"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 #825, May 8, 2020

Current Events began with Mayor Les Peterson reporting that a group comprised of Town Manager Gary Neiss, the new Economic Development Director Steve Prokopek, Vice Mayor John Crane, Council member Cheryl Kroyer, and he have been engaging in weekly conference calls with the Governor and his staff, with Senators McSally and Sinema, and receiving correspondence from Maricopa County regarding Covid-19.  On Monday, they went through the Executive Order with Governor Ducey.  On Wednesday, they would be speaking with senior officials in Washington, D.C. from the U.S. Department of Heath & Human Services, the Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the U.S. Department of Education to discuss the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, & Economic Security (CARES) Act.  On Thursday, hour long calls were planned first with Senator McSally, then with Senator Sinema.  After the last call, Senator Sinema and her staff generated an 8 page summary of Covid-19 conversations, with the most frequently asked questions and answers.


Mayor Peterson's take-aways were that no one had definitive answers.  It's a learning curve.  They are trying to err on the side of caution and are hesitant to open it up too soon.  The fear is that there could be a second wave of Covid 19 in the fall and a possible third wave sometime in the future.



The Mayor said there has been much conversation about the CARES Act.  Every merchant in town had been called.  CARES was explained and they were told where to go for help if needed, and to call Town Hall if they ran into problems.  Senator Sinema hired 16 additional staff members to help.  He asked Mr. Prokopek to address his findings on how Carefree's businesses are taking advantage of CARES, in comparison to those in the rest of the state and country.


Mr. Prokopek thanked the Council members who reached out to the 325 businesses in Carefree.  They divided up the list, and the businesses were very appreciative of receiving the personal phone calls.  The calls were followed up by emails as CARES information developed and greater resources became available, particularly through the Greater Phoenix Economic Council.



85-90% of the businesses he talked to in the past few days had received funding or confirmation of future funding from the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) or the Economic Injury Disaster Fund (EIDF).  Those that struggled with the larger banks because they are small businesses are now helping others that have experienced the same problems to find alternatives such as small banks around the U.S. that have funding available.  Mr. Prokopek is very proud of the businesses that have supported other businesses to gain access to funding.



As the country begins the post Covid reopening, Carefree businesses have been very cooperative in offering an array of efforts to provide confidence to nervous customers by doing extra cleaning and by limiting the number of customers allowed in the building at any one time to maintain social distancing, while still offering the Carefree hospitality that everyone expects.


Vice Mayor Crane added that if anyone has not yet applied or not yet been approved for PPF funding, money is still available.  If banks or institutions are unresponsive, remember that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, so lean on them.  Send emails.  Money is available.


Mayor Peterson noted that according to a state briefing, 20% of residents won't leave their home.  At the other end of the spectrum, 20% go on with their lives as usual.  Those in between are still hesitant, fearful, and unsure.  It behooves businesses to err on the side of caution, which is what Carefree businesses are doing.  While the economy is key, health is more key.  The faster the country is opened up, the greater the opportunity for subsequent waves of Covid 19.  It becomes a delicate balance.  Very few people in Carefree or the nearby area have Covid 19.


Councilman Vince D'Aliesio encouraged business owners to contact Steve Prokopek for ideas that could help in attracting and retaining customers, and building on that.  He has a vast amount of experience in both the public and private sectors, and was the driver in getting in front of the economic stimulus funds for the businesses.  The Mayor added that Mr. Prokopek had been referring those struggling with funding to other businesses that had been successful in securing funding, so they could help them through the process.  Councilman Gene Orrico noted that Mr. Prokopek offered his personal phone number to the business owners, saying they could call him on evenings and weekends.  "He's not a 9-5 kind of guy."


Mayor Peterson said they could talk about this forever, but he felt the key points had been covered.

https://vimeo.com/415371969


Lyn Hitchon


Prepared by Carefree Truth
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