Lyn's note: Please feel free to send us any pictures you'd like included. Here is the link to this week's Pictures of the Week.
http://carefreeazbusinesses.com/pictures-of-the-week-4918.html
http://carefreeazbusinesses.com/pictures-of-the-week-4918.html
Photo by Hazel Vaughn
Here are your bonus rounds from Herbert.
http://aneyeonyouproduction.com/4418-art-pic.html
Here are your bonus rounds from Herbert.
http://aneyeonyouproduction.com/4418-art-pic.html
"Simulated motion" saguaro spine
Photo by Herbert Hitchon
Town of Carefree Marketing newsletter
http://www.carefree.org/336/IN-THE-NEWS
CITYSunTimes link:
http://news.citysuntimes.com/
Carefree “Block Party” Event Proves to be a Winner! –Mayor Les Peterson
Literally everyone, including Foothills residents, Carefree businesses and all of the local major not-for-profits, were winners at the first annual “Block Party” celebration on Saturday, April 7th. “This event met and exceeded even our most optimistic goals, and has established itself as a cornerstone of Carefree’s event calendar in future years,” said Carefree Council woman Cheryl Kroyer.
Residents enjoyed the opportunity to see and socialize with their neighbors, participate in the many activities available and discover new businesses and their owners. The Block Party was an excellent venue to end the winter/spring season on a high note and launch into the summer season. An estimated 2,500 people enjoyed strolling Easy Street and through the Carefree Desert Gardens, conversing with their neighbors and participating in this neighborhood event.
Over thirty Carefree businesses set up informational booths at no cost, to demo their goods and services and to introduce themselves to local residents who were unfamiliar with them. Many of these businesses reported meeting quite a few new residents, and gained new customers.
The major non-profits in the Foothills, including the Foothills Caring Corps, Desert Foothills YMCA, and the Foothills Food Bank, each created their own selected activity and reported donations for their organizations. The Carefree Water Company raised donations for the Desert Foothills Library for every throw initiated at their dunk tank. The Chamber of Commerce also contributed a professional Corn Hole “Bags” Tournament company who managed their games.
All were extremely pleased with their participation, and many are already making plans to participate again next year. Many new inquiries to participate in next years’ Block Party were also noted by the Carefree Staff.
A special “thank you” is in order for all of the event sponsors and volunteers. Of note, were the particularly generous donations from Bashas’ Grocery, CIVANA Carefree, Venues Café, Nathans Famous Hot Dogs, and 4CMedical as well as the countless volunteer hours required to make the event a success.
Please accept the Town of Carefree’s sincerest thank you to all who sponsored and donated to help make this event fun and valuable for the community.
This is being addressed in Letters because I don't editorialize in Carefree Truth newsletters. But Mr. Traynor's numerous inaccuracies (and I use the term politely) need to be addressed, so I am utilizing the Letters forum, which is editorial in nature, although numerous verifiable public record facts will be presented below.
During Call to the Public at the April Council meeting, John Traynor said this seemed to be the time of year to thank the Council for their service, and that they get more criticism than they do compliments, so he echoed Arthur Gimson's compliments. The fact that many of the "criticisms" have for years emanated from Mr. Traynor and his cronies, and that he chose not to give the Council any compliments of his own but merely to "echo" those of another, made his "compliments" seem more than a little backhanded.
He then reverted to form, launching into his insidious insinuations. Mr. Traynor claimed that there were ballot Propositions to institute, then to retain, term limits in two different elections. He incorrectly stated, "On two occasions, the town voters unanimously, maybe not unanimously, but by a significant majority, voted to keep term limits", and that he hoped the Town was not considering allowing candidates to run who were not "entitled" to run.
Mr. Traynor's historic modus operandi involves making these types of blatantly false statements with the assumption that Carefree citizens do not know or will not remember the history, and that his statements will not be questioned. Term limits were approved by the Carefree voters in 2011. The Proposition on the ballot in 2014 addressed four year staggered terms, which is how all but four of the cities and towns in Arizona elect their Councils; it made no mention of term limits. That Proposition did not pass.
