SedonaEye.com columnist Eddie Maddock provides a forum for Sedona mayoral candidate, Kurt Gehlbach, to provide his perspective on the March 2020 City Council decision to approve the purchase of 430 Forest Road (Uptown) for over its appraised value, and encumbering more than $11 million in new debt for city taxpayers if projected tourism parking meter income fails to service the debt.
Sedona AZ – Although earth as an orb continues its normal rotation, global inhabitants have been thrown into an alien orbit which is NOT in outer space. The seriousness of the deadly coronavirus is reality in the truest form. Isn’t it somewhat stunning to become shell-shocked and forced to face the fact that mere mortals really don’t have a great deal of control?
However and in spite of the turmoil, it is an election year and survivors of the pandemic will have the privilege of casting votes in Sedona for candidates vying for Sedona Mayor and rotating seats on the Sedona City Council.
The two mayoral contenders remain Mayor Sandy Moriarty, opting for yet another term, and a new name on the slate, Kurt Gehlbach.
Because the coronavirus conflict quite likely will obstruct the opportunity for city council candidate forums prior to the primary vote in August, Mr. Gehlbach contacted me inquiring about the possibility for Sedona Eye to feature some information about him. Therefore, this resulting article has been derived solely from e-mail communication obliging the mandate for no private meetings, consultations, or even phone calls.
Mr. Gehlbach opted to focus on his own perspective relating to the city council’s recent approval at the council meeting on March 24, 2020:
- AB 2570 Approval of a Resolution authorizing a Real Estate Purchase and Sale Agreement for the City of Sedona to purchase the property located at 430 Forest Road (APN 401-160-71) located in Coconino County, City of Sedona, Arizona, for the sum of $480,000 for use as a parking structure.
Due to recent global events creating such an upheaval and uncertain economic predictions, Kurt Gehlbach maintains this premise:
Sedona AZ uptown tourist traffic. The city plans to build parking garages for 500 additional vehicles in Uptown to encourage shopping. [Photo courtesy The Arizona Republic]
He continues: “With regards to real estate, I personally have 24 years as a licensed residential Real Estate Agent and Developer, always successful through every negotiation. Why? Experience, research, knowledge and always emotionally prepared to negotiate.
Considering all circumstances I would never move forward with the purchase of any property during an election year and certainly not when we know there’s the possibility for another financial recession.
When moving forward within favorable conditions I first request a current appraisal to be accomplished by the property owner. While waiting for the appraisal, I personally research all comparative properties in order to compare to the appraisal. When the appraisal comes in, I scrutinize the hell out of it making sure everything is accurate and up to date. When negotiations begin, I never offer appraised value, starting the negotiation below appraisal, especially when it’s a cash transaction.”
Questioning the wisdom of the city having paid $100,000 OVER appraised value at the recommendation of the city manager, Mr. Gehlbach stated: “The people of Sedona have now been ripped off through pure ignorance!”
His conclusion is the city of Sedona has now set a precedent for any FUTURE land acquisitions to be overvalued, questioning the premise of “property is only worth what the Buyer is willing to pay.” Is that true when the investment was overpriced to begin with?
Regarding future Uptown parking, here’s what Kurt Gehlbach has to say:
A recent ADOT traffic study found the majority of Sedona tourist traffic backs up miles just to drive through the Sedona city limits without stopping before continuing along SR 89A to reach their northern destinations.
“$11.5 million to place 300 automobiles in the center of uptown, and that’s one of two parking structures, totaling roughly an additional 500 automobiles in Uptown Sedona. Add another $500,000 or more for the “ledge work” they will find digging down at least 2 floors or 30 feet (??)”
Kurt continues: “Not long ago our Mayor, Sandy Moriarty, was headstrong to be part of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, designed to cut emissions, basically decreasing Sedona’s carbon footprint within the next three years. Does this make sense to anyone?”
