Guest Editorial

BY STEVE LAMAR | NOVEMBER 20, 2013

The key to our future

Bookmark and Share

STEVE LAMARThe High Exalted Mystic Rulers of the Francia/Trenk Regime have proudly proclaimed their publicity stunts are the reason for the success of this year’s Wild West Days. They accomplished this great service, according to them, by pretending to steal Scottsdale’s intellectual property; then announcing they were having fun; then hastily renaming Cave Creek the Town Where the Wild West Lives. Disloyal subjects might ask why they didn’t check how many towns are already using similar slogans?

Let’s civilly and rationally examine these latest, and frankly unprecedented, Regime proclamations.

First, the “ we were just kidding “ proclamation stands in stark contrast to a statement by Rodney Glassman in the council meeting while they were passing out Cave Creek “The West’s Most Western Town “ T-shirts. He told the crowd with some pride that when he first talked to Trenk about getting the Town Manager job, Trenk told him he wanted Scottsdale’s West Most Western Town to go the way of Rawhide. Glassman assured the loyal subjects they were going to make it happen.

Next, His Highness, Francia, left standing in a dusty lot with his big hat, shiny new boots, and blank six shooter still holstered, has apparently convinced himself people came to Wild West Days to see him be a gun fighter. His Highness Trenk proclaims that making Wild West Days a success is the finest work he has done for the town. He seems to take royal pride the way he sits a wagon.

Next, it was Francia and Trenk who were center stage at their press events, not the citizens of this town, or Wild West Days.

But we must remember the Royal resolution prohibiting public criticism of the Regime. They demand private transparency.

Wasn’t there a French queen... Marie something...she didn’t want to hear the common folk complain....Some thing about, ”let them eat cake”. I can’t remember; did that work for her?
Finally, countless Cave Creek businesses, and citizen volunteers have improved Wild West Days each and every year that it has been an event in Cave Creek. Hours of work, planning, and dedication over many years are the key to its success. They improved it again this year: more family oriented, better organized and more events. The popularity has grown from year to year based on the hard work of business owners and citizens of this town. Congratulations to all of you is well deserved. It also doesn’t hurt that we are out of the worst recession in our history.
But lest we forget, the work of the commoner is the work of the Rulers. We must be civil and know our place.

It is however ironic the Regime used “wild” in their new town name. When a small army of dedicated Cave Creek citizens, lead by former Mayor Tom Augerton, and former Governor Jane Hall, set about to preserve Spur Cross one of the themes of the campaign was, “ Do something Wild. Preserve Spur Cross”. A lot of us still have our T-shirts.

This gets to the real tragedy of the Francia /Trenk Regime. This town’s leadership has historically understood the cornerstone of the General Plan mandate to keep Cave Creek genuinely wild, rural, and beautiful; the real engine that will drive increased properly values for Cave Creek citizens, is the continued preservation of open space and development of our trail system to enhance public access to that open space.

It is simple supply and demand. In the face of urban sprawl from all sides Cave Creek’s rural, country feel, will continue to be threatened. Preserving our open space will make Cave Creek more and more unique. Scarcity in the market place means higher value.

Through the work of others vilified by this regime, Cave Creek survived the great recession in a very strong position. The Regime was handed a $7,000,000.00 surplus, the infrastructure, and an experienced town manager who could have renewed the former council’s commitment to purchase the 4,000 acres of annexed open space that the great recession delayed. The work of others before them provided an opportunity to “Do something Wild” for Cave Creek.

Public records confirm the Regime has done absolutely nothing to secure our open space, have squandered their credibility and our tax dollars on self promotion, continue to take credit for the work of others, and hope to convince you the real wild Cave Creek can be found at the end of a bar full of people from Phoenix.

While many of us don’t mind having a drink at a local saloon, we want to ride or walk in the wilderness first. We would just like to have our property values reach their maximum potential. We would just like to have the people who choose the next town manager to live in Cave Creek full time. We would like our mayor to stop spending our money on political fliers, and our council to stop spending our money on unnecessary projects. We would like our council to stop engaging in vengeful illegal conduct that embroils our town in costly law suits. We would like our council to stop risking litigation with our neighbors for silly self promotion which is then used for taking credit for the hard work of our business community and citizen volunteers.

We would like our council to understand that preserving the Great Cave Creek Sonoran Foothills Corridor is the key our future.

I have been warned public criticism is not allowed by Resolution of the Regime. Knowing full well the Regime’s hounds from hell will be unleashed, I cannot abide them in silence.

For the Love of Cave Creek. Get Connected. Stay connected. This is your Town. Protect it.