FAMILY TIES TACTICS?
2012 DECEMBER 11 -- The replacement of Robert
Kelly with Carol Kelly is being decried as 'more
corruption in Quartzsite' and 'a family tradition of
corruption.' READ QTOWN ARTICLE
Mrs. Robert [Carol] Kelly is set to replace Robert
since his death 9 days before her appointment. Carol
Kelly was the past administrator of the Quartzsite
Senior Center where questions surrounded her
departure there.
"I can't believe they think this will work out for
them," stated one onlooker -- vocal but concerned
for their business if they spoke publicly .
"Quartzsite has to get past the hiding of facts and
figures, firing everyone that believes in standing
up for the truth."
Quartzsite officials have faced a deluge of
community concern since the placing of three more
town employees on administrative leave pending
dismissal.
"These are people that were trained and employed by
the town for a long time. We paid for that training.
They are competent and trustworthy. Why are they
allowed to fire them?
With a lawsuit pending against the town for firing
the Quartzsite 10 -- eight of which still stand --
and a realistic expectation that those suits will
settle for close to $1 million each as wrongful
terminations -- and three more suits on behalf of
Michael Roth, Jennifer Jones and Michael Roth that
are also expected to settle for large sums close of
between $350,000.00 and $450,000.00 each, it is easy
to see that the town will finally face the status of
being 'uninsurable.' See: MAYWOOD
UNINSURABLE
What Powers Remain for Mayor?
COUNCIL TO RESCIND
REMAINDER OF MAYOR'S POWERS
Whatever rights or privileges may once have
belonged to Foster are slated to be removed Tuesday.
The town's agenda addresses some of the specifics of
the council's
intended actions -- and specifically
targets Foster's right to freedom of speech.
AGENDA
READ MORE
PARKER ONLINE
COMMENTS
Political Battleground Part 8
20 JUNE 2011 ANGER ON DISPLAY IN
PUBLIC MEETING
WATCHING
THE POWER
STRUCTURE CRUMBLING IN
QUARTZSITE
In Quartzsite, it's
obvious there's a problem. The 'goings-on' at
Town Hall are landing on the front pages of
newspapers in surrounding communities. What
controllers hope will occur, though, is
that onlookers will believe it's an old
battle between warring political factions and
NOT a true demand for reform driven by sheer
necessity.
Blythe, too, have found
themselves facing very similar circumstances as
the citizenry watches helplessly while the hired
minions -- coming from where and hired by whom?
-- battle citizens for areas of control that
should have never been 'up for grabs.'
"Running the town is one thing -- running the
town into the ground is something else
altogether," stated Donna a 60ish resident of
Blythe -- who asked not to be identified for
fear of retribution. Sound familiar?
Quartzsite's citizens have long complained that
they are hounded and harassed for even
being involved in political issues -- let alone
becoming very outspoken about the actions and
activities of the town council or those they
describe as their 'cronies.'
Why the
vitriol? Why do so many people in the county
with the most senior citizens seem so
discontented by the political issues dogging the
town? Why can't officials seem to function
without angering their constituents?
Until the policemen of Quartzsite stood to
defend themselves and Quartzsite's citizens from
illegal police activity, it appeared that there
would be no way to stop what was happening to
Quare, " stated Ed Foster, Mayor.
Political Battleground
Part 5
15
SEPTEMBER 2010 ANGER ON DISPLAY IN MEETING
DISPLAYS OF ANGER,
OUTRAGE AT
QUARTZSITE COUNCIL
MEETING
In what many legal experts have
deemed an 'expensive and futile effort' to control
[or contain] Quartzsite's Town Mayor Ed Foster, council
members went forward with an embarrassing display
[for both factions -- though the attempt was
clearly to humiliate Foster] that drew criticism from audience members and
culminated only in convincing onlookers that this
council and this Mayor will likely never work
effectively together.
Council members have
openly refused to accept Foster as their elected
Mayor and -- in Tuesday's meeting -- attempted to
replace Foster by appointing [already appointed as Vice Mayor]
Barbara Cowell to officiate over meetings, despite
the fact that Foster was elected to operate as Mayor
by a majority vote of the people -- something the
rest of the councilmen have not accomplished
themselves. Cowell is one of the councilmen
currently under recall over actions taken against
Foster.
Foster was elected amidst criticism
over the appointment of various 'Mayors' in spite of
laws that indicate Quartzsite residents will be able
to elect a Mayor. Now, with Foster's criticism of
the operation of the town, officials have sought to
disempower him rather than to address the questions
he has brought forward.
Foster's critics
insist that he has intentionally damaged the town
with accusations of impropriety where, they say,
none exists.