Term limits were placed on the ballot in 2011 due to the efforts of a Council member who had supported the failed 2009/10 recall attempt against Mayor David Schwan and who had supported John Traynor, the losing candidate, in that bogus recall attempt. The Councilman chose to promote term limits in order to make a name for himself in advance of his unsuccessful bid for Mayor in 2011. Term limits was an emotional buzz phrase that resonated with Carefree voters because everyone was disgusted with politicians in Washington, D.C. who are not subject to term limits, so the Proposition passed. Carefree is a small town with a limited pool of willing and qualified candidates from which to draw. Our volunteer Council has nothing in common with career D.C. Senators who are Poster Children for term limits.
Mr. Traynor asserted that, "There might be several methods to circumvent the law, but the will of the voters should trump any evasive scheme". And, "A technicality in the wording of the statute could be exploited to ignore the term limits". What he failed to mention is that term limits for municipalities are illegal under Arizona State law. This is not a "technicality in the wording", it is State law. State law "trumps" municipal ordinances.
His most recent newsletter (and again, I use a term politely) stated that Council members "received the benefit of the expanded term following the 2013 election, due to a county mandate which changed the election cycle to even numbered years. Rather than the standard 2-year term, Carefree officials had the choice of serving a shorter 1-1/2 year term or a longer 3-1/2 year term-they chose a 3-1/2 year term". Once again, Mr. Traynor is inaccurate. First, it was not "a county mandate" but a State one. Second, while it was unclear at first if municipalities had the choice of serving 1-1/2 year terms or 3-1/2 year terms, it was later made clear that the State dictated 3-1/2 year terms, which is why both the Carefree and Cave Creek Councils served 3-1/2 year terms.
John Traynor has made 4 failed attempts to get onto the Carefree Council. He ran in 2 regular elections (2007 and 2009) and in the Sonoran News sponsored recall election as Don Sorchych's chosen candidate to unseat our Mayor (2010). He recently applied for the seat vacated by the death of Jim Van Allen. Although he was well known by all the seated Council members, he failed to receive even a single vote. It will be interesting to see if he gives it a 5th shot this May. My guess is that he supports the illegal term limits so strongly because he's hoping to finally make it onto the Council by default one of these years.
Lyn Hitchon
Photo by Herbert Hitchon
Town of Carefree Marketing newsletter
http://www.carefree.org/336/IN-THE-NEWS
CITYSunTimes link:
http://news.citysuntimes.com/
Carefree “Block Party” Event Proves to be a Winner! –Mayor Les Peterson
Literally everyone, including Foothills residents, Carefree businesses and all of the local major not-for-profits, were winners at the first annual “Block Party” celebration on Saturday, April 7th. “This event met and exceeded even our most optimistic goals, and has established itself as a cornerstone of Carefree’s event calendar in future years,” said Carefree Council woman Cheryl Kroyer.
Residents enjoyed the opportunity to see and socialize with their neighbors, participate in the many activities available and discover new businesses and their owners. The Block Party was an excellent venue to end the winter/spring season on a high note and launch into the summer season. An estimated 2,500 people enjoyed strolling Easy Street and through the Carefree Desert Gardens, conversing with their neighbors and participating in this neighborhood event.
Over thirty Carefree businesses set up informational booths at no cost, to demo their goods and services and to introduce themselves to local residents who were unfamiliar with them. Many of these businesses reported meeting quite a few new residents, and gained new customers.
The major non-profits in the Foothills, including the Foothills Caring Corps, Desert Foothills YMCA, and the Foothills Food Bank, each created their own selected activity and reported donations for their organizations. The Carefree Water Company raised donations for the Desert Foothills Library for every throw initiated at their dunk tank. The Chamber of Commerce also contributed a professional Corn Hole “Bags” Tournament company who managed their games.
