"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 #1111, December 9, 2024
Issue #1111, December 9, 2024
At the December 3rd Carefree Town Council meeting, an attorney specializing in defamation law who works for Sherman Howard, the firm used by the Town of Carefree for many years, was called upon to explain and clarify the misinformation being circulated about the upcoming development on the N.E. corner of Carefree Highway and Cave Creek Road. That development will not be mixed use as was incorrectly being circulated. The zoning and the development agreement ensure that the corner will be developed with only commercial businesses and within the restrictions agreed upon by the Town and the most closely impacted neighbors. Below is the full video of his briefing to the new Council members and the public.
https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1036872796
Next on the agenda was Call to the Public, at which numerous speakers approached the podium with questions (generally accusatory in nature) and rants against the Town, the staff, and several members of the Council. These tend to be the same group of individuals who perform this ritual at each meeting, and many have been doing so for the past few years.
I'm sure that they are aware of the many avenues of communication that are open in which to share their "concerns" and to get their "questions" answered. The email addresses of the Council members are public record, as are those of the staff, on the Town website www.carefree.org or they can phone Town Hall at (480)488-3686. Appointments with staff and/or Council members can be made using either of these methods. The Mayor and a couple of Council members are also available the second Friday of every month in the amphitheater at "Community Conversations: Connecting with Carefree", if you prefer not to make an appointment.
But those who routinely stand up to rant at the monthly Council meetings would appear to prefer to showboat at these meetings, rather than take advantage of the many avenues open to them to get answers or air complaints. Below is the video of the December Call to the Public comments.
https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1036872669
This group has also bullied the Town into waiving the requirement that has been in place for as long as I have been attending Council meetings, beginning in 1997, to state their physical address. They claim that since the meetings are now being broadcast on the internet, and are available on YouTube, they are "uncomfortable" stating their home address, and prefer to say just that they are "Carefree citizens".
For all the years I spoke at the podium, I never had any qualms about stating my home address. And for the edification of those who are "uncomfortable" stating their address now that the videos of the meetings are available on the internet, videos of the entire meetings have been available on the internet since 2009, when Herbert and I started Carefree Truth, with the complete videos of those meetings. The City of Scottsdale has had their meetings broadcast on the internet and shown on their own TV channel for years. They still require those wishing to speak to state their name and address before speaking. So that is an invalid excuse.
Many, if not most, of the same players who currently rant monthly at the podium also spoke out at Call to the Public trying derail the Town's efforts to get those Carefree residents and businesses who were then serviced by Cave Creek Water onto Carefree Water, using lies, just as they are doing now about the N.E. corner. Incorporating those residents and businesses onto Carefree Water was always the intention of the Town as a future step when it bought the Carefree Water Company from the private individuals who had owned it. I know this because I have been attending the meetings for that long, and was there when that purchase was occurring.
The speakers' addresses are already available on the internet. To learn them, just go to our website at www.carefree2.com You can run but you can't hide.
Lyn & Herbert Hitchon
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.
https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1036872796
Next on the agenda was Call to the Public, at which numerous speakers approached the podium with questions (generally accusatory in nature) and rants against the Town, the staff, and several members of the Council. These tend to be the same group of individuals who perform this ritual at each meeting, and many have been doing so for the past few years.
I'm sure that they are aware of the many avenues of communication that are open in which to share their "concerns" and to get their "questions" answered. The email addresses of the Council members are public record, as are those of the staff, on the Town website www.carefree.org or they can phone Town Hall at (480)488-3686. Appointments with staff and/or Council members can be made using either of these methods. The Mayor and a couple of Council members are also available the second Friday of every month in the amphitheater at "Community Conversations: Connecting with Carefree", if you prefer not to make an appointment.
But those who routinely stand up to rant at the monthly Council meetings would appear to prefer to showboat at these meetings, rather than take advantage of the many avenues open to them to get answers or air complaints. Below is the video of the December Call to the Public comments.
https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1036872669
This group has also bullied the Town into waiving the requirement that has been in place for as long as I have been attending Council meetings, beginning in 1997, to state their physical address. They claim that since the meetings are now being broadcast on the internet, and are available on YouTube, they are "uncomfortable" stating their home address, and prefer to say just that they are "Carefree citizens".
For all the years I spoke at the podium, I never had any qualms about stating my home address. And for the edification of those who are "uncomfortable" stating their address now that the videos of the meetings are available on the internet, videos of the entire meetings have been available on the internet since 2009, when Herbert and I started Carefree Truth, with the complete videos of those meetings. The City of Scottsdale has had their meetings broadcast on the internet and shown on their own TV channel for years. They still require those wishing to speak to state their name and address before speaking. So that is an invalid excuse.
Many, if not most, of the same players who currently rant monthly at the podium also spoke out at Call to the Public trying derail the Town's efforts to get those Carefree residents and businesses who were then serviced by Cave Creek Water onto Carefree Water, using lies, just as they are doing now about the N.E. corner. Incorporating those residents and businesses onto Carefree Water was always the intention of the Town as a future step when it bought the Carefree Water Company from the private individuals who had owned it. I know this because I have been attending the meetings for that long, and was there when that purchase was occurring.
The speakers' addresses are already available on the internet. To learn them, just go to our website at www.carefree2.com You can run but you can't hide.
Lyn & Herbert Hitchon
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.