Sedona City Council election 2026: Lita Loesch Boyd profile and essay7 min read

June 23, 2026

Touting her business experience in the Sedona area, Lita Loesch Boyd is one of five candidates running for three open seats on the Sedona City Council.

Candidate Profile

Sedona City Council candidate Lita Loesch Boyd
Time in Sedona: Purchased property in 2001; moved to the Cottonwood area in 2003, commuting to Sedona for 10 years. She left in 2013 but moved back in 2021.
Professional/personal background: Lita Loesch Boyd spent 35 years in interior design and home furnishing. She is a founding member of the Verde Valley Regional Economic Organization and Verde Valley Wine Consortium.

Questions

What is your vision for the Western Gateway / Sedona Cultural Park?

My vision for the Sedona Cultural Park is one that supports our arts, music and preserves the natural terrain and beauty that makes Sedona special. I want the Sedona Cultural Park to be a destination for these activities.
SIFF [The Sedona International Film Festival] is going to be a wonderful anchor for that vision. From there we can create open spaces dedicated to host music, art, wine, festivals, yoga, mountain bike festivals and the like. I would like to see a farmers market relocate to the Cultural Park.
I believe we should build an art museum in the Cultural Park, featuring local Native American art, Western and cowboy art, local artists and traveling art shows. This would be a perfect location for horticultural gardens and a sculpture garden. We already have connected hiking trails and these need to be preserved as part of our overall vision. I want our residents to see this as a place for us to enjoy, as well as our guests who come to visit the beautiful red rocks.

Do you support or oppose the restoration of the Georgia Frontiere Performing Arts Pavilion?

I had the pleasure of attending three concerts at the amphitheater when it was operating and the experiences were magical. Having been blessed to attend those performances, I believe the amphitheater should be revitalized with intent to make it a profit-producing enterprise. We should solicit requests for proposal from companies that have experience and success running these types of venues. The music industry has changed since 2003 and live performances are now the economic driver for performing artists. I support the city engaging with industry professionals to understand the details needed to make the amphitheater a commercial success. We have an asset and destroying it before knowing the potential of such a revitalization would be short-sighted and fiscally wasteful. Once deemed profitable to the city, this will enhance our tourism and business communities during the slow times of the year. And as a businesswoman, I care deeply about our local businesses and workforce.

Do you support crossings over Oak Creek outside city limits? What other alternative routes do you support and how would you pursue them?

I will propose to the City Council a bridge spanning Oak Creek near Chavez [Crossing] and extending into a newly bored tunnel under the airport to connect state routes 179 and 89A. Traffic in a tunnel is invisible and quiet, yielding the minimum impact on our premier asset, the spectacular red rocks.

How will updates to the city of Sedona’s Land Development Code address affordability, residential and commercial development while still balancing what makes Sedona unique?

The current Land Development Code acts as an expensive barrier, adding roughly $100,000 to residential construction costs.
My plan is to streamline the permitting process and incentivize “missing middle” housing — such as townhomes and residential units above commercial spaces — that naturally fit our existing footprint. Secondly, by simplifying regulations to align with modern Firewise standards, we can reduce costs and increase safety. We don’t have to choose between our unique character and housing affordability; we can achieve both through thoughtful, responsible design that respects our landscape rather than overwhelming it.

What plans do you have to alleviate traffic congestion?

In November 2015 the NEWS published a comprehensive map [“A Comprehensive List of Potential Improvements to Fix Sedona Traffic”] featuring over a dozen possible alternative routes that have great potential to reduce traffic congestion. Ten years later, we need to revisit these options and more. Alternate routes would also improve our ability to evacuate our residents safely if a wildfire disaster were to occur. These suggestions were mothballed because they required politically challenging, multi-agency work. I will provide the leadership to bring all stakeholders to the table and execute multi-agency solutions.

Essay

Sedona is more than a world-class destination of red rocks and stunning vistas. It is our home. Today, our city stands at a critical crossroads. For too long, our city government has felt transactional, treating our historic neighborhoods like line items and the taxpayers who live here like an afterthought. I am running for Sedona City Council because it is time to move away from a city that feels transient and return to the unique, small-town heart that brought us all here. I am running to put Sedona residents and businesses first.
True leadership is about turning vision into reality through relentless optimism and servant leadership. As a former business owner, past President of Sedona Professionals and a founder of regional economic drivers like the Verde Valley Regional Economic Organization and the Verde Valley Wine Consortium, I have spent decades building solutions from the ground up. I know how to manage budgets, bring diverse groups together and deliver results.
My platform is built on direct accountability to you.
First, we must establish total fiscal stewardship over your hard-earned tax dollars. I am drawing a line in the sand: No new long-term debt for massive municipal projects without the clear consent and vote of the residents. City Hall must stop acting like a speculative land developer. Every single dollar spent must answer three simple questions: Does it directly improve the lives of our residents? Is it working? Can it be better?
Second, we must tackle the crushing traffic gridlock that strangles our quality of life and threatens emergency response times. For a decade, viable traffic solutions have gathered dust on shelves while agencies fail to coordinate. I will bridge the gap between jurisdictions to finally execute real infrastructure fixes.
Third, our community safety cannot wait for flames to appear. I will champion city funding for high-tech, AI-enabled wildfire monitoring for early detection and I will immediately work to update outdated city codes so our landscaping laws align with FireWise safety standards instead of creating hidden fire hazards.
Finally, we must protect Sedona’s soul from over-development. I am fiercely committed to preserving the Sedona Cultural Park as a public treasure — a world-class arts, music and festival hub. The new home of the Sedona International Film Festival will be the anchor and we can review the amphitheater and work to make this a successful, world-class music venue. Once we pave over our history with high-density asphalt, we can never get it back. Let us choose the arts over the asphalt and focus on diverse housing choices where infrastructure actually supports it.
I will be your bridge to City Hall: Proactive, transparent and completely dedicated to putting quality of life at the top of every single agenda. We can protect the beating residential heart of our community, but I cannot do it without you. I respectfully ask for your vote in the upcoming primary election. Let’s make Sedona the city where all residents and businesses can be proud to call it the home they love.