Foster, on the other hand, has
repeatedly indicated that if the town's officials
have nothing to hide, they should present the
documents he has requested [both under FOIA and as
the town's Mayor] instead of withholding these
documents from him.
To date, the town has
not released the documents Foster has requested. nor
have they properly responded to the letter from the
Ombudsmen's office, formally requesting that the
town's officials comply with Foster's requests.
The accusations against Foster were many and varied. Councilman Joe Winslow [also
under recall over issues concerning the
disempowerment of Mayor Foster] pointed out that
Foster has misrepresented the financial condition of
the town.
Both 'Mayor Pro Tem' [appointed]
Walter Akin and exiting councilman Hal Davidson had
publicly stated stated that Quartzsite was 'broke
broke broke' as they resigned their positions.
Once
Foster made essentially the same statement, he was
soundly criticized and accused by councilmen of misrepresentation.
Foster, an engineer, has been in charge of
budgets and is familiar with the protocol. His
intention, he stated, was to properly review
the budget and obtain a proper picture of the town's
financial condition.
As soon as Foster began
to work on obtaining the documentation,
however, he was blocked. "The withdrew from me the
right to review anything or ask for any records
without the council specifically allowing me to see
any records."
"This is similar," Foster
stated, "to what happened in Bell, California.
No one was allowed to see anything if they weren't a
part of the group that was running things.
Unfortunately for Bell, they were running the
community broke. Later, it became apparent what they
were hiding."
"In May, the General Fund
Revenue was at 66% of budgeted revenue for the year.
Using these figures, each independently concluded
there there would be a $ 400,000 to $
800,000.00 deficit if projected expenses were paid
as delineated.
"This was hardly a surprise:
in fact, the town's officials had repeatedly
indicated to residents that the reason for
exorbitant raises in the town's water and sewer
rates was necessary because of the deficit issues,"
he stated.
"Six weeks later, however,
the town showed a surplus in the budget, with no
explanation as to how this has occurred."
As
an elected official, Foster initially had the right
to review -- with the Town's accounting firm -- the
records.
Foster has repeatedly
complained that the passing of various budgets and
budget items have been done without proper
oversight. He has pointed out discrepancies that he
has indicated should be addressed. To illustrate his
point, The council,
however, has ignored Foster's attempts and continued
with the passage of these questioned agenda items by
overruling him in council sessions.
At
Tuesday's council meeting, the animosity was evident
to all.
The Town Council proceeded to hold
the meeting and 'sanction' Foster even though they
knew it holds no legal bearing and cannot be further
used against the Mayor.
The proceeding
itself was effectively illegal and could result in
legal ramifications for each councilperson, things
Foster initially pointed out immediately before Jose
Lizarraga motioned that the session should proceed
in spite of Foster's remarks.
At one point, Foster
was told [also by Lizarraga] to surrender control of
the meeting [as per the sanctions] to Barbara
Cowell, a demand he flatly refused to obey.
The sanctions, Foster contends, are not enforceable.
"I was elected to do my job; They can do no more
than theirs. They are attempting to vote themselves
additional powers while in office. The powers of
Common Council Government are defined by the State
of Arizona."
Police Chief Jeff Gilbert soundly criticized
Foster for a variety of offenses and indicated
he, Gilbert, was actually the driving force
behind the 'Ad Hoc' committee. He further
indicated he had attempted to get the DPS to
investigate Foster but that they had not indicated
an investigation would be forthcoming. He stated
that he would take his complaint to the Attorney
General's office.
Foster indicated, again,
that he has gained a great deal from attending
League of Cities and Town training sessions, one of
the reasons, he stated, for the questions he has
asked of town officials. He reported that Town
Manager Alex Taft has declined efforts by the League
of Cities and Towns to be properly trained. Foster
indicated that all Quartzsite officials could
benefit from them.
Both Foster and the town's
officials have sent copies of their complaints
against each other to the League of Cities and
town's Director. The League offers mediation services for situations
in which two factions are so divided they cannot effectively work
together.
Foster pointed out at the
beginning of the meeting that the self-proclaimed
'Ad Hoc' committee lacked the legal power to
sanction an elected member of the council, and
that the meeting lacked the proper, recorded
documentation to proceed.
He then asked Town
Attorney Pamela Walsma to sign a document indicating
she had approved the proceeding as proper. Walsma
refused to sign. Foster pointed out that knowingly
proceeding without the written approval of the
attorney would cause the council's subsequent
actions to fall outside the protected activities of
the 'Executive Protection Clause," and cause them to
be liable, individually for their actions under the
law. The council voted, unanimously, to proceed --
bringing a litany of accusations against Foster,
none of which have been proven in any court of law.
