Dear Carefree Planning and Zoning Commissioners
I attended the January 11, 2016 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting and am so glad I did.. You are to be commended for listening to the concerned Carefree citizens who are opposed to any changes to current building height guidelines. They reflected the same sentiment of every Carefree resident I have spoken with about these potential changes.
Like you, most Carefree residents see themselves as guardians of this most special town. Changes to height restrictions destroy the concept of Carefree the founders worked so hard to establish. My husband and I chose to live in Carefree rather than Scottsdale, due to the distinct architectural and physical differences between the two. The low profile of our town is intended and treasured.
A proposal to changing height restrictions is a slippery slope away from which Carefree has become known. The photos the town planner showed at the meeting illustrated looks of 4+ story buildings in Scottsdale, Asheville, Boca Raton, and other cities all larger than ours. None of the photos illustrated a small and quaint town like Carefree. Future discussions should be illustrated by towns of our similar size and caliber. We are deliberately a town and not a city. Honoring the distinction between town and city is imperative to preserving the success and quality of Carefree life we love.
Recent town projects have been approved pivoting us away from the original Carefree vision; 3 story condo's and housing developments with higher density lots, as an example. The changing of height requirements would be a betrayal of the founders intentions as well as the will of Carefree residents.
I am not against change. I am not against development. I am against the erosion of core standards and vision Carefree has come to represent through the years. The Carefree commemorative brochure, 1959-2009, says “ the success of Carefree was 25 years ahead of the nation in land planning. .... Carefree grew rapidly because of the cautious architectural controls that were developed with great care. “
The publication concludes, “Today, Carefree consists of nearly 4,000 individuals who pride themselves on maintaining the same values which the town founders had when they broke ground more than 50 years ago. Residents maintain a peaceful quality of life that includes preservation of open space, buildings that blend in with their surroundings and a love of the serenity, beauty and uniqueness of the Sonoran Desert.”
Let us be ever-vigilant in safeguarding our semi-rural town by maintaining and adhering to the 24 feet commercial building heights on record.
Respectfully,
Mary Ellen Gowin
Carefree
Good news for Carefree
Carefree was full of shoppers at the Indian Festival. I talked to the promoter and a number of the Native American Vendors. All were very, very happy with the crowds, and sales.
In addition I visited with a number of the regular shop and art store owners who also were very positive. Good move by the Carefree Festival Team and the town. I am always pleased to see the downtown so full of people, especially without the aid of huge gateways. People know how to get here when there is something to offer.
The 'crown jewel' of festivals in Carefree...The Thunderbird Artists show will round out the month with their show January 29-31. There are also more festivals in February/. Congratulations Carefree.
Jim Van Allen
Carefree
Arizona License Plate Club Event at Buffalo Chip
On Saturday February 13, 2016, the Arizona License Plate Society (alpsclub.us) will be holding one of its six annual club meetings at the Buffalo Chip Saloon and Steakhouse in Cave Creek.
I am a member and officer of the club and a Cave Creek resident. Marv Dickson has been a long time member of the club and like me, an avid collector of license plates. You may remember Marv as the head chef at Pinnacle Peak Patio before it closed last summer. He now has a similar role at the Buffalo Chip. We also have three other members who are residents of Cave Creek. The purpose of our meets is to provide a venue for club members to trade license plates as well as display license plates from their collections. We expect to have 60-80 collections at the meet, most from Arizona, but we also often have attendees from other parts of the country.
Larry and Marv are doing everything possible to get the Chip up and operating and Cave Creek residents are fully sympathetic and supportive of their efforts. We are excited about the meet and believe part of the adventure will be the challenge of a successful meet given the risks associated with the more limited accommodations currently available at the Chip. We think this meet will be an important step for the Chip in resuming normal business operations, and letting Cave Creek know the Chip is on its way back.
Attendance is restricted to members.
License plate collector interests vary widely. Some collect old plates, while others collect special types, such as truck, trailer or government plates, special numbers, birth year plates, special issue plates and a host of other varieties. One of our members, a state archaeologist who will be in attendance, designed the current passenger license plate and proudly displays the first plate issued on his vehicle, which is number 001 AAA.
