Great report!

How long have you lived here? Are you aware of the circumstances surrounding the initial incorporation of Sedona in 1988, the city’s acquisition of the city hall and other questionable activities here since?

Those of us who moved here (1983) to just ‘live’ have been bitterly disappointed by the effects of the “greedy”, who discovered ‘nirvana’ and viewed Sedona as simply a cash cow. They had no idea, nor did they care, how their “scorched earth” policy would turn this little piece of heaven-on-earth into the dingy, peddler prone gypsy haven for the “harmonically converged” con artists who live in our residential communities…sometimes four unrelated people in each home.

It’s hard to believe that our newspaper, together with the chamber of commerce and other narrow-minded merchants, couldn’t see how their actions could ruin such a favored place due to their misplaced endorsements and actions to attract the tourist dollars. And shame on all of us who sat by and let it happen without uttering a word about what we saw as the end of paradise.

Sheri Graham was the only official who saw what was happening and spoke out…only to be shut down by those who controlled the media and the town politicians. Sedona was never intended to be a sophisticated “tourist town” and should have never ventured to compete with the likes of the Laguna Beach’s of America. It should have been left alone to be just as it was intended…a sleepy, gorgeous unincorporated retirement community where its residents were contented to ‘just be’.