We DO live in a small mountain town that other people like to visit.

We DO own the properties that make this town a town or it would be vacant land.

We DO have property rights here that usurp visitor rights because WE get to make the rules for those that access our land and impact it.

It is OUR land. Not theirs. They get the view, the right to traverse trailheads we build and maintain, and if they are taxpayers then they have rights to say what USFS ought to be doing with CNF and state parks. WE live in a DEMOCRACY. YOU live in an AUTOCRACY.

Thank those Republicans for it, Steve, because the Democrats don’t have the wherewithal to fill a paper bag with Monopoly money. A good businessman knows who supports his efforts or he’s a gamer. Maybe you game the city and vote Republican in the privacy of the ballet? Good for you if you do, Steve. Democrat me will shut up and vote Republican this time around and any smart citizen should do the same. Democrats have ruined our party and until it’s cleaned out, I’m not playing in that self destruct the country sandbox. I thought I’d never say that but there it is. Keep friends and family close and happy says Confucius if you dine at the public table because it’s the little things that will out you. Use Joe Biden as a source about how life at the public trough comes back to haunt you. There’s a reason Obama has never endorsed Joe for President but Barack endorsed Trudeau of Canada (meddling in other countries politics, eh? Barack hates England, maybe he’s hoping Canada fails?) and yet he won’t touch Joe with a ten foot pole. Democrats all know why he wouldn’t endorse Joe, we hoped the Republicans didn’t know but they do. Now the world sees why and it’s the Democrats fault. Yours and mine and ours, man. Own it.

The Chamber argues two things, both of which are dishonest arguments.

(1) They argue on one hand that they are not responsible for the crush of tourists, and that “we would have them anyway” without advertising. Then, they argue that if we taxpayers forced the city council to reduce the amount of money it gives to the chamber, that would hurt tourist-oriented business owners. Sorry, chamber, you cannot make both arguments. Just a couple of years ago, CEO Jennifer Wesselhoff was talking about “putting on the brakes” of advertising to reduce tourism impacts. Seems to me that’s a pretty direct admission that the chamber believes advertising does drive tourism.

(2) The chamber argues that what they REALLY do is “manage” tourism, not promote it. Well, if you weren’t promoting tourism and continually driving the numbers up for the Lodging Council, you would need a million dollars a year to “manage the impacts” of tourism.

When the pandemic has subsided (and it will be awhile), I sure hope voters will remember just how much Sedona suffered economically because ignorant city council members and the city manager continued to lick the boots of the Lodging Council and mindlessly handed over far too many tax dollars to the chamber of commerce to spend on tourism “management.” We should also remember just how nice it has been to be able to enjoy the peace and quiet of Sedona without the normal crush of springtime tourists. Too bad it took a pandemic to make it happen.