Outsider money
By their own admission, Adam Trenk and his cohorts have been meeting and conspiring to unseat our current council for 18 months. You realize of course, this council has only been in place for 19 months. So despite every accusation and innuendo the Trenk Machine has thrown at the town council and staff, they are simply the smoke screen being used for an agenda that has been in place to take over the town for nearly 2 years.
So, to the current council I say “Stop wondering what you did wrong.” The answer, as most of us already know, is “Nothing!” You have in fact done an incredible job of keeping our town strong during the severe fiscal crisis faced by every town in America. Instead, it appears you are just simply in the way of a much bigger plan.
And what is this “big plan” all about? It must be very important for this challenging PAC to have been plotting it for years and to be throwing tens of thousands of dollars at your demise. Easily as much as $50,000 – quite possibly closer to $100,000 is being spent to take over unpaid council seats in a town where few candidates have ever spent more than $500 on an election. You have to ask “WHY?” And ask it again and again, because the reason must be very valuable and a very big secret!
And, strangely, much of the time and money is being spent by non-residents. They include, but are not limited to, Pennsylvania resident Mike Chutz, John McCain, Anna Marsolo, Adam “resides in Scottsdale but I intend to live in Cave Creek” Trenk, Carefree resident Jim Peirce, Steve Pierce, Heather Carter, County Commissioner Steve Chucri and the Rose Law Group.
We have received 8 expensive mailers from the challengers, 3 of them just for Adam Trenk, at a cost of roughly $1,300 each. Dozens of signs are placed all over town - some of Trenk’s as big as my car - at a cost of thousands more. There have been robocalls, live calls, paid-for endorsements, paid full page ads in the Republic and a rented campaign “headquarters” replete with banners … that’s more money. A recently announced fundraiser for Trenk is asking for the maximum individual contribution of $430 from each attendee which only means more money to be spent.
What does Cave Creek have that is worth spending as much as $100,000 and 2 years of planning to get control of? And why are so many non-residents investing their time, money and energy in this plan? There is obviously an agenda, and it clearly has nothing to do with what our current council and town manager have done – and done so very well.
Please think carefully before you vote – something about this really stinks and it is not our sewer treatment facility. I encourage you to re-elect our current council who have proven their commitment to us. For the past 2 years they have worked through incredibly complex problems, dedicated themselves to the survival and success of Cave Creek. They made certain everything we needed to survive and thrive was acquired and accomplished while ensuring our financial viability.
Re-elect Shelly Anderson, James Bruce, Ernie Bunch, Dick Esser, Steve LaMar and Tom McGuire. They deserve our vote and we deserve their continued leadership.
Don Carroll
Cave Creek
Reelect current town council
The current town council has done an excellent job on the critical issues facing the town in the recent past – surviving the economic downturn, diversifying the tax base, increasing tax revenue, improvement of inadequate water and wastewater treatment facilities and infrastructure and improving financial accountability among other things. Within the framework of the current town council, Steve Lamar and Jim Bruce stand out as the thoughtful leaders always focused on what is best for Cave Creek. Their leadership on town council for the past four years has been instrumental in successfully guiding the town through the most difficult economic period in Arizona history. They continue to represent a breath of fresh air in Cave Creek politics.
I have known Steve for 13 years, served on the planning commission with him for 5 of those years and have found him to be totally dedicated to the town and professional in all respects. He has lived in Cave Creek for 25 years and has always been involved with the town. He was instrumental in the town’s incorporation, served on the Planning Commission for some 15 years serving repeatedly as Chairman and Vice Chairman, volunteered his time and expertise on dozens of town issues over the years and is an avid horseman. His performance on the council for the past 4 years confirms that you can trust him, that he has no personal agenda, that he is dedicated to do what is best for the town and not what is best for his reelection. You may not always agree with him. I don’t. But, he stays focused on one thing and that is what is best for the town.
Jim Bruce and I came to Cave Creek about the same time – some 13 years ago and I have known him all that time. We served on the planning commission together for 5 years and, like Steve LaMar, he is professional in all respects and dedicated to doing what is best for Cave Creek. He has been heavily involved in supporting the town since his arrival. He has supported and continues to support the Sonoran Arts League, chaired the Black Mountain Conservancy, served on and chaired the planning commission and has volunteered untold hours of time and expertise to help on local issues. You know from his record that he has no personal agenda, is unlikely to just tell you what you want to hear and is dedicated to doing whatever is best for the town and, like Steve, not what is best for him or his own reelection.
The fact is, we need more Steve LaMar’s and Jim Bruce’s in place of the self serving political invertebrates that now inhabit elected positions at all levels of government from Cave Creek to the U.S. Congress. Reelect the current town council – Bruce, LaMar, Bunch, McGuire, Anderson and Esser.
