Mayor Adams credited his wife, Christine, and family with being his strength and support during his initial term and during a difficult second campaign. 

Mayor Adams acknowledged and thanked the cadre of supporters who knocked on doors, distributed information, held fundraisers, made phone calls, contributed to his campaign with donations of time and money, attended forums and council meetings, expressed opinions and gave selflessly of their time and knowledge to serve the city they loved, and he thanked all those who voted and solicited votes on his behalf.   

The Sedona Times congratulates Mayor Rob Adams for a campaign that engaged the high ground, and to Sedonans who proved once again that the power of a democracy is found in its ballot box.  

The Sedona Times applauds the citizens of the city who successfully voted down Proposition 400 and its attempt to overturn the direct election of its Mayor.  Sedonans proved that an involved and concerned citizenry can mandate change in the face of overwhelming odds. 

Bravo to newly elected Councilpersons Barbara Litrell, Mike Ward, Dan McIlroy, and Dr. Dennis Rayner who supported the dark skies and National Scenic Area designation! 

Congratulations to Vice-Mayor Cliff Hamilton for persevering and performing due diligence as a minority member of Council who supported dark skies and National Scenic Area designation! 

Congratulations to Sedona voters who recognized that our city is a tourist city whose pocket is lined by its priceless world-renowned natural beauty.  The Sedona Times applauds each and every voter who took the time to become informed and cast a ballot in this Mayor and Council race.   A free press and an informed citizenry once again proved America First!

Ann Kirkpatrick has voted for health care reform and Progressives are asking for calls to Kirkpatrick’s office to offset Republican robo call targeting.  Arizona Progressives are urging callers to tell Kirkpatrick to continue with her support of healthcare reform because it is good for themselves and others, citing that reform could not be more urgent.  

Several instances of insurance premium hikes exceeding acceptable limits are being reported locally:   A Village of Oak Creek resident cites a 50% increase, a Sedona self-employed small businessman had his premiums raised from $800 monthly to $900.  

Progressives offer these key points about the President Obama’s healthcare reform proposal, which they believe combines the best of both the House and Senate bills:    The plan will reduce the deficit by $100 billion over the next ten years and by about $1 trillion over the next twenty years by cutting government waste, fraud and abuse.    It will cut Medicare prescription costs, but otherwise not impact it.   Small business owners will receive tax credits to help pay for employees’ insurance.

Arizona citizens are urged to call Representative Kirkpatrick’s Flagstaff or Washington office and tell her that ”We need Health Care Reform NOW.”

Congressional Representative Ann Kirkpatrick’s offices in Flagstaff AZ (928-226-6914) and Washington DC (202-225-2315) are staffed to receive calls, letters and or comments.

I wonder where the evidence exists that when leadership is selected by the majority of a legislative body that it would “lead to more consensus”, would “allow the mayor to be an advocate for all the various opinions of the council members”, and even more incredible “would eliminate the conflicts that have come up between the mayor and various council members when they have differing viewpoints?” 

Wow, that’s pretty “dreamy”. I guess the evidence starts in Washington D.C. where the majority caucus selects their leadership.  Do the statements of “kumbaya” above apply to Speaker Pelosi and Senator Harry Reid?  How does selection by a majority minimize controversy?  Why can nothing intelligent be done, nor consensus reached in the Arizona or California legislatures? They select their own – conflicts eliminated?

I seem to remember lots of council conflicts when the last four mayors, Everett, MacFarlane, Ellis and Colquitt were selected, not elected mayors. The Red Rock News covered these conflicts thoroughly. Do we all have collective amnesia?

Rather than wishing conflict away, I suggest that conflict always exists, just as it does in Washington or Phoenix, based upon very different basic personal philosophical views of how government should work and what it should support. Added to that are the various personalities of the people we select to represent us. If we elect people whose personalities are combative and angry, we are going to get conflict on city council. If we elect city councilors who we know are on completely different sides of the main campaign issues, we are going to get conflict on council. The mayor, however selected, cannot paper over, stonewall, ignore or collaborate with people who have no intention of collaborating. That is just as true of the President as it is of the mayor.

I do agree with Mr. Larson that our sense of community and our “Sedona Vision Statements” are in desperate need of enhancement. Like him, I’d like to see leadership, and those being led each using the highest forms of respect for one another.  But these are character and personality traits not related whatsoever to their selection process.

Finally, one does not need a “strong-mayor” city government to directly elect your mayor.  Of the 89 cities and towns in the entire state of Arizona, 66 cities ELECT their mayor.  82 of them are Council/Manager governments like Sedona.  Of the 7 that are not, 6 are smaller than 3000 population (only Winslow, Pop 9500 has an Administrator, not a Manager).

Twenty two of the cities who do not elect their mayor have populations under 6,000, about half of our size.  Very small communities start out selecting mayor by council, but when they hit 6,ooo people, all but one have converted and none has ever gone backwards.

Our mayor is more than a council member.  He or She is the ambassador for our community who represents us throughout the Verde Valley and to the various state agencies and service organizations.  All council members have strong attributes, but it should be the People’s choice on who is our ambassador.

