Carefree Truth
Issue #617, January 15, 2018
Mayor Les Peterson said the Council members had the opportunity to talk to each of the 4 candidates who applied to fill the seat vacated by the passing of Councilman Jim Van Allen. He asked Town Clerk Kandace French to go over the voting procedure. Ms. French explained that each Council member had a ballot with the names of the candidates, and must check off one. The ballots should be folded in half and she would collect them. She would randomize the ballots and read off the selections one at a time. In order to be elected, a majority of 4 votes would be required. If a majority were not achieved with the initial voting, runoffs would be held until a majority was reached. Once selected, the new Council member would be sworn in and would join the rest of the Council on the dias to participate for the remainder of the meeting.
The Mayor said this is a difficult decision. He wanted to share some of the required criteria he felt was important to consider. 1. What is the applicable experience base in areas such as economic development, finance, government, etc.? 2. How familiar is the candidate with the nature of priority projects in the near future such as economic development, water, how to increase sales tax revenues, etc.? 3. How long and how deeply involved with Carefree has each candidate been in order to be familiar with the issues? 4. Does the candidate have the necessary time to devote to the position? They were looking for a person who would become interested in a project, felt they could make a difference, and had concern for the people of Carefree.
The Mayor's second page contained additional criteria. The chosen candidate should have a critical, positive, constructive and enjoyable approach. By critical, he meant questioning. Does this match the facts and do I know enough about the facts to differentiate? By constructive, he meant willing to listen to all points of view and realize they give rise to thoughts for consideration. By enjoyable, he meant it is important to work together in a pleasant and civil atmosphere. Carefree is a factual organization, dealing not in "supposed facts or manufactured facts".
Council members must have the ability to lead, organize and motivate teams to be their best. The Council works with the Planning & Zoning Commission and various committees, as well as with the local non profits. The Town is not interested in those who are critical in a negative way, always telling people what they are doing wrong.
Council members should be oriented in an appropriate direction. The job of the Council and senior staff is strategic, rather then executional. There are others to execute the strategies.
Council members must work well with others, including the staff. The Mayor and the Council members are elected for 2 year terms. Staff members are the long term. Gary Neiss is the second Town Administrator in the 30 plus year history of Carefree. "If they disagree with you, chances are pretty good they're right." If the staff doesn't think something is appropriate for the Town, it won't get done. "They are the reservoir of the experience of the Town." Council members must be results oriented, and must be able to work well with and motivate the staff.
The Mayor finished by saying that Council members should understand and support the Carefree lifestyle. Residents like it the way it is but are willing to accept some changes if they understand the reasons for change. The Town is looking for creative people who bring fresh ideas and who challenge existing ideas, but who bring a balance. They must have the best interests of the citizens at heart.
Councilwoman Cheryl Kroyer felt the new Council member should bring creativity and new thinking to find new approaches for solving long term issues and problems. Councilman Mike Farrar said he's looking for a person who is passionate and thoughtful, an independent thinker who is not afraid to ask tough questions, who will do the homework and vote according to his conscience. Vice Mayor Crane said there is a strong field of 4, one of whom will be appointed to serve for 11 months. There is no time for a learning curve, so the new member needs to be able to "hit the ground running." He should be liked and respected by the citizens, and should have the visibility that comes from volunteering and participating. Councilman Gene Orrico asked that the candidates be allowed to address the Council.
Vince D'Aliesio said he's an Arizona native whose Italian immigrant parents moved here from the East Coast when he was 6 months old. He is in his second year of Doctoral studies in Organization Skills and Management at Grand Canyon University. He has a varied work history. He has been a football coach at all school levels, including holding the position of head coach. His focus is working within a team framework. His wife of almost 25 years and his 3 children were in the audience. Mr. D'Aliesio is strongly family and faith oriented and said his prime accountability is to his family. His family moved to Carefree 2 years ago and he wants to be active in the community. They walk their pets (and pick up after them) on the streets of Carefree, and have made many good friends who seem to value his opinion. He is grounded, lives by the Golden Rule and is a good listener. He appreciated the opportunity.
