Election Guide 2012

ELECTION GUIDE

2012

Gila County contests strike sparks Read up on local races Get the Facts behind the Furor

24 PAGES • FREE OCTOBER 17, 2012 PAYSON ROUNDUP/RIM REVIEW SPECIAL SECTION

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PAYSON ROUNDUP

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

Two veteran lawmen square off in sheriff’s race Republican Adam Shepherd and Democrat Craig Jones have each spent decades in the Gila County sheriff’s office

BY ALEXIS BECHMAN ROUNDUP STAFF REPORTER

The race for Gila County’s sheriff comes down to a man who says he has the experience and a man who says he has the heart.

Former undersheriff Adam Shepherd has the upper hand when it comes to administrative and leadership experience, but former deputy Craig Jones says he has the people skills to turn around an office reportedly struggling with morale.

Although friends, the men differ on how best to run an office and jail that eats up a third of the county’s budget.

Jones promises change and improved service.

“I feel the people deserve better service than what they are getting from the sheriff’s office and if I can give them better service and the officers better training,” he said. “I don’t think he (Shepherd) is going to change anything, I think he is satisfied with the way things are and I am not.”

Shepherd says he is satisfied, but wants to make things even better.

“That is assuming there is some problem with the same old show and I don’t see it that way,” Shepherd said. “The efficiency of the sheriff’s office, as far as the size of it, the amount of money you have to spend, the type of services that you provide– those are very difficult to do under the circumstances we have had to work under.”

Circumstances include drastic budget cuts that have severely crippled programs, including the office’s narcotics task force, which has nearly dissolved. Funding cuts also put an end to a program that put deputies in county schools and slashed training and equipment budgets.

Both men say they want to get these programs back on track.

“These vital programs must continue to survive at least to the level that funding in other areas can be re-purposed to keep them alive, or outside funding can be secured,” Shepherd said. “In the case of narcotics, it is my belief that a great deal of criminal activity is related to illegal drug use and trafficking, and the diligent attention to the problem by law enforcement is the only deterrent that keeps it in check.”

Jones said he also wants to put more officers back on the drug force. The force once had seven full-time officers. Today, it has only two from the sheriff’s office.

“I know it is a money issue, but we need to work harder to get that funding,” Jones said.

Another area that isn’t getting any cheaper to run is the jails.

BEFORE THE WALLS COME CRASHING DOWN

Most residents don’t have contact with the jail and therefore don’t realize how old and inefficient they are, Shepherd said.

While voters struck down efforts to build new facilities several years ago, both men say the jails desperately need modernizing.

And beyond the four walls, Jones says it needs new management.

For years, Jail Commander Major Jim Eskew has

Craig Jones

Adam Shepherd

kept watch over both the Payson and Globe jail facilities.

While Shepherd credits Eskew with meeting and exceeding national jail standards, Jones said it is time to replace Eskew.

“I feel he has done a job to the best of his ability, but this is one change I feel is due,” Jones said.

Shepherd said he was surprised to hear Jones take this opinion.

“The quality of jail management has improved over the last several years,” he said. “The jail commander is a large contributor of setting standards and a jail management policy.”

While the men clearly differ on who should run the jails, both agree it is high time to modernize both facilities.

“A jail that is not modern costs you more money than it should because you need more people to run it,” Shepherd said.

The design of both facilities requires more employees to oversee inmates.

The Globe jail, built in the 1970s, is laid with two linear hallways of cells angling out of a command center.

The Payson jail is more of a box. Both are inefficient because staff cannot see all inmates from the command center. Modern jail design arranges cellblocks in a circle with staff sitting in the middle where they can see everyone.

Shepherd proposes turning at least one of the cellblock rows in Globe into a circle design.

Although it would cost a lot, it would be cheaper than tearing down the whole jail and redoing the kitchen, intake area, etc.

Doing so would cut down on the number of employees needed, which would trim costs long term.

“Personnel costs us over and over again,” Shepherd said. “Where you buy brick and mortar once. It would be a big undertaking, but it could be retrofitted for less than it would cost if ripped down.”

Jones wasn’t as specific regarding his plan to improve the jails, but said he supported upgrading both.

“I am going to work very hard to improve the jails,” he said. “I know we can’t move it, but I would like to modernize it.”

Shepherd said he is open to putting a jail improvement tax measure back on the ballots if the county board of supervisors supported the idea.

Voters would have to approve any major jail improvements.

In Payson, a new jail is badly overdue, both men said.

“When I came to work for the sheriff’s office (in the 80s) that jail was closed by the federal government,” Shepherd said.

The government closed it after several inmates died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Reportedly, the heaters were on and the ventilation system wasn’t working properly. Although they redid the ventilation system, they left the rest of the Payson jail alone – and that is how it sits today, Shepherd said.

While fixing the jail is cost prohibitive, there are other ways to cut the budget.

One way is to limit the number of trips transporting inmates from Globe to Payson. That would be hard, though, because a judge is required to see an inmate within 24 hours of their arrest. And it has to be in the city where they were arrested.

Shepherd said the only true solution is building a bigger Payson facility that can handle dangerous inmates and those with medical issues.

Jones said another option is not filling the jails with minor offenders.

Although domestic and dangerous criminals should be jailed, someone found with a small of marijuana shouldn’t be thrown in jail, he said.

“If they have a tiny amount of weed they are going to be cited, I not going to fill my jails with people like that, we don’t have room,” he said. “Some CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

PAYSON ROUNDUP

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Candidates cite experience, heart as qualifications FROM PAGE 2

people get arrested and put in jail for a warrant for not paying a traffic ticket and we don’t have space for it.”

Shepherd said it is too risky to pick and choose who gets arrested. He supports the current policy.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Both men said they don’t support the state’s new voter-approved medical marijuana law, but said they will uphold the law.

Shepherd said although he didn’t vote for it, “as far as law is concerned I will follow the law.”

Jones said he still didn’t understand how the law went into effect when federal law clearly bans marijuana use.

“I am afraid it will get out of hand,” he said.

Still, Jones said he would not fight the issue.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

The courts trampled another controversial bill, SB 1070.

Shepherd said he supported most of the bill because it required officers who suspect someone might be in the country illegally to detain them and seek to confirm their status. The court threw out core provisions of the state law, like the requirement for people to carry picture identification and penalties for officers who didn’t make stops to check the status of suspects. However, the US Supreme Court decision left in place a legal authority to check immigration status for people detained on other grounds – so long as the immigration status check doesn’t extend the time the officer holds the person once he resolves any other problems.

Since federal immigration officials generally cannot respond quickly to an immigration status request, the restrictions mean local police will likely only complete a status check on someone for whom they had enough evidence to hold them for a long period on some other crime.

That means in practical terms, the law hasn’t changed much.

“Technically, even though we believe they are illegal they really do have the rights afforded to every citizen until they have proven that they don’t,” Shepherd said.

Maintaining a good relationship with immigration officials is key.

Several years ago things got bad when immigration officials rarely came to pick up detainees. After talking with various federal immigration supervisors, things got better, Shepherd said.

Jones said he would make sure officers did not engage in racial profiling, by conducting immigration sta-

tus checks or making stops simply because someone is Hispanic.

“We can still ask for ID and that is what we are going to do,” he said, “but my officers are not going to profile, they will not.”

DRINKING OFF THE JOB

Recently, the office came under fire when an off-duty sergeant was called to help on a high-speed chase.

The issue: the sergeant had had a few drinks with dinner at home before he got the call.

Although sheriff policy dictates that officers can determine if they are fit for duty, it stimulates that they let a supervisor know.

This sergeant failed to do that, which drew a reprimand – but no lost pay or serious charges.

Jones says he will repeal the controversial policy and bar officers from responding if they’ve been drinking, even if they feel fit for duty and inform their superiors. He said the current policy carries too much liability.

“I won’t hold it against officers if they had a couple beers and couldn’t come out, but I don’t want them to come out there,” he said. “We have other officers available.”

Shepherd said he would keep the policy, but enforce it better.

“We have that policy because we are always limited on officers,” he said. “That is why we let them take home vehicles and cell phones, so they can respond if something like this happens.”

Shepherd said that means trusting an officer’s judgment.

“All you have is their judgment and they should be experts at it,” he said.

Jones said the risk is too high.

“Why take that chance?” he said.

MORALE

Jones said his easygoing attitude will bring morale up.

“They are all good guys and I have worked with them, but they need new direction and I know they will do the job it is just up to me to get them motivated and get the training they need.”

Shepherd said morale has taken a tumble, but that is primarily due to the uncertainly that swirls around elections.

Other issues that affect morale include training, pay and equipment issues.

Because the county can’t afford to pay as well as Valley agencies, it frequently loses good deputies.

Shepherd said he would work to improve equipment and training, but said it is unlikely they can increase pay much.

“I am always fighting for better equipment and pay,” he said.

CANDIDATE RESUME CRAIG JONES Democrat

ADAM SHEPHERD Republican

• 23 years in county law enforcement.

• 28 years in county law enforcement.

• Worked seven years with Globe Police Department, a year with the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control, and four years with the Department of Public Safety. With the Gila County Sheriff’s Office, Jones worked three years as a reserve and eight years as a full-time deputy.

• Started with Payson Police Department as a dispatcher and reserve patrol officer. Joined the sheriff’s office in 1984 as a patrol deputy. Moved up through the ranks from detective, sergeant and lieutenant to undersheriff.

• Education: High school diploma and some college courses.

Craig agreed that the pay isn’t greatest, so treating officers right is critical.

“I want to give them that training so that we can keep them and keep them happy,” he said.

Overall, Jones says he is the right man for the job because his heart is in it.

• Education: 1979 graduate of Payson High School. Associate degree from Gila Pueblo College; graduate of Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command; bachelor’s degree in public agency service from Northern Arizona University.

“I really care about this county,” he said. “I want it from my heart more than he does I feel and I am going to make the changes that he is not.”

Shepherd said voters should choose him because he has the upper level management experience and education.

VOTE FOR

MICKIE NYE for Gila County Recorder IT’S TIME for a change in the Gila County Recorder’s office!!

IT’S TIME to bring back friendly customer service.

IT’S TIME to bring fairness to ALL residents of Gila County.

IT’S TIME to bring technology to work for all of us in Gila County.

IT’S TIME to make voting as easy as possible.

IT’S TIME to bring real world business experience to the County.

IT’S TIME to end voter suppression in Gila County and encourage all who can vote to get out and vote.

IT’S TIME to get County Government to work for us, the residents of Gila County.

I’m not a career politician. I’m not entrenched in the old ways and the “that’s how it’s always been” mentality. I am asking for your vote and support on Election Day, together we can make a change in Gila County Government.

Thank you, Paid for by Vote Mickie Nye committee

Mickie Nye

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PAYSON ROUNDUP

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

Incumbent supervisor faces tenacious challenger

BY TERESA MCQUERREY

cating the state legislators that will be representing the five counties.

“Before redistricting, most of us, shared one senator and two representatives. Now, there are at least four senators and eight representatives to educate (to our needs),” Martin said.

ROUNDUP STAFF REPORTER

One candidate says she is working to keep the county safe from fire. The other candidate says she is working to keep county government accessible.

These are two of a number of issues that mark the differences between the candidates for Gila County District 1, where incumbent Republican Supervisor Tommie Cline Martin faces an outspoken challenge from Independent developer Hallie Overman Jackman (I).

Recently in the Roundup, Martin stressed her efforts to protect Rim Country communities from devastating wildfires.

Meanwhile, Overman-Jackman says many Rim residents feel ignored and abandoned by county government, which remains dominated by supervisors from the Globe end of the county.

Martin has kept the focus on her efforts, combined with that of area fire districts and volunteers, to protect Rim Country from wildfires in spite of a modest decline in the county tax rate in the past several years.

Keeping the county safe from natural disasters like forest fires is only one of the top issues the District 1 Supervisor will have to deal with, Martin said. Other issues facing the county include a poor economy resulting from the depressed housing market; long-term, major unemployment; and a fiscally irresponsible Legislature.

By contrast, Overman-Jackman stressed transparency. “People want to talk to their supervisor, but the response has been slow or not at all,” she said.

Overman-Jackman said she’s heard a lot of complaints from Pine residents about the work on Pine Creek Road.

They tell her county staff and the contractors have treated them poorly.

Strawberry and Pine residents have also complained about the impact the closure of Fossil Creek Road is having on businesses, “All they’re hearing is that’s the way it is and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

The Forest Service closed the road into the canyon from Strawberry, citing rock falls and maintenance concerns – plus the huge summer crowds.

Arizona Public Service used to maintain the road, but stopped when it abandoned its power generation station in the canyon bottom. The county concluded it didn’t have the money to take over maintenance of the road.

Transparency is an issue OvermanJackman has stressed since she began her bid for office. Other issues important to her: fiscal responsibility; better revenue disbursement of services and funds for Northern Gila County; National Forest Service issues related to being a better and more responsible

OVERMAN-JACKMAN’S TOP ISSUES

Hallie Overman-Jackman

Tommie Cline Martin

partner; and professional oversight on county building construction to avoid in the future any waste of funds similar to those lost on the women’s jail in Globe.

Given the weight Maricopa, Pima and now Pinal and Yavapai Counties carry in the Legislature and the State Transportation Board’s allocation of gas tax money for road construction, rural counties need to work in partnership for their share of the money.

With a strong partnership, rural counties have a better chance at funds for road maintenance and improvements, as well as economic development and work force development.

“Individually we have little impact, jointly we could make a difference.

“If I am re-elected, I am positioned to be the new chairman of the Eastern Arizona Counties Organization,” Martin said.

This group, organized in the late 1990s to address natural resource issues, includes Apache, Graham, Greenlee and Navajo Counties, as well as Gila County. She said for the past year the group has been building a foundation from which to begin edu-

MARTIN’S TOP ISSUES

• Poor economy and the significant loss of real wealth from the depressed housing market: Martin said she doesn’t want Gila County government to make the effects of the depressed housing market any worse by increasing the county portion of the property tax bill. “We prepared for a depressed economy so that we were able to maintain stable government services without increasing property taxes.” She said the county tax rate has declined, despite a swoon in assessed values.

However, rising tax rates imposed by the schools have driven up many homeowners’ tax bills, even as their home values have declined.

• Long term, major unemployment: “The state currently has Gila County tied to Pinal County for all workforce development activity which may have made sense 25 years ago when we had similar interests. Today, however, just one of their unincorporated communities - San Tan Flats - has 1.5 times as many citizens as all of Gila County,” Martin said. She added Pinal is now an urban county and it is directing the collective workforce development and job training. “I am spearheading a five eastern Arizona county consortium to petition the governor to allow us to become a new Workforce Investment Area and address our workforce development needs that are very different from urban areas.”

This effort is also tied to efforts to make the Legislature more responsive to rural issues. “The more urban Arizona becomes, the more rural we become and we need to partner with counties with similar concerns,” she said.

Addressing the issue of county transparency, Overman-Jackman said she wants to provide better awareness of county operations to give voters more information on where their tax dollars are being spent and provide better information on county programs that are available.

• County fiscal responsibility – Overman-Jackman said she would make sure that tax dollars are spent more wisely and evenly, and that District One receives equal revenue distribution. She will also offer better budgeting oversight and review on county contracts, as well as a strong “hands-on” policy on all county construction projects.

“I want to review contracts that are presently held by all divisions of the county to make sure that they are in the best interests of District 1 residents. Providing oversight on all divisions of the county will make sure that they are within sound business practices in their daily operations,” she said.

• Overman-Jackman said she wants to promote better recreational development for safe use of the forest and better and more campsite development. “I also want to address the standard “Road Closure” issue with both the Forest Service and our congressmen,” she said, explaining that too many forest roads are closed too early and people needing to get into the forest to get firewood run the risk of fines because of the inaccessible sites.

CANDIDATE RESUME TOMMIE CLINE MARTIN Republican

HALLIE OVERMAN-JACKMAN Independent

• Lifelong resident of Gila County.

• 13-year resident of Gila County Dist. 1.