All were extremely pleased with their participation, and many are already making plans to participate again next year. Many new inquiries to participate in next years’ Block Party were also noted by the Carefree Staff.
A special “thank you” is in order for all of the event sponsors and volunteers. Of note, were the particularly generous donations from Bashas’ Grocery, CIVANA Carefree, Venues Café, Nathans Famous Hot Dogs, and 4CMedical as well as the countless volunteer hours required to make the event a success.
Please accept the Town of Carefree’s sincerest thank you to all who sponsored and donated to help make this event fun and valuable for the community.
This is being addressed in Letters because I don't editorialize in Carefree Truth newsletters. But Mr. Traynor's numerous inaccuracies (and I use the term politely) need to be addressed, so I am utilizing the Letters forum, which is editorial in nature, although numerous verifiable public record facts will be presented below.
During Call to the Public at the April Council meeting, John Traynor said this seemed to be the time of year to thank the Council for their service, and that they get more criticism than they do compliments, so he echoed Arthur Gimson's compliments. The fact that many of the "criticisms" have for years emanated from Mr. Traynor and his cronies, and that he chose not to give the Council any compliments of his own but merely to "echo" those of another, made his "compliments" seem more than a little backhanded.
He then reverted to form, launching into his insidious insinuations. Mr. Traynor claimed that there were ballot Propositions to institute, then to retain, term limits in two different elections. He incorrectly stated, "On two occasions, the town voters unanimously, maybe not unanimously, but by a significant majority, voted to keep term limits", and that he hoped the Town was not considering allowing candidates to run who were not "entitled" to run.
Mr. Traynor's historic modus operandi involves making these types of blatantly false statements with the assumption that Carefree citizens do not know or will not remember the history, and that his statements will not be questioned. Term limits were approved by the Carefree voters in 2011. The Proposition on the ballot in 2014 addressed four year staggered terms, which is how all but four of the cities and towns in Arizona elect their Councils; it made no mention of term limits. That Proposition did not pass.
Term limits were placed on the ballot in 2011 due to the efforts of a Council member who had supported the failed 2009/10 recall attempt against Mayor David Schwan and who had supported John Traynor, the losing candidate, in that bogus recall attempt. The Councilman chose to promote term limits in order to make a name for himself in advance of his unsuccessful bid for Mayor in 2011. Term limits was an emotional buzz phrase that resonated with Carefree voters because everyone was disgusted with politicians in Washington, D.C. who are not subject to term limits, so the Proposition passed. Carefree is a small town with a limited pool of willing and qualified candidates from which to draw. Our volunteer Council has nothing in common with career D.C. Senators who are Poster Children for term limits.
Mr. Traynor asserted that, "There might be several methods to circumvent the law, but the will of the voters should trump any evasive scheme". And, "A technicality in the wording of the statute could be exploited to ignore the term limits". What he failed to mention is that term limits for municipalities are illegal under Arizona State law. This is not a "technicality in the wording", it is State law. State law "trumps" municipal ordinances.
His most recent newsletter (and again, I use a term politely) stated that Council members "received the benefit of the expanded term following the 2013 election, due to a county mandate which changed the election cycle to even numbered years. Rather than the standard 2-year term, Carefree officials had the choice of serving a shorter 1-1/2 year term or a longer 3-1/2 year term-they chose a 3-1/2 year term". Once again, Mr. Traynor is inaccurate. First, it was not "a county mandate" but a State one. Second, while it was unclear at first if municipalities had the choice of serving 1-1/2 year terms or 3-1/2 year terms, it was later made clear that the State dictated 3-1/2 year terms, which is why both the Carefree and Cave Creek Councils served 3-1/2 year terms.