Bob Williams
Cave Creek
Cave Creek “For Sale”
I am running again for town council because I see the special interest/Scottsdale lobbyist slate as a clear and present danger to the future of our town. What I have to offer at bottom line is to continue to serve after 27 years of very good volunteer service to the Town from the day it was incorporated to date. Service to Cave Creek, for me, has been a part of a life time of public service in thanks for the blessing of living in this great country.
With the latest round of paid for national endorsements for the lobbyist candidate and the incredible amount of money being spent for slick mailers, web sites, and attack ads, I really believe that the days of hard working citizen candidates in Cave Creek may be a thing of the past. If successful, the Trenk slate will leave one lasting lesson, Cave Creek is for sale.
Ultimately our only hope is that in Cave Creek commitment and service count. That working in the trenches through hard times is important. That actions speak louder than paid for ads and paid for endorsements.
In the end, I am left with a nagging question. Perhaps it's just all those years as a major felony, organized crime prosecutor that causes me to pause and ponder. Why are people new to town pouring thousands into a campaign for unpaid seats on town council?
Cave Creek Councilman
Steven LaMar
Experience counts
There is a wealth of experience among town council candidates running for re-election, but one particular incumbent really appeals to my sense of what an elected official should be about, and that person is Dick Esser. Dick Esser is an individual who has served our town with vision and direction for many years. Dick's proven record includes eight years on the town council and a number of years on other boards and commissions such as the planning commission. Dick will provide the kind of leadership to help our town stay strong. Dick is known as the "go-to guy" in Cave Creek. He has demonstrated time and time again that anyone in our town can go to him for assistance ... anyone! He has been instrumental in working with Maricopa County to get a $630,000 grant to help defray the cost of the town renovation of the Carefree/Cave Creek Highway intersection, which is now complete. Also, he was instrumental in getting our Cave Creek Recycling Center located here through his contacts with Solid Waste Management. And he is a legend among those who have sought his assistance on town matters. If the newcomers running against our existing council had their way, they would have you believe that our existing council and Dick Esser in particular were incompetent and needing to be run out of town on a rail. Nothing could be further from the truth.
There is no person in the slate of "Citizens Against Virtually Everything Responsible" (CAVERs) that can hold a candle to Dick Esser and the rest of the existing town council. Personalities can run shallow; character runs very deep. I am going to vote for Dick and I urge you to do the same.
Thank you
Joan Frawley
Cave Creek
Cave Creek Town Council Election
For the past several years heavy rains have caused flooding and extensive damage to our property. At our request, Cave Creek Councilman Thomas McGuire and Vice Mayor Ernie Bunch visited us to get a first hand look at our drainage issue. We learned that this problem was inherited by the current Cave Creek administration and caused by the poorly planned road and drainage culvert construction before they arrived.
Yet, repairs are well underway. This is the kind of service that we expect from our town staff and our elected officials. We thank Councilman Thomas McGuire and Vice Mayor Ernie Bunch, as well as the professional staff at the Cave Creek Town Hall, for helping us protect our home and property.
Robert and Debra Peterson
Cave Creek
Dick Esser – “The Right Man for the Job”
I have known Dick Esser for 14 years and it has been an honor to have him as my friend as well as councilman for the Town of Cave Creek.
He brings a pragmatic approach to our sometimes challenging council chambers and public meetings. I believe his motives for running as a candidate for council could not be more straightforward. It is his genuine love for OUR town and he strives to continually improve it.
Along with his experience, having served on town council for nearly eight years (one term as Vice-Mayor) he conducts himself as an effective problem solver.
Dick is not a “yes” man. He will analyze a situation and discuss it, then bring the necessary parties together to rectify the issues.
He has a genuine talent for bringing people and issues together, “Uniting not Dividing.” Mr. Esser gives us “Creekers” an added bonus: his vast prior experience working with the State of Arizona as well as being our MAG representative, and he has been successful at bringing over $800,000 in grants to the benefit of our town and all Cave Creek citizens.
Dick is approachable, a good listener and continues to help the town and townspeople prepare for a positive future.
My hope is that he will be re-elected to continue to serve with his proven record and lead into the future.
He’s earned my vote and I urge Cave Creek citizens to show your support for Dick Esser by re-electing him to council.
Thank you,
Todd Gilson
Cave Creek
Support your local sheriff
I’m sure glad to see the news reports of Sheriff Richard Mack, and educational support by the “Support Your Local Police: and Keep Them Independent” committees of The John Birch Society. This is a program to speak out against federal intervention and control over the local police departments. He has called on his fellow sheriffs throughout the country to exercise their authority and not allow the federal agencies to intervene in their jurisdictions. Many sheriffs have already adopted this approach and reportedly have made clear to federal agents that their authority does not supersede that of the sheriffs in local matters.