We haven't held a meet in Cave Creek since 2007 – a successful meet held at the Bella Vista School. We look forward to returning to Cave Creek and hope to make the event at the Chip an annual event.
Bruce Biemeck
Cave Creek
The fate of Tin Lizzie
The denuding of central Cave Creek's medians continues apace choking off traffic flow and relieving new views of across the road. Like the open door to your sister's bedroom, you know what's in there, but don't necessarily want to look at it.
As the trees and cacti depart (who gets these fine specimens anyway?), the question arises; what becomes of Tin Lizzie? The previous council spent thousands of taxpayer dollars on the two metal horse sculptures to announce one's arrival in Cave Creek. Tin Lizzie south grew out of the drainage ditch along the east shoulder of northbound Cave Creek road, but then (at additional expense) she was moved on to the median. But, what of Tin Lizzie east parked smack dab in the middle of a fast diminishing median. Will she suffer the same fate as the neighboring plant life, boxed up and transported to who knows where. Or perhaps relocated to the wash parallel to the soon to be constructed bike lane. Inquiring minds want to know. It was bad enough to spend a boat load (or bike load) on the sculpture to have her lose her home to a back hoe and a Schwinn. For what she cost Tin Lizzie deserves a little respect.
Randy Edwards
Cave Creek
Roads
We can afford to put in bicycle lanes but can't fix the multiple pot holes in the slow lane, coming into town. Big one across from City Hall. The longer they wait, the bigger the holes get and the more it will cost to repair. If they cause damage to a vehicle it could lead to a law suit.
Carren Larson
Email
Better representation on Scottsdale City Council
The most important thing we need to do is elect good people to the city council and an election is coming up this year. The ONLY solution to the approval of inappropriate projects and other problems we, and citizens in most of the city, have been facing is to get better representation on the city council.
This year, 3 council positions plus the Mayor (4 in total) will be voted on. It is critical that we re-elect Guy Phillips, who is one of the three up for re-election, and just as critical that we replace the current Mayor, Jim Lane. Guy Phillips has consistently demonstrated that he represents citizens and supports their desires so he deserves our support. Jim Lane has consistently shown he has NO desire to hear from citizens and that he will approve ANYTHING that comes to the council for a decision. In fact he has stated that “anyone should be able to do ANYTHING they want with their property” in support of his “yes” votes, but that philosophy negates all our zoning code and General Plan which makes him incapable of enforcing either current zoning or the General Plan. The Mayor also chairs the city council meetings and as the chair, he has limited public comment time at council meetings, reducing the normal 3 minute time each speaker is allowed to speak on a case to anywhere from 1 to 2 minutes as a function of the number of speakers, so clearly he has NO regard for public comment or citizen input. Thankfully Bob Littlefield has decided to run against Lane to give us a choice and a chance to replace him. Bob has been a council member and as such distinguished himself by consistently voting against inappropriate projects and supporting residents so we know he will represent us well as Mayor of Scottsdale.
While we hope to identify some other worthy candidates to run against Virginia Korte and Suzanne Klapp, who have consistently rejected citizen concerns and voted for virtually every project, regardless of how bad it was or how much damage it would cause to Scottsdale’s image and the life style we moved here to enjoy, it is critical that we at least support both Guy and Bob so we can have at least 4 members of the city council who will be reasonable and listen to citizens concerns.
Already, several north Scottsdale residents are holding meet and greets at their homes for Guy Phillips and Bob Littlefield. Please support both Guy and Bob with donations, gathering signatures for them, and/or holding a meet and greet so others can get to know them.
Look at Guy’s page at: electguy.homestead.com, or you can contact him anytime at [email protected] or call him at 480-560-6124.
Look at Bob Littlefield’s page at: www.boblittlefield.com, or contact him anytime at [email protected] or 602-228-9145.
As a minimum, we have to get Guy and Bob elected to have any chance at stemming the tide toward changing Scottsdale from a low density tourist and residential community into an urban nightmare with high buildings, intense traffic, and a loss of focus on retaining our western heritage, arts community, small town feel/atmosphere, and our beautiful Sonoran Desert.
Thanks for your help and concern over what happens in Scottsdale.