Issue #617, January 15, 2018
Mayor Les Peterson said the Council members had the opportunity to talk to each of the 4 candidates who applied to fill the seat vacated by the passing of Councilman Jim Van Allen. He asked Town Clerk Kandace French to go over the voting procedure. Ms. French explained that each Council member had a ballot with the names of the candidates, and must check off one. The ballots should be folded in half and she would collect them. She would randomize the ballots and read off the selections one at a time. In order to be elected, a majority of 4 votes would be required. If a majority were not achieved with the initial voting, runoffs would be held until a majority was reached. Once selected, the new Council member would be sworn in and would join the rest of the Council on the dias to participate for the remainder of the meeting.
The Mayor said this is a difficult decision. He wanted to share some of the required criteria he felt was important to consider. 1. What is the applicable experience base in areas such as economic development, finance, government, etc.? 2. How familiar is the candidate with the nature of priority projects in the near future such as economic development, water, how to increase sales tax revenues, etc.? 3. How long and how deeply involved with Carefree has each candidate been in order to be familiar with the issues? 4. Does the candidate have the necessary time to devote to the position? They were looking for a person who would become interested in a project, felt they could make a difference, and had concern for the people of Carefree.
The Mayor's second page contained additional criteria. The chosen candidate should have a critical, positive, constructive and enjoyable approach. By critical, he meant questioning. Does this match the facts and do I know enough about the facts to differentiate? By constructive, he meant willing to listen to all points of view and realize they give rise to thoughts for consideration. By enjoyable, he meant it is important to work together in a pleasant and civil atmosphere. Carefree is a factual organization, dealing not in "supposed facts or manufactured facts".
Council members must have the ability to lead, organize and motivate teams to be their best. The Council works with the Planning & Zoning Commission and various committees, as well as with the local non profits. The Town is not interested in those who are critical in a negative way, always telling people what they are doing wrong.
Council members should be oriented in an appropriate direction. The job of the Council and senior staff is strategic, rather then executional. There are others to execute the strategies.
Council members must work well with others, including the staff. The Mayor and the Council members are elected for 2 year terms. Staff members are the long term. Gary Neiss is the second Town Administrator in the 30 plus year history of Carefree. "If they disagree with you, chances are pretty good they're right." If the staff doesn't think something is appropriate for the Town, it won't get done. "They are the reservoir of the experience of the Town." Council members must be results oriented, and must be able to work well with and motivate the staff.
The Mayor finished by saying that Council members should understand and support the Carefree lifestyle. Residents like it the way it is but are willing to accept some changes if they understand the reasons for change. The Town is looking for creative people who bring fresh ideas and who challenge existing ideas, but who bring a balance. They must have the best interests of the citizens at heart.
Councilwoman Cheryl Kroyer felt the new Council member should bring creativity and new thinking to find new approaches for solving long term issues and problems. Councilman Mike Farrar said he's looking for a person who is passionate and thoughtful, an independent thinker who is not afraid to ask tough questions, who will do the homework and vote according to his conscience. Vice Mayor Crane said there is a strong field of 4, one of whom will be appointed to serve for 11 months. There is no time for a learning curve, so the new member needs to be able to "hit the ground running." He should be liked and respected by the citizens, and should have the visibility that comes from volunteering and participating. Councilman Gene Orrico asked that the candidates be allowed to address the Council.
Vince D'Aliesio said he's an Arizona native whose Italian immigrant parents moved here from the East Coast when he was 6 months old. He is in his second year of Doctoral studies in Organization Skills and Management at Grand Canyon University. He has a varied work history. He has been a football coach at all school levels, including holding the position of head coach. His focus is working within a team framework. His wife of almost 25 years and his 3 children were in the audience. Mr. D'Aliesio is strongly family and faith oriented and said his prime accountability is to his family. His family moved to Carefree 2 years ago and he wants to be active in the community. They walk their pets (and pick up after them) on the streets of Carefree, and have made many good friends who seem to value his opinion. He is grounded, lives by the Golden Rule and is a good listener. He appreciated the opportunity.