John Traynor has made 4 failed attempts to get onto the Carefree Council. He ran in 2 regular elections (2007 and 2009) and in the Sonoran News sponsored recall election as Don Sorchych's chosen candidate to unseat our Mayor (2010). He recently applied for the seat vacated by the death of Jim Van Allen. Although he was well known by all the seated Council members, he failed to receive even a single vote. It will be interesting to see if he gives it a 5th shot this May. My guess is that he supports the illegal term limits so strongly because he's hoping to finally make it onto the Council by default one of these years.
Lyn Hitchon
John Traynor
Photo by Herbert Hitchon
Lyn:
As one who is constantly teased by my two wonderful sons for my habit of actually driving the posted speed limit instead of 10 mph over the limit, I found the comments by Carefree citizens and the Council's sound approach to the challenge refreshing. The commentary also reminded me that getting people to adhere to traffic laws is more often than not, an attempt at behavior modification.
So, the question becomes how do you modify people's driving habits?
The solution typically discussed relvoves around posted speed limits. That's important. But without an agressive enforcement element, modifying the behavior of drivers who see speed limits as merely guidelines will not work in the long run.
So, how do we enforce our traffic laws and speed limits?
LED signs that show the vehicle speed will help but will it modify driver behavior?
Asking the police to enforce speed limits is problematic. The necessary manpower alone to effectively enforce speed limits would be cost prohibitive and an inefficient use of police services.
There is one tried and true solution that works. It modifies behavior quite well over time and generates revenue which in turn pays for itself over time. But this method is despised (to put it modestly) and always generates discussion that is often based on the real fear we all face about the role of government in the technology driven Society we have become.
Since this one element does not appear to be under consideration at the moment, I thought I'd toss the matter into the blender. It's a simple two word solution that should be debated. So, at the risk of being run out of town, here goes.
Photo Radar
The model to examine is not the freeway cams which were regulated out of business. The best model is the Town of Paradise Valley and the use of Photo Radar on their major thoroughfares of Lincoln drive, Tatum Blvd, Doubletree. Lots of history, economic and other statistics. Having lived in PV from 1984 thru 2007, I can personally attest to the behavior modification success 😎
Shooting the messenger is a popular sport. I'll remember to duck!
Phil Corso
Carefree
(Lyn's note: The following letters pertain to the Carefree Block Party held last Saturday. I sent the link that has all of Herbert's photos and videos of the Block Party out ahead to a few friends who were there, and their comments are included below. Here's the full link. http://aneyeonyouproduction.com/carefree-community-block-party-4718.html )
Well we had a great time at the Town Block Party, and our Dunk Tank was a huge success! We raised $250 at the event for the Desert Foothills Library and we’re expecting the total to go over $300 when all the Dunk Tank Drop-Outs pay up! J
Kudos to Gina, Vicki, and all the Town Team for putting on a great event!
And a BIG THANKS to the following DUNK TANK DIVAS:
John “Water-Logged” Crane (I stopped counting at 10!)
Lyn “Queen of the Dunk Tank” Hitchon
Al “Bring It On” Mascha
Gary “I Can’t Get My Hair Wet” Neiss
Conner “Can’t Get Enough of It” Lutz (Noel’s Son)
Cayden “I’m From Chicago and I Never Get Cold” Hughes (Geno’s Grandson)
We hope everyone had a good time and we can’t wait for next year’s event!
Thanks again!
Greg Crossman
Carefree Water Company
The video of you on the town Facebook Page getting dunked was so darn funny!!! Thank you for being such a good sport. Thank Herbie for being there as well and capturing the great moments of the day.
Gina Kaegi
Hi Lyn:
The dunk tank was great fun and you were a great sport for jumping in. Kudos to Herb for his discretion in showing only the most graceful part of the dunk tank experience. Greg Crossman and the Water Company definitely added a special element to, what was, a very enjoyable afternoon.
John Crane
Hi Lyn:
Great job to you on this video! The slow motion plunges are fun, and it looks like everyone had a blast. You rock!
Betsy Lynn
(Lyn's note: Betsy is John Crane's Betsy, mentioned in my note below.)
