Sedona, AZ – By Tommy Acosta…

Having spoken over the Thanksgiving weekend with a number of community luminaries it became even more painfully apparent that the division in the community over the 76 or more lights for 89A continues to fester.

The bitterness is deep and many are walking wounded feeling they have been let down by their elected representatives.

Complaints have been filed with the Attorney General, legal threats and accusations are flying, investigations are underway and there seems to be no end in sight as both sides dig in for a protracted war of attrition over the lights.

But one can look under the skin of the obvious and see there is a deeper, underlying wound in the psyche of the community that has not healed.

There are those in Sedona who once fought to right perceived wrongs and in doing so were ravaged by the established power and media structure in Sedona and for years have been licking their wounds, every once in a while voicing concerns on the direction the city has taken and quickly dodging back down under the radar of those in control.

Tentatively, these individuals are once again making their concerns known because they now have other media sources to communicate to the public through. We invite those with such concerns to send articles to our Web site for publications. We also invite those who have opposite views to do so as well.

I also found out shocking news that between 11 and 12 percent of the Sedona population live in poverty.

Many senior citizens on fixed incomes are finding themselves without food to eat, their savings decimated and facing foreclosure.

There has been a 50 percent increase in people turning to community food banks for sustenance.

For those finding themselves facing such consequence, they can visit www.cornucopiacommunity.org for a listing of available resources that may help.

It would be refreshing to see the city council turn its attention to this growing problem, and direct real resources to feeding the city’s hungry.

With winter coming we can also expect the homeless living in Flagstaff to migrate south to Sedona. Has the city made any preparations for the influx? Are there resources available for these individuals as well?

I saw one such individual on his bike, scruffy, bearded and dirty, at the “Y” the day after Thanksgiving staring forlornly into space. I’ve seen him around the music venues offering help for a few pennies and a drink. One part of me wanted to bring him to my home for food and rest; the other feared to take him in for concern he would move in. Fear won out. I could only bless him on his way and hope for a better day and for those like him.

One might think that instead of directing so much energy to the war over the lights for 89A the same amount of energy could be generated in a unified war against hunger and poverty in Sedona.

Christmas is around the corner. It is time to keep those food banks full.

Its deadline time at the Sedona-Verde Valley Times! We are in the midst of putting together our December issue.

Once again we will have our crew of writers featured, new writers joining us and coverage of the issues most deeply affecting our community.

We look forward to serving our community once again to the best of our abilities.

We thank everyone for their support.