Howard Myers
Scottsdale
Walled in by bald-headed men
Everywhere I go nowadays there are bald-headed men: bald millennial men, bald generation-s men, bald baby boomer men, not so much though for a bald 75+ man. Most of them want every bit of their hair to show and I can't blame them.
I walked into Home Depot the other day looking for the bald-headed man that helped me the day before. There was a group of them (bald-headed men) together and I couldn't pick out the one who had helped me. Good cover (no pun intended) gentlemen. Next time I will definitely look at your name tag. This brings me to a good idea for a bad reason: criminals should all shave their heads. Then, in a line-up it's going to be difficult to pick out the correct one. I think that a man shaving his head bald is a lot like women using botox. Vanity.
They think because their sink is filled with hair each morning, they can stop time by taking it all off. But honestly, has anyone ever sat behind a bald-headed guy in a movie theater or a meeting? Not a pretty sight. Bumps, lumps, moles, holes and patches of different colored flesh make a stomach queasy. Women, do you think your guy would want YOU to shave your head because you are losing some hair? Didn't think so.
You also have the guys who shave their heads then proceed to grow acres of gnarly hair on their chins. I've seen guys that look like the bug guards off of an 18 wheeler. Guys you can still be manly with your monk-like ring of hair. Don't make us wonder how many different bug species are in your broom beard. My Uncle Ziggy had a wonderful crescent of hair just above his ears. He was a bowling supply owner and also a champion bowler. His picture was featured quite a bit in the local papers and he always said that if he didn't have that little bit of hair on his head he would have blended in with the bowling balls behind him.
Lynda Jervinsky
Cave Creek
Chris Matthews
The east coast brotherhood is in their full court press as evident in Chris Matthew’s recent verbal brawl with Ted Cruz’s SPOX the other night.
Having grown up on the east coast where my family settled before we became a republic I can speak to the issue of east coast values.
The interview was from a volume standpoint…loud. Nothing new from the Phildelphian loudmouth or from anyone from the beacons of sophistication and cultural Meccas such as– [Manhattan, Philadelphia, Boston – DC] – doesn’t matter pick a city, the shrill sound of self-proclaimed superiority resounds like an out of tune and poorly conducted Lincoln Center symphony when you are being berated by an overpaid, over weight, overrated city simian dweller whose only way to have a conversation or argument is to talk to its victim like he or she is some kind of a snarling mongrel dog! [East Coast Value Number One].
Why even have an interview when all Chris Matthews can do is ask leading and rhetorical questions for which he really doesn’t care about the response. Again, typical east coast conversations begin with the hypothesis that no answer is acceptable unless it pays homage and agreement with the inquisitor. Why,? Because there is no information that the inquisitor is not an expert, and so, any different point of view is vacated and considered a visceral verbal attack on the inquisitor’s integrity and manhood. [East Coast Value Number 2].
When a challenge is made to contradict or provide a different perspective during the sparring or interview, if it can be called an interview – the natural reaction of this east coast broad street bully is to go into the East Coast mambo mode….increase the vocals to the high pitch east coast whine and take the …. I am going go full frontal offensive to obfuscate and defend because I can’t justify my puerile need to always be right. [East Coast Value Number 3]
When all else fails and his victim is not cowering or swayed by his use of convincing volume and glaring – he will resort to the Rogerian form of debating and cherry pick any tidbit from the interview where some kind of common ground might be found to try and seem conciliatory in order to reach, in some weird way, closure. This is also the basis of most in your face argumentative journalistic stylings that so become Chris Matthews. He creates an issue when there really isn’t one simply because any impunity at the expense of the entire population of the Mid-Atlantic states has to be dealt with harshly regardless of the intent of the comment.[East Coast Value number 4].
So…Mr. Matthews – you are an adult, punk. I grew up [Union County, NJ] with many over-bearing and loud mouth hoods like you from grade school through high school. I had my share of run-ins and I learned, the hard way, that when you push back and sometimes throw back …. two bit punks like you run away and hide behind your momma’s apron – be glad to have this conversation face to face but I already know what you would say and do about the invitation.