• Served on Gila County Board of Supervisors for eight years.

• Owner of Total Business Solutions, a payroll and tax preparation company, from 2000 to 2007. Still provides tax preparation services. Current owner and president of Hurlburt Development and Overman Land Company overseeing engineering and development of subdivisions.

• Worked 24 years as natural resource management educator, facilitator, consultant and advocate on national and international level. Served as legislative aide to Arizona House Rules Committee chairman and rules attorney. Worked as state and Congressional lobbyist for Arizona Cattle Growers Association and Center for Holistic Management.

• Republican precinct committeeman in the 1970s and ’80s.

• Appointed to Town of Payson Zoning Commission; elected board member of Arizona Planning Association from 2004 to 2007. Served on the boards of Payson Community Kids, Arizonans for Kids; Rim Country Rotary past president; co-chair of Electric Light Parade, Magic on the Mountain holiday lighting; chaired Heritage Festival in 2008 and 2009; served on Payson’s 125th Rodeo Committee.

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

PAYSON ROUNDUP

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RE-ELECT

SADIE JO TOMERLIN for

RECORDER David Cook (R)

Michael A. Pastor (D)

Sparring Globe supervisor candidates seek handful of votes in Rim Country

BY TERESA MCQUERREY ROUNDUP STAFF REPORTER

Several pockets of Northern and Central Gila County voters will cast ballots in the race for District 2 Supervisor. The contenders are incumbent Michael A. Pastor (D) and challenger David Cook (R). Both are longtime residents of the Globe area.

Elected in 2008, Pastor served as board chairman from May 2011 through August 2012. Supervisor Pastor also serves on the Correctional Officers Retirement Plan Board, the Central Arizona Association of Governments Regional Council, San Carlos Apache Tribe Partnership Steering Committee and Cobre Valley Community Transit System Committee.

This year, Pastor faces a tough challenger.

“I am running for Gila County Supervisor in District 2 because I love our county and the people in it. I have worked for five years for this. I am the best man for the job,” Cook told a gathering of the Rim Country Republican Club this summer.

Cook said he believes the county must have elected leaders with a vision for the community and the ability to propose and implement workable solutions with citizens, organizations, and other governments.

“I have a long record of successful problem solving with the federal government and will significantly improve the county’s operation,” Cook said.

Pastor said he has worked tirelessly to represent Gila County at both the

state and federal level, making himself available to discuss issues that affect the taxpayers of Gila County such as cost shifts to the county by the state, flood mitigation and land use issues with the Forest Service and the Army Corps of Engineers to make sure recreationalists, ranchers, mining and constituents’ voices are heard. He said he continues to support community issues such as transportation and infrastructure development and economic opportunities within the district.

“The citizens of Gila County are entitled to a full-time working county supervisor in District Two, someone who will give his total commitment and time to improving our county and quality of life for all constituents. In these economically challenging times, we must remain innovative and accountable. I will continue to make the office of Gila County District Two both responsive and transparent,” Pastor said.

Among Cook’s priorities is the economy. “With Southern Gila County’s mines expected to be depleted in five years, we need to start the county moving in a direction that will not only maintain, but also grow our economy in the future. I have an economic development plan that would bring in an estimated $500,000 a year in for infrastructure and development. I have another plan to build a racetrack and create a structure of governance for that track. Neither of these plans would cost the taxpayers a dime. No past or current supervisor has proposed a similar plan,” he said.

• Implemented e-recording to save taxpayers money • Oversaw rural addressing changes to the voters in Gila County for 911 • Implemented the Permanent Early Voting List • Made early voting available to ALL areas of Gila County • Converted 100+ years of documents on CD’s to preserve the historic documents and books • Developed strong working relationships with Cities/Towns throughout the County • Have staff cross-trained and Election certified • Under budget by at least $40,000 for the last three years • Worked with all of the school districts to register students who are 18 years old • State of Arizona Certified Election Officer and Certified Handwriting Analysis

Sadie Jo Tomerlin has deep roots in Arizona and a strong desire to serve the residents of Gila County. Her commitment is demonstrated by her strong record of performance as the County Recorder.

I encourage you to return Sadie Jo Tomerlin as the Gila County Recorder.

Senator Jon Kyl

Gila County Recorder Sadie Jo Tomerlin has made early voting available to all areas of Gila County and has a track record in operating her office in an efficient and effective manner while cutting costs.

Please join me in supporting Sadie Jo Tomerlin for reelection.

Jeff Flake I ask for your support Nov. 6, 2012.

With your support we can continue to make Gila County better!

Paid for by Sadie Jo for Recorder

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PAYSON ROUNDUP

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

Nine candidates debate school district priorities Role of teachers, budget cuts, district secrets, school excellence divide and unite those seeking board seats

BY MICHELE NELSON ROUNDUP STAFF REPORTER

Stepping into the voting booth on Nov. 6 to ponder the ballot Payson Unified District School (PUSD) Board may overwhelm many voters -- with nine candidates for just three spots.

The record number of candidates reflects the challenges the district has faced in the past three years, with teacher layoffs, school closures and a sharp rise in fees for sports and extra curricular activities.

Packed school board meetings have drawn parents, teachers, supporters, and even students, who made an emotional appeal to save the jobs of teachers and administrators facing layoffs.

The furor has drawn a mix of candidates. Some support the school board’s choices, including incumbent Barbara Underwood.

Another group wants the school district to continue to cut waste and administration, while holding teachers and students accountable.

A third group focuses chiefly on providing more support for teachers as they criticize the district’s layoff criteria, hiring freeze, evaluations system and deteriorating morale and working conditions.

Clearly, whoever wins will face serious challenges, with the district’s enrollment decline compounding dwindling state support. A report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities concluded the Arizona legislature had made the deepest proportionate cuts to education in the nation. The cuts eliminated money for curriculum development, even though state and federal governments have required a radical overhaul of teaching methods and evaluations.

Class sizes have risen sharply as the district has cut teaching positions. Teachers must now not only handle more students, but often dig into their own pockets to pay for classroom projects.

Yet, in the face of dwindling enrollment, some candidates say the schools could actually attract families to Payson. Their hope inspired them to run.

A vote could give them the opportunity to implement their ideas.

But what are those ideas? What do the candidates believe? From ideas on how to create excellence in the schools, to budgets and transparency, the candidates shared their ideas.

SCHOOL EXCELLENCE

The district’s test scores have drifted lower, leading to mediocre state ratings. Now, the district faces state and federal mandates that will require a complete overhaul of the curriculum and a greater reliance on standardized test scores to rate both teachers and schools.

The three candidates with long experience as teachers all stressed the need to support and empower teachers to improve schools.

James Quinlan said that if the teachers are happy, the students will learn.

Carmelita Locke said the key lies in improving communications with the community. Locke firmly believes parents should volunteer in the classroom as part of their responsibility for their child’s education.

Ron Silverman believes the growth the community relies on improving the school. “We’ve been looking

at the school system the wrong way.” Good school drive community growth by attracting businesses and entrepreneurs.” Instead, he said would rather home school his kids than send them to PUSD schools. “We have an opportunity to change that paradigm,” he said.

Gerald Rutz believes that every board member should insist on offering the best academic and social education possible.

Jim Muhr would like to add options, such as a vocational track to the schools because he recognizes some of the student would like to pursue an entrepreneurial track in their career.

Shirley Dye believes schools have lost their effectiveness by moving away from teaching the basics: reading, writing, math and science. “They have moved away from the Constitution by teaching multicultural studies where children find out they are different,” said Dye, “Everybody is one (in the U.S.)” Incumbent Barbara Underwood believes her volunteerism in the town and schools help her understand what the schools need. “I’m helping to bring the community and schools together. I feel in four years I’ve learned how the school operates,” she said, “Your vision and goals drive the district.”

Since Devin Wala has two children in the Payson school system, he has a vested interest in its excellence. “I’m not looking to join the school board for any one issue, just a great education for all children,” he said.

Lynette Brouwer believes Payson has the same natural beauty and recreation opportunities that places like Fruita, Colorado - a small town that turned itself around by focusing on its location and environmental assets. Throughout her career, she has analyzed programs to decide if they add or subtract value from the organization. She hopes to apply her skills to PUSD and make the educational opportunities for the children of Payson the best.

BUDGET

The board has coped with a steady decline in enrollment and big cuts in state support by closing Frontier Elementary School, which forced a dramatic increase in elementary school class sizes. The board has approved teacher layoffs in each of the past three years, which has spurred complaints about favoritism and a lack of openness about layoff criteria. The board has also cut budget support for almost all extra curricular programs.

James Quinlan would like to make sure the budget takes care of teachers.

Gerald Rutz hopes students have a level playing field and money is spent fairly.

Carmelita Locke understands we can’t do much with the finances because the money comes from the state, but the budget process needs to be more transparent. “Start talking about how the money is spent,” she said, “It’s the board members responsibility to say how does this affect our goals.”

Ron Silverman says he has experience managing and maintaining budgets in his previous career as a small business owner.

Jim Muhr says the state should raise more money for education by selling state-owned land. “The board should be actively involved with the state legislators, prior to them writing bills,” he said. Muhr looks forward to applying his years of budget expeCONTINUED ON PAGE 7

GERALD RUTZ • Spent his career in education • Lived in Arizona since 1962 • Degrees from the University of Wisconsin • Spent time in the U.S. Army • Received National Science grant to obtain Masters in mathematics • Coached freshman football • Believes in equality of opportunity in education

JAMES QUINLAN

Gerald Rutz

• Degree in English from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wa. • Spent his career teaching literature • Worked 20 years at Payson High School, currently teaches at Gila Community College • Coached varsity sports • His six children went through the Payson school system.

• Believes if teachers are supported, education improves

CARMELITA LOCKE • Graduated from college with a degree in Elementary education and Music • Received a Masters in Educational Leadership • Taught for 31 years in PUSD and son attended Payson schools.

• Taught elementary classes, music • Goals: Focus on student learning and success. Open communication and shared decision. Encourage communication and involvement with the community.

RON SILVERMAN • Received degrees from Temple University and the University of Arizona • Has taught for 11 years. Two in PUSD, eight in the Tucson school district and currently works in the Alchezoa district near White River.

• Lived in Arizona since 1997 • Believes in academic rigor to improve the school district • Would like to see PUSD as an economic driver for the town

James Quinlan

Carmelita Locke

JIM MUHR • Received degree from Cal State Long Beach in Political Science • Drafted into the Vietnam War in 1965. Wounded in Tet Offensive, Received the Purple Heart.

• Spent career in business.

Corporate management in automotive industry. Retired from owning his own business in 2004 and moved to Payson.

• Family has lived in Payson since 1985.

• Currently, president of the Payson Tea Party and a veteran’s advocate • Muhr believes by applying what he l earned from business, he can find funding sources and create a system parents will want to attend.

Ron Silverman

Jim Muhr

DEVIN WALA • Studied computer engineering at the University of Iowa • Moved to Payson nine years ago for the rural atmosphere and schools • Has two children in Payson schools • Founded a parent-teacher organization that brings enrichment activities to Payson students.

• Owned an outdoor sporting goods store • Believes district needs to inspire teachers so they may inspire students Devin Wala • Will work to guarantee a level playing field for every child • Number one goal is to make sure the school board remains focused on the kids

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

PAYSON ROUNDUP

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Teachers, budget dominate school races FROM PAGE 6

rience to understanding the state school budget process to see what is possible.

Shirley Dye supports the premise of Proposition 120, that Arizona should have sovereignty over the lands within its border. “I want to be a good steward (of the land), but they (environmentalists) have hit the economy of Gila County hard,” said Dye. She believes once the state has sovereignty over its land, it would be free to lease it to cattle ranchers, lumber companies and mining interests. The money raised could fund schools.

Incumbent Barbara Underwood has weathered some tough cuts and decisions because of the economy and shrinking budget. “For every 30 kids lost, you lose a teacher,” she said, “We’re still looking at struggles.” She says the projections show declining enrollment through 2018 and yet she hopes to continue to help through the difficult times.

Devin Wala has worked with budgets as a former small business owner and member of parent teacher organization. “We keep costs low and look for creative solutions, which is no different than what the school system is doing,” he said.

In his family’s many travels around the country and world, Wala has seen poor school systems in place such as Guatemala and privileged systems in places like Los Angeles. He said money does not always solve a school system’s problems. “We’ve seen school systems doing more with less and less with more,” said Wala.

Lynette Brouwer has worked with budgets shackled by government limitations for years. “I know what it means to have a state and Federal mandate,” she said, “It means find the opportunities within the structure and work with what you’ve got.” She has worked with public budgets and personnel throughout her career and looks forward to the challenge of looking at the whole of PUSD’s situation to find out-of-the-box solutions. She would like to apply the “zero budget” tactic to the PUSD budget.

TEACHER/STUDENT ADVOCACY

Gerald Rutz believes all children deserve an equal opportunity in education.

“These kids are economically deprived and can’t play sports, (because of fees),” he said. He would like to help find ways to level the playing field.

James Quinlan has two items on his agenda, “I want to see our students in our town with the best education possible and teachers treated with respect. I’ve seen too many people mistreated by the district,” he said. He feels teacher moral is at its lowest point, especially since teachers have not had a raise in five years.

He believes if teachers had more input they feel a greater stake in creating better schools.

Carmelita Locke wants to refocus the board on student’s learning and success.

“We’re really good at the bottom 25 percent, but our overall scores have gone down,” she said. She believes teachers would do a better job if they were part of the decision making process. She would like to see a committee of teachers contribute to curriculum development.

Ron Silverman, a social studies teacher who was himself laid off last year, believes administration has much to do with teacher performance and moral. “I don’t believe in the on-site leadership,” he

said, “(and) the board is voting on stuff in a rubber stamp way without due diligence.” He wants to increase the rigor of the classes. “It’s about getting these kids competitive,” he said, “How do you justify giving these kids a degree and they can’t do basic things?”

Jim Muhr would like to focus on what the children need in an education.“We need to focus on what the kids need,” he said.

Shirley Dye is concerned that schools are getting dumbed down. She advocates for homework and improving children’s reading skills.

Barbara Underwood feels her continuing volunteerism in the classroom gives her a hands-on understanding of what teachers need. “I have volunteered at all schools and this gives you a day-to-day idea of what needs are in the school district,” she said. She particularly wants to focus on keeping the kindergarten through second grade classes small, although last year’s budget cuts forced a big increase in those class sizes. “Studies show they learn language and math better in the early years,” she said.

Devin Wala said his own his father went from being in the foster care system to obtain a college degree. His father gave him a solid, safe upbringing, but never shied from telling his story. This gave Wala sympathy for the realities of the student’s struggles and triumphs.

“I would like a level playing field for all students,” he said. He also understands that some demoralized teachers are just going through the motions, but he would like to inspire them because he believes in what they do. “I’d like to see a good evaluation process but put a financial remuneration on the results,” he said.

Lynette Brouwer felt drawn to run for the school board because of her children. She started attending school board meetings when the middle school cut the counselor position. Since former counselor Byron Quinlan changed her oldest daughter’s school career, she insisted the District replace the position and it did. She now would like to take her advocacy to the school board. “I got drawn in by my kids over the counselor issue. I believe I could bring new perspectives,” she said.

TRANSPARENCY

Gerald Rutz talked to a lot of people while collecting the 85 signatures necessary to qualify for the ballot. “They gave me certain ideas, (such as), communicate with the parents and teachers need to communicate with the administration and class,” he said, “I have two C’s (a pun on Arizona’s five C’s), cooperation and communication, if those two things are optimum, things work well.”

Carmelita Locke agrees with Rutz.

James Quinlan believes the board and district administrators answer to the public. “There are consequences to the administration for the decisions that they make,” he said. He cited the recent windfall from the Federal government in the form of fees from the forest. He would like to see that money go towards a one-year teacher stipend.

Carmelita Locke has as her second goal if voters select her to run on the board, open communication and teachers sharing in the decision making process with administrators. “We need to empower our teachers,” said Locke. Locke would also like the board to be more honest and forthcoming about budget decisions.

