Sedona AZ (January 11, 2011) – In an open letter to the Sedona City Council, Eddie S. Maddock as a Sedona City resident writes:
Have you made a firm decision to conduct a professional poll, via telephone, regarding the proposed ADOT turn-back of SR W89A? If so, will the phone calls be made at random or will an attempt be made to reach incorporated Sedona’s entire population? If this is to be a mere sampling, as is frequently the case of telephone surveys, may I ask why?
Certainly there’s a degree of validity in the sampling approach; however, in an instance involving not only another of Sedona’s major contentious issues, the future impact of the outcome will be monumental. In such a case, why would you not mail a questionnaire to all residents of Sedona, as has been done in the past, thus allowing those who wish to respond fair opportunity to do so? In that manner, nothing will occur as perceived secrecy to leave questions or doubt about the context of the questions or whether or not a selective calling list had been procured. Those who choose to opt out of responding to such a questionnaire will do so of their own volition and not because of having been denied the opportunity.
Respectfully I prevail upon you to pursue a fair evaluation which, in my opinion, will only be recognized as such if all citizens are given equal opportunity.
Sincerely,
Eddie S. Maddock
Sedona Registered Voter
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Kudos to Dr. Neil Singer for writing such a clear, rational and timely comment in the last Guest Perspective column on 1/12/11 (Councilors implored to leave bias behind) regarding the State Route 89A lighting issue. His comments ring so true when one also looks at the latest actions taken by the majority of the Sedona Fire District Governing Board, since the election this past November. Dr. Singer’s statements are extremely pertinent. He states, “They evaluate new information in a way that bolsters their already made-up minds. They discount the opinions of people who have opposing points of view. They hang on tenaciously to their preformed opinions. This, I think, is wrong and a grave disservice to all Sedona residents. I implore you, City Council members, open your minds and hearts to all the facts and make informed unbiased, rational decisions based on truth and not fiction.”
Those who have been elected and recently appointed to governing positions need to realize that their decisions will impact all of us in Sedona , the entire Sedona Fire District and all of our visitors for many years to come.
The individuals holding these key positions need to remember that they are not here merely to fulfill promises made to contributors during a campaign in order to get elected, but also to have the wisdom to make correct decisions based on all of the facts being presented to them. To quote Dr. Singer again, “You will not be considered weak or indecisive by your constituents if, after considering all the current facts, you vote differently than the platform you have campaigned on. Rather, you will be thought of as enlightened and responsible by your community.”
Abe Koniarsky
Sedona, AZ