The Race for Mayor ...
Should we choose Adams or Colquitt?
by Paul Chevalier
Sometimes, it is enough for city mayors to be caretakers, because not much is happening, and so, not much is expected of them. That certainly is not the case now in Sedona.
Sedona, today, is in a push-pull situation. We must hold on to the best of Sedona’s past accomplishments, even while the present is requiring us to change. Our next mayor, as leader of our City Council, needs to keep in proper balance our city’s past, present and future.
We, as voters in Sedona, are now given the responsibility to choose between two candidates, Robert Adams or Pud Colquitt, who want to be our next mayor. Our economic and environmental future may be quite different, depending on who is elected.
Therefore, we need to ask ourselves, what qualities are most important in our next mayor? Each of us may have different questions regarding personal mayoral qualities.
These are some of those I have thought about ...
Which candidate has the best ability to envision Sedona’s future?
Our city, after 20 years of incorporation, still has no long-range plan. We do have something called a ““community plan,”” but it is not a long-range plan. Except for an important section in the Community Plan that addresses protecting our property rights, it is but a lengthy wish list incorporating almost everybody’s dreams with no timetable for our city to enact a single one of them. We need a real community plan that is realistic and has a timetable.
Unless our city develops and implements a realistic and doable, long-range plan, Sedona’s environment will continue to be solely changed by projects initiated by private developers.
Which candidate has the ability to move others on our City Council from Point A to Point B?
A good mayor is more than just one-of-the-seven votes on our City Council. A good mayor is a leader that motivates the council to take effective action on tough issues. Our city needs a mayor who agrees with this philosophy and has the will and the ability to motivate our council to resolve key issues.
Which candidate has the best communication skills to sell his or her vision to the public?
Having a vision on how to improve our community (i.e. - a definitive long-range plan) is useless, if it cannot be sold to the people of Sedona. A good mayor must have good communication skills, especially the ability to listen. A good mayor must be able to effectively present to the public. A good mayor must have the ability to convince others to join in his/her vision.
Which candidate is most likely to regularly involve other members of our community in decisions that affect them?
A good mayor needs to recognize that people in Sedona want to be involved in issues that affect them before our City Council begins the process of making a decision on them. This is particularly true of environmental and zoning decisions.
Witness the public outcry a few years ago, when our council was ready to vote on increasing zoning density in the Harmony Hills area to build affordable housing there, without first seeking community input. And, again, just a few months ago, when our council voted to support the addition of 76 street lights on a small section of Highway 89A in West Sedona, before giving the citizens of Sedona an opportunity to present their opinions on this key ““dark sky”” issue.
Which candidate is most likely to actually make sure things get done - correctly, on time, and on budget?
Visioning and planning without implementing is not adequate leading. Certainly, visioning provides hope, and planning provides involvement, but in the final analysis, it is action that produces results. Too many mayors spend so much time on visioning and planning that they do not focus on the implementation of their plan. They mistakenly think it is alright to leave the implementation of the plan up to the city staff.
A mayor that leaves the action solely up to city staff is not a good mayor. A good mayor recognizes that sometimes city staffs can make mistakes, that they can overspend, and that they may not get the job done on time, or even, may fail to get the job done at all.
A good mayor also understands that appointed managers cannot be totally objective in their decisions, because they constantly consider the effect of their decisions on the public image of the city council and the mayor. A good mayor understands he or she has the ultimate responsibility for insuring that all implementation is done properly without political consideration.
Which candidate best understands our city’s economic condition and will do the most to protect us financially?
Sedona’s economic condition is being debated. Mayor Colquitt has stated that we have had a conservative and responsible financial condition, while Councilmember Adams has expressed a need for more conservative fiscal management. Their different points of view on this subject were evident in the council affirmative decision, a few months back, to borrow another $18 million, so that the city could fund several projects, including $8 million to sewer the Chapel area.
Colquitt voted to borrow the money for this project. Adams expressed concern and voted against adding this debt and financial impact on the city at a time when Sedona tourism is fragile, due to a national recession coupled with the impact of construction on Highway 179.
Which candidate will best protect our financial condition while meeting the needs of our city is a critical issue for us to decide, because, if our city overspends, Sedona will eventually have to enact a city property tax to bail itself out.
Choose whom you vote for carefully - not by a popularity contest, but by determining who can best lead our city at this time in our history.
The individual chosen as our next mayor will affect Sedona’s future.