SHIRLEY DYE • Studied counseling after high school • Volunteered in the schools for her children • Worked in construction industry on permits • Currently tutors grandchildren • Volunteers for the Tea Party and Republican Party • Believes schools could be funded by the state taking over Federal forest land to lease for forestry, mining, and cattle grazing.

• Wants schools to get back to basics

Shirley Dye

BARBARA UNDERWOOD • She and her family have lived in Payson since 1977 • Her children went through the Payson school system. Her daughter, Karen Ormand, works as an elementary school teacher. Has grandchildren in all levels of the system.

• Ran a family restaurant for years.

• Currently sits on the board of the Barbara Senior Center, the Mogollon Sporting Underwood Association and is involved with the Payson design and review board.

• Worked as a secretary in the school district and currently volunteers in the classroom • The only incumbent running • She hopes to return all day kindergarten and keep class sizes small

LYNETTE BROUWER • First generation in her family to obtain higher education • Has a PhD in Education with emphasis on organization and a Master’s in Public Administration • Was on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin • Managed and started programs for the U.S. Forest Service • Has two children in the Payson school system • She would like to build social capital with the community.

Lynette Brouwer

Ron Silverman believes the current board simply goes from fire to fire instead of looking at the long term. “People need to understand the board’s responsibility is to the students and the community,” he said.

Transparency is a key issue for Jim Muhr. He particularly does not care for the riffing of Ron Silverman or Roy Sandoval, especially since he believes both men did much for the children of Payson. “I need to stop the rubber stamping,” he said, “I need people to give explanations.”

Because Barbara Underwood is on the campuses through her volunteerism, she feels the staff appreciates her being there and has gotten to know her. Although she readily admits she cannot act as an individual board member while vounteering, she can listen.

Devin Wala has one overarching goal, “My biggest thing is to make sure members of the school board remain focused on the kids.”

Lynette Brouwer in board meetings asked point blank why she did not know what the board had on the agenda or why the meeting time and location was not published in the paper. The board changed and started publishing its agenda to conform to the needs of the paper. Now Brouwer would like to make both the external and internal transparency of the board better. “Having worked for the Forest Service, you invite people to come even if what they say is not always comfortable,” she said.

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PAYSON ROUNDUP

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

Four candidates vie for Pine school board spots

BY MICHELE NELSON ROUNDUP STAFF REPORTER

The Pine-Strawberry School District sits peacefully nestled in the Pine valley. Although four candidates have thrown their hats into the school board race, none feels the school district has any overtly controversial issues to address besides hiring a new superintendent.

For the last eight years, the district has thrived under the leadership of Mike Clark, but he will retire at the end of this school year.

Each of the candidates would like to participate in the hiring process of a new superintendent.

Margaret Parker is the only incumbent running. This will be her third term, which have not run concurrently.

“I have lived all my life in Pine. My dad was raised here and I was on the board 25 years ago with him,” she said.

Parker says the board has done a good job working with parents, teachers and students.

“If something happens, we’re always transparent,” said Parker.

Her main concern, besides hiring the new superintendent, is to stay within the budget so the district does not have to raise property taxes.

This is Melissa (Hill) McNeely’s first

Jessica Barnett

Margaret Parker

time running for the school board. A friend asked her to run.

McNeely grew up in Pine and Payson. She started school in Payson, but moved to Pine when she was in the second grade. She finished up at Payson High School after completing the eighth grade in Pine.

McNeely said that residents were not as happy with the school when she went, but now things are run well.

She lives in Pine with her husband, 13-year-old stepson and the couple’s two-year old. Her stepson attends the Pine school.

She hopes to be part of the group that decides who will be the next superintendent.

“It would be great to be part of the decision,” McNeely said.

Rick Weiss moved to Pine four and a

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Vote Republican Tuesday, November 6th

Become informed, read the propositions. Gila County Republicans make the following recommendations: PROP 114: Crime Victim Protection from Liability for Damages (Yes) PROP 115: The Judicial Department (No) This undermines judicial independence PROP 116: Property Tax exemptions (Yes) PROP 117: Property Tax Assessed Valuation (Yes) PROP 118: Establishment of Permanent Funds (Yes) PROP 119: State Trust Lands (Yes) PROP 120: State Sovereignty (Yes) PROP 121: Open Elections, Open Government Act (No) This leads to corruption. Those with the most money win.

PROP 204: Quality Education and Jobs Act (No) California/Union style 18% more in permanent sales tax From the White House to the State House to the Courthouse

VOTE REPUBLICAN Paid for by the RCRC Committee

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Melissa McNeely

Rick Weiss

half years ago.

He is a former minister and still teaches Sunday school, and has taken it upon himself to mentor the troubled kids in Pine. His long-term goal is to create a place in Pine for these kids to have a safe place to hang out.

With three small children in the house, he and his wife are active with their children as well. His five-year old goes to kindergarten in the Pine school and he does substitute teaching in the district.

Besides their involvement with their children, Weiss and his wife both design websites for a living. His wife focuses on early childhood development and parenting.

As with the other candidates, Weiss would like to weigh in on the superintendent search. He wants somebody

like Mike Clark with business management skills.

Otherwise, he is happy with how the district is run.

“It’s not like I’m running because of controversy,” he said.

The fourth candidate, Jessica Barnett, has served on the Pine School Board before. She has lived in the Pine community since 1977, went to the Pine Elementary school and graduated from the Payson High School.

She is married to Eric Barnett and has three children, Heather, 22, Preston, 19 and Thomas, 15. All of her children have gone through the Pine elementary system. Her two oldest graduated from Payson High School.

Her youngest still attends.

Barnett served on the Pine school board and the Pine/Strawberry Fire Department as a reserve EMT. She has worked also for Dr. Ford at Payson Eye Care for 20 years.

“I have enjoyed my terms when I was on the (school) board and chose to run again,” she said, “The district is going to be selecting a new superintendent this year and having gone through that process before when we hired Mr. Clark, I feel that I can have a positive influence in making that very important choice for our district.”

Tommie Cline Martin PROVEN LEADERSHIP FOR GILA COUNTY A few of the things I have accomplished as your Gila County Supervisor: • Developed innovative first-response resources that dramatically REDUCED our DANGER for CATASTROPHIC WILDFIRE; • Helped improve emergency response to PROTECT YOU and YOUR HOME and established certified EMERGENCY SHELTERS in outlying communities; • Returned $693,689 in ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GRANTS to Rim Country Organizations, Initiatives and Programs last 4 years; • Provided direct ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT by lobbying in over $14 MILLION in federal dollars for forest management; • Improved education, skill-building and job opportunities through targeted FINANCIAL SUPPORT of GILA COMMUNITY COLLEGE; • Initiated and passed Federal legislation to insure FEDERAL government pays its FAIR SHARE on transportation projects. Local match reduced 71%;

• Improved EFFICIENCY AND TRANSPARENCY through better accounting/reporting, user friendly web tools, human resource initiatives, and consistent use of BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES for government; • REDUCED PROPERTY TAX rate from $4.41 to $4.19; • Assured local communities could benefit from BLUE RIDGE WATER; • Initiated program and provided required equipment to allow County’s HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS to simultaneously earn COLLEGE CREDITS; • Built new, POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS and WORKING COALITIONS between Gila County and our Cities and Towns, our Tribes, our local Districts and our State and Federal Agencies.

I am proud of these accomplishments, and I look forward to what we can do together in the next four years.

Re-Elect Tommie Cline Martin Gila County Supervisor District One Paid for by Tommie Cline Martin Campaign

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

PAYSON ROUNDUP

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Last-minute accusations roil recorder’s race Globe businessman challenges incumbent with charges of election manipulations

BY MICHELE NELSON ROUNDUP STAFF REPORTER

The election in the Gila County Recorder’s race has heated up with accusations from challenger Mickie Nye. He has questioned Gila County Recorder Sadie Jo Tomerlin’s handling of 80 provisional primary ballots on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, suggesting she threw out so many ballots it could have affected the outcome of local elections.

“Proportionately, more ballots were rejected in San Carlos than anywhere else,” said Nye. Nye has run the Globe Dairy Queen for the last 10 years. He has also volunteered in the county for years. He ran unopposed in the Democratic Primary while Tomerlin won a contentious contest in the Republican Primary against Payson computer data consultant Mac Feezor, who is now campaigning vigorously on Nye’s behalf.

Nye is the current president of the Globe Boys and Girls Club and in 2005, he served as the president for the Citizen’s for Economic Development.

Last year, he was honored with the Person of the Year award in Globe.

But Nye has a past. Years ago he pled guilty to an assault charge against his step-daughter and made a plea agreement on a perjury charge.

At a meeting with the Payson Democratic party in April he said he regrets what he has done in the past, though he is confident he can do a better job than Tomerlin, especially when it comes to handling questions about handling of ballots on the San Carlos Apache Reservation.

Nye said that if Tomerlin threw out valid ballots it could have cost District 3 supervisorial candidate Marvin Mull the election. Mull comes from the reservation and won the lopsided support of voters there, but lost by 23 votes in the Democratic Primary contest in that district. Star Valley Judge Ronnie Daniels came in third in that primary, in the face of low turnout among north county Democrats.

“Sadie withheld 80 votes from San Carlos...We don’t know why to this day they were separated,” said Nye, “I don’t mind losing, but I want to lose fairly.”

Tomerlin has dismissed Nye’s complaints about the provisional ballots on the reservation as groundless political posturing. The Recorder’s Office is charged with making sure voter roles are up to date, which includes determining whether people voted in the right district and didn’t vote twice when polling place workers raise a question and mark a ballot as provisional.

Tomerlin has worked for the Recorder’s Office since 2003. She quickly rose through the ranks to become the youngest Recorder in Arizona history when the Gila County Board of Supervisors appointed her to the position in 2008.

She has run unopposed since that time.

Until this year.

When asked about Nye’s questions regarding the tossed ballots from the San Carlos Reservation, Tomerlin wrote in an e-mail, “This is incorrect.

Mickie Nye

Sadie Jo Tomerlin

“Sadie withheld 80 votes from San Carlos... I don’t mind losing, but I want to lose fairly.”

“Just another example of someone not knowing the process and job of the office.”

First the Elections Office counts the ballots. We (the Recorder’s Office), verify the ballots. Just another example of someone not knowing the process and job of the office.”

Nye said a woman voter asked him, as he campaigned on the reservation, to question the Recorder’s Office why her vote was not counted.

She said she was on the list of 80 provisional ballots invalidated by the Recorder’s Office. She showed Nye her up-to-date voter registration card and asked why her vote did not count.

Nye had no answer.

Tomerlin by e-mail said that without the specific name of the voter, she could only guess that this case involved a voter who voted twice.

“I would need more specifics on what issue this is. My office was contacted by Supervisor Shirley Dawson, who is Mickie Nye’s good friend, about an individual’s provisional ballot that was not counted.

This individual attempted to vote twice – once by an early ballot and again by provisional on Election Day. But as I said, I would need more specifics,” she wrote in an email.

Linda Eastlick, the head of the Gila County Elections Department, said the Recorder’s Office invalidates ballots for a variety of reasons, including: • A voter could forget she had already mailed in an early ballot.

• The voter moved and neglected to update his voter registration information so the information on the voter card didn’t match the address on the ID. • The voter changed her name through marriage or divorce and neglected to update voter registration information • The voter fell off the voter registration lists because of numerous moves and did not keep information up to date with the Recorder’s Office, but insists on voting regardless • Poll workers will allow a person to vote even

though she does not show up on the voter list, only to find that subsequent checks show the voter has no valid registration.

• A voter votes in the wrong district or precinct.

“The Elections Department tabulates the votes and the Recorder’s Office verifies the votes,” said Eastlick.

Nye has stepped up campaigning in the northern part of the county. He said he has gained the support of Payson resident Mac Feezor, who lost in the Republican primary against Tomerlin.

“I have put a sign up and told people who voted for me to vote for Mickie,” said Feezor.

During Feezor’s campaign against her, he also raised questions about customer service in the Recorder’s Office, saying that Tomerlin has moved too slowly in shifting records online and providing things like title information about home sales and other public records.

Nye has also won the endorsement of the Tonto, San Carlos and White Mountain Apache Tribes, and the United Steelworkers.

In an e-mail, Tomerlin wrote of her campaign efforts, “We have and continue to have a plan on how to reach the voters of Gila County.”

MICKIE NYE • • • • •

Longtime business owner in Globe Currently president of the Globe Boys and Girls Club Past president of the Citizen’s for Economic Development 2011 Person of the Year in Globe Believes his years of business experience will bring customer service to the Recorder’s Office.

SADIE JO TOMERLIN • • • • •

Has been a resident of Gila County all her life Started working for the Recorder’s Office in 2003 Appointed as Recorder in 2008 Youngest elected Recorder in Arizona history Currently president of the Arizona Recorder’s Association

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PAYSON ROUNDUP

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

Sanitary District fees spur debate Sewer hookup charges at center of unprecedented challenge for seats on board

BY ALEXIS BECHMAN ROUNDUP STAFF REPORTER

For the first time in years, voters have a choice of candidates for the Northern Gila County Sanitary District board.

Three outsiders upset about impact fees have challenged a group of incumbents.

Shirley Dye, Gary Bedsworth and Greg Friestad have pooled their resources to unseat Pat Underwood, LaRon Garrett and Guy Pfister.

The challengers say the public needs far more information about how the board has accumulated more than $14 million from impact fees imposed on homes and businesses that hook up to the sewer system. They maintain that impact fees imposed by the sanitation district and Payson have contributed to the collapse of the building industry in Rim Country.

They say the sanitation board should focus on increasing economic growth, instead of scaring it away.

The incumbents say they are surprised by the challengers’ concerns, especially since their opponents had never attended a board meeting.

Moreover, the incumbents say they have received few complaints from customers about a safe, efficient system that has amassed enough money to grow without burdening users.

And that’s were the candidates agree. All say the district, which provides sewer service to nearly every home and business in Payson, has a strong track record and is exceptionally run.

But the challengers wonder if the district could do more.

With storefronts and restaurants sitting empty for years, they question if the sanitary district’s fees are part of the problem.

For example, before the Ayothaya Thai restaurant opened in 2011, the owners paid more than $24,000 to the sanitary district.

The incumbents say that rate is justified because every new business and home means more waste for a 28-year-old system nearing capacity.

The district must soon expand the plant and someone has to pay for it, say the incumbents. Instead of floating bonds or raising rates, new users should contribute to the cost of expansion, they say.

“The board before, probably before any of us were on, said we are going to have the people that are here pay for the plant that is here and the people that move in from here on are going to have to pay for the next part of it,” Underwood said.

Underwood, Pfister and Garrett say they understand how someone who has never attended a meeting or done the research might not understand why the district has millions in the bank or charges the fees it does, but they are not hiding anything.

“We have taken people’s money, we’re not going to put it in the bank and sit on it like these people think we are, we are going to do something with it,” said Joel Goode, the district’s general manager.

In fact, in the last 10 years, the district has spent $15 million on system improvements.

The challengers continue to argue, however, that the district has the money to expand and therefore could lower its steep fees.

“They are flush with money, but I don’t think they

are cooperating with the total environment of the community,” Bedsworth said.

Dye said she heard that businesses run away when they learn how high the sanitation and town’s impact fees are.

“The restaurants are having a horrible time because impact fees are so high,” she said.

Goode said this is unfair.

Recently, Big Lots, PetSmart and Big 5 Sporting Goods all announced they were opening stores in town.

Because they are opening in existing spaces, the district didn’t charge them anything.

“The property has enough reserve capacity already paid for (from years ago, and previous owners) to accommodate this change in use,” he said.

“This is an example of how these fees stay with the property and in many cases, a new business may come into a location where there are credits already available. Move in ready, so to speak.”

HISTORY OF THE SANITARY DISTRICT

The District formed in 1965 to deal with increasing growth.

Soon, the town outgrew its initial plant and in the 1980s, a moratorium limited new construction.