Regarding Sedona residents, Kurt Gehlbach relates:
“Prior to lockdown, I spent days and many hours walking door to door throughout our city gathering 200 signatures myself while sharing in conversation.
The emotions are all over the place, and many of our residents are very angry. I’m truly, truly worried about the future of Sedona so I believe the conversation needs to be about Sedona herself and our residents, to include their mixed levels of anger toward this government. We, as a city, must now come together to create change through a government that will listen, respond, inform, create and prosper with and for the Residents of Sedona. How about grasping the opportunity for such a collaboration giving new life and hope for Sedona’s survival?”
End of input from city of Sedona mayoral candidate Kurt Gehlbach. Read, study, ask questions and by all means plan to vote in August. Life in Sedona continues and be grateful each and every day for what we have and consider by way of your own judgment what will be the best way to preserve and protect this special corner of the world.
Over and Out. Cheers. Be Safe. Stay Well.
You people are being stupid. Who cares how much the city spends, the tourists are paying for it. You residents don’t pay for anything. If you are not happy with what the city does, you should just move.
In another town, a mid forties to low fifties aged dry cleaner with 4 locations announced today that he is closing and 34 employees will be let go. He’s keeping his self serve laundromat. He said millennials don’t use dry cleaners and the population that he services is aging. The dry cleaning business never fully recovered from the 2008 clobbering, and it’s not worth it to try now.
Peer beyond your doors at the real world.
China put 34 good American workers and one small businessman who worked side by side with his employees, bought and built buildings and installed equipment to the tune of hundreds of thousands, to the government’s door to support and that taxpayer is you.
Sedona relies on the tax money of strangers to keep its budget and the Chamber afloat. That’s the reality report from behind your pandemic doorways.
Why does a city the size of Sedona need so many departments? A city manager, assistant city manager, with managers in all departments and related assistants and so on and on and on? Especially now as they discuss cutting “services” because of the predicted recession/depression. What services? Giving millions of dollars to the chamber of commerce and why isn’t that the first to go? Oh – forgot – because it ISN’T a service to the residents. Tourists came to Sedona long before it became a city! The need to promote Sedona is BS or like the mayor said unnecessary because they’ll find us anyhow, and there’s never been accountable evidence the money spent on Tourism by the Chamber did more than increase daytrippers and bloated wages and benefits for the Chamber CEO and its related overstaffing.
Want to talk Sedona acid smog and carbon footprint? Sedona sustainability? You can’t do any sustainability here until Chamber stops promoting Sedona to day trippers who bring car exhaust, roadside litter, e coli to Oak Creek, blowing plastic bags instead of sagebrush, fatal car accidents, canyon and brush fires, dog crap and diapers left on trails, and so much garbage and sewage that residents pay to handle. Not tourists. The residents.
The constant disrespect and disregard for residents of Sedona from city staff and the likes of Steve Segner and his Lodging Council and even members of the city council is deplorable.
If anyone should move on out of here then why shouldn’t it be them? They weren’t the ones who voted to approve incorporation in the first place. It was the stupid people who bought into the BS about how wonderful it would be for the people who live here. The exact opposite happened.
My vote will go for this Kurt fellow based on, if for no other reason, his respectful acknowledgment that residents actually exist. WE are the ones who vote NOT the tourists! You want tourist money? You leave the city.
personally wouldn’t come back except friend lets me stay free
Sedona Eye Headline:
CITY OF SEDONA FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY
Now wouldn’t that be a reason for Sedona Schnebly to rise smiling from her grave and join the “flatlanders” with a roaring applause and “Amen & Hallejulah”?
It is not how much you get and spend, Sometimes less brings you more.
The stays ae shorter, the visitors don’t return. Sedona is a one time visit now, except for those that come to visit family and friends
You have nice friends, don’t feel obligated to come back.
