Due to space constraints, the Vice Mayor's letter was shortened in the Sonoran News. Below is the complete unedited version that was submitted to the Sonoran News and to Carefree Truth. Below it is ex Vice Mayor Lloyd Meyer's response to Vice Mayor Price, which contains many little known historic facts.

Lyn Hitchon

 

 

 

Carefree Vice-Mayor did ‘NOT’ violate Open Meeting Law

 

 

During “Meet the Candidates Night” over a year ago I stated I am not a “GOB” (Good Ole Boy), nor an “SOB” (Sorchych Ole’ Boy). I’m not even sure ‘who’ all belongs to those clans and I don’t waste my time trying to find out. I want nothing to do with “Gotcha Politics” or those kind of past Town representatives who seem to revel in it. I also strongly suspect that the majority of Carefree citizens feel the same.

 

 

 

A former Carefree Councilman, Bob Coady, recently wrote a Sonoran News ‘Letter to the Editor’ saying that I publicly stated I had violated the Open Meeting Law, which was subsequently followed by a Linda Bentley article on the same subject. I’m writing this rebuttal to state emphatically that is NOT TRUE—the entire ‘staggered terms’ issue was brought up in a November 25 public Town Hall Meeting, and every council member present expressed their opinion in favor of staggered terms. It only makes sense when there were five (5) new council members just voted in to office! Five new people had to quickly learn how our ‘small-town local government’ works, as well as review and understand all the major contracts—the budget, Fire Department, Water Company, Public Works, the Court, marketing, planning, and get up to speed on Town zoning, ordinances, and state statutes, etc.

 

 

 

The Town Attorney reviewed statements made regarding staggered terms, and confirmed I stated ‘my opinion’ and committed no Open Meeting Law violation. My opinion was based on conversations with newly elected Council Members BEFORE we were even sworn in, and answers made by almost every Council Member to questions by the public during the Town Hall Meeting in November. There was no ‘quorum’ formed to “propose legal action”– we were ALL in agreement it was a good idea to “bring this before the public for discussion.” The new Council Members understand the value of providing continuity for future councils by staggering the election of new Council Members. No one is a ‘career politician’ in this little town—citizens can easily vote people out, or recall them—even with staggered terms! Staggered terms just make good business sense.

 

 

 

It seems that former Councilman Coady wants to try and drag me into a rerun of “The Hatfield’s and McCoy’s,” which makes me wonder . . . what motivates this kind of person? It does make one wonder if there is not enough drama in some people’s lives that they have to manufacture it; even while publicly admitting that the State Attorney General dismissed the many past complaints about the previous Council regarding violations of the Open Meeting Law. Okay, folks, do you REALLY believe the State Attorney General is going to risk his career for a lunch at Harold’s!? (As alleged by the former Councilman in his Letter to the Editor.)

 

 

 

I totally understand why good people do not even want to consider thinking about serving their Town when they feel it’s just a matter of time before the sticks and stones start flying their way by the wanna-bees that cannot seem to get elected to the office they so desperately desire.

 

 

 

I happen to believe that every member on the current Council LOVES THIS TOWN. In most cases, that is the only reason they ran for a Council seat. It’s certainly not for the fame and glory . . , and it’s certainly not for the high pay! (We are all UNPAID volunteers.) It’s because we LOVE the town, do not want to see it deteriorate, and think we can add value.

 

 

 

Yes, these Council Members actually talk to one another! Imagine that! Usually one-on-one and they brainstorm—they listen, and make each other think with new perspectives. We are achievers. We have accomplished many objectives over the last year – reducing major contract fees, paying off debt, and revitalizing the Town Center. It’s called ‘Team Work’.

 

 

 

No one is evilly ‘plotting’ . . . to do what?! Provide good solutions to REAL issues, and informed choices for the citizens? You betcha! Yes, I can proudly tell you our motivation is to make the town of Carefree an even better place to live. I would expect proud citizens who love this town would be broadcasting how great it is to live here--rather than trying to tear it down, or hatefully portray it as ‘corrupt’.

