The recent Carefree town council meeting was to be highlighted by the swearing-in of three new council members. Afterward, I was caught by surprise by a presentation by attorney Craig Morgan about misinformation spread against town staff, relating to preliminary discussions for the development of the northeast corner of Cave Creek Rd & Carefree Hwy in 2022.
The developer involved was Thompson Thrift, who ultimately elected to forego an effort to develop this property. A Carefree resident surreptitiously recorded a phone call with a representative of the developer and that information was used to slander and discredit town staff. Thompson Thrift was initially unaware of the recording.
Secretly recording a phone call certainly seems unethical, but in the state of Arizona it is not illegal. Using false information to disparage others is defamation, however, and the individual who used and amplified the false statements to attack town staff did no favor to themselves or to the town.
No one deserves to be treated as these town staff members have been treated, and Mr. Morgan was clear in his findings that the town staff had been unjustly damaged by these actions. Three returning council members then spoke in support of the town staff and Mr. Morgan’s work.
The town website now identifies the resident involved as Stephanie Barbour. In June, a letter representing the town was sent that laid out detailed evidence of defamation (for the developer, during one phone call; for the resident, on multiple occasions continuing for sixteen months). “You are each hereby requested to recant these defamatory statements…” Mr. Morgan wrote. Thompson Thrift has since apologized, but Ms. Barbour has not.
This episode reflects poorly on the town’s ability to discuss and solve our problems in a mature manner. I applaud Mr. Morgan’s presentation and personally thanked him for taking the time to defend these civil servants. We should all do the same.
Jim Northcutt
Carefree
