Carefree Truth

Issue #265, July 8, 2013

 

 

 

 

Ex Councilman Arthur Gimson spoke at the June 2nd Council meeting Call to the Public.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7L_xJvniZs.   "I am here tonight to express my disappointment at the verbal conduct displayed by Council member Farrar at the Council meeting budget workshop on May 21st, 2013." 

 

 

"I know what I heard at that meeting, and I will probably never forget the disparaging remarks made by Council member Farrar, who stated that the current Council did not have the collective experience to make decisions on what's best for Carefree.  If the Town Council cannot make decisions, I'm not sure who should be making them.  By the way, I have every confidence in the current Council, at least in 6 out of 7." 

 

 

"I cannot argue with Council member Mike Farrar's opinion, just disagree with it.  If I agreed with it, we'd both be wrong.  That's my opinion."  This YouTube from the budget workshop contains Mr. Gimson's assertion that in the 10 years he's lived here the Mayors and Councils, both past and present, have moved the Town forward well using their collective wisdom and experience.  Mr. Farrar restates his opinion that the Council fails to have the collective knowledge and experience to do so.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McAytnIkXq8

 

 

"However, that comment was insignificant when compared to the slur thrown at Council member Glenn Miller.  Council member Miller objected to Council member Farrar's 'collective' comment, and suggested that he speak only about his own knowledge and experience, or lack thereof.  Council member Farrar retorted with, 'You're a firefighter your whole life', as if firefighters were incapable of having knowledge or experience that could be used to make decisions."  This YouTube contains the exchange between Councilmen Farrar and Miller to which Mr. Gimson refers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4U0P4WJC3s.  

 

 

 

 

The email letter he sent to Councilman Farrar on June 6th, with copies to Mayor David Schwan and Councilman Glenn Miller, may be read below.

 

 

Lyn Hitchon

 

 

 

June 6, 2013

Council Member Mike Farrar Town of Carefree

Dear Mike:

It is with an element of sadness that I feel compelled to write this letter, which you may think is written to criticize. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is written to express MY viewpoint on how I perceived your recent actions.

This letter could have been sent shortly after the budget workshop held on May 21, 2013, on which date the topic for discussion was the 2013-14 capital projects. At that workshop, while being a 'lame duck', I was still a Member of the Town Council until the new Council had been sworn in on June 4, 2013. I purposely delayed sending it so as not to violate the Arizona Open Meetings Law, inadvertent, or otherwise.

The major capital project items included shade treatment for the amphitheater and the splash pad, along with a Veterans Memorial (brick pavers) project. The first two items garnered a great number of comments, not just at the above-referenced meeting but also at previous meetings.

The third item, in contrast, created less input, possibly due to the fact that it is intended to be financially self-supporting.

I was amazed at many of your comments and equally disappointed at your behavior, which I liken to that which is often exhibited by a spoiled child. Your constant muttering of "it's not on the agenda" and your indication that you were prepared to leave the meeting were inappropriate, and, in my opinion, unnecessary displays bordering on histrionics.

Perhaps, in retrospect, I should not have been surprised had I taken into consideration that you voted against adopting the 2013-14 budget at the May Council meeting. Why, I do not know; no reason, or explanation was given for your "No" vote. Prior to that vote, we had been given many assurances, from both the Mayor and the Town Administrator, that the capital items were included in the budget only for the purpose of having them there so that expenditures could be made in the event funding became available. All budget items would have to come back to Council for approval. This was the same set of circumstances that was in place for the two previous budgets (and probably many before that).

To the best of my knowledge, I believe that you and I share the same opinion that no funds should be taken from the unrestricted cash reserves to pay for these two major projects. I fully endorse and support them and have made public statements to that effect. I am not completely sure if you are supportive of either of them.

While no longer a Member of the Town Council, I intend to remain as active as my time permits. In the unlikely event that the Town takes steps to move forward with these two capital projects, using funds from the Town's unrestricted cash reserves, I will be among the first to speak out against such actions.

