My View
BY DON SORCHYCH | FEBRUARY 11, 2015
Ignorance about Cave Creek water
Note Linda Bentley’s news story titled, “Clarification keeps on coming re: Rancho Manana.”
It all starts with recalled slate leader Vice Mayor Adam Trenk bragging that he and his three submissives, councilmen Mike Durkin, Reg Monochino, and Charles Spitzer, cutting off water to Rancho Mañana Golf Course was an accomplishment. So the slate was involved in water matters it seems.
Then Rodney Glassman’s hire, David Prinzhorn claimed the Water Advisory Committee (WAC) reviewed The Rancho Mañana Golf Course contract and concluded they were only entitled to waste water effluent and not any water that could potentially be used for drinking water.
We have not been able to find any WAC agenda where the topic of Rancho’s contract came up. If they did discuss it, and didn’t agendize it, they violated Arizona Open Meeting Law.
So it appears Prinzhorn unilaterally decided to stop contracted amounts and sources of water.
Why? So Trenk could make his claims that it was an accomplishment?
We received an email from Mayor Vincent Francia who asked that we publish a letter titled, “A drink of truth about Rancho Mañana water.” He had a note on the email stating he had help from Tony Geiger who is a member of WAC, but wasn’t speaking for WAC. We suggested the letter be attributed to Geiger, since Francia only wrote 2 lines and that if we did print it I would print a rebuttal.
All of a sudden the town sent the article via email through the town’s distribution system, which of course is spending tax dollars to deflect criticism from the serious miscue by Prinzhorn to stop necessary water supplies, as contracted with the golf course. In fact, it represents, once again, the town’s propensity for using tax revenue for political purposes.
We don’t read the fantasies and self serving lies by Trenk. He frequently posts on Facebook but would do better admitting he is writing fiction. Although we have better things to do, friends and readers bring us his nonsense to see if the assertions are true – and of course they typically aren’t.
For instance he and the mayor are trying to cover up the screw-up by Prinzhorn asserting the town will have huge savings by not allowing water to escape the golf course and enter streams. Trenk in his Facebook ravings claims previous councils “allowed” this waste. It also takes shots at two splendid employees the current regime got rid of.
Wayne Anderson was an excellent contributing engineer for years. During those years the profane, slate support website criticized Anderson and demanded the slate fire him. The website did the same for Utilities Manager Jessica Marlowe. It appears Interim Town Manager Rodney Glassman forced her out. If Marlowe was so bad why did the town of Gilbert, which is more than 45 times as big as Cave Creek, hire her for the same position she held here?
Injustice!
It is clear Trenk, Francia and his WAC ghost writer Tony Geiger have no clue as to the process of refining water. Geiger speaks vaguely of “operational problems” at the water treatment plant. What are they? He should be referring to Prinzhorn’s lack of knowledge, his own and forgotten history.
Realize that Geiger wrote about an end result that would result in cost saving. Not that they have accomplished a cost saving. On his part Trenk writes: “This administration identified and is taking action to correct malfeasance of previous administrations.” Really? That is bunk!
The town spent five years examining this same issue. The first thing that is needed is a million gallon tank near the water company on Basin Street. Both nearby property owners refused to sell the needed land to erect a giant tank. However, the cost of refining back wash substance is prohibitive and is many times as expensive as the current method. The town doesn’t lack CAP water and has enough supply all the way to build out.
So, sadly, the mayor either has a faulty memory or he deliberately attempted to back Trenk’s claims on the eve of an election to kick him out of office as well as his devotees, Durkin, Monachino and Spitzer.
An often forgotten fact is that the town, not Rancho Mañana Golf Course, decides on how much water is sent there. The town is just as dependent of the golf course as it is on them. Otherwise the water plant would have to find a way to ship waste away which would be immensely more expensive than sending it to the golf course.
Speaking of the slate, I would advise Town Manager Peter Jankowski to spare his staff of the constant impingement by the slate. One story of many is that Monachino goes to all members of the planning department to ask, “What’s new?” They all answer, “Nothing,” so he goes away. Monachino then goes to the town manager and claims planning is doing nothing. I don’t know if it is true, but I believe it.
Each day there is a blizzard of flyers from the slate and/or its supporters.
As a conservative, I resent the name given by Sara, Ponzi Scheme, Vannucci to her PAC: “Conservative Creekers for Fiscal Responsibility.”
Her PAC should be labeled, “Paid for by Ponzi scheme operators for Trenk slate.”
Another flyer has “We the people” emblazoned on a picture of a coyote skulking through the desert, which is a slam on coyotes and suggests voting for the slate.
A problem with the flyer though is law requires a PAC be registered with “Paid for” by the PAC name and number printed on all advertising and no such identification appears on the flyer.