 

 

 

Carefree is one of the most beautiful, peaceful, safe, and well-run Towns in the state of Arizona, and I am very proud to be a part of this Council—a Council with a vision for the next 10-50 years that revitalizes our Town Center while maintaining our unique charm and providing FREE town services (e.g., fire protection, roads)—all ‘without a property tax’ in Carefree.

I am personally motivated to get things done, and this is NOT ‘national government politics’, we are non-party affiliated. We all have other jobs (some charitable), but yet we have all dedicated time to the Town we love. I invite citizens to attend the Carefree Town Council Meetings and see for yourself that we don’t always agree on every issue, but ALL the Council Members are open, honest, and work together to ‘do the right thing.’

 

 

 

We are nearing the end of this Council’s term and it appears the wanna-bees think the only way to run their own election is to bash current Council members. How sad . . . just run and tell people what you bring to the table, discuss the pros and cons, and solutions for issues--rather than trying to create controversy, negatively stereotype people, or perform character assassinations.

 

 

 

The citizens of Carefree are more intelligent than being given credit for – they deserve better than lame, gutter politics.

 

 

Melissa Price

Carefree Vice Mayor

ViceMayor@carefree.org

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Vice Mayor Price,

 

 

I was pleased to see your guest editorial and thoughtful rebuttal to the article and letter from Bob Coady published in the SN, alleging open meeting violations, as this kind of behavior needs to be called into account. It was very well stated and with a lot of class. It’s an old saw. As you have probably learned, Coady has filed a number of frivolous open meeting law (OML) violation charges over the years at considerable cost and embarrassment to the town, and I think you addressed his latest allegation against you most effectively. During my time on the council, I personally spent several hours with the State Attorney General’s staff as they had to investigate some of the most inane allegations one can imagine filed by Coady. It was a typical ploy of his to try and defeat projects he didn’t like and attack council members with whom he didn’t agree.

 

 

 

An example of this was our state of the art, award winning, fire station, which he was against and described as “hideous”. He filed an OML complaint claiming that four council members attended one of the public committee hearings on the fire station, thereby creating a quorum, not withstanding the fact that none of the council members participated in the meeting and were there simply to observe citizen input and public opinion on a very critical health safety and welfare issue that would eventually come before them for a decision. The AG’s office thought getting public opinion was actually a good idea also and dismissed the complaint after several weeks of investigation, noting that Coady’s math was also incorrect as the record showed only three council members were actually in attendance. He was against staggered terms the last time it was proposed which is probably why he is again using this tired ploy to attack you personally. Fortunately, his repeated failures with the AG’s office appear to have deterred him from filing formal charges again, and he is left with only being able to smear you in the local tabloid.

 

 

 

Let me also cast some light on Coady’s assertion that Attorney General Goddard had been unduly influenced by then Mayor Morgan with a lunch at Harold’s during a Kiwanis meeting. Coady was not at the meeting. I was. Attorney General Goddard had been invited to speak and was seated next to Mayor Morgan at the head table along with other dignitaries as a matter of courtesy and protocol. Any person with average intelligence would have recognized this and observed that the seating was such that a private conversation between any two individuals seated at this table was impossible. Goddard showed up barely in time for the meeting, ate lunch, made a speech, and left. The story was simply contrived in an effort to defend Coady’s conduct and try to rationalize why every one of his complaints to the AG’s office had been rejected. As you observed in your editorial, with the application of a little common sense, such an allegation fails on its face.

 

 

 

Let me close by thanking you, our fine Mayor, and our many dedicated Council Members and excellent staff for the superb job you are all doing in continuing to successfully manage our town through very challenging circumstances. Our beautiful town has never looked better. The naysayers will always be with us. The League of Arizona Cities & Towns once humorously described them as CAVE people, an acronym for “Citizens Against Virtually Everything”, and every town has them. Please keep up the good work!

 

 

Lloyd Meyer