Unprepared for the rapid growth, the sanitary district didn’t have the money to expand the system.

Goode said it was a troubling time.

Coupled with federal and state grants, the district got the current plant built by 1984, but carried a local shared debt of $3.5 million.

“At that time, the board said we are never going to let this happen again,” he said. “We look really bad, so what they said is we are going to charge as we go along.”

Over the years, the district increased the plant’s capacity from 1.8 million gallons per day (gpd) to 2.2 million gpd, using money collected from new users.

The money did two things, Goode said. No. 1, it retired the district’s debt and two, it paid for future expansion.

THE PLANT TODAY

Planning includes constant upgrades and improvements to meet Environmental Protection Agency and Arizona Department of Environmental Quality standards.

The district recently completed a $1.4 million upgrade of the headwork’s facility, a new testing lab, bio-solids building and two new presses.

Another firm is engineering construction plans for expansion work expected to start within a few years.

Goode said expansion work is crucial because the plant is nearing its committed capacity.

Currently, the daily flow through the plant is roughly 1.5 million gpd. The plant can handle 2.2 million gpd. When the district went over 80 percent of its 1.87 million gpd-committed capacity, it had to start showing the regulatory agencies that it was working to expand, he said.

That is where the millions in reserve funds collected though capacity fees comes in.

Every dollar goes back into the system through maintenance or expansion.

“We are not hoarders,” Goode said.

Bedsworth admits Goode has done a good job managing the system. In fact, he has done so well the district has too much money, he says.

“I don’t know how prudent that is. I suspect in a hurting economy there is an opportunity to partner CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

GARY BEDSWORTH • Past president of Restaurant Association, Lee County, Fla. • Bachelors’ degree in business from Michigan State University • Payson resident eight years • Vice Chairman of Planning & Zoning Commission and Northern Gila County Fair • Chairman of Mayor’s Water Task Force • President of Pinion Ridge Property Owners Association • Founding Board member of Payson Fly Casters & Trout Unlimited Chapter #530 “They (the NGCSD) are flush with money, but I don’t think they are cooperating with the total environment of the community.”

SHIRLEY DYE • Roughly 15 years in sanitation administration with a sewer contractor • 2008 graduate of Payson Leadership Academy • Member of Payson Transportation Advisory Board since 2009 • Vice president of local Tea Party “The restaurants are having a horrible time because impact fees are so high.” I want to find out if those can be changed.

Gary Bedsworth

GREG FRIESTAD • Engineering manager with Quest Communications for 25 years • Appointed Rural Addressing Coordinator for Gila County • Started Northern Arizona Blue Stake Utility Locating Service • Served on Payson Planning and Zoning Commission six years and Gila County Commission two years • Payson resident 33 years “The main reason I am running is because I think the fees are too high.

With $14.5 million in the bank and an average operating surplus of $668,000 for the last five years, we should be able to reduce impact fees without sacrificing the quality of present and future service.”

Shirley Dye

Greg Friestad

LARON GARRETT Incumbent • Appointed to board eight years ago • Worked in private civil engineering consulting 14 years • Hired by Town of Payson in 1994 as town engineer • Currently Payson’s public works director – responsible for streets and roads and water departments • Civil and environmental engineering degree from Utah State University “If people have concerns they should ask questions. We are very open – we aren’t hiding anything.”

LaRon Garrett

PATRICK UNDERWOOD Incumbent • Appointed to board two years ago • Serves on Mogollon Sporting Association • Town of Payson Board of Adjustments • Payson resident 35 years • Former restaurant owner, real estate developer “I am a pro growth kind of guy.”

Pat Underwood

GUY PFISTER Incumbent • Appointed to board six years ago • Former president of the Rim Country Hospice Foundation • Owned commercial refrigeration company Service Plus • Former realtor and chef “We have had a really solid team of Guy Pfister people with nothing but good intentions… I have been in town long enough to know that they (the NGCSD) are extremely well run and I appreciate the fact you get to work with people that know how to run a good, clean business.”

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

PAYSON ROUNDUP

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District has $14.5 million in the bank FROM PAGE 10

with the town for growth,� Bedsworth said. “I am not questioning anybody on the board, but I believe there needs to be a change.�

Dye agreed, saying she is running to help bring new growth to town. “The main reason I am running is because I think the fees are too high,�

Friestad said. “We should be able to reduce these fees without sacrificing the quality of present and future service.�

CAPACITY FEES

In a recent campaign ad, Bedsworth, Dye and Friestad questioned why the district has not adopted a new capacity fee schedule that will encourage commercial growth.

The incumbents say their polices have promoted development in the community. One policy, for instance, lets businesses pay for additional capacity over a five-year, interest-free term.

They did this, in part, to help the Ayothaya Thai restaurant open, Garrett said. The district had charged the restaurant’s owners $24,000 for additional capacity in the system –

too much for the owners to pay up front.

The district justified the fee because the space was formerly an automotive shop that didn’t generate much waste. Since a restaurant uses more water, the owners had to buy space in the sewage system. “The Ayothaya Thai restaurant was a very thankful recipient of this deferred capacity agreement,� Goode said. “The same deferred plan is allowed for a single family, owneroccupied home for a two-year period.

There are numerous business and homes currently receiving this assistance.�

But why was the restaurant charged $24,000?

According to the district’s fee schedule, each seat at a restaurant generates an average of 25-30 gallons per day and the rate per gallon per day is $18.80. The board set these rates based on an engineer’s recommendations.

Since the restaurant needed an extra 1,300 gpd in capacity, they had to shell out $24,000 — a hefty sum for a

restaurant just getting off the ground, challengers say.

FEES COMPARED

A Roundup survey of other sanitation districts found charges here at the high end compared to other connection and capacity costs.

The Roundup asked Fountain Hills, Pinetop-Lakeside and Camp Verde districts how much it would cost a 33-seat restaurant to open in their area, an example used in the NGCSD’s rate structure. The investigation showed each district structures its capacity fees quite differently. However, based on the charge for a 1-inch meter, inspection fees and the cost to run a pipe from the restaurant to the street (called a lateral), Pinetop-Lakeside was the most expensive at $16,005, a mere $45 more than Payson’s sanitary district.

Fountain Hills would charge several thousand dollars less. Camp Verde charged the least – a bargain basement $1,000.

Camp Verde, however, has 1,200 connections and processes at most

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GILA COUNTY ASSESSOR

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Did you know that out of the voters who cast ballots in the primary election, 20% did not cast a vote for the very important position of Gila County Assessor?

With the drastic changes in property values in the past several years are you concerned that current market values are being accurately reflected in your property assessments?

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

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only .325 million gpd. Payson’s plant can process 2.2 million gpd and has more than 10,000 connections.

Fountain Hills has 13,500 connections and Pinetop-Lakeside, 7,961.

Besides stretching out payments, Goode said the district has helped businesses in other ways.

Recently, the Journigan House restaurant reopened and the district could have justified charging for a higher capacity because it had added more seats. “Not wanting to be the bad guy,� the district decided to charge them based on history of the account, Goode said. “We told them we would charge them based on previous operation; if things change drastically they will owe more money,� he said. “We try to treat them fairly.�

In addition, the district gives real estate/land developers alternative pay schedules.

A developer can pay half of the fees at signing and the remainder when a building permit is issued.

While the board has let businesses stretch out payments, the board has not considered lowering fees.

Garrett said the district needs that money for expansion work.

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I have been doing a lot of research and have found identical properties with large differences in assessed values. Personally I believe that if your property is the same as your neighbors they should be assessed the same. Shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t they?

You have a pretty good idea of what your property is worth. Does your assessment notice truly reflect its current value? Do you believe your assessment is fair and correct? Talk to your neighbors.

The current Assessor has been unopposed for 24 years. This election you have an option in your vote for the Assessor position and I really hope you take the time to vote.

I have been assisting citizens in Gila County in assessing their properties for 17 years. I would like the opportunity to bring the Gila County Assessorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office into 21st Century. I am committed to public accessibility of current, accurate & understandable valuation data with modern efficiency and fairness to all. With your confidence and your vote, we can move forward to these commitments together!

I am looking forward to this new venture in my life to serve the citizens of Gila County. Please Vote Deborah Hughes for Gila County Assessor.

www.deborah-hughes4gilacountyassessor.com Paid for by the Committee to Elect Deborah Hughes

&2817< 683(59,625 ',67 3DLG IRU E\ &LWL]HQV WR (OHFW +DOOLH 2YHUPDQ -DFNPDQ

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PAYSON ROUNDUP

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

Rare challenge for sewer board FROM PAGE 11

While the board could float a bond or raise rates to fund this work, the board decided it would charge new users and not existing customers.

The incumbents and Goode say this just makes sense.

“Consider those who have previously paid their fair share into the treatment facility,” Goode said. “Should they be asked to pay again when the capacity is all gone and there have been no funds collected to pay for the needed expansion? How would this pay for the business person who has paid their fair share and now, a new competing business, comes into the community to be subsidized?”

Underwood said he stands by this policy.

“The board decided a long time ago they would stay out of debt,” he said. “We look to the future and save for the future.”

Pfister praised the district’s policy.

“When we replace a section of sewer that ages or breaks, we pay for it out of pocket,” he said.

Asked why the board has never discussed lowering impact fees, Pfister said no one ever presented the district with a formal proposal. If they had, “I think it is something we would review in a heart beat.”

“We kind of think that if no one is coming they must not be upset and if they are not upset we must be doing OK,” Underwood said.

Asked why the board had not taken the initiative, Pfister admitted they could discuss rates.

“Maybe we need to review that,” he said.

Underwood said if someone had a better rate structure, he is open to hearing it, “but we still have to expand and that requires rates and fees.”

Garrett agreed, saying the board thinks it is only fair to charge new customers for expansion work.

“We have the option of either doing this so we have the funds to pay for stuff or we can wait until we are in a real bind and jack the rates up on everybody to pay for those things,” he said.

Furthermore, Garrett disagrees with the challenger’s claims that the district’s rates have scared business owners off.

He says a combination of the economy, restrictive borrowing and fees for water and electricity are part of the problem too.

However, faced with increasing complaints about the district’s rates, Garrett, Pfister and Underwood said they are open to rate discussions after expansion work is done.

That could take several more years to complete.

Still, residents can rest assured that everyone on the board has the community’s best interests in mind, Pfister said.

“Take a look at the sanitary district and you are going to see one of the cleanest, most efficient business that you will ever see,” he said. “They do a phenomenal job, they have an amazing safety record and up until now we were never in the paper, which is an amazing thing considering we are in almost every house.”

The challengers say they are not dismayed.

For too long, fees – adopted years before any of the incumbents joined the board – have gone undisputed.

For too long, businesses have had to pay too much to hook up. And for too long, the board has gone unquestioned, they say.

They have vowed to ask the tough questions and make the necessary changes.

Ask away, the incumbents have retorted.

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

PAYSON ROUNDUP

My name is Don Ascoli and I am running for the Office of Gila County Treasurer. I was born in St. Louis, Mo and my family moved to Arizona in 1969. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and a MBA from ASU with a minor in Finance. In 1978 we purchased property in Gila County and we moved permanently to our home here in 2004. So we have been property taxpayers in Gila County since 1978. I own a small business as well as have worked for large companies.

I feel a majority of property taxpayers need help in understanding who is taxing their property and how their tax money is being spent. I propose a couple of actions the Treasurer can take to help. One, get out of the office and meet with the taxpayers periodically all around the county. I have pledged to visit the 4 corners of Gila County.

I already do this as Chairman of the Gila County Planning and Zoning Commission. I would spend time with the taxpayers so they would get to know who the Treasurer is, what’s in their tax bill and where they can get more information about who is taxing their property.

The Treasurer is a public servant, and should make himself available to taxpayers who need help, not just wait for the phone to ring. Second, I would work towards putting their tax bill online so it can be viewed and paid electronically. If they have a question about a specific tax, there would be “hot links” to direct the taxpayer to the taxing authority to get more information.

Business and finance background to insure best business practices

I believe elected officers should make themselves directly available to their constituents.

However in Gila County there is only one County statutory office without a presence or satellite office in Payson, it’s the County Treasurer. The Payson area represents 60% of the population and over 60% of the taxes paid but you have to go to Globe to do business with the Treasurer. If elected, I would work towards opening an office of the Treasurer in Payson to serve the people in the Northern part of the county. Both Navajo and Pinal County have multiple offices for the Treasurer to be near where the taxpayers live, why not Gila County. I realize there are budget issues so to fund such an effort as Treasurer I would look at ways to increase the yield on the county's money since the Treasurer is the County Banker. Gila County is earning about 1% on all its money. I have looked into the AZ State Treasurer's office and the funds they manage are much larger than Gila County and thus command a higher return. While many counties in Arizona have funds on deposit with the AZ Treasurer's office, Gila County has none. Just a 0.2% improvement on Gila County money would yield an extra $125,000 that would be a great help to the county budget.

Work to integrate common software between county offices

These are just a sample of ideas from 'thinking outside the box' that I could bring to the Treasurer's office. It’s time to put a “fresh pair of eyes” in the Treasurer’s office. I would appreciate your support and your vote on November 6th.

Time for a ‘fresh pair of eyes’ in the County Treasurer’s office

Serve as County Treasurer for all the citizens with periodic meetings with taxpayers throughout Gila County Work towards putting tax bills online to be viewed and paid electronically Work towards establishing a satellite Treasurer’s office located in the Payson area to serve taxpayers in Northern Gila County

ascoli4treasurer.com Paid for by the Ascoli4Treasurer Committee

there are plenty of good reasons to elect

ADAM SHEPHERD

for

gila county sheriff

the only candidate with... # Experience to manage a budget of over 12 million dollars # Deputy, supervisory, administrative, management, and command experience ~ over 29 years in local law enforcement # Experience in jail operations and management # A degree from NAU in public service and graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command

Contact Adam # 928-978-4871 # adam@voteadamshepherd.com # www.VOTEADAMSHEPHERD.com Paid for by friends of Adam Shepherd and approved by Adam Shepherd

EXPERIENCE YOU CAN

TRUST

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PAYSON ROUNDUP

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

State senate contest poses stark contrast Rep. Tom Chabin pushes hardest for increased school spending while Rep. Chester Crandell crusades for state takeover of federal lands

BY PETE ALESHIRE ROUNDUP EDITOR

Two veteran lawmakers are seeking the State Senate seat representing northern Gila County, offering voters a stark choice – with education and a proposed takeover of state land at the heart of the debate.

Flagstaff Democrat state Rep. Tom Chabin has focused his campaign on a plea for boosting per-student spending on schools from dead last to at least middle of the pack, saying the state’s future economic growth depends on adequate schools.

Heber Republican state Rep. Chester Crandell insists that the deep cuts in schools the Legislature approved to balance the state budget in the past three years haven’t done any damage as measured by test scores. He says the state’s future depends on claiming control of 45 million acres of federal lands to revive the logging and ranching industries and raise more money to support schools.

The two candidates clashed recently in an Arizona Clean Elections Debate in Flagstaff – they have both accepted public funding and agreed to limit spending to about $21,000 each.

They both want to move up from House seats into the Senate for the newly redrawn Legislative District 6. The district includes Flagstaff, Sedona, the Verde Valley, Northern Gila County and Heber. Republicans have an edge among registered voters, but the spread is close enough that Democrats have a chance.

The two candidates disagreed on almost every issue that came up during the debate, including whether the state should volunteer for a nuclear waste reprocessing facility, whether to approve Proposition 120’s mandate to seize control of federal lands and Proposition 204’s one-cent sales tax to support schools, universities and road building.

Chabin, a former Tuba City School Board member and Coconino County Supervisor first appointed to the Legislature five years ago, said, “When I arrived at the Legislature five years ago, it was truly a different place. Things have changed. I know my place. I am a lesser representative. The moderates of the Republican Party are gone. We are not open at the Legislature to bipartisanship. You’ve read the headlines. The issue before us is the legislature itself and whether or not through you and your vote the Legislature will quit making headlines that embarrass us and reach for moderation.”