As an avid supporter of Mayor Sandy ever since she went to bat for ADU’s (Auxiliary Dwelling Units) which allowed residential home owners to use guest accommodations on their properties as rentals, the deal breaker will be if she attempts to con both counties Yavapai and Coconino to be party to include a city tax via our county property tax assessments to make up for poor city financial management. (aka excessive funding to a regional chamber of commerce)
That will be the deal breaker and time for Sandy to pack up and leave town with Segner and his pack of control freaks.
Sandy of all people should revere Sedona and stop the invasive Chamber/Lodging destruction which actually might be comparable to the Corona Virus.
Control and power given to this C of C and Mayor Sandy should know better needs to be stopped in its tracks. Will it take a deadly virus to do a job Sedona city councils have ignored for too many years?
Speaking of ADUs @Sandy Supporter, the guest house we previously used as a long term rental, thanks to Gov. Ducey making it legal, is presently a short term vacation rental! Very profitable.
Life is good but no thanks to local government and the city policy of catering to the over indulged and obnoxious control by that loudmouth with the lodging council and whining leader of the chamber of commerce. Too difficult for the poor little thing to tell city council how many of their members are outside Sedona city limits and don’t collect one penny of city tax but reap equal benefits? BAD DEAL.
But in my opinion if Kurt Gehlbach doesn’t cater to them he doesn’t stand a chance to be elected. Sad situation but the buck stops with Sedona City Voters.
Chamber needs to relocate and rename. It’s been talked about, time to do it.
I-17 & 60 best locale for Verde influence & move paper influence to Verde Independent not RRN.
Guess what Jeff&Andrea that short term rental is available again because nobody is coming short term steadily for years. Call your old landlord! Make him an offer. Commercial space won’t get rented either and instead of paying chamber or anyone else for trashy tourists, somebody ought to be paying somebody to find tech businesses to move into small empty commercial spaces and I’m not talking call centers but small savvy start ups. Sedona won’t survive on a tourism based economy. The film Festival may be a thing of the past for a couple years. Schools not starting up again until fall and flagstaff better find a new future cash cow to build on. That’s why you don’t chase a dog’s tail @city @chamber @flafstaff !! You don’t plan and build for future, you build to ec. For gods sake how can the chamber talk sustainable when they aren’t??? If Disney won’t open until 2021 who in the hell thinks Sedona will by then?? A vaccine will be needed to reopen tourism. God help us with these braindead idiots running this city.
Excuse me @Ralph up early, but based on the number of strangers walking this area short term rentals are thriving! Every few days there’s a turnover and that’s the truth! And many of them have dogs and ignore the pickup poop ordinance!
And see, these shortterm renters don’t have to rely on restaurants because they shop for groceries and prepare their own meals.
Ducey should never have interfered with allowing municipalities to create their own policies about vacation rentals. That was maybe the only thing Sedona had going for them at City Hall.
The latest numbers today are that the European market accounts for 60% of tourism in America. European tourism will be off 70% for at least 2 years. Critical mass for Sedona city council budget and allocations. Vote them out if they don’t make cuts by end of this month to conserve financial resources. They’ve pandered and catered to the rich in this town, how its time to remember who supports the workers and its President Trump administration. He’s getting my first Republican vote.
What’s your position on funding Chamber tourism vs diverting funding toward city infrastructure?
Mr. Gehlbach:
I too am interested to know what you would do with the chamber funding. The money used to fund tourism comes only from the Sedona bed tax and by State statue can only be used for tourism. That money can’t be used for anything else like; fixing roads or the sewer system, what would you do with that money, or would you simply cut the tax and end tourism as we know it today?
dump that (deleted by editor) on their front step or by their car door or in the yard
Works every time
In my opinion:
The amount of money given to the chamber of commerce, and the chamber CEO’s ridiculous salary must stop. Same for the city manager’s bad advice and salary that is completely out of line with the salaries of other city managers in comparable cities.
Are you aware that the city manager recently “advised” the city council that a new assistant city attorney should be dismissed because he didn’t like her style? In reality, what he didn’t like is that she came from a larger city, had a great deal of experience in the public sector, and had started telling him that some of the things he does are either legally questionable or not a good practice.