Vince D'Aliesio
Tom Cross, the Vice Chair of the Planning & Zoning Commission, and his wife moved to Carefree 17 years ago, after living in Flagstaff for 5 years. Both had no interest in living south of Carefree Highway. They bought a house designed by renowned Carefree architect Gerry Jones that was built in 1966. They have been coming to this area since the early 1970s to visit his wife's father, who built a house on the west side of Black Mountain. There have been many changes since that time. Mr. Cross is now fully retired, with lots of time for community work. He said that people can go through life as spectators or participants. He prefers to be a participant. Many residents feel they are not listened to, but he has "big ears". He thanked the Council for their time.
Tom Cross, the Vice Chair of the Planning & Zoning Commission, and his wife moved to Carefree 17 years ago, after living in Flagstaff for 5 years. Both had no interest in living south of Carefree Highway. They bought a house designed by renowned Carefree architect Gerry Jones that was built in 1966. They have been coming to this area since the early 1970s to visit his wife's father, who built a house on the west side of Black Mountain. There have been many changes since that time. Mr. Cross is now fully retired, with lots of time for community work. He said that people can go through life as spectators or participants. He prefers to be a participant. Many residents feel they are not listened to, but he has "big ears". He thanked the Council for their time.
Tom Cross
John Traynor said he started the year with the flu and advised everyone to get a flu shot. He thanked the Council for providing the opportunity for candidates to submit their qualifications and for meeting with the candidates at this busy time of year. It was nice to meet other than just at the casual, sometimes difficult, meetings during Council sessions. That is better than anything written on paper or off the cuff evaluations that might be made.
He has been a resident of Carefree for almost 18 years. He relocated here for work, knowing nothing of the area beyond a few business trips to Scottsdale. His wife found a house in Carefree after they had bought several houses in Scottsdale that all fell through, and he fell in love with Carefree.
Mr. Traynor lived in New York City for 50 years, 30 of which were spent working, and he liked it. But after commuting into Manhattan for many jobs in information and technology, this part of the country was a breath of fresh air. Having lived in NYC for 50 years, he said that people tend to take on a personality that some folks in this part of the country find abrasive. He said it's not abrasive; it's just the way New Yorkers and other East Coast folks are. "It's facts, get in your face, discuss it, disagree, and move on." He would agree to go onto the Council with the understanding that there are no "junior members" and everyone has an equal opportunity to express opinions. Disagreement is a different point of view. Without the ability to disagree, society breaks down.
During his interview, the Mayor asked him what the Town is doing wrong. Mr. Traynor said there was some disagreement when they were both on the Financial Planning Committee but that he doesn't think Carefree is broken; it just needs some tweaking. He is not negative or against change, anti development, or anti business. He just wants Carefree to remain the same as it was when he first saw it. He felt his many jobs in many industries gave him a broad breadth of experience. He looks forward to, one way or the other, working with the Town.
John Traynor said he started the year with the flu and advised everyone to get a flu shot. He thanked the Council for providing the opportunity for candidates to submit their qualifications and for meeting with the candidates at this busy time of year. It was nice to meet other than just at the casual, sometimes difficult, meetings during Council sessions. That is better than anything written on paper or off the cuff evaluations that might be made.
He has been a resident of Carefree for almost 18 years. He relocated here for work, knowing nothing of the area beyond a few business trips to Scottsdale. His wife found a house in Carefree after they had bought several houses in Scottsdale that all fell through, and he fell in love with Carefree.
Mr. Traynor lived in New York City for 50 years, 30 of which were spent working, and he liked it. But after commuting into Manhattan for many jobs in information and technology, this part of the country was a breath of fresh air. Having lived in NYC for 50 years, he said that people tend to take on a personality that some folks in this part of the country find abrasive. He said it's not abrasive; it's just the way New Yorkers and other East Coast folks are. "It's facts, get in your face, discuss it, disagree, and move on." He would agree to go onto the Council with the understanding that there are no "junior members" and everyone has an equal opportunity to express opinions. Disagreement is a different point of view. Without the ability to disagree, society breaks down.