Crandall, who grew up in Heber and raised his nine children there as he worked in vocational education and other fields before his election two years ago, said “In the past two years we have balanced the budget, put money into K-12 education, and lessened regulatory burdens facing business. I am proud to be on the side that has taken on the tough task of balancing our budget and getting into a surplus to build our economy.”

Arizona faced one of the biggest proportionate deficits in the nation, due to the state’s heavy reliance on the volatile sales tax and the collapse of the state’s superheated housing sector. Lawmakers

Rep. Tom Chabin

Rep. Chester Crandell

cut more than $2 billion from K-12 schools, whittling per-student state spending back to 2006 levels, the deepest cuts in the nation according to independent estimates. Lawmakers also approved some $600 million in tax cuts for business. However, in the past year the Legislature amassed a nearly $500 million surplus in addition to stashing $450 million in a “rainy day” fund. Arizona had among the biggest job losses in the country at the start of recession, but has ranked once more among the top 10 states for growth in the past year.

Chabin lamented a state that ranks first in both increases in prison spending and cuts to education.

He said despite his qualms about relying on sales taxes, he favors Proposition 204 because the Legislature has abandoned K-12 schools.

“As much as I don’t like 204, you are compelled to vote for it because this Legislature passed $600 million in cuts for corporations right in the middle of our crisis and invested $50 million in a brand new private prison that costs more to operate than our state prisons. We’re so ideologically driven that we’re willing to waste money.”

However, Crandell argued that the Legislature had no choice but to cut education, which accounts for a huge chunk of state spending. He said the cuts had to be deep because Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano had inflated state spending with programs like all-day kindergarten.

“It’s a matter of priority. Your school district has the ability to prioritize where they put the money and what they want to do. The Democratic executive branch and other groups got together to fund an inflated budget. Look at the test scores and the amount of money being spent in the classroom today – they’re exactly the same. They haven’t changed.

What is the local board doing? We do need to invest in education. But if I’m investing my money, I should be getting a return. You use test scores and we’re not getting a return.”

The Payson School District has laid off teachers each year for the past three years, reduced teacher pay and benefits and closed Frontier Elementary School to save money, resulting in big increases in elementary school class sizes in the two remaining schools. The district now relies on private donations to provide most of the funding for extra-curricular programs like sports, music and drama.

Overall, test scores in reading, language and math have fallen – sometimes steeply. Some schools have either held their own or improved slightly in math and science.

The two contending candidates also clashed on a measure Crandell co-authored in the Legislature, which placed Proposition 120 on the ballot. The proposition would revoke Arizona’s agreement to accept federal ownership of most of the land in the state, a total of some 45 million acres including

reservation land held in trust. The federal government acquired the land through treaty and purchase after the Mexican American War. When Arizona entered the union in 1912, the state agreed to renounce all claim to federal land. Advocates say the state agreed to those terms on the understanding the federal government would sell off much of the land it retained to pay down the then tiny national debt. However, the federal government retained ownership of almost all of that that land, including about 97 percent of the land in Gila County.

Crandell made sometimes-contradictory claims concerning the possible impact of Proposition 120.

Generally, he said the measure doesn’t require the state to sell the land once it gained control. He said the state could revive logging and ranching and make money running tourist attractions like the Grand Canyon. At other points, he said the measure would simply give the state a “seat at the table” to influence federal policies.

“The proposition doesn’t say anything about transferring anything back, it says we have to manage what’s there.” He said that recent massive wildfires have revealed the inadequacies of federal policies. “We have to thin the forests to get them back to where they used to be, but we always hit roadblocks with the federal government. We should have sovereign control to manage and receive the benefit. The Grand Canyon generates $27 million annually to bolster the economy of Arizona.”

Chabin took issue, saying that even if the proposition survives the scrutiny of the federal courts, it would upend the state’s $16 billion tourist economy while costing the state huge sums to manage the lands it acquires and fight forest fires. “Proposition 120 undoes our Constitution and the conditions of statehood. It’s like trying to unstitch the Arizona star from the American flag,” said Chabin.

The pair clashed on just about every topic raised at the debate, including a legislative resolution telling the federal department of energy the state would be interested in becoming the location for an operation to recycle nuclear waste.

Chabin said that when the bill came before the House, he proposed an amendment that would have given individual counties a chance to opt out.

“If there’s a community in the state that wants a nuclear waste dump (reprocessing) site and is prepared for it, let them step forward. But unfortunately, that’s not what Rep. Crandell told the United States government. They told them, we want it here.

What I was hoping was that we’d have a little bipartisanship, give me the deference so I could talk to Coconino and Yavapai and Gila counties – so they could say, ‘if you want it in Arizona, don’t do it here.’

I said, this is premature. When there is a community that wants it, then we can support it.”

Crandell retorted that the passage of Proposition 120 would actually ensure that the federal government couldn’t force a nuclear facility on the state. “Proposition 120 doesn’t say we’re going to take back any land, it doesn’t say we’re going to sell any land – the bill says we’re going to explore and take a look at it. If the people want to increase spending on education, if we don’t find some way to generate revenue then it’s going to come out of each of your pockets. This is simply exploratory. We have the responsibility to look at every avenue for generating revenue so we don’t have to dip into your pocket for every program that seems to want to be funded by the opposition sitting here at this table.”

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

PAYSON ROUNDUP

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Challenger asking tough questions of longtime treasurer

BY MICHELE NELSON ROUNDUP STAFF REPORTER

Don Ascoli, like all of the challengers in the more obscure countywide races, faces an uphill battle against incumbent Deborah Savage, but he has questions voters may want to hear. Why doesn’t the Treasurer’s office have a location in the northern part of the county? Why does she invest the county’s money in another state? Why don’t the investment funds have a greater rate of return?

Incumbent Deborah Savage says she loves working with the public. She wishes more would come by her office in Globe. But that is what irks Ascoli.

“It’s an over two-hour drive to Globe each way for Payson residents,” said Ascoli.

He said other rural counties have multiple offices. He cited Navajo County as an example. That county has two treasurer’s offices due to the county’s vast size.

With the majority of the population and tax dollars residing in the northern part of the county, Ascoli does not understand why residents have no Treasurer’s office in the north. “Every other county office has a northern office,” said Ascoli.

Ascoli wanted to see if he could pay

his taxes in Payson instead of through the post office as letters can get lost and damaged thereby delaying delivery.

The treasurer’s office told him to go to the assessor’s satellite Don Ascoli office in Payson.

After dropping off his payment, he received a receipt.

But he wanted to know how the Payson office sent the check. “They told me, ‘We drop it into an envelope, walk across the street and mail it.’ I could do that myself!” he said.

A few months later, he went to see if the assessor’s office would take his check again and on the desk was a sign that stated, “Due to a policy change the assessor’s office will no longer be accepting tax payments on behalf of the treasurer’s office. There are envelopes provided in your tax payment to mail them.”

When asked about this policy, Assessor Dale Hom said he was sure that was not true now.

Savage said she is happy to work with property owners on their taxes. If

Vote YES on Prop 120

The first new state added to the Union was Ohio. The federal government sold the public lands to help pay off the national debt. Ownership was thereby privatized. We did this for the Eastern states and the states of the Louisiana Purchase.

These provisions were ignored when western states were admitted to the Union. The federal government unconstitutionally withheld and continues to withhold vast sections of land in each state.

they cannot pay the full amount, she will make payment arrangements.

But Payson residents have to call her office, or drive to Globe to speak to representatives from her office.

Deborah Savage Ascoli has years of business experience. During those years in his career, he had to manage finances.

“My financial expertise and corporate savvy will ensure best business practices are used in the Treasurer’s office,” he wrote on campaign material.

He has already started to research the treasurer’s office practices, which includes investing county funds not used on a daily basis.

Ascoli said his research shows that the county has about $67 million invested split between two funds: one with a Wells Fargo branch in Phoenix, the other with Institutional Capital Management based in Colorado.

Two things about this arrangement bother Ascoli. First, the combined return on the two funds barely reach-

es 1 percent. Second, half of the money is in another state.

“We’re paying for services out of the state,” he said of the management fee the Colorado company gathers.

He would rather see Gila County place its investment funds with the Arizona Treasury.

When he researched the returns from the state treasury, he found out the returns ranged from 1.2 to 1.7 percent.

“The extra tenth of a percent return could pay for another employee, who could work in a northern office,” said Ascoli.

When asked to respond to Ascoli’s concerns, Savage said, “I do not wish to comment on what Don Ascoli has found. I do not want to give him ammunition (for the campaign).”

Regardless of his concerns, Ascoli will have to overcome the incumbent’s advantage. Most voters would rather stick with an incumbent for a little known office that has few controversies than attempt someone new.

Ascoli understands this and has hit the county with campaign signs from Globe to Payson. During the county fair in Globe, Ascoli moved his trailer to the fairgrounds to campaign. He has taken out ads in all county radio stations and newspapers.

CORPORATION COMMISSION MARCIA

BUSCHING KENNEDY NEWMAN SANDRA

PAUL

Twelve states are NOT sovereign or on equal footing to the other states. If the Federal government SOLD the public land it holds in our state, those lands would become privatized and go on the tax rolls.

The profit the federal government would realize should be earmarked for the national debt. The federal government would no longer have to pay thousands of federal employees to mis-manage the lands in Arizona. Private owners and even state governments care for what they own better than Washington.

The 12 western states would see their income from property tax go way up. The federal government would no longer have to make unreasonable low PILT (payment in lieu of taxes) to each state. Property taxes paid by private owners are usually about 10 times PILT payment.

Industries such as mining, lumbering, ranching, farming could rebound and those industries would much better manage the land they owned.

As management now stands the federal government pays for lawyers on both sides of needless, obstructive law suits. Un-elected federal bureaucrats control all. We have to beg for years to get water pipelines laid or devastation from wildfires cleaned up. We often cannot even harvest burned forest areas. For simple justice...

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PAYSON ROUNDUP

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

Education debate defines state house contest Candidates in brand new state legislative district disagree about education cuts, effort to control federal lands, host of issues

BY PETE ALESHIRE ROUNDUP EDITOR

The wide-open contest to fill two seats in the totally redrawn State House Legislative District Six offers starkly contrasting prescriptions for reviving the state’s economy.

Rep. Brenda Barton (R-Payson) and Republican Flagstaff Tea Party head Bob Thorpe say that the deep cuts in state spending together with big cuts in business tax rates have balanced the state budget and revived the once-sickly state economy. They want more of the same – coupled with an all-out effort to wrest control of some 45 million acres of land away from the federal government to encourage logging and cattle grazing.

Teacher and Sedona businesswoman Angela LeFevre and retired Chandler Economic Development Direct Doug Ballard, Democrats, say the Legislature’s deep cuts in education have crippled the state’s schools and the seeming declaration of war on the federal government will only hamper the state’s $16-billion tourist industry, on which rural areas now depend.

Those differences came into sharp focus during a recent debate in Flagstaff, the only face-to-face confrontation involving all four of the House candidates in the campaign.

The two sides offered contrasting visions as to how to restore the state’s economy, which dropped more than almost any other state in the face of the recession. Sales tax-dependent state revenues dropped by about a third as Arizona racked up more foreclosures and bigger drops in home values than virtually any other state.

The Legislature cut some $2 billion from public education – the deepest proportionate cuts in the nation. At the same time it also cut business taxes by about $600 million.

However, this year the state has recorded a growth rate of about 5 percent – among the top 10 states. The state has a projected $450 million surplus and another $450 million in a rainy day fund.

The Legislature has not restored any significant share of school funding, with the exception of about $50 million to help schools ensure third-graders can score well on standardized reading tests. A new state law requires districts to hold back poor readers.

Education remains a fundamental divide for the two slates of candidates running in District 6, which includes all of Northern Gila County, the Verde Valley, Sedona, Flagstaff and Heber. The district leans Republican, but Democrats have at least a fighting chance – especially if they’re from Flagstaff, which has about 40 percent of the voters.

Ballard, who during his 31 years with Chandler negotiated deals that brought Intel and other manufacturing firms to town, said that major corporations pay more attention to the quality of life and the quality of schools than to corporate tax breaks in locating major new facilities.

“I know that it takes a good environment to have a healthy economy. If you think of any vibrant econ-

omy anywhere else in the world, what you’ll find is a strong educational system. Unfortunately, that’s not what we have in Arizona. Funding for education has been spiraling downward. We spend more money than almost any other state on prisons and less money than almost any other state on schools. We need to change that.”

LeFevre, an economist and former top executive for Qwest and now a teacher and advocate for children, said, “This great state of ours is headed in the wrong direction. We need to work together to get back on track. I will focus on jobs and education. It’s not about taking over federal lands, but working with the federal government to create jobs – jobs that pay well… Education goes hand in hand with jobs. We need an educated workforce, which is critical for bringing in new industry. We’ve lost 7,000 teacher jobs – we need to train our teachers, not get rid of them. We need to train our students in core subjects. We need to invest in our schools.”

Barton, whose ancestors founded Lee’s Ferry on the Colorado River and who got into politics as part of the Sagebrush Rebellion that challenged federal control of western lands, said that when she took office two years ago “we faced a $3.2 billion deficit and a structurally unsound budget. Today we have a $450 rainy day fund and a $427-million surplus.

Today our economy has risen to among the top 10 in the nation. That’s a monumental achievement. I have focused on building a strong, vibrant economy.

My jobs record speaks for itself.”

Thorpe, who has worked in software sales and development and accounting as well as teaching software and robotics and trained as a volunteer firefighter and paramedic, used his opening remarks to point out that his dedication to the community can be seen in an incident in which he came upon an accident scene as he left a campaign event and “was able to help save an injured person’s life. Giving back to the community is really important.”

He defended the deep cuts in education in the past several years. “Education is extremely important, but understand that the Legislature was handed a monumental task. But one premise that I don’t understand is that dollars and educational spending aren’t side by side. In the past 20 years, we’ve doubled our spending – but our test scores have remained essentially flat. We can’t just be throwing dollars at the problem.”

Barton concurred – and highlighted money added back to education budgets this year, although it amounted to only a fraction of the money cut in the previous three years. “You have to recall the economic conditions that we were living through. Many of our friends lost half of their retirement and investment accounts. But we did put $89 million into education – $49 million was for a K-2 reading program and $15 million for school capital and $21 million for university parity (between Arizona State University and the University of Arizona) and we included funds for the University of Arizona medical school.

We understand education is important. But you can only spend what you have. Within the budget that we had to work with, we were able to maintain our educational system.”

But both Ballard and LeFevre replied that while cutting education spending the Legislature also boosted spending on privately run prisons by $50 million and cut business taxes by $600 million.

“I think you judge a civilization by its education, that’s why I’m running,” said LeFevre. “We’re starving our public schools and I’m worried. We need to stop this extremism and focus on what the schools

BOB THORPE Republican, Flagstaff • Constitutional author.

• Previously a small business owner, accountant, software sales and design, volunteer firefighter, construction and medical industries.

• Education: California State University system, degree in ergonomics.

• Family: Married 29 years, with two Bob Thorpe children, two black labs from animal shelter, two desert tortoises.

• Arizona resident for 10 years.

• Political involvement: Head of Flagstaff Tea Party.

• Top Issues: Asserting state control of federal land.

BRENDA BARTON Republican, Payson • Arizona House member • Previously a political activist, real estate agent in City of Safford.

• Family: Two grown children and six grandchildren. Fifth generation Arizonan from pioneering family that established Lee’s Ferry.

• Political involvement: Veteran of the Sagebrush Rebellion, People for the West.

• Top issues: Balancing the state budget, cutting taxes to stimulate business, gaining state control of federal lands.

Brenda Barton

ANGELA LEFEVRE Democrat, Sedona • Retired, child advocate • Previously an executive for Qwest, teacher, child advocate in court, supervisor Yavapai County Junior Probation Program • Education: London School of Economics, degree in economics.

• Family: Two grown children.

• Political involvement: Worked against Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard Angela LeFevre David Duke’s bid for Louisiana governor; first run for office; Catholic Charities; Keep Sedona Beautiful.

