Nine residents have thrown their proverbial hats into the ring for the vacancy left on the Sedona City Council following the departure of Councilman Bill Chisholm last month.
Council met in executive session on Tuesday, March 9, [after press time] to discuss what it is they’re looking for, to possibly narrow the list and to set a date for interviews. Those interviews were expected to take place the week of March 15, with the hopes of announcing a decision at the council’s March 23 meeting, but the city now says interviews of the top three candidates will be Wednesday, March 24, beginning at 1 p.m.
Those applying were required to submit information and fill out a questionnaire and submit it by March 4.
Each candidate was asked to answer three questions including, “What do you hope to accomplish as a City Councilor?” The following are a portion of each of their answers to that question:
■ Harry Danilevics [five-year resident]: “I would be passionate about increasing citizen awareness of the matters being discussed by the City Council and would take personal responsibility in sharing already public information to a wider audience through popular technology platforms as is being done by current City Councilors but with a focus on getting the information out to a younger generation of Sedona.”
■ Julie Friess [26-year resident]: “I hope that my experience in real estate and highest and best use of land, my 26 years of being a homeowner and living here will be helpful to the council as well as my ability to be able to work with a lot of different types of people. I love Sedona and want to live here the rest of my life. I want to be able to give something back to Sedona.”
■ Kurt Gehlbach [25-year resident]: “What I hope to accomplish is what’s best for Sedona, her residents and our way of life together. I hope to accomplish trusted engaging relationships between the residents, City Council and the mayor. I would also hope that we together take advantage of the opportunity 2021 offers us by developing and initiating intelligent logical whole sustainable business models designed to retain our small-town atmosphere.”
■ Robin Harris [15-year resident]: “When I was collecting signatures for my COVID-aborted run for City Council in 2020, I heard many complaints about the city government. My hope is that I will be able to make a personal connection with residents by listening — without getting defensive — and outlining the council’s approach to improving the quality of life for locals.”
■ Chris Nichols [five-year resident]: “As this is a slot to fill a short-term vacancy, I hope to be known as a thoughtful participant and inclusive teammate to fellow councilors and the community. I believe Sedona is at an important crossroads in terms of development, quality of life, sustainability and growth. I wish to contribute to those deliberations by offering new ideas and working hard to help implement council decisions.”
■ Robert O’Donnell [10-year resident]: “I want to be on the council to make sure what is important to the residents and the businesses is addressed and resolved if possible within a reasonable time and cost. I would like to host public outreach meetings so the community can give more input into the process of developing plans for city growth/expansion where needed to support the businesses and residents.”
■ Robert Porter [22-year resident]: “To bring to city management the wisdom and knowledge that I have gained from more than 40 years in the business world and most particularly my experience in housing. In my career, I have built and sold more than 10,000 new homes. I am currently developing 192 [U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development]- financed apartment homes in Cottonwood, and I would like to bring that knowledge and expertise to the city of Sedona.”
■ Jeanette Smith [nine-year resident]: “My goals are simple, since this is a potential appointment to the City Council and not an elected position. Therefore, primary goal is to offer my services that is in need of support. That is first and foremost. My goals are to help move forward the priorities of the council’s agenda in the most productive way possible.”
■ Jon Thompson [15-year resident]: “This is a difficult question for me, because I don’t think as much in terms of accomplishments as facilitation. Because they operate at a policy level, it seems to me that councilors should be focused more on the direction we’re headed than on the success or failure of reaching any particular destination. We can and should certainly set targets for the policies we enact, but we cannot be afraid to set targets that are desirable, let alone necessary, rather than ones we feel confident we can achieve, just so we can add them to a list of accomplishments.”
Update
Sedona City Clerk Susan Irvine announced at 2:46 p.m., Wednesday, March 10, that Sedona City Council would be conducting interviews on Wednesday, March 24, beginning at 1 p.m. The people being interviewed are: Chris Nichols, Jeanette Smith, Robert Porter and Jon Thompson.
However, at 6:10 p.m. Thursday, March 11, Irvine announced that Nichols had withdrawn his name from consideration. Thus, the remaining three candidates are Jeanette Smith, Robert Porter and Jon Thompson.
