Scottsdale Republic editorial-2/19 

Carefree

We recommend that voters retain Mayor David Schwan. We urge this action as the best way to reject abuse of the recall process. 

The votes from last year's elections had barely been counted when one man, Rod de Szendeffy, launched and funded a recall campaign. Every criticism he levied against Schwan could have been raised before the March and May 2009 elections. Schwan did nothing after election to merit what essentially is a re-do.

 That's not what the recall process should be used for. If an elected official betrays voters or hides information, recall him. Schwan did nothing of the sort.

 If Carefree voters want their regularly scheduled elections to have credibility, they will reject this recall.

 

Lyn:

A couple of thoughts.

I know many have little regard for the thoughts of either Mr. Traynor or Mr. Coady; but many do listen to them!  I think both gentlemen serve a very useful purpose.  It reminds me of an old professor of English I once had.  He said, "Bob, every one or two months you need to read a bad book.  Then when you read a good one, you understand the difference."

If politics is 'the exercise of elected power', then it is helpful to have dissenting voices.  They make people think.  The danger is that they make people react instead of think!  So good politicians think, decide and defend their turf.  Bad politicians just react then defend their turf.  David is one of those people that thinks, decides, listens then defends, and he does it with sensitivity.  When Mr. Traynor and Mr. Coady speak, we should listen to how they say what they have to say.  Then decide on whether these are people that we truly want to represent us and exercise power over us in elected office.  Are they a reflection of what we are and want to be as a community?  Everyone needs to think that through at the ballot box and in voting for the recall.  See ya; I am going out to pick up a good book!!

Bob, a regular reader who really values all we have in Carefree.

 

Did you ever know a Monday morning quarterback?  This is the guy who never actually plays football but every Monday morning he critiques the real players and coaches.  Never complimentary, Monday morning quarterbacks are full of bombastic claims about how much better they would have played the game.  

 

John Traynor claims to be a civic activist.  His big “contribution” is the Carefree Kronicles.  Yes, that’s Kronicles with a “k” just like the Russian Komsomol or the Ku Klux Klan.  Traynor’s blog consists of sarcasm and negativity as he critiques the citizens who consistently work for the good of Carefree.  Amid his half-researched opinions, he offers nothing positive and nothing helpful.  His “insight” is just as valuable as any other Monday morning quarterback’s braggadocio. 

 

As an example, in a letter to the editor of the Sonoran News, Traynor critiqued the Council leadership for its fiscal planning.  Everybody knows the economy is bad and has impacted local government budgets.  Everybody wishes we could accurately predict what the economy will do next so we could prepare effective budgets.  In fact, Carefree’s budget is remarkably robust and the town leaders have worked hard to maintain that healthy budget.  Traynor had absolutely nothing new or useful to say on the issue.  His style of critical, divisive commentary is not what we need in local government.

 

Traynor’s blog went silent after his September harangue about Lyn Hichon’s Carefree Truth.  However, when he announced his candidacy for Town Council, he added a series of entries, post-dated to appear as though they had been written consistently over the past months.  This kind of deception is rampant in his blog.

 

One last comment on Traynor’s Carefree Kronicles:  When I accessed his website via MSN, I was left with multiple “cookies” on my computer even though my computer has up to date McAfee protection and is password protected.  I don’t know why Traynor, a computer expert, would have set up his website to leave “cookies” in this way or what those cookies do. 

 

When it comes John Traynor and his Carefree Kronicles, caveat emptor.

 

Ann