My View
APRIL 3, 2013
The wild town election
Today on, April Fools Day, Dick Esser is in court for the judge to decide whether he is legally on the ballot for the May 21 election. Esser had resigned, changed his mind, and reapplied. Elections left the decision to Town Manager Usama Abujbarah and he approved it. See Linda Bentley’s article for a blow by blow of the case.
However, it is interesting that Gerald Freeman is the plaintiff. Freeman let Sewickley, Penn. resident Mike Chutz speak from his limited knowledge, but nonetheless leader of the slate.
Sadly, Freeman is my neighbor. He sued me for road maintenance of the easement we share. We won mediation and a court hearing. He appealed and the appeals court legislated from the bench that equity should rule and the case was remanded to the lower court. Freeman was given an award by Judge Michael R. McVey.
Freeman then sued, claiming only he had rights to my property on which he has an easement. He lost and appealed.
Then he sued, in what is an ongoing case, Cave Creek, Cahava Springs and me about a planned horse trail beside our easements.
I told the court I am a proponent of that horse trail so the horse community should know their so called supporter Adam Trenk, who spent around $20,000 to be elected hasn’t said a peep about his supporter. Freeman contributed $50 to Trenk’s campaign, which he hardly needed since his out-of-town family and friends were the main contributors to his campaign.
Freeman stole campaign signs of Ray Barnes who ran against Nancy Barto, Freeman’s buddy. He lied to MCSO that he hadn’t done it but my photographs proved he stole the signs from my property and MCSO cited him. Then Town Prosecutor Mark Iacovino let him off the hook by charging him $90 for the signs.
Ex-Councilman Terry Smith was horseback riding on my property with a lady and another friend riding a mule. Freeman rushed at them with his truck, and according to those riding he rammed the mule and knocked it down.
Unfortunately the mule owner couldn’t afford a vet to assess the damage to the mule, and although MCSO filed a complaint County Attorney Bill Montgomery wouldn’t prosecute. Freeman said he just nudged the mule but witnesses say otherwise.
So the slate he is supporting, $450 to Eileen Wright’s campaign, and acting as plaintiff to unseat Esser’s campaign, claim to be equestrian supporters. Don’t believe it.
What is worse Freeman has turned the heads of voters on Morning Star Road and Old Stage Road about the likelihood of vehicular traffic from the west across Cahava Springs property. When the slate was all anxious about Enchanted Canyon, Mayor Vincent agreed to a meeting to quiet their wild claims and specifically said traffic across Cahava Springs was impossible due to the restrictions placed on them by council, which was granted 80 acres for free from Cahava Springs, together with restrictions allowing hiking, horse riding and bicycling.
Nonetheless, the coalition of Freeman supporters continues to say otherwise. Listen to this one from Morning Star Road homeowner William Worthington. “And all the people heading south from Anthem or east from the west side of CC (Cave Creek) will travel MS (Morning Star), Spur Cross, Fleming Springs and School House as their shortcut to Scottsdale if MS is extended. It would impact a whole lot of people, not just those on MS.”
Where did Worthington get this fable? It is absolutely false as I mentioned above. It is lies like these that are being peddled by the slate. Uninformed voters are being led in the wrong direction by absolutely false information.
For instance, Morning Star is so rough it is almost undriveable, and I drive it every day. Why won’t the town pave it? The homeowners are still wary about the possibility that Cahava Springs will emit vehicular traffic which it CANNOT do.
Another slate fable is spewed by another out of town critic, Anna Marsolo. She and others of like mind predict that the open land granted by State Land Department will be developed even though the town carefully zoned it as open space. Why would a developer bid on it when the zoning doesn’t allow them to build?
I repeat why would anyone fall for the slimy practices of Sewickley, Penn. resident Mike Chutz? I promised we would research this mystery man and Bentley has a beginning article about the man behind the curtain that would be king in this issue.
In the upcoming election voters need to send a message to Chutz and his cult of followers to pick up their carpet bags and go back to Sewickley or wherever.
Some of you have asked why council members Jim Bruce and Shelley Anderson resigned. Anderson said she had family issues and I believe that. Bruce basically had enough of false innuendos and slurs from the slate. Had you visited the Sonoran News forum you would see how vicious and misinformed the slate candidates were. Eileen Wright’s statements claimed the town wastefully spent money and she would support a forensic audit. She inferred the town was doing illegal things and that was enough to have Mayor Vincent Francia jump to his feet and defend the town’s honor and integrity. That explains why most of the council members didn’t go to their so-called forums. Ernie Bunch and Thomas McGuire were the only ones who braved the unfriendly and nasty slate supporters.
Late news, the judge ruled Dick Esser is off the ballot. So basically it puts a majority in the hands of vandals. So bullet vote for Thomas McGuire and hope one of the slate members is sane.