I say that we should cheer on and support police like Sheriff Mack, concerned citizens, and The John Birch Society, who step up to the plate to defend our U.S. Constitutional rights to life, liberty, truth, justice, and the American way!
Dump the unconstitutional Feds, and tell them to leave our guns alone.
Visit www.jbs.org for more information.
Sincerely,
Ed Nemechek
Landers, California
Can any new gun control law prevent a massacre?
All the newly proposed gun control laws are interesting. I think we have to look at the underlying reasoning for them.
If “in the end” the objective of a new gun law is to ban all guns ask yourself what would be the best way to go about that? Which is the best surreptitious way to get that done? Does anyone consider passing laws that don’t work a step in the right direction toward that end? Let’s examine that first.
Any gun control whether existing or proposed should be rescinded if it has restricted or will further restrict the law abiding citizen and have no effect on the criminal. After all, what is the law for or what is its perceived goal? There will never be laws passed that affect only the criminal. It is impossible to take the guns out of the hands of the crazies like the people who massacred citizens in Newtown, Connecticut, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Oak Creek, Wisconsin, Aurora, Colorado, Seattle, Washington and all the others, and not (restrict) the law abiding citizens’ Second Amendment rights.
Existing laws did not stop any of these massacres. There are currently over 9,000 gun control laws on the books throughout the United States. Consequently, shouldn’t there be a movement to rescind them since it has been proven over and over they do not work? I don’t hear anyone voicing that opinion. If a law, any law, doesn’t do what it was passed to do, why does it remain on the books. Appeasement? Laziness or ignorance?
If the object is to solve the massacre problem then let’s get rid of the “controls” that haven’t worked. Like “gun free zones.” It should be obvious to everyone by now they don’t work at all. In fact, they have the opposite effect. They encourage massacres and may have actually contributed to some.
All anyone advocating gun control has to do to get many of us fighting gun control on their side is prove how it is possible to pass a law a habitual law breaker will adhere to? Put another way how can a law be passed a criminal will obey? Is it even possible? If not why have we passed laws restricting only the citizens who would never do any such thing as a massacre. Because we’re apathetic?
What is so hard to understand about the statement; the only people who are ever affected by laws are those who obey laws; criminals do not obey laws. It is already illegal to murder people. Therefore, how can anyone think passing another law, regarding guns, to stop the murderer will ever work? I do not understand why we cannot get that through the thick heads of those who advocate gun control and/or confiscation!
Who exactly is it the law makers who propose these new restrictive gun laws are fooling – law abiding citizens or themselves? Let us consider this. If the new laws that are proposed are passed and don’t work and they won’t, more restrictive laws will then have to be passed down the road after more innocent folks are murdered. So if the real goal of those proposing these new laws is to confiscate all the guns (as we all suspect) this is the way to do it. Pass more and more restrictive gun laws that don’t work so more must be passed and just keep doing this until your goal is achieved. This way it is possible to restrict guns away and not rescind the Second Amendment. Which they, who propose these laws, know they could never get done.
Donald Bitler
Scottsdale
Hurtful taxes
In 1995 I moved with my business, to Arizona, to avoid the incredible taxes of California. Now retired, I'm back, only because of my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
What I find incredible is the continuance of the Fifty Cents a gallon gasoline tax, voted on in 1993 through an initiative by a bunch of ignorant people, claiming this would "help" the poor. At that time, my sales business required 60,000+ miles of driving per year.
Now with the poor economy, high unemployment, coming NEW taxes and elimination of many tax deductions, WHY, WHY hasn't any effort been made to eliminate this abominable tax on the working class and the poor??? I might also add, using California gasoline I now get 14.6 MPG, when Arizona gasoline gave me 25 MPG. Give the people some relief and drop the excessive tax.
Get rid of this 50 cent tax, and stop using all these additives in gasoline that lower MPG and actually INCREASE the emissions.
Art Tuber
Walnut Creek, California
The culture of death
Astounding when you consider the following was published back in March 1995, well before the creation and implementation of Obamacare with its health care rationing and death panels;
"Abortion and euthanasia are ... crimes which no human law can claim to legitimize. There is no obligation in conscience to obey such laws; instead, there is a grave and clear obligation to oppose them by conscientious objection."
The CULTURE OF DEATH "is actively fostered by powerful cultural, economic, and political currents that encourages a … society excessively concerned with efficiency … A person who because of illness, handicap, or, more simply, just by existing, compromises the well-being or life-style of THOSE WHO ARE MORE FAVORED, tends to be looked upon as an ENEMY TO BE RESISTED OR ELIMINATED."
