Election 2012: Candidate profiles16 min read

Incumbent Sedona City Councilman Mark DiNunzio

Sedona City Council Election 2012

Below are interviews conducted with Sedona City Council’s candidates. Incumbent Councilman Mark DiNunzio and political newcomers John Martinez, John D. Miller and Jessica Williamson are running for one of three open seats. Incumbent Mayor Rob Adams is running opposed.

Capital projects are Mark DiNunzio’s top priority

Incumbent Sedona City Councilman Mark DiNunzio said he has “unfinished business” he would like to see completed if he’s elected in March.

DiNunzio was appointed to his council seat in 2009 following the resignation of former Vice Mayor John Bradshaw.

DiNunzio is one of five City Council candidates competing for three seats in the coming Tuesday, March 13, election.

“There’s an opportunity to get some things done, such as some significant capital improvements, such as parking in the business district, particularly on the southern end,” DiNunzio said. “At the [recent] arts forum I suggested we create a multilevel parking structure facility within the heart of the arts district and then connect our creek walk to that space and then escalate up to the main grade, so that people coming in through State Route 179 as they get to the roundabouts, they can get out of their car. Whether there’s concierge service there or visitors services there, they can do the creek walk, see art and get into the business district Uptown.

“As the economy recovers and we see an increase in visitors and tourism, we need to have amenities to accommodate them so they don’t come here and have a negative experience. This is just a furtherance of the beautiful improvements that have been made Uptown. The walkways Uptown, the sidewalks, patios and plazas are wonderful amenities. This is a continuation of that.”

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He said storm drainage is also a priority for him as a member of City Council.

“It’s important to get that done in a timely fashion,” DiNunzio said. “That’s a big thing, and then there are smaller things that can be done, that don’t require capital or a lot of money. If they’re done right, they make a significant improvement.

“In the business area I would love to see parking and signage improvements, short term, and then I’d love to see a concierge service on the street. Taking the concierge service out of the visitor center and taking it out onto the street, so that you could interact with people.”

DiNunzio and his wife, Barbara, moved to Sedona in 1993 from the Phoenix area.

“We moved for the purpose of creating and opening a bed and breakfast in West Sedona,” DiNunzio said. “For me, it was like returning to my roots from Connecticut, a small town by woods, hiking and communing with Mother Nature.”

One thing people might not know about DiNunzio is he’s a shy person naturally.

“I feel very, very grateful. I don’t need the spotlight on me,” he said.

DiNunzio said he doesn’t have a personal agenda driving him to run for public office. He doesn’t want to “sit on the sidelines” and instead chooses to be part of the solution when it comes to his role in city politics.

“I don’t know how different I am, but I don’t have a personal agenda,” he said. “I’m guided by principles, and I hope I behave and perform from that place. I’m not a person who’s involved in city government because I have an agenda to accomplish. I’m there to participate.

“I thoroughly enjoy participating with staff, being part of city government, being there for all the citizens, being responsive to their needs, doing it in a sound, principled way so you get the results they’re looking for, without it being a burden to them, and not forcing anything.”

 

Work on budget led to John Martinez’s candidacy

Sedona City Council candidate John Martinez said he chose to run for a council seat due to his time serving on the city’s Budget Oversight Commission, which he said made him more interested in city politics.

Sedona City Council candidate John Martinez“I really got a good insight into the finances. I remember the past five or 10 years we did have issues with the city’s finances. The city and the expenses were growing larger than what the finances were,” Martinez said.

Martinez is one of five City Council candidates competing for three seats in the Tuesday, March 13, election.

When he became a member of the commission, and when he found out current Councilman Dennis Rayner and Vice Mayor Cliff Hamilton were not going to run for re-election, he said he decided to put his background in finances to good use.

“I felt I could have an impact, an influence, on the city’s finances,” Martinez said, adding he wants to see Sedona retain its small-town flavor should he be elected.

Martinez has lived in Sedona since 1995. He came from Yorba Linda, Calif., near Los Angeles.

“When I moved there in 1980, the population of Yorba Linda was 20,000. When I left in 2005, it was 52,000. They were building up the sides of the hills. I said I could not stand by and let that happen here,” Martinez said. “I’m only one of seven council members, and if someone is running and thinking they can make changes right off the bat, I think they may be a little naive, but I can add some input to what I think should be happening for the future of Sedona.”

If elected, Martinez said his highest order of business would be to maintain Sedona’s financial strength by making prudent decisions regarding the use of city funds.

“No. 2 is I believe we need to re-prioritize the 15-year plan. Depending on who you talk to, we’re in either the sixth year or the ninth year of the storm drain issues,” Martinez said. “We need to re-prioritize that and, I believe, accelerate it. In the last two years we’ve had two major monsoons that have created havoc on the city.

