"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 #1092, July 2, 2024
Issue #1092, July 2, 2024
The recent Carefree Town Council candidates’ forum was an example of civility and respect which is far different to what we see at the monthly Town Council meetings. Although the candidates’ viewpoints differed, they were still respectful of the moderator and the other candidates.This is in contrast to residents’ behavior at monthly Town Council meetings, where the continuous monthly attacks by the local dissidents on Council members and Town staff who sometimes have a different view is beyond reasoning.
The latest example has been discussion of the section of the General Plan known as the northwest corner SPA. In Call to the Public, dissidents regularly attack Town staff for not doing their job, which in this case equates to not agreeing with their general and vague opposition to development of the corner. I’ve attended or viewed every council meeting and most of the Planning & Zoning meetings over the life of this discussion and have yet to hear a sound reason for removing the SPA as it’s currently defined in the General Plan. Often the comments are simply attacks on the volunteers and Town staff who have worked diligently in formatting the plan.
We hear that most or all of the neighbors object to the SPA, a statement based on no facts and contradicted by the Town and by the neighbors themselves. They continuously harp on the Hampton Inn, the water storage tank, the signs in the town center, and apparently whatever else the Council supports. False accusations and personal attacks against Town staff, Council members, and our former Mayor will not contribute to solving our disagreements, yet they continue.
To those that believe the dissidents represent the majority of Carefree residents, I strongly disagree. Many of our citizens are not as engaged with the Town as the dissidents, but I am sure that very few of our neighbors believe that badgering our Town staff and officials in sometimes fact-free speeches is behavior they want to identify with.
The idea that the Council and staff are hiding, secretive, and cheating is absurd. These Council members volunteer an enormous amount of time, more than most people do in a regular job. They get nothing in return beyond the self-satisfaction of supporting their community. And while I respect anyone stepping forward to run for Council, I admonish the personal attacks on current council members or Town staff just because you don't agree.
As I’ve experienced, every member of staff and Council is available via email to set up a civil discussion of whatever you need clarification with. While I may not always agree with Council decisions, they were elected by the majority of town residents and that’s good enough for me. We can discuss my concerns without personal attacks against each other and I would propose the dissidents learn to do the same.
Jim Northcutt
The latest example has been discussion of the section of the General Plan known as the northwest corner SPA. In Call to the Public, dissidents regularly attack Town staff for not doing their job, which in this case equates to not agreeing with their general and vague opposition to development of the corner. I’ve attended or viewed every council meeting and most of the Planning & Zoning meetings over the life of this discussion and have yet to hear a sound reason for removing the SPA as it’s currently defined in the General Plan. Often the comments are simply attacks on the volunteers and Town staff who have worked diligently in formatting the plan.
We hear that most or all of the neighbors object to the SPA, a statement based on no facts and contradicted by the Town and by the neighbors themselves. They continuously harp on the Hampton Inn, the water storage tank, the signs in the town center, and apparently whatever else the Council supports. False accusations and personal attacks against Town staff, Council members, and our former Mayor will not contribute to solving our disagreements, yet they continue.
To those that believe the dissidents represent the majority of Carefree residents, I strongly disagree. Many of our citizens are not as engaged with the Town as the dissidents, but I am sure that very few of our neighbors believe that badgering our Town staff and officials in sometimes fact-free speeches is behavior they want to identify with.
The idea that the Council and staff are hiding, secretive, and cheating is absurd. These Council members volunteer an enormous amount of time, more than most people do in a regular job. They get nothing in return beyond the self-satisfaction of supporting their community. And while I respect anyone stepping forward to run for Council, I admonish the personal attacks on current council members or Town staff just because you don't agree.
As I’ve experienced, every member of staff and Council is available via email to set up a civil discussion of whatever you need clarification with. While I may not always agree with Council decisions, they were elected by the majority of town residents and that’s good enough for me. We can discuss my concerns without personal attacks against each other and I would propose the dissidents learn to do the same.
Jim Northcutt