Hi Lyn, Gene and I were grilling Burgers and dogs on Saturday and I didn't have an opportunity to say hello to you. If you stopped by, I'm sorry that I missed you. My wife and kids hung out and my parents also came by and ate.
Vince D'Aliesio
(Lyn's note: We didn't get a chance to stop by their booth to say hi to Vince and Gene Orrico while they were flipping burgers. Vince was one of the candidates who volunteered to fill the seat vacated by Jim Van Allen. He will be running for Council in the upcoming election. Nice man.)
Lyn,
This is great! Herbie captured it all, and I especially like the dunking in slow motion, water splashing, and the good sports who slowly fell into the tank!
Hazel Vaughn
THANK YOU LYN FOR YOUR HELP AT THE DUNK TANK. YOU HELPED MAKE THE DAY A SUCCESS. YOU'RE A SPORT!!!
JOE AND CONNIE INTENZO
I just want to say how amazing you are for doing the water dunk! I was worried about you getting up there. You are more than a good sport. I am proud of you!
Hugs,
Binka Schwan
(Lyn's note: Greg Crossman "volunteered" several of us for the Carefree Water Company sponsored Dunk Tank at the Carefree Block Party on Saturday. I went into the tank a slew of times, once at the hand of my dear husband, who hit the dunk button with the ball on the first try. Ha! I followed Vice Mayor John Crane, who also went into the tank a slew of times, once at the hand of his Betsy. Don, owner of the Black Mountain Cafe & Coffee Shop, promised me a Philly cheesesteak if he couldn't hit the button with the ball, but he too dunked me, so no free cheesesteak for me. Hey, if nothing else, those who got to watch me get in and out of the tank got their money's worth of entertainment for the day. What's "dignity"? Don't ask me... But it was lots of fun and the water felt great on a hot day! See a quick video of John and me taking our turns in the dunk tank below. That's Herbert throwing the ball at me. Betsy held his camera and she took the picture of him while he was tossing. Also check out the link directly below with all of Herbert's photos and videos of the Block Party. Enjoy!
http://aneyeonyouproduction.com/carefree-community-block-party-4718.html
Photo by Herbert Hitchon
Lyn:
As one who is constantly teased by my two wonderful sons for my habit of actually driving the posted speed limit instead of 10 mph over the limit, I found the comments by Carefree citizens and the Council's sound approach to the challenge refreshing. The commentary also reminded me that getting people to adhere to traffic laws is more often than not, an attempt at behavior modification.
So, the question becomes how do you modify people's driving habits?
The solution typically discussed relvoves around posted speed limits. That's important. But without an agressive enforcement element, modifying the behavior of drivers who see speed limits as merely guidelines will not work in the long run.
So, how do we enforce our traffic laws and speed limits?
LED signs that show the vehicle speed will help but will it modify driver behavior?
Asking the police to enforce speed limits is problematic. The necessary manpower alone to effectively enforce speed limits would be cost prohibitive and an inefficient use of police services.
There is one tried and true solution that works. It modifies behavior quite well over time and generates revenue which in turn pays for itself over time. But this method is despised (to put it modestly) and always generates discussion that is often based on the real fear we all face about the role of government in the technology driven Society we have become.
Since this one element does not appear to be under consideration at the moment, I thought I'd toss the matter into the blender. It's a simple two word solution that should be debated. So, at the risk of being run out of town, here goes.
Photo Radar
The model to examine is not the freeway cams which were regulated out of business. The best model is the Town of Paradise Valley and the use of Photo Radar on their major thoroughfares of Lincoln drive, Tatum Blvd, Doubletree. Lots of history, economic and other statistics. Having lived in PV from 1984 thru 2007, I can personally attest to the behavior modification success 😎
Shooting the messenger is a popular sport. I'll remember to duck!