You need to expand your experiences – stop hiding behind your microphone and travel around this great country of ours. You would be surprised at how many smart, successful and nice people there are that don’t live on the East Coast – who genuinely understand types like you. Bullies are bullies; physically or verbally you are all the same. That is something you can’t hide even though narcissistic bores like you think you actually are doing something important while at the same time delivering whatever it is you do [not journalism] on an adult level.
Try….I mean really try to get over yourself!
G. Compton
Email
How to defeat your enemy?
One of the most basic concepts of war is not to kill your enemy outright but to injure them. By counting on the humanitarian instincts of most societies, by just injuring one soldier you occupy the resources of many of your enemy, transporting, defending and caring for that one person. Americans are being injured every day with artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, corn syrup from GMO crops, countless mercury containing vaccines, fluoridated water, tooth paste, mouth wash, and brain killing cholesterol lowering drugs. Although we are told that cancer treatments are getting "better" making the 5 year cure rate look "wonderful," the cancer rate is sky rocketing. European governments apparently care more about their people than we do and have limited or eliminated the use of many of the items mentioned above. Why?
The argument that people are living longer so naturally more people are getting cancer does not hold water when you look at the surging cancer rates in children. Sun blocking creams and lotions are recommended for us when those who use them have a higher cancer rate that those who don't. (WE NEED VITAMIN D!) Unfortunately we have let the corrupt medical and pharmaceutical complex hold a blank check with no culpability on most of the damage they do to us. Vitamins and things like hemp oil are deemed evil and those who take them are labeled as quacks. With the Military Industrial Complex working in concert with the private Federal Reserve, Goldman Sachs bleeding us dry economically with needless "wars," the FDA and USDA allowing us to be "poisoned" and our ever increasing lemming mentality the USA is doomed. Shouting "#1" repetitively does change this reality! And worse of all, with our new robot technology we are becoming more superfluous to the powers to be. Have a nice day. Sincerely,
Joseph DuPont
Towanda, Pennsylvania
I ask for your support for Royce Flora for Maricopa County Treasurer
Maricopa County Treasurer Candidate Royce Flora: I have spent the last 23 years fighting for the taxpayer, including the last several years as your Chief Deputy of the Maricopa County Treasurer’s Office. I am a Constitutional Conservative and pro taxpayer. I will work with Prop. 13 folks including Senate President Biggs to eliminate residential property taxes. The protection of property rights is a fundamental principle on which our country was founded and I believe our citizens should truly own their home and not eternally lease it from the government in the form of property taxes.
Treasurer Charles "Hos" Hoskins, a great Patriot and a highly decorated veteran, is not going to seek re-election. Hoskins is the Chairman of my campaign. I am the recipient of several national awards on innovation and cost effective measures. Reining in Out-of-Control Spending, Balancing the Budget, and Ensuring Sound Monetary Policy. Unless we take dramatic action now, young Americans and their children will inherit an unprecedented legacy of unsustainable debt, with the interest alone consuming an ever-increasing portion of the country’s wealth. Today, the American Dream is at risk. Our nation faces unprecedented uncertainty with great fiscal, economic and moral challenges. Heavy taxes, excessive regulation and an open attack on traditional values.
Like Lincoln, I intend to act "with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right." To restore accountability. To make us all proud again of the way free people govern themselves. No more “drive-by” political promises. I propose to do all I can to restore fiscal sanity, put our Constitutional duty first and honor our Oath of Office. It’s time for government to take steps to restrain its growth and it’s up to ordinary citizens to make sure it does.