She’s gone, just a couple of months after she got here and started asking legitimate questions about how the city operates. And nobody on the city council questioned this, just went along with it. There have been several very experienced professionals in the past few years who either quit or were forced out because they dared to question the ways of city management. This is not a secret inside or outside of city hall but, somehow, the city council doesn’t notice.
It really is time to clean house, and if the city council won’t do it, it is time to vote for any candidate who is not an incumbent. Period.
Roads and sidewalks are tourist driven needs, not residents, we’ve got enough to handle residents as is. Upgrades to wastewater treatment and sewers can come from bed tax because tourism generates the most usage.
Disturbed to read about that dismissal. What can be done if true?
Thinking back to 2011-2015 when people told the city not to put all their eggs in one basket. The City hired a Economic Specialist, Larry Harmer. Larry setup other cities like Flagstaff. But of course the city management and City Council rejected his expert advice. Listen to it and you will hear a council person say we have a strong chamber here. Instead of investing in-city limits they gave away the rights, millions of taxpayers money through subsidies and voted to fund a regional chamber throwing everyone under the bus.
Remember Sedona has no transient bed district. Places like at enchantment or the village are 7% less Tax for lodging including vacation rentals. In-city pays for the chamber members OUTSIDE and that do not collect city taxes. Only 2.9% collect city bed tax. All those timeshares don’t pay in tax.
Larry Harmer Video link
http://sedonaaz.swagit.com/play/01282015-856
Item 3A (Part 1 of 2)
AB 1898 Discussion/possible direction regarding the City’s efforts and opportunities to stabilize and expand Sedona’s economic base through the creation and implementation of an Economic Development Action Plan and the use of specific economic development strategies.
Item 3A (Part 2 of 2)
AB 1898 Discussion/possible direction regarding the City’s efforts and opportunities to stabilize and expand Sedona’s economic base through the creation and implementation of an Economic Development Action Plan and the use of specific economic development strategies.
LW, there is really nothing to do about the dismissal because anyone can be dismissed, with or without cause. BTW, another person recently dismissed is now receiving $800 a month in unemployment compensation because the state of Arizona ruled against the city manager. The state found that the person did, in fact, perform their job in the best interests of the city and therefore was not dismissed for cause. This can probably be discovered through a public records request. I was shown the state paperwork by this individual but it is not my place to name this person.
But individual cases don’t matter anyway, if the same thing is allowed to just keep happening and voters don’t do anything about it. Vote for any candidate who is not an incumbent. Vote for any candidate who is willing to make changes in the way the city operates. It is past time to clean house.
LW is correct. The bed tax increase, because it was discretionary, required that a percentage of the amount taken in would be dedicated to benefit the source – in this instance Sedona based hotels/motels. And it wasn’t necessarily restricted to advertising.
Yes – road improvements and decent infrastructure could be justified as providing better conditions for tourists! It should NOT be given to a chamber of commerce that represents their members outside of Sedona City Limits and very unfair to non-chamber members who collect city taxes. Coercing them to join the chamber of commerce against their will is beyond unfair. It’s despicable.
Enough of the BS spinning and trying to make it OK for this giveaway nonsense to the C of C and their endless money grab. Let them fend for themselves – sink or swim. In fact, won’t that soon be the story for all Sedona businesses including the obnoxious attitudes employed at city hall.
Gravy boat about to sink? Well don’t expect the “flatlanders” (as S. Segner calls us) to bail you out. Thank goodness we aren’t stuck with a city property tax or the story would be different.
2020 Candidates
Mayor
Sandy Morarity
Kurt Gehlbach
Council
Holli Ploog
Kathy Kinsella
Jessica Williamson
Stephen McGarry
Gehlback has not stated his position on chamber funding. If I had to bet I would say he is just a spoiler candidate in the event you had someone seriously running for change as mayor.
