Former City of Sedona councilman and vice mayor Cliff Hamilton announces 2014 candidacy for seat of Sedona mayor
Sedona AZ (March 21, 2014) – Former Sedona City Councilman Cliff Hamilton has tossed his hat into the ring for the City of Sedona mayoral race with the following announcement:
A depth of experience, facilitative leadership, a researched and reasoned approach to problems and a strong commitment to our community are essential to the people elected to guide our city. I believe I applied those qualities in the time I served on the Sedona City Council, as Sedona’s Vice Mayor and on a variety of boards, committees and community-focused projects in the twelve years we have lived here. I hope to continue to do so.
That is why, today, I am announcing I will be a candidate for the office Sedona Mayor in the election process that begins late next month. This is a natural step in serving Sedona and one that is consistent with my demonstrated leadership experience and reasoned approach to the opportunities and challenges we face.
Many supporters have asked me about running over the past year, and while my actual campaign cannot begin until the city provides necessary documents next month, I wanted to make this decision well in advance to end the suspense for Katie and me as well as for the community. I know full well this decision involves a major commitment of time and energy to the community. It’s one I’m prepared to make. I know from my service on the Council and as Vice Mayor just what is involved and firmly believing that I can make a difference and help lead Sedona in a positive direction.
This election will be a different experience for both candidates and voters alike.
In previous city elections, the process has begun in November and ended with a Primary election in March or a General Election in May; a time when most voters are at home. Due to changes made by the 2012 Arizona Legislature, the election process will now begin in late April for an August 26th Primary Election. That means campaigns will run in the heat of the summer and during a time when many voters may be gone on vacations or away to cooler climates for extended periods. Traditional candidate forums and other events will likely have to be altered to fit the new circumstances since even candidates may be away for previously-planned summer commitments as well.
Taking office will involve different circumstances as well. Previously, new Council members took office in late May or early June in time to put their final stamp of approval on the annual city budget they would administer. Under the new system, election winners will take office in early January and arrive in the middle of the budget year with little to say about funding for their priorities until the next year. New office-holders will, however, be able to participate in the full development of the next annual budget that starts July 1st which is something outgoing Council members formerly did under the old election process.
My previous experience on the City Council and the resulting understanding of these dynamics will allow me to be immediately effective in the Mayor’s role. That’s a real advantage. Most Council members acknowledge that it takes a year or more to grasp all the nuances of the office. With the Mayor’s term being only two years, that’s half or more of the service time just to get up to speed.
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Isn’t this the same guy who was on Council and worked adamantly to have the City Buy Hyw 89A from ADOT just two or three years ago? If I remember correctly it was a little over 70% of the registered voters who voted against “his (grand plan) priority” of ownership and he didn’t run for council again when his term was up…..so much for his understanding of “dynamics” and what the community priority’s were.
I’m going to look for a Mayor who will immediately take that office from it’s current full time job, as Mayor Adams has transformed it into, back to what it should be which is part-time at best.
After all we are a community of just 10,000 people. I’ll also look for mayor and council candidates who will cut back on funding to non-profits and stop buying properties that are not needed for our basic services or quality of life and who will stop the madness of creating another park.
Equally, I’m looking for candidates who will stop talking about property taxes, Go Bonds etc. and just spend what they have in their coffers.
Isn’t this the guy, along with a few other current and past council members, who voted directly against the majority of Sedona citizens over the 89a takeover? Pretty sure Cliff is another power hungry, gated community living, wealthy guy, who wants Sedona to follow a path that benefits his own liking and not really worried about what the rest of us want. Sorry Cliff, you should save your money and not run for Mayor.
We will look for a mayor candidate that will not support regional funding to chamber of commerce for advertising and promoting non-city businesses and events; that will stop spending money on land for foolish projects; that will cut down on number of council meetings; that will be impartial to public speakers and stop favoring those who only support the chamber of commerce and lodging council which are one and the same. He must return to the pledge of using sales tax for the WWtreatment plant instead of increasing user fees; stop threat of property taxes, GO bonds, and special districts. Those are starters of what we will be looking for in the next mayor. If Cliff Hamilton can provide suitable answers, then he will be our man.
In addition to voting for the City to own 89A, Hamilton also voted for the West Sedona Redevelopment scam. That involved another overpriced multi-thousand dollar “study”, the gist of which was to skirt existing zoning with so-called “form based codes” which would allow greater density and building right up to the sidewalk.
He voted for the Road Runner boondoggle.
He voted for Chamber of Commerce corporate welfare.