Proposition 400 if passed WILL REPEAL YOUR RIGHT to elect the mayor. Please Vote NO on Proposition 400.

Guest Perspective By Mike Schroeder

“Journey from Riches to Wealth: The Rewards of the Disciplined Investor” with guest speaker Kira Golden of Edward Jones.

Business luncheon March 11 – 11:45 am to 1:15 pmMembers $25 – Guests $30 – Sponsors $0Purchase your early bird e-ticket now!  Visit NAWBO Sedona-Verde Valley @ NAWBOSVV.org

Come to the Free Clean Energy Expo at the Sedona Elks Lodge, March 27

FREE TO THE PUBLIC: Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy Expo March 27 at the Elks Lodge, Sedona. 

Are you worried about the rising costs for heating and cooling your home? Are you a little too cold in the winter and a bit too hot in the summer? Do you think solar might be the solution? Are you confused by all the new government tax credits and utility rebates?

Then, join your friends and neighbors at a Clean Energy Expo at the Sedona Elks Lodge on Saturday, March 27th from 10 am to 3 pm. It’s Free!

See new technologies in solar and clean energy systems. Learn how to make your home more comfortable and efficient while saving money on your energy bills. Find out about the tax credits, rebates and financing options may be available to you. Now is the time to Go Green.

          This event is hosted by The Elks Lodge of Sedona and staged by Sustainable Arizona. Both organizations are dedicated to improving the quality of life in local communities. Sustainable Arizona has staged similar events in Prescott, Flagstaff and at the Sedona Public Library. This year, these Clean Energy Expos are supported in part by a grant from the Sedona Community Foundation.

            “A couple of years ago, I was contacted by the Elks to help them figure out how to make the Lodge more energy efficient,” recalled John Neville, president of Sustainable Arizona. “After giving them some options, it seemed to me that the Lodge was a great location for this event. The Elks are all about helping people, and this energy expo will help their community save energy and money.”

            After Neville’s energy audit of the Elks Lodge, they decided to upgrade their insulation and their lighting, two options that are particularly cost effective. They had an additional 18 inches of insulation blown into their attic crawl space. Then they changed their fluorescents to the newer T8 fixtures.

            According to Elks trustee, Vito Pantaleo, the upgrades are really making a difference. “You can feel in when we’re warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. I know our bills are lower, too,” said Pantaleo. “In fact, we did the same thing to our home, added insulation and changed our lighting to compact fluorescent bulbs. It just makes sense.”

            The Expo will feature displays of solar technologies, ground-source heating and cooling, energy auditing, electric vehicles and conservation technologies. In addition, representatives from the NACOG Weatherization Program will be there to explain how people with limited incomes can obtain free home upgrades to reduce their monthly expenses. There will also be information on tax credits, utility rebates and financing options.

            Now is the time to Go Green. It can be easier than you think. For more information on clean energy and conservation, visit www.sustainablearizona.org or www.APS.com and click on Steve Nash.

Following is a situation that I am currently experiencing that I thought you might want to advise your reading audience of so they can avoid experiencing a similar situation. Thank you!

Best regards,
Tom Vickery
80 W. Maryland Avenue, #117
Phoenix, AZ 85013
(602) 257-9120
========================================
Does a friend or family member have difficulty with mobility requiring them to use a powered scooter? If so, you might be interested to know about the horrible service I am receiving from United Seating and Mobility.

I purchased a Pride Legend SC 3000 Scooter through the catalog department of United Seating and Mobility in April 2009 to assist my mobility which has been limited due to cerebral palsy. In addition, since I cannot afford the costs associated with owning a vehicle, the scooter is my main means of transportation. Unfortunately since purchasing the Pride Legend the scooter has been at the Phoenix Branch of United Seating and Mobility located at 760 E. McDowell Road Phoenix, AZ 85006 (602) 452-4320 13 times. The latest repair was to install a new controller on January 21, 2010, when I last saw my scooter.

In an attempt to be proactive, I have sent numerous e-mails and made numerous phone calls to Michael deHart, Director of Operations for United Seating and Mobility in Lynwood, Washington along with frequent inquiries to the Phoenix branch, all resulting in false promises. The latest situation involved speaking with Joshua Dickerson, Service and Repair Manager in Phoenix who said that the parts needed were being shipped from the main warehouse of Pride Mobility Products Corporation located in Pennsylvania. On Friday, February 26, the parts arrived, but they were the wrong parts. Mr. Dickerson informed me that Pride would be expediting the parts to Phoenix with an expected arrival of yesterday, March 3, 2010. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I waited until Thursday, March 4 to follow-up with Mr. Dickerson. Mr. Dickerson informed me that the parts were just being shipped yesterday. Upon looking at this situation, my first question is why would Pride Mobility wait four days to send out the correct parts when they apparently said they would expedite them last Friday.