The author?
Pope John Paul ll in his encyclical "The Gospel of Life."
Tom Carbone
Phoenix
Abolish the IRS with FairTax
Over 200 years ago our Founders fought tyranny uniquely giving us a democratic republic. It changed the World. Americans held liberty steadfast for over a century until Feb. 3, 1913 when the 16th Amendment began trading away our God given Liberties wrested, by our Founders, from tyrants. Since, we’ve bartered liberty for perceived physical/ financial “security,” lessening and weakening personal liberty. The 16th Amendment [Income Tax] set the stage to diminish freedom ceding power to tax, thus track income. The IRS was set up to monitor citizen’s income, enabling the political class [the U.S. Senate and House] to know and control every aspect of our private lives. To comply we self-report all income related life aspects. The IRS/code enables monitoring and manipulation, hence control of each of us. The Supreme Court Decision on the 2010 Affordable Care Act upheld citing “power to tax,” adding control of medical life under tax policy. FairTax is ready-made to replace income tax and is the game changer. Look up FairTax, learn and join the fight to reverse government control of our lives. FairTax replaces income tax and abolishes the IRS.
Ward Atcher
Decatur, Alabama
Obama and his rogue EPA
Obama could not have been clearer. Or more disingenuous.
"If Congress won't act soon to protect future generations, I will," he said in his Feb. 12 State of the Union Address.
"I will direct my cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy."
What Obama really means is that the Administration will continue to take unilateral, executive actions via the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other agencies to restrict carbon emissions.
The fact is, the EPA has been a rogue agency since 2009 when it issued its carbon endangerment finding—ruling carbon dioxide, a biological gas necessary for the very existence of life to be a harmful pollutant.
This, despite the fact that the Clean Air Act never identified carbon emissions as such. This was a power conferred upon the agency by a foolish Supreme Court ruling in 2007, Massachusetts v. EPA.
So, it's not a matter of waiting for Congress to act. The White House acted in its first year of office without congressional consent, despite the fact that Democrats controlled both houses of Congress. Even then, Democrats lacked the votes in the Senate to pass cap-and-trade, and so Obama just did what he wanted.
Since then, the carbon endangerment finding has become the basis for regulating how much carbon coal power plants can emit and other restrictions. In addition, the EPA's mercury emission regulations require power plants to be retrofitted with new technologies — costing billions of dollars to implement — adding to the problem.
So, this is really nothing new from Obama. Just more of the same utter disrespect for the separation of powers that has become a staple of his time in office.
Bill Wilson
http://netrightdaily.com
Not enlightened political discourse
Does anyone find it strange that the “slate” running to take over town hall is being led and egged on by a gang of outsiders? Would any sane Creeker give control of our town to these outside interests, which have an “Occupy Wall Street” mentality? Shouts of “fire the town manager” and “throw them all out” are not enlightened political discourse. This is the ranting of a mob mentality, meant to appeal to low information voters.
Let’s take a look at this bunch – Marsolo, Pierce, Chutz, Trenk. We know Marsolo and Pierce are meddlesome activists with way too much time on their hands, incredibly unhappy and pessimistic. Mind your own business.
Where did the “Snowbird Chutz” come from? He appears to be setting himself up as the new political ward boss of Cave Creek. The new Napoleon of Cave Creek is a snowbird and not registered to vote here. Yet he is behind the slate.
Then there’s “little prince Adam of Scottsdale.” We love our town and do not want to turn it over to someone who thinks this is a game. Our town is precious, not just a line on your resume. Why don’t you try Scottsdale where you live?
There you have it: Marsolo (County Island), Chutz (Pennsylvania), Peirce, (Carefree) and prince Adam (Scottsdale). Would you turn your town over to this bunch?
These are Dark Side fear mongers, shrieking about the debt, the debt, the debt like they have Turret’s Syndrome. Don’t these people have mortgages, car payments, etc.? It’s all emotion and fear. Rural lifestyle! Another hysterical shriek. There are also hysterical conspiracy theories being spread about the APS power lines. No fact, all theory and hysteria. This is pure idiocy!
The dumbest one of the bunch tried to sabotage a MAG study which would benefit the Town Core and let’s not forget his brilliant TV news stunt. That was pure garbage and nonsense. I wonder who was behind that one?
This bunch is dangerous. They are negative and miserable dark souls misrepresenting the facts to appeal to the frothy emotions of fear and mistrust; that is the dark side.
Do not fall for it. Do not turn your town over to Chutz, who will be the one behind the scenes. To the best of the bunch – if you folks are that unhappy and miserable about everything, perhaps you should seek counseling, therapy or medication, not political office.
Name withheld by request
