My View

By Don Sorchych | December 17, 2008


Don Sorchych• Cave Creek and Carefree elections
• Zoning
• Barack a citizen?



Dec. 10 came and went and Cave Creek and Carefree now have council and mayor aspirants.

Cave Creek’s mayoral seat is uncontested, so Mayor Vincent Francia can relax.

Not so for council candidates. Only Gilbert Lopez, a current incumbent and vice mayor, is retiring. So that leaves Kimberly Brennan, Ernie Bunch, Richard Esser, Thomas McGuire and Grace Meeth, all running for another term.

The challengers are: James Bruce, Steve LaMar, Reg Monochino, Ralph Mozilo. Shea Stanfield (formerly Lucy Kastelic), and Adam Trenk.

edit cartoonPacket pullers that changed their minds are John Ford and John Vannucci. Ford opted for added experience with the Planning Commission and Vannucci may have waved off because of the requirement that both he and his wife, Sara, would have to publicize their financial statement.

Carefree has only three challengers and all incumbents are running. Incumbents are: Bob Coady, Wayne Fulcher (mayor), Greg Gardner, Bob Gemmill, Lloyd Meyer (vice mayor), Glen Miller, and David Schwan.

Challengers are: Peter Koteas, Doug Stevoe and Susan Vanic. John Trayor had pulled a packet but failed to meet the Dec. 10 deadline.

Cave Creek votes each two years for council and mayor. Less than a 50 percent majority, for each position, forces a run off in the general election, in both towns.

Carefree Mayor Wayne Fulcher is promoting a vote for four year council terms (currently two years) while still appointing the mayor. Councilman Bob Coady is circulating a petition for an elected mayor.

As in previous elections, Sonoran News will provide forums for both towns between mid January and mid February. We will also send a standard form to all candidates and publish their view of themselves and their platforms.

Zoning

I receive complaints and pleas every week about businesses planning to locate in Cave Creek. The most recent was a multi-tier complaint about Ric’s Body and Paint Shop, which is attempting to locate in Spur Cross Station, behind the Cracked Crab on the corner of Cave Creek and Spur Cross Roads.

The letter from a Knolls resident was 847 words, too large for even our guest editorial space.

The crux of the matter, represented as the will of 43 families, was that the neighbors wanted a restaurant, not a body and paint shop in their neighborhood.

We are a nation of property rights and zoning, which limits property rights, must be fair, equitable and consistent. In Cave Creek there are limitations as to what can be built, but if the commercial standards are met, the town has no choice but to permit the application.
For instance, in Cave Creek you could not put an adult book store in Spur Cross Station. But there is no admonition in ordinance about body shops.

The town, I believe, will find they cannot exclude drive throughs and Ric’s Body and Paint Shop as long as such specific limitations like height, setbacks, water retention and such are met by the applicant.

Unfortunately, commercial zoning is broad and neighbors typically can’t choose what is built. That is why buyers should beware in buying property near commercial lots and also why the town is against upzoning and surprising residential owners with sudden nearby commercial zoning.

The town needs revenue and will for sometime to come. What is doesn’t need is more lawsuits because council is letting their personal taste dictate their votes rather than law.

Barry or Barack?

“Hopefully you will now admit that the Obama born in Africa story was a hoax. [T]o continue to rail against the wishes of a landslide vote by the American people based on UFO like ravings from a fringe group is irresponsible for a newspaper that is supposedly reporting truth. Would you prefer to throw our country into chaos? Perhaps you think Palin could step in and fix the economy. The entire controversy is absurd and feeds on the worst elements of our society. It seems that proof is not what you actually are seeking, but rather some excuse, however implausible, that will justify your racism.

“It is time for the
Sonoran News to be patriotic, not idiotic. You[r] handling of the Obama victory has been astonishing. In spite of the wishes of the majority of the electorate and an impressive start of a much more responsible and moderate administration than we have had for the past 8 years, you would rather throw our country into civil and economic limbo with this nonsensical and frivolous waste of time lawsuit. I will not be advertising in this paper or buying it again until I see some attempt at balanced and fair reporting. One thing our country needs right now is unity, we have tough times ahead until we can get past some of the carnage of bad governance, so please do us a favor and get on the side of the Constitution. The Supreme Court may be a more qualified body to pass judgment on this case than your newsrag, and they have done so, so give up your sore loser stance and join the real conversation about what is important for our country and our world.”

The above came from a Carefree person, who is scolding and threatening Sonoran News for being a newspaper.

What happened to the good old days when newspapers were praised for printing news? Surely a case involving the president elect is something the public should know about.
Questions that should be asked is why the nationwide media is not covering the issue of Obama’s citizenship. And why Obama doesn’t simply provide his birth certificate, his entrance information to college, his Indonesian citizenship and his Kenyan birth information, if any?

Linda Bentley’s articles and mine are not opinions – yet – we are reporting on what is going on in dozens of places by people of good will who want our president to be constitutional. And we have a right to ask Obama to prove he is indeed a citizen.

So long as there is doubt, you will be kept abreast by Sonoran News.