The first three council candidates are for the status quo.
I’m not familiar with Mc Garry, but even if he was totally for change, he would not stand a chance of winning a vote.
Basically, it doesn’t matter who you vote for, the city will not change course for another 2 1/2 years.
You had a chance to vote for change last election, but the majority bought into the lies the the library and the animal shelter would close.
How much damage do you think will be done in the next 2 1/2 years?
If you want change, get out and start a petition for dis-incorporation.
About the only positive thing i can see happening this election is if Gehlbach either drops out or does not spend any money on advertising and hurts the Sedona Red Rock News ad revenue enough that they go broke. I recommend dropping out now as he will not have a majority on the council to change anything.
The only way for change anytime soon is to shut the city down.
Last week hardworking people started losing their jobs because Nancy Pelosi allowed the people popular and very necessary Paycheck Protection Program to run out of funding.
The Democrats said No! How dare you say no to small businesses here in Sedona and our American jobs! They can’t even get themselves to Washington to work for us and to vote! Done with you all at DORR and state level and now national. Sick of it.
About that $12,000 monthly salary to the Chamber CEO, the claim is it’s paid out of the membership dues. Now if that’s true and the C of C has that kind of money, then why the heck do they need city funding?
My questions for Kurt Gehlbach are, do you know if anyone at city hall has verified the source of Ms. Wesselhoff’s salary? Is there valid documentation of just how city tax money is being spent by the Chamber?
Based on the current economic decline it’s pretty apparent budget cuts are eminent. Would you consider the alleged services from the Chamber of Commerce as being vital for Sedona’s predicted need for financial recovery?
Would you rank funding for the C of C more important than maintaining infrastructure? Our city roads were in far better condition under county jurisdiction.
Do you believe priorities set by past city council’s have been in the best interest of the public in general or have been slanted towards the demands of nonprofits who prior to incorporation were sustained by community events to raise funding?
No change this election says: If you want change, get out and start a petition for dis-incorporation.
Please show us the state statute regarding dis-incorporation, the rules and regulations , and the number of signatures needed, and what will happent to the city bonds and just how will sedona be run in the future.
lets see the information
No change this election, why don’t you use a real name,
OH in the know because your statement is stupid and you would look stupid…. I get it
Nancy doesn’t care if Americans suffer as long as she can be on vacation in her San Francisco mansion eating $13 pints of ice cream from her $24,000 freezer. LMAO
Sedona will be run better and cheaper than it is now by the counties.
It will be run with 2.5 million not given to the Sedona Chamber.
Scares you doesn’t it?
We’ve reached that point: we can no longer deny the City of Sedona
is little more than a grab-bag of skims, scams, fraud and corruption.
Those that protest the shut down of the city are those in on the deal.
Sedona once was now isn’t.
No matter who is elected the cold hard facts will hit them in the face when tax revenue bottoms out. No matter what the guru city manager says, something about a rainy day slush fund(?) we have been living with delusional parasites from C of C and cohort Lodging Council ruling the roost not to mention apparently a clueless City Council.
So Mayor Sandy pleads her pathetic case to both counties. That will be the time to write and call your respective county supervisors and blast them with the truth about millions of dollars to a Chamber of Commerce that promotes competition outside city limits. That equals no tax revenue to city OR county(s).
That may give them a laugh or two especially when they check around and find out that other towns and cities give NOTHING to their Chambers (if they even have one or know what that is). Let the games continue. Can hardly wait for the Segner fellow to harp even more about how the residents don’t pay their fair share! Fair share for what? He never elaborates on that little detail.
@Steve Segner,
Truth is truth, no matter who speaks it. You and your group just want to attack the messenger. Shame on you . Karma just entered Sedona, now you get to pay for what you have done.
Someone said Sedona will be run better and cheaper than it is now by the counties.
It will be run with 2.5 million not given to the Sedona Chamber.