• Born in England, moved to Arizona within last 10 years.

• Top Issues: Increasing school funding, overhauling state tax code, promoting job growth.

DOUG BALLARD Democrat, Flagstaff • Retired from 31 years with City of Chandler.

• Previously director of Planning and Development for Chandler; negotiated deals for relocation with Intel and Motorola. Planner for Fort Pierce, Fla., Portsmouth, Ohio.

• Education: Masters in Planning Ohio State University, BA The Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware (urban studies and government).

• Political involvement: Rotary, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Building Committee.

• Family: Married 33 years, two sons.

• Arizona resident for 33 years.

Doug Ballard

need. We need a better tax system. We say we don’t have enough money for schools, but we give business all these exceptions. Our children are 40 to a classroom. What are they cutting? They’re cutting music and art. What are we doing to our children?

This is not the way we’re going to compete.”

Ballard said, “We need to look at our priorities.

We need to look at a comprehensive overhaul of our taxing structure. Independent study after independent study has shown that Arizona’s tax system is badly outdated. We have loopholes that date back to 1912. We have to get serious and prioritize education.”

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

PAYSON ROUNDUP

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17

Lag in assessments, home values spurs assessor’s race Incumbent Dale Hom faces first challenge in 25 years from Northern Gila County realtor Deborah Hughes

BY MICHELE NELSON ROUNDUP STAFF REPORTER

Dale Hom has quietly and efficiently managed the Gila County Assessor’s office for 25 years. He has done so well, no one has ever challenged him in an election.

Until for this year.

Deborah Hughes, a realtor from North County, hopes to unseat Hom. She feels it’s time for a change.

“Every time I sell a piece of property, I always go into the assessor information,” she said, “They don’t keep accurate records... I have no idea why there are so many errors.”

With the economy tanking, housing prices have dropped causing homeowners, realtors, and appraisers to struggle to keep up with the market.

Meanwhile, tax assessment lags by two years, in accordance with state statue. When home values rise, that

saves taxpayers money – but these day’s it’s causing angst.

A confusing mix of conflicting priorities has left many homeowners seething.

In fact, Supervisor Tommie Martin attended a meeting of the Christopher Creek-Kohl’s Ranch Fire District, specifically to calm residents outraged about their property taxes. Residents could not understand why neighbors sold houses for a fraction of the purchase price, yet the assessor’s office still estimated their property taxes based on the higher sales values from years past.

The only comfort Martin could offer her constituents was that the assessor’s office would adjust the value of their home the next year because of state statute.

Meanwhile, Hughes said she has pulled up information on a piece of property that indicated it had no buildings, but when she took her client to see the property, it had a house on it.

She has shown other property the assessor’s office indicated did not have a garage, but did.

Hom feels he has done a good enough job that the voters have trust-

DALE HOM

DEBORAH HUGHES

• Gila County Assessor for 25 years.

• Grew up in Gila County • Offers stability – has had same staff for his whole term in office • Has never run opposed in an election • Staff has remained with him all 25 year

• Rim Country realtor for 17 years and business owner for 12 years • Longtime Arizona resident • Husband currently sits as Payson Town Council member • Feels Assessor information not up to date • Plans on updating Web site

ed him for 25 years, but he understands competition.

“You come to a job looking to improve over who came before you,” said Hom. As with the other sitting office holders facing a challenge in this election, Hom has the formidable incumbent advantage, but he does not take that for granted.

“You’ve got to always be worried,”

he said.

He feels his biggest challenge for the general election has been to continue working hard at his job, while campaigning at the same time.

Hughes has put up campaign signs in Globe and placed radio and newspaper ads.

“I feel confident and good about the feedback I’ve been getting,” she said of the campaign.

I’m Craig Jones and I am asking for your vote as

Gila County Sheriff in the General Election on November 6th.

I will make changes in the Sheriff’s office that will make the citizens of Gila County proud of their Sheriff’s office.

I will represent all of Gila County and have an open door to the employees and citizens of Gila County. I will be in the Northern Gila County Sheriff’s Office often and will become known to the citizens in this area.

A vote for Craig Jones is a vote for honesty and integrity.

A vote for Craig Jones will be a vote to come down hard on drugs and violent crime.

Vote for Craig Jones and together we will make Gila County a safe place to live.

Paid for by the Elect Craig Jones for Sheriff committee

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Hello,

RE-ELECT DEBORA SAVAGE

Gila County Treasurer

I was born in Miami, Arizona and have lived in Gila County all my life. I’m dedicated to this great county and seek to serve with the very best of my abilities and experience.

I am currently employed by the Citizens of Gila County.

I began my service in the Gila County Treasurer’s office in 1992 and I’ve been your county treasurer since 2007. The County Treasurer is the fiscal custodian of the County and is responsible for the administration and control of cash and securities. The duties involved include tax administration, receipt, deposit and disbursement of cash, supervision of county bank accounts, cash flow projections, investment of idle funds, debt management of bond issues, lines of credit and registered warrants.

The County Treasurer plays a crucial role in county goverment. I will continue to work hard for Gila County with YOUR SUPPORT. I would appreciate your vote in the upcoming November Election!

Paid for by the Committee to Re-elect Debora Savage Treasurer

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PAYSON ROUNDUP

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

Medicare reforms roil senate contest Flake and Carmona now in a dead heat, with misleading attack ads about Medicare central to the debate

BY PETE ALESHIRE ROUNDUP EDITOR

The debate about the future of Medicare has exploded in the middle of the fierce, dead-heat contest between Rep. Jeff Flake and former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl. The bitter back and forth between the fiscally conservative congressman and the former Special Forces medic and health care reformer echoes the themes of the Presidential race.

Rep. Flake, a Republican, has criticized Carmona, an Independent turned Democrat, for supporting President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, which includes new benefits for Medicare recipients, but also features $716 billion in reductions in the highcost Medicare Advantage plans over 10 years. The plans cover 25 percent of the 49 million Medicare recipients.

Carmona, meanwhile, has criticized Flake for supporting a Republican budget plan to turn Medicare into a “premium support plan” which gives people less than 55 years old a “voucher” to buy private insurance.

Several recent polls have shown Flake’s once sizeable lead in the polls when matched against the relatively unknown Carmona has melted away, leaving the race essentially tied.

Independent, non-partisan groups like the Kaiser Foundation and FactCheck and the American Association for Retired People have published analysis that say both sides in the Medicare debate have distorted one another’s positions, without proposing a plan likely to solve the long-term crisis.

Medicare current spends $528 billion annually, which will roughly double by 2020. Any long-term solution requires lowering the rate of increase, reducing benefits, increasing payroll taxes.

Medicare remains embedded in the world’s most expensive medical system, which costs more than twice as much per person as any other advanced industrialized nation while producing a less healthy population than many far cheaper systems.

The political debate in the senate race turns on the Republican House voucher plan and the changes in Medicare embedded in the massive Affordable Health Care Act – better known as “Obamacare.”

Flake spokesman Andrew Wilder said “Obamacare means devastating consequences for Medicare, because it cuts $716 billion from the program. It’s irreconcilable for anyone to support Obamacare while also claiming to support protecting Medicare for seniors. Yet that’s Richard Carmona.”

The debate got an added wrinkle recently when Rep. Flake, speaking in Tucson, said he opposed looming automatic cuts in the defense budget due to a breakdown in budget negotiations. Instead, he said Congress should limit the cuts to domestic spending programs and entitlements, including Medicare.

Carmona has supported the Medicare spending reductions in the health care reform package, but points out that Flake voted for the same set of reductions in Medicare Advantage plans in the Republican House budget.

“Congressman Jeff Flake is Independent analysis has challenged the scare tactics used knowingly lying to Arizonans by both sides, while pointing out about Medicare savings he voted that neither party has so far profor. Even for a career politician posed a long-term solution. and former lobbyist, that’s a The Kaiser Foundation constunning level of hypocrisy,” said cludes Medicare has actually Carmona communications direcdone a better job of controlling tor Andy Barr. “Dr. Carmona will costs than private insurance protect Medicare and firmly plans. Nonetheless, projections opposes Congressman Flake’s suggest that as the baby boomers plan to turn Medicare into a retire Medicare spending as a voucher system, rising out-ofshare of the Gross Domestic pocket health care costs for an Product will rise from an estimataverage Arizona senior by ed 3.5 percent in 2010 to a pro$6,400 a year.” jected 6.4 percent in 2030. By That $6,400 figure comes from then, Medicare will cover 81 mila non-partisan Congressional lion Americans, according to proBudget Office analysis of an jections. early version of the House budgCongress has repeatedly et plan. The plan did not include expanded Medicare and raised Richard Carmona limits on how rapidly the cost of the payroll tax. the vouchers could rise, making The program remains the it unclear how it would affect federal government’s largest out-of-pocket expenses. The latentitlement program, since most est version would link the rate of recipients collect three times as increase in the vouchers to the much in benefits as they paid Gross Domestic Product plus 1 into the system.

About 42 perpercent – the same spending cap cent of the money spent on the included in the Affordable Health program comes from general Care Act. revenues, not premiums or payThe controversial $716 billion roll taxes. Medicare payments figure represents changes made now account for about 14 perin Medicare by the Affordable cent of the federal budget and Care Act and the Republican about 20 percent of the nation’s budget. The savings would come $2 trillion health care bill. from phasing out the 10 percent The program gets most of its bonus Advantage plans now money from a 2.9 percent payroll receive. tax, split evenly between workCongress originally approved ers and employers.

Premiums the experiment in using private paid by recipients account for 25 plans to cut costs. Congress gave percent of revenues. the Advantage plans a surcharge On average, Medicare recipito get set up, but then never took ents pay about 16 percent of it away. Many of the Advantage Jeff Flake their income on medical care and plans used the extra money to premiums, up from about 12 peradd benefits like dental care and cent a decade ago. The program vision coverage. The extras rapidly boosted enrollment in the plans, which ended up has dramatically increased medical coverage for the costing Medicare about $70 billion annually more elderly – from less than 50 percent to more than 98 than if they had stayed in traditional plans. Arizona percent.

Without changes, the program will have enough to has a higher share of its Medicare patients on Advantage plans than almost any other state – a pay only 87 percent of the hospital bills in 12 years.

By 2050, the program will have enough to pay only 67 whooping 35 percent.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office percent of the promised benefits.

The U.S. is already spending far more than any has concluded that Medicare will start spending more than it takes in eight years sooner if Congress other country on medical care, an estimated 18 perrestores the extra payments to the Advantage plans. cent of its gross domestic product. That’s roughly The federal Health Care Reform also included $8,362 per person, according to the World Health about $100 billion in new Medicare spending, mostly Organization.

By contrast, Canada spends $4,400 per person (11 to reduce prescription drug costs for recipients, according to an analysis by the Kaiser Foundation. percent of its GDP), Australia spends $3,441 (8.7 perThose savings would reduce future payments to doc- cent of GDP), the United Kingdom spends $3,480 (9.6 tors and hospitals and crack down on billing abuses. percent of GDP), Germany spends $4,332 (11.6 perThe reforms also established an expert panel to cent of GDP) and France spends $4.21 (11.9 percent impose additional savings if Medicare costs rise of GDP). Most of the rest of the world spends far less, much faster than the rate of inflation – as they’ve including China ($371/person, 5.1 percent of GDP), done for years. The cuts would take place automati- the Soviet Union ($998/person, 5.1 percent of GDP), cally unless Congress approved substitute reduc- India ($132/person, 4.1 percent of GDP), South Africa ($935/person, 8.9 percent of GDP). tions or revenue increases.

But none of the reform proposals featured in camThe Congressional Budget Office estimated the paign ads would do much to lower the cost of health reforms would reduce the growth rate in Medicare care, say an assortment of independent groups. spending from 6.8 percent annually to 5.5 percent.

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

PAYSON ROUNDUP

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19

Four seek seats on Hellsgate Fire board Candidates debate sharp property tax increases and cost of medical/fire protection in struggling Hellsgate Fire District

BY ALEXIS BECHMAN ROUNDUP STAFF REPORTER

Soaring property tax rates in the Hellsgate Fire District serving Star Valley and many unincorporated communities has spurred a vigorously contested contest for board seats.

Challengers have criticized the rapid increase in the property tax rate the fire district charges, ensuring that even as property values declined in Rim County, homeowners still found the property tax they paid to the district rising, after the board boosted the rate to the maximum allowed by law.

This upset some residents living in the district, which includes Star Valley and Tonto Village.

Several candidates insist the district can find alternative ways to raise capital and cut expenses without burdening residents.

Others defend the rate increase and insist the community cannot afford to cut fire protection and medical service.

Those running for Hellsgate’s fire board fall into one of two camps, those that support the current board’s direction and others that feel it has fallen off course.

Gary Norem, Garrah Monnich and Larry Cory (the only incumbent running) say despite several years of steep budget cuts, Hellsgate officials have managed to retain a high level of service – one they plan to maintain, even if it means more tax increases.

Fred Horton strongly disagrees.

Norem, Monnich, Cory and Horton are running to fill three seats on Hellsgate’s fire board, which will appear on the Nov. 6 general election.

Hellsgate will hold a meeting with the candidates Oct. 20 at 9 a.m. at the fire station in Star Valley.

BUDGET DEBATE

Ask any of the candidates and they’ll tell you funding is one of the biggest issues facing the fire district.

The district has struggled to cope with several costly trends, including the Payson Fire Department’s elimination of its annual $160,000 service contract, continuing property devaluations and the rising cost of doing business.

All these blows prompted the district to lay off its battalion chief, sell a fire truck, downsize administrative offices, suspend raises and cut the accrual rate of paid time off in half for 18 months.

The district even experimented with a squad response that dispatched paramedics on a pickup truck for medical calls rather than a fire engine.

Chief Gary Hatch found this approach didn’t actually save the district any money or time, so he scrapped it.

Now, nearly half of the district’s revenue comes from taxes, with the rest from payments from the federal government to the Hellsgate for help fighting wildland fires. The district also relied on federal grants, including a recently landed grant that will restore the battalion chief position and bolster the number of full-time firefighters. The district continues to rely heavily on trained volunteers.

But with wildland fire payments and grant money unpredictable, the candidates say the district needs

GARRAH MONNICH • Star Valley resident 7.5 years • Was the manager of an auto body shop for 10 years.

• Currently employed as an independent factory representative for police and fire emergency equipment • Family ties in fire service • Serves on no other boards

GARY NOREM • Part-time resident of Tonto Village since 1999, full-time resident since 2010 • Licensed Arizona certified public accountant • Retired chief financial officer for the Industrial Commission of Arizona • Bachelor’s degrees in business and agriculture economics • Serves on no other boards

FRED HORTON • Serves on the Town of Star Valley’s Planning and Zoning Commission, Floodwater Task Force and Streets and Roads Commission • Has owned property in Star valley for more than 35 years; full-time resident since 2004 • Was involved with the incorporation of Star Valley • Worked as a mechanic five years, with Fry’s food stores for 17 years and does part-time work as a forklift operator

LARRY CORY • Only incumbent; appointed to the board four years ago • Star Valley resident seven years • Worked 30 years in the electronics industry, specifically in support management • Strong business background • This is the first community board he has served on

a long-term plan.

“This district has to develop a 5 and 10-year plan, which gives the board a goal to work toward for future funding,” Monnich said.

This year, the department got lucky. Hellsgate was one of two departments in the state to land a coveted SAFER grant, which gives it enough money to retain four engineers and hire a new battalion chief.

Still, the district raised the tax rate. The Gila County Board of Supervisors sets the rate each year based on a request from the fire district’s board of directors.

Hatch said this year’s 19.8 percent drop in property values means the department would have lost $152,000 if it hadn’t raised the rate.

The district has already lost $24,300 as the result of a cut in the Arizona Fire District Assistance Tax. Hatch said if the district doesn’t raise taxes it must cut services, including not responding to medical calls since the law only mandates that the district’s trucks show up at fires.

Monnich said as a homeowner and taxpayer, she doesn’t want to lose personnel or services.

