"Thomas Jefferson said a democracy is dependent on an informed citizenry. I don't care whether it sounds corny or not. It's the truth." -Jim Lehrer
Carefree Truth,
Issue #1086, May 24, 2024
Issue #1086, May 24, 2024
(Part 2—Vince D’Aliesio letter to Carefree residents)
Where do I stand on issues?
I stand firmly on several initiatives that I would vote yes on again if given the opportunity. My goals are very much long-term and inclusive of all Carefree residents. I am the youngest member of the current council and the only council member with school-age children still at home. I plan to retire here, and my children love this community. My goal for continuing on the council would be to keep Carefree a community where my children’s families could live and thrive.
1. I advocate for quality water services for all of our residents— I support equitable quality water services-- whether it’s removing odors from wastewater facilities, or access to clean water. I will continue to work hard to ensure residents have access to quality services with regularly inspected fire hydrants and sufficient infrastructure (a minimum 4” water line width) to permit adequate water pressure to support fire service for all residents. While our current supplies of water are adequate for our needs, the future contains many factors beyond our control, so I support the participation of the Carefree Water Company in the exploratory efforts to connect our municipal water supplies to anticipated incremental water from the Salt River Project watersheds.
2. I am a strong advocate for downtown businesses & our General Plan. Coming out of the pandemic, Town center has seen a reemergence as a destination. Many property owners are stepping up to revitalize the area with great success. We will continue to encourage positive investment to create a charming and unique area for residents and visitors. I will also work closely with my fellow Council members, staff, and the majority of residents asking for us to enhance design guidelines, enforce zoning and code standards, and address the remaining blight that takes away from what residents expect of a high-end community.
Our community continues to evolve, and we need the roadmap to evolve. As a sales-tax driven town, with 80% of the voters choosing to not have out-of-pocket costs, I will strive to continue to build the economic development infrastructure in a thoughtful manner, including the northeast corner, where we proactively worked with adjacent neighbors on creating a solution to maximize a commercial corner with terms of use created by those most impacted. I strongly oppose letting developers tell neighbors what's best for them. The property on the NW corner of Tom Darlington/Carefree Hwy needs to be part of that roadmap, just as the NE corner of Cave Creek/Carefree Hwy is part of that roadmap. We can work together to ensure commercial development is done the right way, and we have continued to look out for everyone’s best interests. All meetings related to such have been public, and they continue to be. Our community continues to evolve, and we need to ensure the roadmap is in place for this evolution.
3. Fire emergency services will continue to be something I am passionate about. Its the single most important service, and the most expensive. I did support automatic aid, but respect the vote of the people. As a council member, I will continue to ensure we get the most value out of Rural Metro. If they prove to not be a good value over time, and the community expresses the will to make a change, I will ensure we work with the community at large to address the issue and get the best value possible. After witnessing the 2021 fires that raged through our neighbor-community to the west, and what we have been seeing over the past week to the east of us, we must continue to have foresight of the worst that can happen, especially living with rural brush and dry desert landscape.
The proposed funding mechanism that was placed on the ballot last year was called the evil 3-letter word (t-a-x) , but I do not believe residents fully understood its limitations: A limited property tax, specifically earmarked and limited to emergency services, would incorporate the following elements:
A. Fixed at a maximum of $2.5 million per year, designated specifically for fire protection services.
B. Any proposed changes to item “A” would need separate and specific approval from Carefree voters.
Outspoken residents that opposed the fire protection tax have hung their hat on the “80% that voted against it. I spoke to 4 council candidates in 2023 that had no idea how this funding mechanism worked, they just knew they were voting no on a tax---a tax that would have added a mere $56 a month average per homeowner to ensure that we received the highest quality response times and the full complement of fire fighting equipment from neighboring departments, if needed. If 4 council candidates did not know how the tax worked, what are the odds that many other residents did not, either? We failed you in truly educating everyone on how it worked. We could see the issue come up again in the future, as fire protection costs continue to increase.
We will have other issues that need to be addressed, and my promise to you is that I will continue to be the person I was when first elected in 2018, passionate and caring, except much wiser after being able to learn and grow. I will still ask many questions and listen to your concerns. I love this community, I live in this community, and I volunteer in this community. I am a lifelong Arizonan and continue to have my roots here. I am very transparent in my work and with the knowledge I’ve gained in this role these past 6 years on council. Like you, I want what’s best for all of us. And like you, I want what’s best for all of us now and for future generations. My experience in this role makes me the most qualified to continue in this role.
