Why should voters vote for you?

I have a proven record of service to Carefree and the community.

I have the qualities that are important for a councilman: ability to work with other people; respect for other people and their opinions; the ability to disagree without being disagreeable; respect for the law. I have a record of supporting strong enforcement of Carefree zoning. I am a fiscal conservative and oppose a property tax. I am familiar with the issues facing Carefree and the entire Foothills community and I am active in finding solutions for our problems.

What are the top three issues facing Carefree over the next decade?     

The top three issues facing Carefree are managing change, improving services to Carefree citizens and improving the infrastructure of the town and the water company. In 2002 Carefree citizens showed that they place a high value on the quality of their lifestyle by adopting General Plan 2020. Town Council can maintain our quality of life by ensuring that growth complies with the vision of General Plan 2020. Town Council must continue maintenance of Carefree’s roadways, improve our police protection, continue upgrades to the infrastructure of the Carefree Water Company, and monitor the performance of the sewer company.

What specifically will you recommend if the $100 million East Street Project fails to live up to its promise of revitalizing the commercial district, attracting upscale establishments and new residents?

There little chance of the Easy Street project failing to meet its promise. The developer has a proven record of success and has a large investment that he will protect. If the project does nor fair as well as planned, then I would expect two things to happen. First the developer would go through the normal business processes to find and correct the problem. Second, I would expect the Chamber of Commerce and the Town to work with the developer to address the issue. An entrepreneur is taking a calculated business risk in Carefree and a good business person will fix problems and find a way to be successful.

Crime is reportedly an issue as nearby Phoenix and Scottsdale continue to grow. Are you willing to expand the town’s contract with MCSO for more services or are you willing to push for the town to have its own police force? And why?

For the foreseeable future the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office will provide the most cost effective police protection for Carefree. Town Council is in the process of changing our current contract with the MCSO to increase our police protection.

Is the character of Carefree at‑risk of being lost to development?

General Plan 2020 and Carefree zoning ordinances protect the character of Carefree.

Town council must continue a policy of strong enforcement of our zoning. Town council must continue to oppose attempts by developers to change our overall plan. The Council must defend our general plan against any lawsuits. The founders of Carefree had an excellent vision of a semi‑rural residential community with commercial activity concentrated in Town Center. As we grow, we will have more citizens enjoying our lifestyle but we can always remain a unique community in the Sonoran Foothills by continuing polices that have worked in the past.

How should the town manage growth? And what measures will you specifically recommend to manage growth?

Every person who owns residential lot in Carefree has a right to build a home on that lot. Carefree can manage our growth by having these new homes conform to our zoning ordinances. The Carefree Water Company has wisely acquired the rights to enough water so that we can provide water to everyone when we are “built out.” The council must continue to confine commercial development to our designated commercial areas. In the future we will have more residents and more businesses. Strict enforcement of our zoning will preserve Carefree’s quality lifestyle.

Why should voters vote for you?

Vote for me because of my record in support of initiatives that have helped to maintain Carefree’s quality of life.

This has included support for investment in water safety and distribution infrastructure, increased fire and police protection, and common sense solutions to our traffic safety and noise issues. I have also firmly supported our General Plan by insisting that commercial projects are not built on land zoned residential.

I have been part of a town council that has managed to guide our finances in a prudent manner so that we have record surpluses, can pay cash for important public safety projects and do not need a property tax.

What are the top three issues facing Carefree over the next decade?

The three major issues are: balancing water infrastructure investment and water pricing, defending attacks on our General Plan and mitigating the effects of increased traffic. We must continue to invest in the distribution and safety infrastructure of our water company while looking to keep water costs reasonable. Water will never be cheap for Carefree but it should always be available and safe. We will continue to see attempts by certain developers to profit from rezoning residential property to commercial. We must resist this at all costs. As we and our neighboring towns approach build‑out, both residential and commercial, traffic flow, safety and noise issues will increase. We will have to increase our investment in road maintenance and traffic control.

What specifically will you recommend if the $100 million East Street Project fails to live up to its promise of revitalizing the commercial district, attracting upscale establishments and new residents?

The Easy Street project will not fail. Mixed‑use development is a proven economic generator for small towns. The combination of retail and residential activity in a “small village” concept was originally envisioned by our town fathers as a possible way to develop our downtown. We now have the opportunity to place into the town core, limited to the area bordering Easy Street, a project that will generate needed tax revenue while also making the town core more attractive to the shopping public by providing retail services that Carefree shoppers say they want.

Crime is reportedly an issue as nearby Phoenix and Scottsdale continue to grow. Are you willing to expand the town’s contract with MCSO for more services or are you willing to push for the town to have its own police force?

MCSO has provided the town with an excellent level of service at a reasonable cost. We should continue this effective and efficient way to provide law enforcement to our town. We must continue to monitor our law enforcement requirements and contract additional resources as required. We are currently in negotiations with MCSO for additional police protection during the critical dusk hours where statistics show a higher level of crime and traffic incidences. If in the future costs escalate to where it makes sense to form our own police force, we should be open to the idea.

Is the character of Carefree at‑risk of being lost to development?

The character of Carefree is not at risk of being lost, primarily because your town council has vigorously defended and adhered to the General Plan. The town is currently defending our General Plan in two separate law suites where we refused to approve the building of commercial on land zoned residential.

How should the town manage growth? And what measures will you specifically recommend to manage growth?

Managing growth means working to control the negative impact that growth can have. We must continue to follow our general plan. We must strictly follow codes and ordinances, continue to monitor our public safety needs, invest in police and fire protection as needed, and continue to invest in water infrastructure for a safe and reliable supply. Traffic flow safety and road maintenance must be monitored and continually addressed so that our citizens use of our roads is safe and noise levels are controlled.