Sedona city government has been very conservative in its spending, they have reserves, in place. Spending on some projects will be postponed I’m sure and other will be accelerated depending on income from taxes, the city will fund marketing because we are a tourist town and tourism employees thousands of people, let’s remember the bed tax pay for marketing.
No I’m not worried at all. The city council will do what is best for residents, visitors, and businesses.
April 22, 2020 at 1:30 pm
We’ve reached that point: we can no longer deny the City of Sedona
is little more than a grab-bag of skims, scams, fraud, and corruption.
Ok please list the corruption… take your time and user name and dates so we can go to the state AG’s office
Those that protest the shut down of the city are those in on the deal.
Fraud- you say the same please tell us and please don’t go on and on about the bed tax…. state it is a state of Arizona plan not the city of Sedona……Arizona gives the city the bed tax and the city spends it under state-mandated guidelines.
Please if you people must post do not post under my name. use a real name.
Sedona city government has been very conservative in its spending, they have reserves, in place. Spending on some projects will be postponed I’m sure and other will be accelerated depending on income from taxes, the city will fund marketing because we are a tourist town and tourism employees thousands of people, let’s remember the bed tax pay for marketing.
No I’m not worried at all. The city council will do what is best for residents, visitors, and businesses.
April 22, 2020 at 1:30 pm
We’ve reached that point: we can no longer deny the City of Sedona
is little more than a grab-bag of skims, scams, fraud, and corruption.
Ok please list the corruption… take your time and user name and dates so we can go to the state AG’s office
Those that protest the shut down of the city are those in on the deal.
Fraud- you say the same please tell us and please don’t go on and on about the bed tax…. state it is a state of Arizona plan not the city of Sedona……Arizona gives the city the bed tax and the city spends it under state-mandated guidelines.
Please if you people must post do not post under my name. use a real name.
Before I retired I commuted to Sedona. I loved coming into town, I’m home I used to think. I had Red Rock Fever, many people did over 20 years ago. I used to eat out twice a week. I had my favorite restaraunts, where I was a regular. I now have a good pension and would have been one off your regulars. I used to bring my relatives from out of town to see the amazing place where I lived. At least 1000, 10% of Sedona residents and probably more like me have moved away. That’s 2000 meals a week you did not sell. That’s houses and hotel rooms and meals that my relatives did not buy. You wanted a tourist trap. I bet you wish you had not run well to do retirees like myself off now. May you get what you deserve. It hurt to watch you ruin my once beautiful home with your lies and greed. I loved Sedona.
Sedona has beautiful rocks and it is mystery why it is not a beautiful city and that’s peoples faults not Gods. Be safer and do not be dangerous to others. Namaste.
Laugh of the day courtesy Steve Segner 4/22 – 4:11 PM:
“Please if you people must post do not post under my name. use a real name.”
And why, pray tell, would anyone in their right minds (operative words = right minds) even WANT to use his name? Wow – arrogance of “presumed” power???
Watch out Kurt Gehlbach, We had great opportunity to change Sedona’s direction two years ago. And guess what? There was a power hungry force out there (besides Chamber and Lodging) that opted to bring in a third party to run for mayor at the 11th hour. Needles to say, by splitting the two choice vote three ways tidily sewed up reelection of Sandy Moriarty.
Beware – keep you friends close and your enemies closer. The problem lingers. How to you know the difference?
Laugh of the day courtesy Steve Segner 4/22 – 4:11 PM:
“Please if you people must post do not post under my name. use a real name.”
Everyone knows the three different writing styles writing under segner.
I wonder which one was complaining? Will the real steve Segner step forward.
“A credibility trap is a condition wherein the financial, political and informational functions of a society have been compromised by corruption and fraud, so that the leadership cannot effectively reform, or even honestly address, the problems of that system without impairing and implicating, at least incidentally, a broad swath of the power structure, including themselves.
