employees, annual small grant distributions and city staff positions, among others. Over the course of the year, we attempted to react to ‘then current’ science-based information in an effort to minimize, within our legal authority, the negative impacts of COVID-19 on the various segments of our community.

“During this election year members of our community exercised their First Amendment rights across several themes e.g., political party agendas, civil liberty concerns, public health concerns and climate change views to name a few. From my perspective these were conducted in a civil and peaceful manner. I am grateful that our community is one where we can have vigorous debate without criminal behavior that has plagued some other U.S. cities.

“We made significant prog­ress with our Sedona In Motion program by completing the Uptown improvements initia­tive, facilitated several key land acquisitions and approved addi­tional multi-use path segments within the city.”

■ Councilwoman Jessica Williamson: “March 2020 brought us face-to-face with a worldwide pandemic that we could not wish away or brush aside. And 10 months later, we’re in the midst of the predicted second wave, which has hit Arizona particularly hard. Steps taken to slow the spread and make sure our health care system wasn’t overwhelmed … revealed unexpected divisions in the community over what is a public health emergency. The virus was sucked into the destructive politics we’re living with, dovetailing all too conveniently with the fervent messaging of the presidential election.

“The year was full of COVID-related challenges. We needed to approve a budget for the coming fiscal year without knowing what our revenues would be: The city relies on tourist dollars and it was unclear how tourism would be affected. The city had to re-tool its oper­ations to meet safety protocols, and businesses were faced with temporary closures and opera­tional mandates that threatened their financial stability.”

■ Councilwoman Holli Ploog: “We can be proud and grateful for the many acts of kindness and compassion in Sedona which contributed to a spirit of community. Residents sewing masks and gowns for health care and essen­tial workers without protec­tive equipment; expanded volunteerism; increased financial donations to local nonprofits; outreach to isolated

individuals; and books for chil­dren at home when libraries were inaccessible. These are a few examples of Sedona’s heart and generosity.

“One vulnerability that became more obvious during the pandemic, as many educational institutions and businesses began operating remotely, is the lack of reliable internet service in some parts of our region.

“Students with internet access have the greatest opportunity to achieve their full potential while students with little or no access will be left behind. Lack of accessible and affordable internet service should not be an obstacle to learning or for real­izing economic advancement.”

n Councilwoman Kathy Kinsella: “In spite of the diffi­culties, there have been bright spots. The most amazing of those is the spirit of volun­teerism and support that shined through. Our community came together and made masks and gowns, supported programs to fight food insecurity and reached out to each other to provide all sorts of help, wher­ever it was needed.

“One of the specific hurdles we faced in these pandemic times has been communication. We struggled with when and how to meet in person and the limitations of technology that allowed us to meet and have discussions virtually. Keeping communication open and alive was essential in 2020, whether it was personal contact among family, friends and neighbors, as well as the technology that enabled business to continue, or the communication between citizens and government.”

■ Former Vice Mayor John Martinez: “With regards to the $250,000 investment for a traffic study that was the creation of Sedona In Motion, the first and most important project, in the eyes of many, was the comple­tion of the Uptown Sedona Roadway Improvement, which added a south-bound lane to handle the traffic coming out of the canyon. Continued discus­sion and action for SIM was the acquisition of property for the Uptown parking structure, and various options to pay for its use, the purchase of prop­erty for the extension of forest Road, and for the transit hub. Also, the Shared Use Path on Thunder Mountain/Sanborn Roadway.

“Approval of a resolution and ordinance amending the text of the Sedona Land Development Code. The proposed text amend­ments include typographical and clerical corrections, changes for clarity, elimination of redun­dancies and other substantive revisions to better reflect the intent of the LDC and goals of the Sedona Community Plan.

“City discussion with the Sedona police and Sedona Fire District regarding updates to the Sedona Emergency Plan. The hiring of a new city attorney, Kurt Christianson, replacing the retiring of Robert Pickels. In addition, the first of many meetings in the future of a Climate Action Plan for the city of Sedona.”

■ Former Councilman John Currivan: “When we look back on this COVID-dominated chapter in Sedona’s history, we will of course remember the masks, the social distancing — and who can forget the shortage of paper products? However, the consequences have been more profound and pervasive. In addition to the medical impact, we have seen the closure of businesses, and it is not clear how many will reopen. For those that are open, some owners have described difficulties, first in having to lay off workers, and then in trying to hire them back. The effect of all this on our local economy has yet to be fully determined.

“The pandemic also dictated how the City Council could meet. Between April and August, we held 10 meetings via Zoom, rather than in council chambers at City Hall. The effects of that format on our meetings were unfortunate. Virtual meetings lack the dynamics of inter­acting in person. In addition, we missed the valuable input that we normally receive when members of the public take the time to attend council meetings, step up to the podium, and share their thoughts with us.

“I will not be sitting on the dais in the new year, but I continue to care deeply about Sedona’s future. Given the known and unknown challenges that 2021 could present, what will be most important will not be how our council members meet — virtually or in person — but whether they continue to govern with care.”