The inability to maintain consistency with what is said and what is done is not unique to the Phoenix location. In fact, Mr. deHart also participates in similar tactics. Are you starting to see the picture? To be fair to United Seating and Mobility, I will share with you that they did provide me with a loaner scooter while mine has been at the Phoenix location. However, that scooter stopped operating last Saturday on my way home from an church event. Upon bringing this matter to the attention of Joshua Dickerson there was no concern or empathy expressed regarding the situation. Instead, he stressed the fact that I am responsible for the loaner scooter.

Therefore, after receiving one delay after another, I finally decided to seek the advice of others. One of the individuals I spoke with discovered 13 complaints filed by customers of United Seating and Mobility from other locations around the country that also conveyed the lack of customer service and dishonesty like I am experiencing. This leads me to wonder if the executive team of United Seating and Mobility located in Earth City, Missouri (suburb of St. Louis) which includes Mr. Bob Gouy, President, Mr. Bill Rubin, Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Tom Pennington, Operations Manager are aware or even care how the branches of their company located in 15 states across the country are treating customers. Moreover, one would be led to believe that a company that was founded in 2001 would have worked out all the quirks by now so that customers would receive quality service and timely repairs for products purchased from or through United Seating and Mobility.

Fortunately there are other manufacturers like Invacare, Permobil, Pride and Quickie for instance who care about the customer much more than has been demonstrated by United Seating and Mobility. Therefore, beware of United Seating and Mobility, and if at all possible choose a different company.

The Sedona Times received this submission to its website and the Letter to the Editor is posted solely as the opinion of the writer who is entirely responsible for its content.  We invite United Sealing and Mobility to submit a reply for posting under the same rules of content responsibility.  The Sedona Times does not share the opinion of the writer(s).

I remember the day when I could just stop eating cookies and ice cream and the weight dropped off.  Not anymore.  Even the over-the-counter diet pills are not working.  I’m not looking to drop much weight… maybe fifteen pounds but it’s a beast to unload.

What’s really funny is if you asked me two months ago to go jogging, I would have laughed in your face as you jogged by.  I always thought I couldn’t be one of THEM.

Once I lived near a gym and could see the couples dressed alike as they jogged in for a workout.  No way was I going to become a Stepford Wife in spandex jogging off to the gym for a morning workout when all I could barely do was grab a cup of coffee before work. Besides, my lung capacity was needed for my favorite cherry cigars! 

Sometimes we look in the mirror and see what we want to see. My waist was getting bigger but I continued to think I looked good.  I would tell myself that my jeans were shrinking and why can’t manufacturers make clothes that don’t shrink, but I guess cotton is like that, besides if I looked down I could still see my feet. 

Then one day I asked my best friend if I looked fat and she said I looked a little pudgy.  “WHAT! You’re my best friend and you won’t lie to me?” I said as my head snapped in her direction.

I was giving a huge housewarming party in several weeks and among the expected guests were lots of industry people.  No way was I ever going to wear a caftan to my own party and that started the diet of ground turkey, beans, salsa, and fat-free sherbet for my sweet tooth.  I dropped the weight and was the center of attraction, fabulous in all white.   However, slowly and surely, the holidays came around and I put some of the weight back on.  Okay, back to the diet. After starving for several weeks, the weight still refused to come off and all I could think of was the dreaded word exercise! 

Well, I started working out and running on the treadmill at the gym.  After a while it’s a little more toned, but still not quite there, if you know what I mean.  It’s all about getting that heart rate up, isn’t it?  And it all boils down to vanity, doesn’t it? 

I have less hair and more wrinkles around the eyes but those are things I can’t control.  However, I can avoid looking like a pregnant man.  Now I have the running shorts and the light jacket and, well, I am researching running shoes. I even joined a website called about.com, which sends daily running tips…my free trainer, so to speak. 

Did I mention that the cherry cigars are on their out too?  Yes, you heard me “on the way out” because I cannot just throw money out the window, and I need to let go of my cherry dreams slowly.  But before long, you’ll be seeing a white blaze running along 89A headed North and it won’t be the Good Humor man! 

Funny, after all this time, I never thought I could be one of THEM but the truth is how are we ever to know what we can be until we try?

Look out, Lance Armstrong, “The Gripe Guy” is out there and he’s not taking names but giving numbers!

Have a jogging tip or a runners club to suggest, let me know!  Leave your comments here!

 We’ll be serving food and having fun throughout the event, so stop by whenever…you’ll be glad you did!

 Thank you to: Rosalies of Sedona; Heartline Cafe; Bliss Floral; Relay For Life – Verde Valley; Jim Elmer & the Car Enthusiasts; Sedona Recycles; Eric Miller; Angels In Disguise; Verde BioFuel; Rusty George Creative; Heather Kadar Photography; Megan Neusten

 lf you haven’t already, please rsvp to wendy@verdevalleyrentals.com.

Directions From 89a

- Go West on 89A towards Jerome

- Turn left on E Mingus Ave

(there is a Maverick gas station on the corner)

- Turn left on Airpark Road

- Turn left on Airpark Way

- Verde Valley Rentals is on your left

Please park across the street or on street parking.