More than a month after action was reportedly taken to recall Sedona Fire District Governing Board Chairwoman Caryn Maxwell, Maxwell resigned from the board.

More than a month after action was reportedly taken to recall Sedona Fire District Governing Board Chairwoman Caryn Maxwell, Maxwell resigned from the board.
Maxwell submitted her letter of resignation Thursday, Nov. 20.  She was one of the first women elected to the board in 1998 and served on the board continuously ever since.
“I cannot express what it has meant to me to be a part of this amazing organization for the past 10 years,” Maxwell wrote in her resignation letter. “I will take the memories with me of the many successes and accomplishments we have all helped to achieve.”
Threats of recall began in June and continued until October when Carolyn Fisher, head of SFD Tax Payers for Accountability, launched the recall against Maxwell.
The recall was not personal against Maxwell, Fisher said at the time.
“I like Caryn [Maxwell],” Fisher said, “and I appreciate the hours of volunteer [work].”
The SFD Tax Payers for Accountability’s reasons for the recall included financial mismanagement, unresponsiveness to public input and ethics.
On Saturday, Nov. 22, the Governing Board met to accept Maxwell’s resignation and appoint a new chairperson to open the next board meeting. Maxwell was out of town.
Liza Vernet will serve as chairwoman at the Wednesday, Dec. 17, meeting where the newly composed board will decide on a permanent chairperson and a clerk of the board.
Newly elected Don Harr and Charles Christensen were sworn in after Saturday’s meeting to fill the two seats vacated by former board members Joy Moore and Tom Wells whose terms expired.
At its December meeting, the board will also discuss filling Maxwell’s vacated seat. In the past, the board has appointed someone to fill an empty seat, after announcing its vacancy, Public Information Officer Gary Johnson said.
Fisher thanked Maxwell at the Saturday meeting for her commitment and hard work.
Maxwell is excited about the future of SFD with a new chief on board, she said, and she expects “nothing but more of the same dedication and excellence we have all come to know to be SFD.”
“Sedona is among the finest fire districts in this country and I am honored to have been a part of it,” Maxwell said. “Thank you for all the support you have shown me and I wish you all good luck in the future.”