After a lot of contention around the city about the Climate Mayors Network, the Sedona City Council re-approved Mayor Sandy Moriarty’s participation in the group.
Yet again, Councilwoman Holli Ploog opposed the item for a 6-1 vote total.
“The reason I’m going to vote “No” is that in three months we will have a new mayor, and that mayor should decide whether they want to participate or not … because they have to put the time and energy into representing us,” Ploog said.
With 460 mayoral members from across the country, only five of which are in Arizona, the organization aims to build connections through meaningful actions to further climate initiatives. The network connects all of the mayors from across the county to share ideas and projects for climate policies in their cities.
Moriarty brought the approval to the council, which, according to city staff, is not mandatory when a mayor wishes to join a network or group.
At the council meeting on Aug. 9, the topic was first pulled for discussion by request of the public. After a large display of community opposition during the public forum, council members brought back the topic for another discussion at their meeting Tuesday, Aug. 23.
“There are some benefits to the mayor participating in this organization, particularly in the fields of fleet turnover for electrification, which is something that some of our residents here in Sedona are very passionate about and want to see happen faster than what we can currently do it as part of this organization,” city of Sedona Sustainability Coordinator Alicia Peck said. “The mayors participating in it have formed a collaborative, and they take their buying power to get bargains on fleet turnover for electrification.
“So this is an opportunity for us to not only collaborate with mayors across the country but also get ideas on funding and how we can do this faster to keep up with the growing needs of our environment right now.”
The organization also helps cities by developing a Greenhouse Gas inventory, setting near- and long-term targets to reduce emissions, and developing a climate action plan aligned with the city’s target.
The approval of this item means that the current mayor, Moriarty, will take part in the organization until the end of her term, which concludes in November. But since this is not a city-wide organization, the decision to continue in the network will be up to the incoming mayor after either current Vice Mayor Scott Jablow or opponent Samaire Armstrong wins in November.
At both discussions at the two meetings, Armstrong stated her opposition to the network during the public forum opportunity, while Jablow voiced his approval and voted for participation in the network.
“Climate Mayors Network is a private nonprofit organization that is joined only by individuals. It’s not joined by cities. A city may not join the Climate Mayor’s Network. Only an individual may join and that individual must be a mayor,” Councilman Jon “J.T.” Thompson said. “They are not speaking for their cities. They’re just speaking for themselves.”
Moriarty will join the network for her remaining few months in the mayor position before she steps down after the general election. The mayors usually meet during online calls to discuss their climate goals and projects.