Norem said he also doesn’t want to see current service levels wane. If elected to the board, Norem said he would try to find ways to maintain response times “in the face of tight budgets caused by the large decline in district property valuations and the statutory maximum tax rate cap.”

Cory said he feels strongly that the department needs to maintain its services, but “it takes money to do that.”

This year, the department got some breathing room with the grant, but it only lasts two years.

Dropping property valuations pose a real concern.

In 2010-2011, the county assessed property values at more than $32 million, he said. Now, the figure has dwindled to $24 million.

“That (taxes) is our primary source of revenue,” he said.

The district also worries about the impact of

Proposition 117 on the statewide ballot. This measure would slap a 5 percent cap on the annual increase in the assessed values used to calculate property taxes, starting in the 2015 tax year. If it passes, the district could find itself stuck with the low property values of the housing market collapse for some years to come.

“The expiration of the SAFER federal grant in two years and the unknown impact on ballot proposition 117 are other factors that may create some big financial challenges for the Hellsgate Fire District board over the next four years,” Norem said.

Horton said while he hears the district’s plight, he doesn’t agree that with the board’s decision to raise the tax rate each year.

He said several residents have complained to him about the rate and “maybe I can help them stay in their budget.”

“I just feel that they are over spending,” he added.

Horton said he watches the department’s ladder truck drive back and forth to Payson to visit the gym and grocery store, a clear waste of resources.

“They bought a ladder truck and we don’t have any high rises,” he said. “Everyone is ticked off seeing it in Safeway or pizza place with one or two guys in it. I want to stop some of that stuff.”

Last year, Horton said he paid $600 in taxes to the fire department, nearly as much as the county tax.

Although it came down a bit this year, everyone is “feed up with being taxed to death – it is getting ridiculous.”

Hatch said previously that workers compensation claims have fallen since the department let firefighters go to the Payson gym while on duty.

Firefighters are allowed to drive the truck in for 1.5-hour workouts. Since this started roughly three years ago, work-related injuries have plummeted.

“By allowing that truck to run up and down the road once every two days to go into town to let them work out, literally, we have cut workers compensation $15,000 in the last two years,” Hatch said.

On the ladder truck, Hatch said there are four commercial buildings and seven homes in the district that require a ladder truck in case of a fire.

In addition, “Payson has a ladder and with a ladder you are always supposed to have a backup. We fulfill their need for a backup and they fulfill our need for a backup.”

Norem said he knows the fire department has made a concerted effort to analyze and reduce costs without lowering service levels. He has seen this first hand at several district board meetings in the last two years.

Monnich agreed.

“The Hellsgate Fire Department provides excellent service to the residents of our community,” she said. “Having had an opportunity to work with chief Hatch, I feel he has done a good job in providing leadership and guidance, along with educating the public as to the direction the fire department is moving and the consequences when faced with budget shortfalls. The past fire board has done a good job of managing the district.”

Cory said he is committed to this level of service, but agrees the district needs to look long term.

The chief will retire in a few years, the captain is retirement eligible and the SAFER grant will run out.

“There is a lot of change on the horizon,” he said.

“Long term planning is a big issue and if we don’t do good planning and make smart changes it will impact services.”

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PAYSON ROUNDUP

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

Voters confront blizzard of propositions PROP 117 – PROPERTY TAXES

BY E.J. PERKINS MORRISON INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY

Proposition 117, also known as the Property Tax Assessed Valuation Amendment, would amend the Arizona Constitution to limit the annual increase in the value of property used to calculate property taxes. Beginning in 2014, the ballot measure would cap this value to no more than 5 percent above the previous year, and establish a single limited property value for property tax purposes.

Currently, real property in Arizona is assessed at market value and a secondary limited value.2 The market value is mainly used to service debt or fund budget overrides, as well as special districts such as fire or flood control. The limited property value is calculated by a statutory formula. It funds general operations, including those for school districts and local governments. Under Prop 117, this limited value would become the basis for determining all property taxes on real property. In effect, the value used will either be market or 5 percent more than it was the previous year, whichever is less.

Prop 117 would make no change to the methodology used by county assessors to calculate limited value; and a homeowner could still appeal to the assessor if he or she believed the full cash value of a property exceeds market value.3 Under the state’s valuation calendar, the 5 percent cap would first apply to 2014 real property valuations, which are not subject to taxes until FY 2016.

The crux of the debate over Prop 117 is whether the measure will rein in property taxes on homeowners. Advocates say it will simplify the property tax system, provide stability and insulate taxpayers from dramatic increases in their tax bills.

Opponents say Prop 117 does little if anything at all to prevent tax rate increases since taxing districts can still determine the amount of taxes levied.

PROP 118 – STATE LANDS SPENDING

BY E.J. PERKINS MORRISON INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY

Proposition 118, also known as the Permanent Funds Amendment, would amend the Arizona Constitution to allow the state to change the formula for distributing money from the state land trust “permanent fund” to public institutions, primarily schools. The new formula would be employed from fiscal years 2013 through 2021.

Experience since 2004 has demonstrated that the current formula can result in years with little or no payout due to economic fluctuations or downturns.

Prop 118 would guarantee annual payouts, but likely at smaller average distributions over time.

State trust land refers to approximately 10.9 million acres of land granted to Arizona in 1910 by Congress prior to statehood. Although there are 13 beneficiaries of the permanent fund, K-12 schools are the largest in receiving about 90 percent of the overall payout. The fund is currently valued at $3.5 billion.2 Monies are distributed annually.

The permanent fund receives revenue from natural product leasing or sales, royalties from mineral materials, and land sales. In 1998 voters passed Proposition 102, which amended the Arizona Constitution to allow revenues to be invested in equities (or stocks). It also established the current distribution formula. Fund investments are managed by the State Treasurer.

The current distribution is determined by the

average total rate of return on the previous five fiscal years. This figure is then adjusted for inflation by subtracting the average of the annual percentage change in the GDP price deflator (a measure of price levels for goods and services) for the previous five fiscal years. That inflation-adjusted rate of return is then multiplied by the average market value over the previous five years. The formula, first implemented in 2004, was designed to protect the permanent fund from the vagaries of the equities market where nearly 60 percent of the fund is now invested.

PROP. 120: STATE SOVEREIGNTY

BY SEAN PEICK CRONKITE NEWS SERVICE

When Rep. Chester Crandell, R-Heber, looks back at wildfires that have devastated Arizona’s forests in recent years, he sees a legacy of mismanagement by the federal government.

“We have not been able to get in and log properly and to clean our forests up,” he said. “And that’s led to catastrophic wildfires.”

That’s just one example, according to Crandell, of the federal government keeping Arizona from properly managing and benefiting from natural resources within its boundaries.

In response, he and other supporters of Proposition 120 say, Arizona should declare its sovereignty. “This just simply sets the groundwork and sets the message to the federal government that we are a sovereign state,” Crandell said. “And we will take care of things within our state boundaries.”

Proposition 120 would amend the Arizona Constitution to say that the state “declares its sovereign and exclusive authority and jurisdiction over the air, water, public lands, minerals, wildlife and other natural resources within its boundaries.”

The proposition wouldn’t cover Native American reservations, national parks and military installations.

Crandell said sovereignty would put Arizona in charge of its forests, including managing logging and thinning, to prevent catastrophes such as the 2011 Wallow Fire, the largest wildfire in Arizona history. Managing logging also would increase state revenues, he said.

“It would be managed to the point that we would utilize it and it would be sustained, but we would generate income off it,” Crandell said.

State Sen. Sylvia Allen, R-Snowflake, a co-sponsor of the legislation referred to the ballot, said Arizona could fight wildfires on its own as well as the federal government does.

“And there’d be many firefighters from around the country who’d be willing to come help,” she said.

But since federal authority trumps that of the states, would this be anything more than a political statement to Washington?

“It’s very clearly unconstitutional,” said Paul Bender, who teaches state and federal constitution-

al law at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. “Most people have more sense than to think that you can be part of the United States and not part of the United States depending on whether you like what the federal government’s doing or not,” he said.

Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter, scoffed at the idea that a state unable to fund its own parks could take over managing federal land.

“The Legislature has a dismal record when it comes to public lands issues,” she said. “Frankly, they cannot be trusted with these federal public lands.”

Rep. Tom Chabin, D-Flagstaff, called the notion that local fire departments could effectively fight large wildfires “outlandish.”

“The truth is, even all of the state’s fire departments could not mobilize, secure air tankers and deliver a thousand firefighters in three days as the federal government has done with the Wallow Fire,” he said. “I mean, how in the world could we respond to that, and then secondly, how in the world could we afford it?”

Crandell acknowledged that the state doesn’t currently have the money to manage forests and other natural resources on federal land. But he said private businesses could help.

“As you open these up and we are able to have logging contracts, we’re able to have other projects to go in and harvest and use the product for a beneficial purpose, then I think you generate the money, that it takes care of itself,” he said.

Proposition 120 would repeal language in the Arizona Constitution giving up claim to any unallocated public land. That provision was required under the Arizona-New Mexico Enabling Act, which cleared the way for statehood and granted Arizona nearly 11 million acres of land in trust, primarily to benefit public education.

Crandell said that act is an example of western states being denied the same control over public land as other states.

“We’re at a huge disadvantage economically with the rest of the states east of the Colorado border,” he said.

While Arizona most likely would face a lawsuit from the federal government if it attempted to assert sovereignty, Crandell said Arizona’s rights are worth the fight.

“Does that mean, then, that we don’t push back, that we don’t look at why we’re not equal with other states that had their land given to them?” he said.

PROP. 121 - TOP-TWO PRIMARY

BY SEAN PEICK CRONKITE NEWS SERVICE

As mayor of Phoenix, Paul Johnson found city officeholders and candidates more willing to seek common ground and less beholden to groups promoting narrow interests.

The reason, he said, was the city’s nonpartisan primaries.“It created substantially better results,” Johnson said.

Then came running for governor in partisan primaries. And seeing rising public discontent with divisive politics.

Those experiences, he said, are behind his support of a ballot proposition that would create open CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

PAYSON ROUNDUP

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Tom Russell

Propositions abound While the 177 individuals who donated gave a combined $284,000, 15 organizations donatprimaries for state offices. If approved in ed a collective $334,000.The largest donation November, Proposition 121 would have the top was from Greater Phoenix Leadership, a coalivote-getters advance to the general election tion of Phoenix-area business leaders that has regardless of party. given $121,500 in six installments.

Johnson joined with other business and “We believe in representative democracy, civic leaders to form the Open Government we believe that every voice is important to be Committee, which got the measure on the bal- heard,” said Thomas Franz, the group’s preslot and fought successful court battles to keep ident and CEO. it there.

Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona, a With relatively few voters currently taking union representing thousands of firefighters part in primaries, especially independents, statewide, donated $100,000. Other contributJohnson said open primaries would lead to a ing organizations included Cowley Companies more inclusive government.

Inc., the Southern Arizona Leadership Council “It is a way to and the Arizona allow independents Cardinals. and independently Sarah Smallhouse, MORE BALLOT MEASURES minded Democrats president of the Thomas and Republicans to R. Brown Foundations of For analysis of the rest of the have an equal voice Tucson and a member of with what has the Open Government propositions, see our Web site: become an ideologiCommittee’s leadership, PAYSON.COM cal extreme in both contributed $5,000. She parties,” he said. said Arizona’s current Look for the Propositions The group proprimary system leads to in the elections section. moting that idea elected officials who has raised a large won’t work effectively amount of money with the business and along the way. nonprofit sectors.

As of Aug. 24, the Open Government “Together, with reinforcement, we can do a Committee had raised $965,000 and spent lot more than those three things working inde$954,000, according to its latest filing with the pendently,” she said.

Arizona Secretary of State’s Office. That’s the Having to spend so much money supporting most to date among groups supporting or open primaries is discouraging but necessary opposing the various ballot measures. to Lea Marquez-Peterson, president and CEO Save Our Vote, a group headed by Maricopa at the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of County Attorney Bill Montgomery that is Commerce, which has endorsed the effort. opposing Proposition 121, had raised $33,000.

David Berman, a senior research fellow at Even so, Johnson sees both sides’ finances Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute as fairly even because his group spent more for Public Policy, said organization and fundthan $800,000 on petitions to get on the ballot. raising ability don’t necessarily lead to a sucThe group’s lawyers wrote off most of the fees cessful campaign. But Proposition 121 has a from court battles that twice reached the state good chance to pass, he said, because of growSupreme Court. ing public dislike for partisanship and the suc“We’re now with the media portion of the cess of similar systems in California, campaign,” Johnson said. “They’ve got to go Washington and Louisiana. One thing opporun a media campaign, we have to go run a nents have in their favor, Berman said, is that media campaign. The good news for us is the Open Government Committee is proposing we’ve already identified people who like our something new and unfamiliar to many voters. initiative and that’ll give us money.”

“When people are confronted with someForty-six of the 255 total contributions, thing like that, they’re likely to say ‘no’ including loans, totaled at least $5,000 each. because they don’t want to gamble.”

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FROM PAGE 20

Election news at payson.com For more in-depth articles on the 2012 election, see the Payson Roundup website: payson.com

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PAYSON ROUNDUP

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MERCHANDISE

MISCELLANEOUS

AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLING, LOCAL: Will Pick Up, Good Prices, DAVE’S AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLING, Parts for Sale, M-F, 9-5, Sat 9-1, 928-474-4440

ANIMALS Dog Nail Clipping in the comfort and convenience of your home by Tracy. Local professional groomer of 23 years. $12.00 928-978-4959

MOTORCYCLES 2004 Harley Davidson, Ultra Classic, Stage 1 Upgrade, Many Extras, Excellent Condition, $12,000. 928-476-3003

FIREWOOD AAA Firewood. Call for Prices, Landscaping, Lot Clean-ups, Firewise Fuel Reduction, All Types Tree Work, Ray Smith 928-978-1923 or 928-474-6533

2005 Dodge Ram Quad cab Hemi. 79k miles, full power, trailer tow,ac, loaded, looks great, runs great, $12,900; Call 928-978-5271

Firewood:

Alligator, Juniper or Oak, Can Mix Call for Prices 928-535-5503 HOUSTON MESA FUELWOODS: Juniper, Oak, and Mixes, Call for Prices! 928-474-9859

FURNITURE Adjustable Electric Twin Bed w/Timer for Vibration “Rest-a-Matic” w/Mattress, Very Little Use, In Perfect Condition, Orig. $1900 (Have Orig.

Invoice) NEED TO SELL $1200, Please Call 928-474-3922 Ask for Carl

A.O. Smith Welder AC/DC Heliarc welder w/oner Argon Bottle, Primary 208/230/460, Secondary 200 Amp, High frequency Unit w/reversible polarity 928-978-1797 or 928-462-3234 HUNTERS: Mr. Heater portable propane heater, 18,000BTU, battery powered, never used, Has owners manual and 1# propane bottles. $75. firm. 928-476-3417 or 602-361-2995.

Mesquite for Sale, Gourmet Taste for BBQ & Smoking, Call for Prices: 928-474-0085

Internet to: Yahoo or Google

Kei-intl.com

Used Sturdy Furniture, Good Condition, Washer w/Gas Dryer, Table 8 Chairs, Bedroom, End Tables, Oak Bar, Oak Hutch, 928-474-2824

GUNS/KNIVES PR

HON-DAH RESORT

EAST OF PINETOP, AZ on Hwy 260 at

Jct Hwys 260 & 73 BUY - SELL - TRADE

$6 ADMISSIONDOLLAR OFF all members in group W/ this AD

EMPLOYMENT

Piano for sale $600. Call 928-978-3513 or 928-474-4035.

1. 1605 W. Dalton Circle, Fri. & Sat. Oct. 19 & 20 from 8am to 3pm; Furniture, Rugs, Household Items, Clothes, Some Tools, Woodchipper and Much More!