Phil Corso
Carefree
(Lyn's note: The following letters pertain to the Carefree Block Party held last Saturday. I sent the link that has all of Herbert's photos and videos of the Block Party out ahead to a few friends who were there, and their comments are included below. Here's the full link. http://aneyeonyouproduction.com/carefree-community-block-party-4718.html )
Well we had a great time at the Town Block Party, and our Dunk Tank was a huge success! We raised $250 at the event for the Desert Foothills Library and we’re expecting the total to go over $300 when all the Dunk Tank Drop-Outs pay up! J
Kudos to Gina, Vicki, and all the Town Team for putting on a great event!
And a BIG THANKS to the following DUNK TANK DIVAS:
John “Water-Logged” Crane (I stopped counting at 10!)
Lyn “Queen of the Dunk Tank” Hitchon
Al “Bring It On” Mascha
Gary “I Can’t Get My Hair Wet” Neiss
Conner “Can’t Get Enough of It” Lutz (Noel’s Son)
Cayden “I’m From Chicago and I Never Get Cold” Hughes (Geno’s Grandson)
We hope everyone had a good time and we can’t wait for next year’s event!
Thanks again!
Greg Crossman
Carefree Water Company
The video of you on the town Facebook Page getting dunked was so darn funny!!! Thank you for being such a good sport. Thank Herbie for being there as well and capturing the great moments of the day.
Gina Kaegi
Hi Lyn:
The dunk tank was great fun and you were a great sport for jumping in. Kudos to Herb for his discretion in showing only the most graceful part of the dunk tank experience. Greg Crossman and the Water Company definitely added a special element to, what was, a very enjoyable afternoon.
John Crane
Hi Lyn:
Great job to you on this video! The slow motion plunges are fun, and it looks like everyone had a blast. You rock!
Betsy Lynn
(Lyn's note: Betsy is John Crane's Betsy, mentioned in my note below.)
Hi Lyn, Gene and I were grilling Burgers and dogs on Saturday and I didn't have an opportunity to say hello to you. If you stopped by, I'm sorry that I missed you. My wife and kids hung out and my parents also came by and ate.
Vince D'Aliesio
(Lyn's note: We didn't get a chance to stop by their booth to say hi to Vince and Gene Orrico while they were flipping burgers. Vince was one of the candidates who volunteered to fill the seat vacated by Jim Van Allen. He will be running for Council in the upcoming election. Nice man.)
Lyn,
This is great! Herbie captured it all, and I especially like the dunking in slow motion, water splashing, and the good sports who slowly fell into the tank!
Hazel Vaughn
THANK YOU LYN FOR YOUR HELP AT THE DUNK TANK. YOU HELPED MAKE THE DAY A SUCCESS. YOU'RE A SPORT!!!
JOE AND CONNIE INTENZO
I just want to say how amazing you are for doing the water dunk! I was worried about you getting up there. You are more than a good sport. I am proud of you!
Hugs,
Binka Schwan
(Lyn's note: Greg Crossman "volunteered" several of us for the Carefree Water Company sponsored Dunk Tank at the Carefree Block Party on Saturday. I went into the tank a slew of times, once at the hand of my dear husband, who hit the dunk button with the ball on the first try. Ha! I followed Vice Mayor John Crane, who also went into the tank a slew of times, once at the hand of his Betsy. Don, owner of the Black Mountain Cafe & Coffee Shop, promised me a Philly cheesesteak if he couldn't hit the button with the ball, but he too dunked me, so no free cheesesteak for me. Hey, if nothing else, those who got to watch me get in and out of the tank got their money's worth of entertainment for the day. What's "dignity"? Don't ask me... But it was lots of fun and the water felt great on a hot day! See a quick video of John and me taking our turns in the dunk tank below. That's Herbert throwing the ball at me. Betsy held his camera and she took the picture of him while he was tossing. Also check out the link directly below with all of Herbert's photos and videos of the Block Party. Enjoy!
http://aneyeonyouproduction.com/carefree-community-block-party-4718.html
Carefree Dunk Tank 2018 from Herbert Hitchon on Vimeo.