We moved to the Verde Valley in 1972. So, I would venture to guess we have seen a few more changes than you. It is apparent you are a very angry individual with a hidden agenda of your own. Unfortunately, the slate you are backing has lost all creditability with their recent shenanigans and lies. Best of luck to you, but the Fitzpatrick, Fishel and Montgomery slate have my vote Tuesday! “Integrity Matters”

As I re-red part of one of the previous posts, I couldn’t help notice the above quote. Now that we find out that Mr. Johnson is caught red-handed stealing the opposition’s signs, we know for sure the type of slate they represent!

Just received this email:

“As you may have noticed, campaign signs in Sedona and the surrounding fire district for Dick Fishel, Doug Fitzpatrick, and Ty Montgomery have been disappearing for some time. Their opponents’ signs have not been disturbed. Frustrated by this unethical and illegal action, the campaign team set up a camera to see if we could find out who has been taking our signs. All of our signs have had permission from the owners of the respective properties.

Clicking the link below will take you to a slide show of a sign theft in progress. The man in the pictures has been identified as Lowell Johnson, who has been a vocal critic of the SFD, and a staunch supporter of the opposing slate of Demme, Blauert, and Erick. The pictures clearly show him driving up onto private property, removing our signs, and carrying them back to his car.

This behavior only serves to further show the complete lack of any integrity, ethics, or desire to represent the residents of our district fairly by the opposing campaign. This is the epitome of low class dirty politics. It is also a crime. Tampering with a campaign sign is a class 2 misdemeanor, not to mention theft and trespassing.

We also have evidence of Mr. Johnson removing our signs in the Village of Oak Creek. Police reports are being filed with the Sedona Police Department and the Yavapai County Sherriff’s Office.”

http://cmd.shutterfly.com/commands/pictures/slideshow?site=sfdcampaignsignstealing&page=sfdcampaignsignstealing/pictures&album=10

As a citizen, I find your remarks highly distasteful at best. Did you even live here during the volunteer days? Although I am sure they had the best interest of all in mind, I am almost positive they would never have been able to perform the functions as you describe above. I also doubt they are as well trained and dedicated as those who have chosen this profession as a career and not a hobby. Using unions as a scapegoat is cheap and cowardly. If it were not for unions, we would still be working in third-world sweat factories and mills. Although some unions have begun to get bad reputations, I believe the firefighter’s union is one that most are proud to be a part of and endorsed by. Did you not see their endorsement during the 2008 presidential election and now John McCain is proud to have the firefighters as a friend. Have you ever met these union firefighters? Have you not seen the extra work they put into the community? How can individuals refer to them as thugs and money hungry monsters? This is ludicrous and you are not helping the situation.

I followed this dialogue from the beginning and have noticed a very negative and sometimes, hateful tone in your depiction of thoughts. May I ask why this is? If you have a problem with an individual, you should take it directly to them and not belittle the bunch in attempt to get your point across. There are enough slanderous and libelous documents floating around currently and the last thing our town needs is another venue for this misinformation to be spread. I have seen the documents with the false and misleading numbers concerning salaries and monies spent and now I see your attempt to sway others opinions about the fire department. I personally saw the actions these brave men and women took during the Brins fire and was extremely grateful for their presence. I would ask in the future, if you have questions or concerns regarding the actions or perceived inactions of public safety individuals, you would go straight to the source. This bantering back and forth is childish at best. So, please stop the nonsense and get educated to the correct facts or move on.

Thank you

Nowhere in the article does it say what exactly the SFD did nor when it supposedly took action to fight the Brins Mesa Fire. The article was a grand whitewash and back slapping of State Fire Services in Arizona.