“No. 3, I think we need to address the Uptown congestion problem. Residents are complaining, and also tourists are complaining, about when you come down State Route 89A, the congestion is pretty bad. [Sedona Police Department Police Chief] Ray Cota had some ideas, and I would really like to look at those to see what we can do.

“The fourth thing is to really improve the partnership with the business community and the hotels into making Sedona not just a day stop, but to create more long-term stays for events and that sort of thing.”

Martinez said he has a passion for the Sedona community, something he said is shared by all four City Council candidates.

“We want to see it all work together. None of us would want to see anything that would make Sedona lose its luster to the world,” Martinez said. “I may be more unique in my finance background and in working on the Budget Oversight Committee and adding my input. I believe I have had some positive input on the budget for the 2011, 2012 time frame.”

One thing people may not know about him is that Martinez has made over 600 blood donations to the American Red Cross.

“Almost 500 of them are what’s called apheresis donations. What they do is they take your blood out of one arm, they spin it through a centrifuge to extract what they need, platelets or red blood cells, those type of things, and they return the rest of it back. That process allows you to donate every two weeks. With whole blood you can only donate every 56 days. That process allows you to do it every two weeks,” Martinez said.

John D. Miller wants to give back to city

Sedona City Council candidate John D. Miller said he would like to bring his business experience and thoughtfulness to city government.

Sedona City Council candidate John D. Miller

Miller is one of five City Council candidates competing for three seats in the Tuesday, March 13, election. He’s lived in Sedona for over 24 years. Miller moved to the area when he was 30.

“I was here when we incorporated, and I have enjoyed the beauty and success that Sedona has given for all of those years. I am now in my 50s and have some time and experience in business and in the government of Sedona, as seen by the outside, to contribute back to the community,” Miller said.

With that in mind, Miller sought a seat on the Sedona-Oak Creek School District Governing Board.

“I had a wonderful experience of understanding our school district from the inside out,” he said.

Following the heated debate over continuous roadway lighting along State Route 89A, Miller said he was disappointed by the “contentious” nature of the parties involved.

“It was a catalyst for me to believe that I could contribute to the city government in bringing thoughtfulness and minimizing or eliminating the emotional, personal attacks that are made,” Miller said. “The business of government is a municipal corporation and municipal government is very simple.

“If there is a social issue it should be taken up by the community and decided by the community. I don’t think our seven City Council [members] are elected to rule over how we feel.”

Should he be elected for City Council, Miller said he hopes to see four years of “smooth-running government” during his term.

“There are a lot of things the government does that it doesn’t do in other places, and I think social issues are really at the center of my goal list, to get the heat to the street, and let people have dialogue between themselves, not through lobbying their council members as to how to solve those social issues,” Miller said. “In my first six months in office, I would like to see a festival. In my term in office, I would like to see a wastewater drainage plan that is funded and has a completion date and is on schedule.”

One thing people may not know about Miller is he loves to sail. As a boat captain, he’s traveled through the Caribbean, Mexico, Alaska and elsewhere. He’s navigated around icebergs, whales and more. Miller owns a boat, which is currently docked on Lake Powell. He also just sold a boat in Mexico.

“I was boarded by the Navy three times, mistaken for a drug runner. I figured if the Navy thought I was a drug runner, the drug runners would think I was a drug runner, and I might have to be swimming to shore one day, so I sold the boat,” Miller said.

Miller said he believes he can make a difference on City Council due to his history in the area.

“I was here in the beginning. I know why things are the way they are. They weren’t intended to end up this way necessarily, but there were decisions made 25 years ago that drew the city boundaries,” Miller said. “One of the things that is odd about Sedona is the community; half of them live here and the other half don’t, they live out in the [Village of Oak Creek], they live down Red Rock Loop Road, they live in Verde Santa Fe, they live in Cottonwood. The community of Sedona is much broader than the voting population of Sedona. I discovered that to my surprise in gathering petition signatures. A lot of people I asked couldn’t sign it because they didn’t live here.”

 

Jessica Williamson says invest in future

Candidate Jessica Williamson said she decided to run for a Sedona City Council seat out of a desire to see change in the way public policy is conducted in the city.

Sedona City Council candidate Jessica Williamson

Williamson moved to the area in 2003 with her husband and expressed her hope controversial issues would be discussed in a “civilized way.”

“As my husband and I were driving through the Mojave Desert on the way to California, I was thinking about Sedona, and I was thinking about the controversy over the takeover of State Route 89A and how ugly it had become, and I also thought about the climate of fear there is here. It’s the easiest thing in the world to make people afraid, and every single controversy seems to rely not so much through facts and discussion but appeals to people’s fears,” Williamson said.

Prior to running for a council seat, Williamson worked for over two years as the city of Sedona’s housing planner. She said she vacated her position in late 2009. Sedona City Manager Tim Ernster would not confirm or deny whether Williamson resigned or was terminated. Williamson also served on the Sedona Housing Commission.