During his interview, the Mayor asked him what the Town is doing wrong. Mr. Traynor said there was some disagreement when they were both on the Financial Planning Committee but that he doesn't think Carefree is broken; it just needs some tweaking. He is not negative or against change, anti development, or anti business. He just wants Carefree to remain the same as it was when he first saw it. He felt his many jobs in many industries gave him a broad breadth of experience. He looks forward to, one way or the other, working with the Town.
John Traynor
Stephen Hatcher moved to the area in 1993. He and his wife raised their family here. They bought a home in Carefree in 2011 and love it here. His education and background are in aerospace engineering, so he is familiar with engineering issues that might be facing the Town. He also has a strong background in economics and finance, so is prepared to deal with those issues that the Town might be facing. Mr. Hatcher loves Carefree the way it is, but there is a need to identify some areas that need to be strengthened, and move it forward for a continuation of the lifestyle we love.
Stephen Hatcher moved to the area in 1993. He and his wife raised their family here. They bought a home in Carefree in 2011 and love it here. His education and background are in aerospace engineering, so he is familiar with engineering issues that might be facing the Town. He also has a strong background in economics and finance, so is prepared to deal with those issues that the Town might be facing. Mr. Hatcher loves Carefree the way it is, but there is a need to identify some areas that need to be strengthened, and move it forward for a continuation of the lifestyle we love.
Stephen Hatcher
Mayor Peterson noted that it was now up to the Council to make a hard choice. There would be other opportunities for the 3 who weren't chosen, even if the Council does not feel they are the exact fit right now. He valued all their contributions so far. He then asked the Council members to fill out their ballots and pass them forward. Ms. French collected them and tallied the results. Stephen Hatcher received 5 votes; Tom Cross received 1 vote.
Ms. Kroyer thanked each of the candidates for their time. Mr. Farrar thanked Tom Cross for all he does for the Town. He respects John Traynor, calling him an important individual in the community. He said Vince D'Aliesio was a wonderful human being with a lovely family. Mr. Farrar encouraged him to get involved and thought he would one day be on the Council. Mayor Peterson encouraged everyone to stay involved. Dr. Krahe said it was a difficult decision and thanked all the candidates for stepping up, adding that we need every voice.
Ms. French administered the Oath of Office. Councilman Hatcher then took his place on the dias for the remainder of the meeting.
Mayor Peterson noted that it was now up to the Council to make a hard choice. There would be other opportunities for the 3 who weren't chosen, even if the Council does not feel they are the exact fit right now. He valued all their contributions so far. He then asked the Council members to fill out their ballots and pass them forward. Ms. French collected them and tallied the results. Stephen Hatcher received 5 votes; Tom Cross received 1 vote.
Ms. Kroyer thanked each of the candidates for their time. Mr. Farrar thanked Tom Cross for all he does for the Town. He respects John Traynor, calling him an important individual in the community. He said Vince D'Aliesio was a wonderful human being with a lovely family. Mr. Farrar encouraged him to get involved and thought he would one day be on the Council. Mayor Peterson encouraged everyone to stay involved. Dr. Krahe said it was a difficult decision and thanked all the candidates for stepping up, adding that we need every voice.
Ms. French administered the Oath of Office. Councilman Hatcher then took his place on the dias for the remainder of the meeting.
Photos by Herbert Hitchon
https://vimeo.com/250574645
Lyn Hitchon
Prepared by Carefree Truth
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https://vimeo.com/250574645
Lyn Hitchon
Prepared by Carefree Truth
Visit our website at www.carefreetruth2.com If you know anyone who would like to be added to the Carefree Truth email list, please have them contact me. Feel free to share Carefree Truth with others on your list.
Visit www.carefreeazbusinesses.com to see more info about businesses in Carefree. Please support our merchants.