• A Constitutional Conservative
• Committed to smaller and more efficient government
• Committed to lower taxes
• Coming soon … Royce’s Website: www.RoyceFloraForTreasurer.com
• Sheriff Joe Arpaio
• County Attorney Bill Montgomery
• County Assessor Paul Peterson
• County Supervisor Steve Chuccri
• County Supervisor Denny Barney
• Congressmen David Schweikert, Trent Franks
• Senators: John Kavanagh, Don Shooter, Steve Smith, Sylvia Allen, Judy Burges,
• Representatives Brenda Barton, Steve Montenegro, Darin Mitchell, Rusty Bowers, Jay Lawrence, Warren Petersen, Michelle Ugenti
• Tyler Bowyer, Chairman, Maricopa County GOP
• Tom Husband, Former Maricopa County GOP Chairman
• Lyle Tuttle, Former Maricopa County GOP Chairman
• Todd Raffner NRA Board Member • Linda Kavanagh, Mayor, Fountain Hills
• Tom Morrissey, Former State GOP Chairman
• Senator Russell Pearce, former President of the Arizona Senate
• Dave Kopp Arizona Citizens Defense League
• Tom Kouts
• Debra Shawver
• Constantin Querard
• Diane Andersen, Leisure World
• Lester Pearce, former Senator, former Presiding Justice of the Peace for Maricopa County
• Jim O'Connor, Chairman of LD23
• Landis Aden, Arizona Pistol and Rifle Association
• Gary Ong, President of the Chinese Restaurant Association (former candidate for Maricopa County Treasurer)
• A.J. LaFaro, Former Maricopa County GOP Chairman, Regional Director National Republican Assembly
• April Riggins, Executive Director of Maricopa County GOP
• Arizona Police Association (34 agencies over 14,000), Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, Highway Patrol Association, Deputies Association, Border Patrol Association
• Fire Fighters of Arizona Thank you in advance for your support! Royce Flora Candidate for Maricopa County Treasurer
Russell Pearce
Vietnam, our War Of Shame
Our elected U.S. Legislators, Congress and Senate do not seem to care about our Vietnam War Veterans who are sick from the herbicide Agent Orange Dioxin. I can say I am not proud of our government in the manner in which our veterans are treated. However we did our job and did not question our orders. We believed the Vietnam War was to free a country from communistic oppression. This is what America is about, Freedom. Freedom is not free; it is costly in lives and dollars. There is no dollar amount that can replace a life. The real cost are those who died on both sides. The dollars mean nothing. Where the dollars do come into play are to care for those who come home broken and sick and those who come home in a box.
How do we get these dollars from the American tax payers. Congress sets dollar amounts to pay for war, to pay for those who come home in a box, plus the wounded. What about those who are sick and broken? Now we have a new set of rules for those who fought the war and lived. Legislative Bills must be introduced and dollar amounts agreed on to pay for the needs of the sick and broken who came home alive. It can take years and more legislation. In the meantime these sick and broken war veterans die off one by one with no resolve from our government who sent them to war. Many get little to no health care and no compensation. A perfect example is the Vietnam War. Our War Of Shame.
I have often wondered … what if our Legislators were sent to war and had to defend themselves just like our troops on land, sailors at sea and airmen in the sky. A novel thought indeed!
John J. Bury,
U.S. Navy, retired
Vietnam War Veteran Media
Pennsylvania
In response to Dan Whitehill (an “avid” cyclist)
He says he doesn’t understand why people are opposed to bike lanes. Creating bike lanes costs money and should be very low priority. Unless you are a Colonel Bernie Sanders supporter, you would realize somebody has to pay for this nonsense. I don’t want to pay for a small handful of people who want to “enjoy” riding their bikes for a number of reasons. First, bike riders do NOT pay any vehicle tag registration fees like automobile drivers, nor are they required to carry insurance, therefore they should not be sharing ANY roads whatsoever. They should be banned completely from any roads without a bike lane such as Lone Mountain. Lone Mountain has a 3 inch median from the white line, and the amount daredevil bike riders on this road is amazing; and to see how ignorant and trusting they are with the variety of inattentive drivers playing with devices and cell phones, much less ones that are actually paying attention is interesting. Perhaps bikes should be licensed for a flat $500 a year fee per bike. Each bike should require registration and insurance, if bicyclists want to enjoy the roads that automobile drivers are (and have been) paying for. The bicycle funds then could go towards their bike playgrounds.
The current laws are ridiculous, by allowing human powered 10 pound bicycles to ride inches away from other 4000 pound vehicles. The majority of bicycle riders do not follow traffic laws and almost always blow through stop signs and stop lights. Then you have the standard pack of A hole Lance Armstrong wannabes that like to ride two and three abreast forcing cars to move over. And finally, to think bike riders blowing through Carefree and Cave Creek really bring any money into town is humorous, unless you count the number of sales of Gatorade at Circle K. In a troubled economy like we have now, this should be the very least priority of any town or municipality.
Brad Burdick