MURPHY WALL BEDS www.emmickssolutions.com 928-472-9200

1995 Chevy G20 Custom Conversion Van, Low Miles, 2TV’s/DVD/Playstation, Runs Great, $6,000.obo.

928-970-1921

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

YARD SALES

2. Corner of Driftwood and Heritage, Sat. Oct. 20 from 8am to 1pm; Huge AVON Sale, Drastic Reductions; Buy for wholesale, Free signups.

RV Owners Time to Start WInterizing your RV, Don’t Wait, Call Mark’s Mobile RV Service, Make your Appointment Soon 928-472-4589

SUVS 2011 Polaris Razor, $10,000. Has only 640 Miles, Add-ons Include: 1/2 Windshield, Warnwinch, Hard Top, Front Bumper, Street Legal, 928-474-1479

TRAILERS 16’ Travel Trailer, Great for Camping/Hunting, Sleeps 4, Good Condition, $950. 928-474-5132 or 928-951-0370

AUTOS/VEHICLES ATVS 2012 Arctic Black Wildcat, 1400 Miles, Asking $12,000. Must Sell 928-476-1240 Please Leave Message

BOATS

Oct 20 & 21

Utility Trailer 5x8 with Three New Tires, Lights, and Wireing, Asking $850. Firm, Call 928-978-3672

TRUCKS

SAT 9-5 SUN 9-4 INFO 928-485-0437 www.firingpin.com

MISCELLANEOUS *CANCER CASES* www.cancerbenefits.com Call 800-414-4328.

20 ft. and 40 ft.: Shipping Containters, 928-537-3257

Looking for a Good Boat? This is it! 2006 Lowe Sea Nymph 14ft AN140T, 30-HP Honda 4 stroke engine power tilt and trim (bought brand new, used once) Elect. Start, Trailer has extendable tongue , 2 spare tires and excellent Condition.

Well Maintained, Kept inside, Please call 928-462-3234 or 928-978-1797

2005 Ford F250 Super Duty Super Cab, 55K Miles, Full Power, CD/DVD/GPS, AM/FM Stereo, Blue Tooth, Towing Package, Rear Axle Air Bags, 2-WD, V-8, 5.4 Liter Engine, $15,500.

928-951-0715

VANS

THE BLIND DOCTOR Broken Blinds? Saggy Shades?

Droopy Drapes? WE CAN FIX THAT! Dani 928-595-2968 BLINDS & DESIGNS Repairs, Sales, Blind-Cleaning & More!

YARD SALES/ AUCTIONS

Home and Health Solutions in Rim Country?

1999 Motorhome for Sale Windsong by Forest River 32.5ft.

1 slide, Ford V-10 engine 2 ACs, New Tires, Solar Panel, 56k miles, Queen bed, $16,500.

928-476-2291 2000 Coachman Royal, 34ft. w/2 slide-outs, full appliances, attractively appointed. At Rim Resort and Gas Station in Forest Lakes $5000, 480-820-9861

ADMINISTRATIVE/ PROFESSIONAL Instructional Specialist The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension is currently seeking two part-time Instructional Specialist positions.

These positions will be based out of the Gila County Cooperative Extension offices in Globe, AZ (.50 FTE – 20 hrs/wk) and Payson, AZ (.75 FTE – 30 hrs/wk). Salary Range: $21,124-$26,040). For details and to apply visit www.uacareertrack.com, Job #51031. The University of Arizona is an EEO/AA-M/W/D/V Employer.

NEEDED: Professional Assistant with a positive attitude for fast paced, high stress environment. Must possess excellent oral/written communication skills including spelling & grammar. Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously is necessary. Proficiency in Microsoft Office is critical. Basic office operations knowledge is required. Need strong organizational skills, be detail oriented, and focused. A history in customer service is a plus.

Entry-level position with possibility for advancement to career oriented person.

Attach resume to email and send to: info@longevityplus.com.

GENERAL 1973 Chevy 3/4 Ton Engine w/few hours on Hoist, Great Work Truck, (Used for Logging and Brush Hauling) $3,000.

Brush Trailer, Single Axel, has Pole sides, $600. Call Lee 928-595-1164

GENERAL

Full Time Fireplace/Stove Installer-Technician, Some Wood, Pellet & Gas Knowledge desired. Benefits, Call 928-474-5238 Ext 3 or Stop in Person ACE Hardware & Nursery

HOMES FOR SALE

Food Service Positions open immediately at local Christian Camp. Head Cook and/or Kitchen Assistant. Call Chris at 928-478-4630 ext. 304.

Log Cabin Kohls Ranch: Fully furnished, Rim View, Near Tonto Creek, Details at: www.krhoa.com/cabinforsale.html Dave 602-463-0811

HEALTH CARE CAREGIVERS - JOB FAIR: PT, Weekends a Plus, 6mnths Experience, Vehicle, CPR/FA, TB, Level 1 Fingerprint Card, Fill out applications for AccentCare @ DES, 100 N. Tonto, Suite 100, Thurs. Oct. 18th,11am to 3pm.

RVS

Firewood For Sale & Yard Cleaning Service. Tree Trimming, Brush Removal w/Hauling-Service. We also do Backhoe Work.

928-951-4337 or 928-978-2276

GUN SHOW

TRUCKS 2000 Pace Enclosed 26ft Car Trailer, Like New, Dust Free Condition, Carry or Store Classic/Race Car or Furniture, Includes Generator, $5,250.obo, 928-474-9862

My Father’s 1957 Buick Special Only 63K original miles.

All original, nothing needs to be restored. Beautiful Inside and Out Located in Payson $14,000.

602-538-6421.

Rehabilitating Horses and Teaching People, 30yrs Exp. References and Trail Riding for Two Beautiful Seenery Payson 928-554-5230.

Gun Show Hon-Dah

CARS

SERVICES MISCELLANEOUS Customized Home Services Pet & House Sitting, House Cleaning, In-Home Care For Seniors, Running Errands, Yard Work and Odd Jobs. Karen 928-970-2830 Secure Personal Courier Services: Offering Public/People Transportation; Delivery of Packages or Documents around Payson or to the Valley; 480-577-5923

HANDYMAN A Dependable Handyman Service

Excavation Work, Carpentry, Painting, Masonry, Electric, Yard Work, Wood Splitting, Hauling Payson License #P08226, Not Licensed Contractor: Barney Branstetter: 928-595-0236 or 928-595-0435

HOME SERVICES

Payson North 2Bd/1-3/4Ba.

By Owner; $52,000.

Phone; 928-474-9647.

Why Rent? $1500 Down & $1500 Mo. Buys 1/2 ownership of 3Br/2Ba, Hillside Home. Solar System. 2 Car Garage, Located in PaysonAZ, Equity Build-Up, Call for Apt. 602-373-0910

LAND FOR SALE LAND: for Sale by Owner, 38 Acres, 35 Miles East of Kingman, Close to Hwy 40, $20,000.

909-217-0497

MOBILES FOR SALE 1976 14x64 2.5Br/1.5Ba, Partially Furnished, Pellet Stove, Fenced Yard, Covered Carport, Very Clean, Cooler and Gas Heater, $10,000. 928-978-2314 or 928-978-2900 55+ Park, Large Treed Lot, New Paint & Skirting, Flooring, Countertops, Bath, 12x55 Large 1 Bedroom 705 E. Miller Rd. Sp. 32 $9300.obo 602-370-1979 Cedar Grove MHP: Dble Wide, 2Br/2Ba, 2 storage sheds, Large Fenced Lot, Washer/Dryer/Dishwasher 703 E. Frontier St.#6, $12,900.OBO, 602-320-1116

New Construction, Remodels, Home Services From concrete topaint to roofing. Over thirty years experience. Licensed and bonded.

For free consultation and estimates, call Tom or Ron at 928-468-2016.

LANDSCAPING

Reduced: Park Model RV for Sale 1993 Redman Home 12ft. X 34ft.

Excellent Condition, Asking Price is $11,500. 928-472-8651

RENTALS APARTMENTS FOR RENT 2BD/1BA, W/D Hookup, Includes Water/Trash/Sewer, Available Now $595/mo + $500.dep, 208 E. Jura Circle: 480-695-1338

IRIS GARDEN SVCE: COMPLETE SUMMER CLEAN-UP, FIREWISE, REASONABLE, DEBRIS DUMPED, PAYSON LIC. 928-474-5932, Cell 928-951-3734 not.lic.contr.

REAL ESTATE HOMES FOR SALE INVESTORS: Payson’s Best View: 3Br/2Ba 119 E. Pine St. $74.9K ($800/mo) 928-474-4000

LOCAL NEWS delivered to your home twice a week.

PAYSON ROUNDUP 474-5251, ext. 108

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

APARTMENTS FOR RENT Apt Rental CD

FALL into Savings when you make your move to Aspen Cove!

Come in today, look and lease and we’ll waive your application fee + take 1/2 off your first full month move-in!

NO DEPOSIT OAC!!!!

ASPEN COVE

810 E. FRONTIER ST. #46, PAYSON, AZ 85541

(928) 474-8042

Cornerstone Property Services www.cornerstone-mgt.com

PAYSON ROUNDUP

HOMES FOR RENT Bonus Move-In 1/2 Off First Month, NorthEast Payson, 2Br/2Ba, Office/Laundry Room, Heating/AC, Large Fenced Yard w/Drip, Covered Patio, Carport, $850.mo + Dep. Smoking/Pets-No, 928-595-4024

HOUSE for RENT or LEASE

House For Lease

Large Custom Home with 3BD, 2BA + Den, 3 Car garage, Large storage, Fenced back yard.

Woodhill area - GREAT VIEWS! No smoking, no pets, $1,575/mo.

BUY PHOTOS @ PAYSON.COM

CALL 480-710-2400

Large, Clean, Quiet: 2BD/1BA Apartment In Nice, North East Area, Back Patio, w/Fenced Back Yard, Pets-No,$650.mo Call Dennis @ 928-978-1385 Two 1Br Apts. Recently remodeled, w/New Applicance and AC, Great S. Beeline Location, $500.p/m 928-474-8000

COMMERCIAL FOR RENT AAA. M-2 Industrial 1,680/2,000/4,000 sq.ft.

1506-8 W. Bravo Taxiway.

Roll up or Hangar Doors for aircraft or???, Offices, High Cubage Warehouse, large semi-truck acessible $$$ from $800.mo.+tax.

1 mo. Move in allowance.

Immediate Occ. Mo. To Mo/Lease. 602-391-3064

Rim View OFFICE PARK, Executive Suites, Payson’s Premier Office Space, 708 E. Hwy 260, 928-472-7035.

HOMES FOR RENT 1Br/1Ba, All Electric, w/Covered Deck, $375. Water/Sewer/Trash Included, Move-in Ready, 928-595-1227 or 928-595-1864 2Bd/2Ba, Jacuzzi, 2 Car Garage, Nice Appliances, Desireable Payson Pines, Pet-Neg. $925.mo+Dep. Move In Now,Two Free Weeks, 928-517-1011 or 1-970-219-7497 2BDR/2BATH HOME Dining Room, Large (450sq.ft.) Family Room, w/Fireplace, Stove, Refrigerator, Evap Cooler, W/D, 8150 Barranca, Mesa Del, $640/month 928-474-8833 2Br/2Ba, Appliances, W/D, Fireplace, Carport, Sun room, Storage Shed, Small Pet w/Dep. Smoking-No, $800.mo + Sec. Dep. 928-978-9248 3Bd/2Ba/4Gar, Smoking NO, Pets NO, 1 yr lease, $1150/mo $1450/Sec Dep. 804 S Pinecone St. 602-909-2824 3BR+Office/2 ½ BA/2car Garage Custom Home, 2400sf. Move In Today $1200.mo, Great Views 1103 S. Sequoia Circle Barb 928-517-2272

Log cabin on ½ acre, Mead Ranch 1Bd-Loft/1Ba, Views of rim, fully furnished Lg deck, shop, covered parking $800.mo 602-430-4094 Move in Ready, Nice Clean 2Br/2ba, Covered Patio, Fenced Yard, Carport/Storage, $895.p/m 602-647-2014 or 928-468-1068 NICE: 2Br/2Ba Hardwood Floors, $650.mo All Utilities in Landlords name, Month-to-month Lease, Avail. 9/1/12 Call Don 928-978-3423 Payson Pines 2Br/2Ba Aprox.

1100sf, Smoking-No, Fenced Back Yard, 2 Car Garage, Small Pets-Neg. $1050.mo + Dep. 928-517-1011 for Info.

RENT: $675.mo 3BD/1BA, Nice Lot Near Creek & Forest Service, Fenced, Fruit Trees, Moonlight Dr./Star Valley, 928-978-2192

MOBILES FOR RENT 1Br/1Ba Fully Furnished, W/D, All Electric, Water/Sewer/Garbage Included, $400.mo + $400 Dep. 928-472-8564 or 928-978-1444

PAYSON TRAILER RANCH 1 & 2 Bdrms, 1st Mo + Deposit!

Starting @ $435.00 Cable/Water/Sewer/Trash Included, Discount for 6-12/mo.lease. 928-517-1368

Tonto Creek View: 3Br/2Ba, 16x72 Mobile Home in Tonto Basin, 5 acres w/Fenced Pasture, Preferably Older Couple, References & Work History Required, $700.mo Includes Trash/Water, 928-978-3736 Two 3Br/2Ba’s w/1 Car Garage, W/D, Fenced Yard, Each $850.mo + Dep. 928-474-4473

MOBILE/RV SPACES LOW SPECIAL RATES STARTING @ $275/MO In TOWN, CLOSE to everything! Payson Campground & RV Resort 808 E. HWY 260 928-472-2267 Rye RV Park: 1 Bedroom, $275. - $450. Per Month, Laundry on Site, Water/Trash Included.

Spaces $200. Mo. 602-502-0020

4Bd/3-1/3Ba 3-car Garage 3 year old house in Mogollon Village near Payson HS $1,400.mo, One Small pet-ok, no-smoking. Taking applications Available in November contact Richard: 480-747-2250 or rshort39@cox.net

Bonus Move-In 1/2 of 1st Month, Nice 3Br/2Ba, Site Built Home, w/Loft, in Payson, Nice Yard w/Covered Deck, Backs to National Forest, Extra Storage Shed, Includes All Appliances, No Smoking or Pets, $950.mo + Dep. 928-595-4024

MOBILES/RVS FOR RENT Kachina Doll Trailer Park has a one Bedroom Mobile $535.mo & Trailers $450 & Up. W. Aero/Goodfellow Call Russel 928-951-1920

REAL ESTATE CONDOMINIUMS 2Br/2Ba W/D, D/W, Wood FP, Pool, Store Shed, Deck, Smoking-No, Pets-Neg. Avail. Now $750.p/m First/Last + $375 Dep. 928-468-8204

Andy Towle photo

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IT’S EASY AND AFFORDABLE! 4x6 $3 • 5x7 $5 • 8x10 $7 • 8x12 $9

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PAYSON ROUNDUP

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PAYSON ROUNDUP

GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 2012

Picking fights instead of solving problems Since her election in 2010, Rep. Brenda Barton DID NOTHING to create new, good-paying jobs in Arizona.

Instead, she voted to CUT PUBLIC EDUCATION TO THE BONE, taking $2 billion away from Arizona school districts, costing 7,000 teachers their jobs and forcing millions of children into crowded classrooms of 40 or more students.

Rep. Brenda Barton, Dec. 10, 2010

She voted three times to offer Northern Arizona as the site for a NUCLEAR WASTE DUMP. She voted four times to allow national forests and parks, INCLUDING THE GRAND CANYON, to be taken over by the state and sold to mining and timber companies.

She co-sponsored a resolution that CALLED ON ARIZONA TO “NULLIFY” FEDERAL LAW, just like Confederate politicians did before the Civil War. She told voters she wants to “WITHDRAW HER CONSENT” TO BE GOVERNED by the federal government.

Angela LeFevre has a plan that will: Create New Jobs Grow the Economy Make Excellence in Schools a Top Priority

Elect Angela LeFevre to the Arizona House of Representatives Paid for by Angela For Arizona www.AngelaforArizona.us