I hiked to the top of Sugarloaf this morning, as I do most mornings. As I got to the top, I couldn’t help but catch my breath at the sheer emotion I feel when I look at our town. I love Sedona.
I reflected on the past six years since I moved here with my family. I thought about what life will be like for me and my wife as we grow older. I thought about how my children will raise their children here. I surveyed West Sedona and noticed State Route 89A backing up already, even this early in the morning. I thought about the many times I read an article about another project the Sedona City Council put through without asking me or my neighbors. I felt compelled to do something.
| Editor’s Note |
| This is the first in a series of essays written by the candidates running for the Sedona City Council. The primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 28. |
It seemed to me like our City Council was busy funding unneeded projects, expanding the size of the government, overspending and not addressing the traffic problems in this town. So I decided to run for mayor, because Sedona deserves better.
We deserve: Reasonable, Responsible, Representation. What does that mean?
Reasonable: As a business person, I bring a unique perspective to solving problems. To listen to and work with everyone to develop solutions. Tourism is the industry of our town. Tourism taxes and spending helps pay for our quality of life. However, tourism cannot be allowed to run over the needs of the voters and taxpayers of our town.
We all live in this community together. Your neighbors have retired in this town, your neighbors own businesses in this town, we all know each other, we all see each other at the grocery store, the theater and our favorite restaurants. You need reasonable leaders in this town who are looking out for you and each other. I am that choice.
Responsible: Government officials must be held accountable for their actions and inactions. In the case of Sedona, there has been inaction on traffic congestion and too much action spending the taxpayers’ money. While the population of Sedona has remained relatively the same, the City Council has approved a major increase in spending.
It is time to hold our elected leaders accountable for their actions and inactions and elect new leadership that will be accountable to the voters and business owners of this town.
Representation: I will represent the voters of this town. That means representing your ideas and your opinions and your needs. I will be a conduit for your voice and your needs in your government. My job is to listen to your ideas, what you need and want and then provide you with solutions that serve the entire community. That is how government is supposed to work. We can find solutions to our problems but we need to work together and listen to each other. It’s OK to disagree. We all want a better Sedona, we just have different ideas on how to achieve it. If we listen to each other’s ideas we can find the best way forward.
This election is about change and finding a better way to run our city, manage our resources and find new, better leaders who you can trust with your money and to solve the traffic congestion.
I am Pete Conrad and I am running for mayor of Sedona. You can reach me at peteconradformayor@gmail.com. Please reach out to me and I will come to any event or gathering you want, answer any of your questions, listen to your needs and concerns. And we can get to know each other better, in person, so you can make the best decision in this election. Reasonable, Responsible, Representation.
I hiked to the top of Sugarloaf this morning, as I do most mornings. As I got to the top, I couldn’t help but catch my breath at the sheer emotion I feel when I look at our town. I love Sedona.
I reflected on the past six years since I moved here with my family. I thought about what life will be like for me and my wife as we grow older. I thought about how my children will raise their children here. I surveyed West Sedona and noticed State Route 89A backing up already, even this early in the morning. I thought about the many times I read an article about another project the Sedona City Council put through without asking me or my neighbors. I felt compelled to do something.
It seemed to me like our City Council was busy funding unneeded projects, expanding the size of the government, overspending and not addressing the traffic problems in this town. So I decided to run for mayor, because Sedona deserves better.
We deserve: Reasonable, Responsible, Representation. What does that mean?
Reasonable: As a business person, I bring a unique perspective to solving problems. To listen to and work with everyone to develop solutions. Tourism is the industry of our town. Tourism taxes and spending helps pay for our quality of life. However, tourism cannot be allowed to run over the needs of the voters and taxpayers of our town.
We all live in this community together. Your neighbors have retired in this town, your neighbors own businesses in this town, we all know each other, we all see each other at the grocery store, the theater and our favorite restaurants. You need reasonable leaders in this town who are looking out for you and each other. I am that choice.
Responsible: Government officials must be held accountable for their actions and inactions. In the case of Sedona, there has been inaction on traffic congestion and too much action spending the taxpayers’ money. While the population of Sedona has remained relatively the same, the City Council has approved a major increase in spending.
It is time to hold our elected leaders accountable for their actions and inactions and elect new leadership that will be accountable to the voters and business owners of this town.
Representation: I will represent the voters of this town. That means representing your ideas and your opinions and your needs. I will be a conduit for your voice and your needs in your government. My job is to listen to your ideas, what you need and want and then provide you with solutions that serve the entire community. That is how government is supposed to work. We can find solutions to our problems but we need to work together and listen to each other. It’s OK to disagree. We all want a better Sedona, we just have different ideas on how to achieve it. If we listen to each other’s ideas we can find the best way forward.
This election is about change and finding a better way to run our city, manage our resources and find new, better leaders who you can trust with your money and to solve the traffic congestion.
I am Pete Conrad and I am running for mayor of Sedona. You can reach me at peteconradformayor@gmail.com. Please reach out to me and I will come to any event or gathering you want, answer any of your questions, listen to your needs and concerns. And we can get to know each other better, in person, so you can make the best decision in this election. Reasonable, Responsible, Representation.