The firefighters were not at fault. I repeat…the firefighters were not at fault for the inability of their ‘commanders’ to recognize the exact nature of the fire and to respond immediately with an order to the rank and file to go up there and try to put it out before it became the disaster it became. When I called to report the fire (around noon) the smoke plume was still narrow and the operator said “you mean the one just off Hwy 89 A?” No I said, the one behind the Storyteller Rock formation up Soldiers Pass. She said “oh, we already know about it”…and hung up. This can be verified by reviewing the tapes. That’s when I started listening to our scanner with my wife. When we heard the back and forth on the scanner between the fire department personnel we ascertained that they didn’t seem to know exactly where the fire was and the chief was not available (no one knew where he was). The chatter went on between the police dept and fire dept…that’s when we heard someone say “go to the Coffee Pot Cottages and evacuate at the request of Mayor Pud Colquit. This all occurred at about 12:00 to 1:00 PM on the day the fire started (incidentally by a transient homeless man who started a little fire for whatever reason). As far as we could ascertain no one from the SFD actually even went up there to see how bad the fire was. That was when I made a second call to the fire dept and the operator put a fireman on the phone with me. I told him that it was apparent to my wife and myself that the SFD was unaware of just where the fire was located because of the chatter we heard on our scanner. I said that if he could send one of his men up to our house with a two-way radio and binoculars we could help the fire dept manage the activity of the firemen in attacking the fire…he blew me off…this is also verifiable with the tapes of the day’s calls. Why would I lie about such a thing? We understand that the SFD people are human and subject to error and were only trying to help. We didn’t know at the time that they had egos as big as all outdoors and were disposed to rather ‘cover their asses’ rather than admit a little confusion on their part. Well we all know the fire which started behind the “Storyteller” (pictures don’t lie) took all afternoon to get to the western slope of Wilson’s Mountain and the helicopters effort didn’t start until then (around 4 pm). We watched the valiant effort made by these pilots to stop the fire there but it was too late. It was, by then, out of control.

The fire started around noon. Judging by the scanner chatter it was chaos. You seem, by your comments and refusal to investigate yourself, to be blindly going along with the cover up and are chastising anyone who wishes to enlighten you. You have become part of the problem.

This community does not find fault with the firemen nor the job they do for their district. But when people try to whitewash reports and resist accountability to those who pay their salaries…yes we do pay their salaries!!, then a red flag goes up and the more you try to ‘bully’ your way around the issue and intimidate the questioners the more suspicious people become of the management of the SFD. (not the firemen).

Yes I do lack knowledge of the emergency management area but I do recognize when someone is trying to pull the wool over my eyes. So do others in the community and this election will prove that bully tactics do not work on a knowledgeable public. You have destroyed the reputations of some honorable men who volunteered to help the SFD be fiscally responsible. Fear of uncovering some activity which does not speak well of the SFD has driven you to ‘close ranks’ and blame the blamers. An old union tactic which won’t work anymore.

I was raised to take responsibility for my words and deeds. Today, it’s “the ends justify the means”…anything goes!

Now you can go and have a good laugh at yourself because you have revealed that you have absolutely no idea about the Brins Mesa Fire other than the ‘mantra’ you’ve been given by those scoundrels you have defended. You have drunk the cool-aid of the left if you believe what was written in the article you yourself provided. Anyone would, without the vantage point we had of the fire. You probably, given the likes of those you have chosen to blindly defend, depend on their approval for your self-worth. God help you and all of us. You see SFD seems more interested these days in keeping the lid on their activities than doing their jobs. Why do you suppose that is?

As far as ‘Dick the commander’ is concerned I think he is a union wonk…he has no idea of the Brins Mesa Fire either…and he was ‘Fire Commander” in Flagstaff at the time of the fire. Boy, you guys do take yourselves seriously don’t you? Real hero’s. But not exactly rocket scientists either…agreed?

Why are our excellent firefighters holding signs at the corners in Sedona publicly endorsing the candidates of their choice (union boys all)? Should our employees be publicly taking sides in an election? Why don’t you pose these questions…never occurred to you? Hah!!

This is my last missive. You don’t seem educatable to me (my new word). Why bother?

I will simply point you to this article written about the Brins Fire and the
multi-agency response required to bring such a large fire under control.

http://firechief.com/tactics/firefighting_scenic_duty/

Your total lack of understanding about emergency management, and in your words, “ranting” diatribe against SFD can speak for its self.
As far as threats go you will get none from me. I have no way and no need to threaten you, I speak of simple eventualities.
Please continue to write in your comments. I need a good laugh in these gloomy times.