It is obvious to anyone paying attention that the rhetoric associated with the current Carefree Town Council election, has not been conducted without resorting to personalization, character assassination or massaging of facts. I was taught that it is okay to offer competing ideas, etc. without denigrating the source of those ideas or the people who hold them.
Tolerance for competing viewpoints is healthy, broadens our horizons and makes us better human beings. Ultimately one may not agree with them but that does not lessen who they are as individuals or, in this case, as Carefree residents. Yet that has not been the case in coverage of the competing candidates for Carefree Town Council.
It is time for a change. Without revisiting valid points made by others on both sides, leadership and service is not solely within the prerogative of the current Council and Administration. I will also point out that experience, (time spent in office) is not synonymous with good leadership or good policy.
The current Administration has made some decisions that are not in the best interest of Carefree, either short term or long term. To turn a blind eye to that reality and continue to insist such is not the case, is not only foolhardy but also does not serve the interests of all of Carefree.
Good stewardship requires a lack of ego, it demands an enlightened approach which allows for discourse, difference of opinion and an acknowledgement that sometimes another approach or another vision is the most appropriate.
Criticisms have been leveled at challengers to the current Administration that they “lack past town involvement,” i.e. experience.
I don’t agree that such is a defining criteria. As an example, my own experiences as a former political consultant, as a former chief of staff for a mayor of a large city, as a former chairman of a City finance committee and a City Planning committee, as a former member of the Carefree Planning and Zoning committee, and as a successful businessman does not automatically either qualify or disqualify me from holding public office.
At the end of the day, it is an individuals’ compassion to serve, their basic intelligence, their behavior grounded in ethics and the desire to advocate on behalf of the common good that make for a true representative of Carefree. The intricacies of daily government can and should be left to those best equipped, i.e. paid staff.
We can all agree that Carefree is a unique place to live. My own view is that such uniqueness stretches beyond the physical environment to how we treat each other and how we strive to make Carefree better for those that will follow.
John Nimsky
Carefree Resident