I do not want your money, I am asking for your vote on July 30th.
Thank you for the opportunity to write, and thanks for reading.
Vince D’Aliesio
Proud Council Member and candidate for reelection
Town of Carefree
Prepared by Carefree Truth Copyrighted
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. Please support our Carefree merchants.
1. I advocate for quality water services for all of our residents— I support equitable quality water services-- whether it’s removing odors from wastewater facilities, or access to clean water. I will continue to work hard to ensure residents have access to quality services with regularly inspected fire hydrants and sufficient infrastructure (a minimum 4” water line width) to permit adequate water pressure to support fire service for all residents. While our current supplies of water are adequate for our needs, the future contains many factors beyond our control, so I support the participation of the Carefree Water Company in the exploratory efforts to connect our municipal water supplies to anticipated incremental water from the Salt River Project watersheds.
2. I am a strong advocate for downtown businesses & our General Plan. Coming out of the pandemic, Town center has seen a reemergence as a destination. Many property owners are stepping up to revitalize the area with great success. We will continue to encourage positive investment to create a charming and unique area for residents and visitors. I will also work closely with my fellow Council members, staff, and the majority of residents asking for us to enhance design guidelines, enforce zoning and code standards, and address the remaining blight that takes away from what residents expect of a high-end community.
Our community continues to evolve, and we need the roadmap to evolve. As a sales-tax driven town, with 80% of the voters choosing to not have out-of-pocket costs, I will strive to continue to build the economic development infrastructure in a thoughtful manner, including the northeast corner, where we proactively worked with adjacent neighbors on creating a solution to maximize a commercial corner with terms of use created by those most impacted. I strongly oppose letting developers tell neighbors what's best for them. The property on the NW corner of Tom Darlington/Carefree Hwy needs to be part of that roadmap, just as the NE corner of Cave Creek/Carefree Hwy is part of that roadmap. We can work together to ensure commercial development is done the right way, and we have continued to look out for everyone’s best interests. All meetings related to such have been public, and they continue to be. Our community continues to evolve, and we need to ensure the roadmap is in place for this evolution.
3. Fire emergency services will continue to be something I am passionate about. Its the single most important service, and the most expensive. I did support automatic aid, but respect the vote of the people. As a council member, I will continue to ensure we get the most value out of Rural Metro. If they prove to not be a good value over time, and the community expresses the will to make a change, I will ensure we work with the community at large to address the issue and get the best value possible. After witnessing the 2021 fires that raged through our neighbor-community to the west, and what we have been seeing over the past week to the east of us, we must continue to have foresight of the worst that can happen, especially living with rural brush and dry desert landscape.
The proposed funding mechanism that was placed on the ballot last year was called the evil 3-letter word (t-a-x) , but I do not believe residents fully understood its limitations: A limited property tax, specifically earmarked and limited to emergency services, would incorporate the following elements:
A. Fixed at a maximum of $2.5 million per year, designated specifically for fire protection services.
B. Any proposed changes to item “A” would need separate and specific approval from Carefree voters.
Outspoken residents that opposed the fire protection tax have hung their hat on the “80% that voted against it. I spoke to 4 council candidates in 2023 that had no idea how this funding mechanism worked, they just knew they were voting no on a tax---a tax that would have added a mere $56 a month average per homeowner to ensure that we received the highest quality response times and the full complement of fire fighting equipment from neighboring departments, if needed. If 4 council candidates did not know how the tax worked, what are the odds that many other residents did not, either? We failed you in truly educating everyone on how it worked. We could see the issue come up again in the future, as fire protection costs continue to increase.
We will have other issues that need to be addressed, and my promise to you is that I will continue to be the person I was when first elected in 2018, passionate and caring, except much wiser after being able to learn and grow. I will still ask many questions and listen to your concerns. I love this community, I live in this community, and I volunteer in this community. I am a lifelong Arizonan and continue to have my roots here. I am very transparent in my work and with the knowledge I’ve gained in this role these past 6 years on council. Like you, I want what’s best for all of us. And like you, I want what’s best for all of us now and for future generations. My experience in this role makes me the most qualified to continue in this role.
I do not want your money, I am asking for your vote on July 30th.
Thank you for the opportunity to write, and thanks for reading.
Vince D’Aliesio
Proud Council Member and candidate for reelection
Town of Carefree
Prepared by Carefree Truth Copyrighted
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. Please support our Carefree merchants.