Dear Friends and Residents of the Sedona Fire District,
I wanted to give an update on the Fire Board election campaign. Tomorrow, April 23rd is here, at which time you will receive a ballot in the mail to vote.
Diane Schoen, Corrie Cooperman, and I will continue to work hard to maintain our professional fire district under a fiscally responsible budget. I ask you to please express your support and share our vision and information with your neighbors and friends in order to sustain our critical Emergency Medical and Fire services within the community.
Please see http://sfdrecall.com for very important information and continuous updates.
Also, below is a letter Sedona Citizens from current SFD Fire Board Member Ty Montgomery.
Thank you for your ongoing trust and support,
Nazih M. HazimeSedona AZ
(Below is attached letter from Ty Montgomery)
Dear Sedona Citizens,
It has been a privilege and an honor to serve as a member on the Sedona Fire District Governing Board for this past 16 months. It has also proven to be an enormous challenge given the political climate and the strong beliefs of those on the board.
During meetings I have repeatedly expressed concerns regarding questionable practices by the current Board majority. Micromanagement of the district’s personnel resulting in the loss of key employees, exorbitant spending on attorneys, and the spending of nearly $200,000 on an audit of dubious value are but a few of the issues that brought about an unprecedented recall of three of the sitting board members.
When I was elected to the SFD Board it was because of the positions I held on various issues, and my constituents’ belief that I would not compromise my integrity. My positions are unchanged, and my commitment remains strong. The Sedona Fire District is facing serious times, and in my opinion the majority of the current Board is taking this district in the wrong direction. A direction that may benefit the taxpayers a very few dollars, but at the high cost of reduced services and the potential for loss of lives and property. That is unacceptable to me, and to those who elected me to serve.
I am endorsing Nazih Hazime, Diane Schoen, and Corrie Cooperman in the special recall election, and I am asking those who trust and support me to do the same. I am confident they bring the skills that will help us maintain the emergency services we have come to expect. My thanks to all those in the community who have so diligently worked to make this recall election a reality. Now I implore the residents of our District to make the right choice.
Ty Montgomery, Member
Sedona Fire District Governing Board
All,
Today at PJs pub in VOC there is a chili cook off fundraiser. Sedona Verde Valley Firefighters Charities has an entry. Starts @1 ends @5, $3 to taste. Come out support and politic with the locals.
The same Nazim Hazime who said at the Sedona Fire District budget meeting of 4/13/11
” In my professional opinion, this reduction of $2.5 million from the annual budget could cause loss of life and property within the Sedona Fire District. “Consequently, the Sedona Fire District has a problem because the person they hired with such expertise has put you “On Notice” of potential unreasonable risk of loss of life and property in the Sedona Fire District. No one on the Sedona Fire District Governing Board,m who is proposing these budgetary reductions, is a Fire Service professional or has the expertise in Administration of Fire Prevention Services as an expert professional. The Board neither commissioned nor requested any form of study or cost-benefit analysis. Therefore, the Sedona Fire District Governing Board must obtain an expert professional Fire Administrator to justify its position with an opinion and study of the $2.5 million budget reduction without exposing the community to unreasonable risk and reduction of services.”
Ty Montgomery mentiones the report Hazime DEMANDED.
Hazimi, Schoen and Cooperman will almost certainly raise your taxes to pay for their excessive spending. Please see SFD Armageddon Questioned on the Sedona Eye.
Chief Hazime demanded the study and then ignored the findings and then has the audacity to blame the cost of the study on the present board??? Is this the kind of person we want on the board? I think not. Ask him why there are fire fighters and others in the District that are making more money annually than the Arizona Governor makes!!! The present board members are trying to stop this manipulation of overtime pay but Mr. Montgomery wants it to continue and that is why he is supporting Hazime and the others trying to oust the conservative board members. If this practice of abusing overtime pay continues, Sedona will eventually become insolvant like so many other cities throughout the country that have been bullied by unions. We must keep the present members of the board if we want to keep our property taxes down.
Hi Ty,
just a quick not that we are getting votes here at Sedona Shadows for your 3 recommended candidates. We hope the election goes the right way and we will get rid of you know who.
BEST REGARDS,
PHIL ROGERS
http://www.sedona.biz/education/fire-board-recall-ballots-sent-april-23-2012/
Watch this!