Carefree’s recent election for Town Council members was in July, 2022. The current elected Council members are the only people serving as the duly elected representatives of Carefree residents. No one else is, no matter what they are currently claiming.
Through public meetings and Council meetings, The Town Council and Commission members and Staff have sought to determine the priorities which would benefit the most residents and the most appropriate courses of action to move these forward.
Recently, others, mostly those supporting the losers in the 2022 General Election, have embarked upon a course seeking to take over the leadership of Carefree through derogatory personal statements about Council members and any resident not agreeing with them, and continued statements of fabricated facts favoring their personal priorities. They now are also claiming and acting as if they represent all Carefree residents since they spearheaded the recent Special election in which changing the Town’s fire and emergency services was defeated following broad publicity of numerous incorrect statements.
For example, the stated assumptions was that a vote to retain Rural Metro addressed all of the pertinent factors and that the Town could continue indefinitely with them without any form of property tax. That assumption may not prove to be true. A review of the financial records of Rural Metro and their affiliated companies servicing Maricopa County show substantial annual losses. When the existing contract is up for renewal in 2 1/2 years, they may demand a substantial price increase. That requirement may well re-introduce the discussion of a property tax in Carefree, and the alternative service providers available during this last election may not be interested in the future.
The behavior of this minority of people is a disservice to the majority of Carefree voters they insinuate that they represent. While honest disagreements over the best approach for priority projects could well arise, they should be discussed in a civil manner following a discussions of the facts rather than personal insults and fabricated information.
Let’s get back to supporting the Town Council members to do the tasks you elected us to do.
Vince D’Aliesio, Proud Councilmember
Town of Carefree