He voted for the environmentally unsound injection well.
Like so many on Council now and in the past, Hamilton talks like he is fiscally responsible but his votes tell another story. Back in 2009 I spoke with him the night before Council voted to give the Chamber of Commerce extra “emergency money” in what I knew (and was subsequently proved right by sales tax collection figures) was a wasted attempt to advertise Sedona out the recession. The item was listed as a consent agenda item, meaning no discussion, no public testimony. I asked Hamilton to get it placed as a regular agenda item so I could testify against the corporate welfare. He agreed and, while being noncommittal, made it sound like he was also in agreement with me. The next evening at the Council meeting I was the only person in Sedona to testify against the welfare – and it was Hamilton who then made the motion to give the Chamber more welfare. I was shocked.
At the same meeting I watched in amazement as Adams and Hamilton (and mostly Hamilton) spent about 1/2 an hour trying desperately to convince the others to waste $25K of reserve fund money on events promotion – which was not even on the agenda!
In short, Sedona can no longer afford Hamilton or others like him.
Well, reading these comments brings a question to mind. Are any of the seven presently making decisions any different than what “Anonymous” describes? Remember, besides the mayor the seats of B. Litrell, M. Ward, and D. McIlroy will be on the line. That will leave us with J. Williamson, J. Martinez, and M. DiNunzio. At least Martinez voted against purchase of the Brewer property. Then, of course, it was DiNunzio swung the vote for the additional 5% for the chamber (increasing their “take” from 50 to 55 percent of the bed taxes.) He doesn’t even understand that Scottsdale does not contract with their chamber of commerce for promotion as he continuously claims. They do so through a regional program where funding is shared, unlike Sedona who is presently advertising for businesses and events that do not pay Sedona city taxes. Too bad his (DiNunzio’s) term isn’t up but of course all of these people have the option to run again. Oh I hope not.
Now here’s a fellow I can really get behind for mayor. He researches, hardworking, cares about the community, independent thinking and speaks civily to people unlike what we have now. My kind of guy.
After reading the comments here and other places I want to straighten wes, charlie and others out a bit. Not Cliff or any other person in this town wanted to own 89A. What they wanted was to have a safe highway with safe crossings without a million lights that would hurt our dark skies. It was ADOT that threw the horse shoe in and said ‘if you won’t do it our way you will have to own the highway’, That’s the truth folks and you can take it to the bank. So fellas get your story straight or don’t say anything at all.
Ben,
What is untrue about Cliff voting against the majority of Sedona residents when they were asked what they wanted the city to do regarding the purchase of 89a? What is untrue about Cliff and his fellow counsel members making us live through the Prop 410 thing because of their vote? How many yellow t-shirts do you have in your drawer? Do you use them to wash your car? ADOT came through and the sky didn’t fall. In fact, it is still really dark in my neighborhood. As for his civility, in the times when I have attended council meetings, Cliff has been the only councilor that acted arrogant and rude while attempting to prove that he was the smartest person in the room. I stick to my original post… save your money, Cliff.
He ran a decent campaign against a Chamber supported opponent, not fair but that’s politics in this city. The two of them had more similarities than dissimilarities, I read what both posted here announcing candidacies, admit that I liked Sandy’s best. Cliff had his turn, now it’s hers. She doesn’t do well by the voters, she won’t be sent back either.
Just for the record folks, ADOT can still decide to abandon 89A to Sedona without compensating us at all. Arizona is way behind the federal (DOT) mandate in the 1990’s to the states to abandon all state routes that traverse through cities and municipalities back to those entities. The reasons those of us were for owning the road was so we could install the safety features that are needed to protect pedestrians. Crosswalks would have been installed and a road audit could have been performed to redesign the road to make it safer. At the time, and it probably is still the case, Sedona had the worst pedestrian accident record in the state. The only lights that were needed were to be placed where that need existed.
Same as the election the 89A issue is history. Get over it and move on.
Well it hard to make excuses for the dirty politics in Sedona. Sedona old boys have been running city hall by all their backhanded things. Such as Steve Segner slandering Mr. Hamilton. Then you add in the RRN, The RRN had no problem taking his money and then they slammed him with an editorial in the last newspaper before the election.
Who are you people that think this is acceptable?
Segner doesn’t even live in the city. It all about money.The chamber and RRN are married. I find it all unethical. Sandy had to cheat to get a few votes more. Cheaters always get caught. She did not win fairly
I don’t like cheaters like sandy, chamber, segner, RRN. I show my support for the honest folks in this town.