The status quo tolerates the corruption and the fraud because they have profited at least indirectly from it, and would like to continue to do so. Even the impulse to reform within the power structure is susceptible to various forms of soft blackmail and coercion by the system that maintains and rewards.
And so a failed policy and its support system become self-sustaining, long after it is seen by objective observers to have failed. In its failure it is counterproductive, and an impediment to recovery in the real economy.
Admitting failure is not an option for the thought leaders who receive their power from that system. The continuity of the structural hierarchy must therefore be maintained at all costs, even to the point of becoming a painfully obvious, organized hypocrisy.
question asked is about vehicles, answer from this voter is no
Put the contract on the agenda and do a FOIA requesting documents and emails and phone logs for Forest Road and real estate. Simple. Use the system.
I’m still waiting for that list of corruption to turn over to the AG‘s office. talks is cheap if you really hate sedona so much why don’t you leave or run for office and change it ? I know both require some action ,
How about the fact the AG told the city they had to cancel the previous chamber contract. Then the idiots of the city decided that giving the chamber 2.5 million to teach residents about sustainability was OK?
How about paid weddings?
How about council violating the open meeting law by all riding together to a chamber function?
You’re full of it.
@Steve segner (with the lower case “s”)
Well guess what! Some of us are still waiting, too. Waiting for the day to come when someone will have courage of a conviction to do away with the great giveaway to the “regional” Chamber of Commerce.
It’s somewhat surprising that members of the Sedona Lodging Council tolerate equal treatment of chamber members outside city limits – those who legitimately do NOT pay city sales and/or bed taxes – unlike the claim you make against Sedona residents – that we contribute NOTHING.
Want to check out the receipts from our utility bills and places like Walmart and CVS? And what about when we eat in restaurants (when they’re open).
The only action that will make a difference will be when candidates for Mayor & City Council have ethics and the integrity to do what’s right by avoiding to cater to those who manage to maintain unwarranted control. If Kurt Gehlbach can walk in those shoes then why shouldn’t it be him?
Correction to previous comment: Should have been Walgreen’s and not Walmart.
Walmart, of course, is in Cottonwood, outside Sedona City Limits. See how easy it is to admit a mistake?
My cousin got her check and she’s thrilled. Anyone here get one yet?
come on you say corruption and fraud, lay it out for us,it’s getting a little old you complaining about the unfairness of the chamber, we get it you don’t like that we have a fund to advertise with but it’s not illegal. Now about your going comment on corruption and fraud laid out for us if you think there was a violation of the open meeting law then go to the AG’s office, it’s that simple better yet go to the city attorney he will take a complaint and look into it. Just go to do something because complaining on Sedona Eye not getting you anything, oh but then you’d have to do something. Actually I think your comment was correct you do shop at Walmart and that’s where your tax dollars go
Lampposts and rope. The time for tar and feathers has passed.
“come on you say corruption and fraud, lay it out for us,it’s getting a little old you complaining about the unfairness of the chamber, we get it you don’t like that we have a fund to advertise with but it’s not illegal.” @Steve segner
So good for the chamber to have a “fund to advertise” but must that fund be derived from city tax collecting businesses within Sedona City Limits who prefer not be be members of the Chamber of Commerce?
Your argument has no merit. But, of course, neither does a city council who authorizes the outlandish money grab from the C of C nor the present city manager (and the assistant city manager, an unnecessary position).
And why, pray tell, does anyone so critical of Sedona Eye continue to read it let alone post comments?
Time for show and tell. Will Mayor Moriarty stand up and bite the bullet and cut the idiotic funding or go along with unwarranted control of those taking Sedona city funds to promote competing businesses outside city limits that do NOT collect city taxes?
This Kurt Gehbach specifically points out the flaws with the purchase of the property on Forest Road. Very impressive IMO that someone who actually researches facts instead of going along with bad advice from apparently a very naive city manager would even put his head on the chopping block and vie for the position of Sedona mayor.
‘Nuf’ said!
If you’re going to not have a stable economic environment then okay.