With over 40 years' experience in the hospitality industry, and another 15 years as an independent contractor business consultant, I believe that I have benefited from a good education from the 'University of Hard Knocks'. After all, the service industry is, in reality, a "people" industry. The hotel industry employs a cross section of almost all of the socio- economic groups that one can find. This includes the hard to employ, the disadvantaged, the illiterate, the disabled, those with minimal communications skills, and all the way up to those with specialized degrees, whether in marketing, management, finance, human resources, law, etc. At the same time, hotel guests have a similar spectrum but with the addition of family members, both young and old. Added to the mix is the variety that we would see as patrons in the restaurants, bars, lounges, banquet and meeting facilities. Finally, we have our investors, our suppliers and our neighbors. In other words, a world of people with varied interests. I have been part of births, marriages and deaths and have seen both the best and the worst in people.

As a result, I believe I am well-equipped to be a judge of people and their behavior. In my mind, you are an enigma. According to Merriam Webster, an enigma is defined as "something hard to understand or explain".

It was also extremely disappointing to hear your disparaging comments directed at Council Member Glenn Miller. You displayed an attitude of inflated self-importance and superiority, as if a firefighter is a person lacking knowledge, skills, and/or intelligence. I found these remarks to be totally out of place and may be reflective that you are narcissistic*. Had you been listening over the past two years, you would know that Glenn Miller's experiences also included being an independent contractor, well versed in many aspects of the electrical and construction trades. As such, he was of tremendous assistance to both the Town and its Water Company for many projects over many years. I believe you owe him an apology.

I also believe that you sell short the Town, and your Council colleagues, on the collective wisdom and knowledge assembled around the table at the workshop. Based on your comments, one would have to assume that life's experiences, whether in one's personal or business lives, cannot contribute to the ability to make decisions on behalf of a Town. Personally, I have found that all skills learned are transferable. My flippant comments that "not having two MBAs makes me a dummy" summed up my frustrations.

To compound the situation, I am at a loss to understand the differences between the comments you made, attributed to your conversations with Mr. Elliott Pollack, and my reading of his letter, dated May 16,2013, to Mayor David Schwan. I have viewed the video that Lyn Hitchon sends out with her Carefree Truth, but recognize that this is often edited for time and space considerations. I have not asked for a CD of the recording from the workshop and am relying on my recollection of that afternoon.

From your comments and those made by Mayor Schwan, Vice Mayor Melissa Price and Gary Neiss, all of whom attended the same meeting, it appears that you came away with all the negativity and the others brought back all the positives. Your follow-up conversation with Mr. Pollack also appears to contradict what he had put in writing. Another enigma!

As I read Mr. Pollack's letter, it clearly states what I believe the Town is already doing, and has been doing for at least the last few years. He wrote, "These improvements [referring to the shade structure and splash pad] are just two elements of an overall plan to increase the vitality of the Town for tourism and economic development." He continues, "This can only be done by taking small incremental steps, such as undertaking small improvements or investments each year over a period of years." 

 

If I look back just two short years, I have witnessed many small incremental steps. Some, especially if I include the Carefree Desert Gardens, may qualify as a leap, but the refurbished Sundial, the new merchants' signs, the additional gas lamps, the new lighting through the Gardens, the banners, and the new street signs all meet the criteria of incremental steps that have enhanced the vitality of the Town.

 

Mr. Pollack, in his letter, also states, "Items such as the shade structure will enhance the experience in the amphitheater and is likely to make people more likely to revisit. The playground equipment and a splash pad will open up a new market as people with children are more likely to visit and spend money in your community."

 

As I stated at my final Council meeting as a Member of the Town Council, I initially ran for office because I did not like the bickering that was going on with the previous Council. While I am not looking for total harmony and all votes to be 7 - 0, I am hoping that you will not be the lone critic of everything presented to Counsel.

 

Written in the hope that you will analyze your past actions and statements and become a better person.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Cc: Mayor David Schwan

Council Member Glenn Miller

*Narcissistic: Mental disorder characterized by extreme self-absorption, an exaggerated sense of self- importance, and a need for attention and admiration from others. First identified by HAVELOCK ELLIS in 1898, the disorder is named for the mythological NARCISSUS, who fell in love with his own reflection.

According to SIGMUND FREUD, narcissism is a normal stage in children's development, but it is considered a disorder when it occurs after puberty.

(Concise Encyclopedia)

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