“Anyone who has worked for any length of time has had a number of jobs and knows that some jobs just don’t work out. It’s simply not a good fit. That was my experience working for the city of Sedona,” Williamson said.

Williamson said she believes in investing in the future of Sedona.

“I think Sedona is a strong little town, and I think, as long as we protect the beauty, tourists will continue to come here. I don’t think there’s a reason to spread generalized fear. I understand specific fear, but this generalized fear is brought up all the time. I think if you invest in your city for the future, you really have a good thing,” Williamson said.

Many people, she said, feel they are not represented in the city.

“I bring a different voice. I work an hourly wage. My husband works an hourly wage in the tourist industry. It’s just a different way of looking at things and a different voice on the council,” Williamson said.

Williamson said she has many visions for the community should she be elected in March.

“I think everybody who runs for office has to have things they think they will accomplish, and they are always wonderful things. Everybody has wonderful things they want to accomplish, and I think I do, too. Realistically, I don’t think you can accomplish everything you want to accomplish. Unlike a lot of the other candidates, I don’t think Sedona is a harmonious community. I think it’s got a lot of separate segments that really don’t talk to each other and really don’t share almost any vision of reality for a vision for Sedona. I would like to kind of enunciate a vision for Sedona that’s broad enough for a lot of different groups to think, ‘This sounds like something I’d like to do or see done,’” Williamson said.

Williamson added she would like to accelerate solutions to the city’s flooding issues if elected.

“I think that’s a fundamental city obligation, and I’d really like to do that. I’d also like to make sure that neighborhoods that want sidewalks get sidewalks. When I was walking through some of the neighborhoods, I thought it was weird to walk on a narrow street and have cars come right at you. I see people walking with kids, I see old people walking — that’s a couple of things I would really like to accomplish,” Williamson said.

What is one thing about her people may not know? Williamson enjoys contemplating the “wonders of the universe” through yoga, reading and other activities.

“When I moved from New York City, I was very much left-brained, and it never really occurred to me to sort of look at things in a more holistic, less logical manner. I came to understand that we are all tied together in some very real way, that we ignore that almost always in our conscious lives. I think that’s something a lot of people don’t know about me. I don’t call myself spiritual, but I think I have a deeper connection to my place in the universe and all of our places in the universe and the interconnectedness of all of us,” Williamson said.

 

Mayor Rob Adams seeks a third term

Incumbent Sedona Mayor Rob AdamsSedona Mayor Rob Adams stepped into the role of mayor in 2008, at a time when the economy took a strong turn for the worse.

Adams has since gone on to a second term and is currently running unopposed for his third term in office. Following the Tuesday, March 13, election, Adams will be the first Sedona mayor to serve three terms and is already one of only a handful of mayors to serve two terms.

“Our focus has been to manage the budget, and I think we’ve done a terrific job with that,” Adams said.

He said the city focused for the last two years on creating transparent, accountable city government that engages the community.

“I think we’ve done that, too,” Adams said. “I really wasn’t going to run for a third term, but then I got to thinking it would be an opportunity to do something really wonderful for the community. We don’t have to focus on the budget — that’s not to say it’s not still the top priority — but we have a city that’s in terrific shape financially, and we have a city that is operating efficiently with transparency and accountability in the community.

“Now I would like to see a city that is focused on doing something special for its citizens. The reason I am staying on is because I would like to lead an effort to pick a community enhancement project — whether it’s a creek front park, it might be working toward a heart of Sedona, it might be working toward creating an outdoor event venue — and start moving toward making that happen.” He said he wants to raise the bar when it comes to Sedona’s designation as a destination location for visitors.

“The timing is good for that. We’ve been doing the community update now for years. We did the parks master plan and that’s moving along, so we have some community enhancement projects out there that have consistently risen to the top in those discussions. I think we have pretty clear direction from the community on what we would like to do, so let’s make it happen,” Adams said.

Adams said accomplishing or at least creating momentum on a community enhancement project is one of his top priorities for a third term.

Adams is a self-proclaimed thrill-seeker. He skydives, pilots airplanes, rides motorcycles and enjoys scuba diving, among other hobbies.

“I love doing the kind of stuff with an edge to it,” Adams said.

Adams is the first mayor who has worked full-time in the position.

“I decided that I wanted to raise the bar in service as the mayor. Another thing is I have been adamant in taking the leadership of leading in the middle. I don’t align myself with anybody or any group or organization. I try to take the middle, which is kind of a lonely place to be. You don’t have your group of constituents always patting you on the back and telling you what a great job you’re doing and supporting you. Oftentimes I have one side of an issue or another, or both sides, that are upset with me because I’m not taking their side,” Adams said.

The deadline to return or drop off mail-in ballots is 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 13.

His positions, he said, are taken on the basis of what he believes is best for the community.

“I think that’s what really set me apart, and I think the community really supports and respects that,” Adams said.

The deadline to return or drop off mail-in ballots is 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 13.

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