Foster has repeatedly indicated that he would be
more than willing to involve and abide by proper
rulings and oversight from the League of Cities and
Towns officials.
If the town's officials
would agree, also, to be willing to allow mediation
in this instance, the battles could well be a thing
of the past.
A solution may, in fact, be
mandatory. As councilman Jose Lizzaraga pointed out,
"We were told by our insurance that if we did not do
something, we could be held liable."
QUARTZSITE, ARIZONA 06
JULY 2010 -- The election
of Quartzsite's Mayor, Ed Foster, has been seen as
an open challenge by the citizens to the existing
council.
And while Quartzsite's citizens have long complained
of a variety of offenses on the part of town
officials, they had no open venue in which to
complain: until now.
Thus it was hardly a surprise when Quartzsite's
council moved to restrict Foster's Mayoral powers,
turning the Town Hall's gallery into a forum for
airing grievances long unvoiced, while the
councilmen voted essentially in unison -- with the
single exception of Robert Kelley -- in their
efforts to establish an unprecedented level of
control over the town's new Mayor -- with dire
political consequences. Lizarraga abstained
citing conflicting interests.
Clearly, Foster's supporters have won each time
they've stood in opposition to the council's
activities.
Citizen's Coalition facilitator Dean Taylor and
ex-councilman Hal Davidson challenged the councilmen
even before they voted to undermine Foster's elected
position -- to no avail.
It is unclear whether the councilmen realized voters
could prevent their restrictive actions against
Foster from even taking effect -- because even
as one citizen after another stood at the podium to
plead with councilmen against restricting Foster's
authority, four of them [Winslow, Lukkasson,
Anderson and Cowell] -- without discussion -- voted
to:
1. Prevent Foster from exercising emergency
powers in the event of an emergency;
2. Alter the Town Code to remove emergency
powers from the Town Mayor;
3. Alter the Town Policy Manual to remove
emergency powers from the Town Mayor;
4. Remove Karen Norris, Town Clerk, from the
authority of the Mayor and place her,
instead, under Town Manager Alex Taft;
5. Prevent Foster from prevented from asking
for any reports without the approval of a
majority of the councilmen in advance.
All of these measures have effectively been blocked
by the pending referendum and none can take effect
or be utilized until put to a vote.
In most situations, the council will choose to
rescind the directives to avoid the ramifications of
allowing them to come to a vote, resulting in having
them become law and remain permanently on the books
-- which will happen unless the council removes them
prior to the vote.
Clearly, Foster's supporters represent
stronger numbers than the council had realized --
with organized efforts drawing ever greater numbers
into their corner.
Citizens have openly indicated they would like to
see an end to the council's efforts to undermine the
newly elected Mayor.
Political Battleground
Part 4
QUARTZSITE, ARIZONA 22 JUNE 2010 -- The election
of Foster marks the first Mayor elected to the
office by the citizenry since the May 2008 election
of Quartzsite businessman Steve Bennett.
And
exactly as Foster has been attacked, so, too, was
Bennett -- suffering the same level of accusations,
public harassment and restriction of powers
that Foster is now experiencing.
When Bennett
was Mayor, it was Councilman Wesley Huntley that
publicly demanded his resignation, and so determined
were the efforts to humiliate Bennett, that the
story of his resignation was turned in to the
Arizona Republic even though the story did not merit
coverage in Maricopa County.
Bennett, too,
found Clerk Karen Norris removed from his
supervision -- yet when Acting Mayors Busby, Akin
and Huntley [who subsequently assumed the position
of Mayor,] Ms. Norris
remained in her post, with her duties unaltered.
Only when Foster was elected did the council
move to place Norris under the direct supervision of
Town Manager Alex Taft, resurrecting the order
initiated to withhold certain Mayoral powers from
Bennett.
Foster has also been prevented from
obtaining his badge, his office and desk, his keys
-- all rightfully his.
Political Battleground Part 3
QUARTZSITE, ARIZONA 30 MAY 2010 --
As
often as Quartzsite citizens have indicated they
would much prefer Quartzsite's council put aside
their differences and attempt to work together for
the good of the community, a packed house of angry
constituents openly indicated they believed it may
never happen -- particularly after Tuesday's
session.
An angry crowd confronted the newly
elected council when it became apparent that they
were not going to back down from their already set
decision -- to disempower Foster even before
allowing him to take his seat as Mayor -- and
citizens after citizen stood to openly condemn
Acting Mayor Huntley's staunch refusal to relinquish
his chair to Foster.
Citizens have also been
extremely vocal concerning their frustration,
circulating Recall petitions against those that
participated in the ill-advised actions against
Foster, and the entire incident has been seen as a
catalyst toward dividing the community even further.
"There's no reason for these meetings to descend
into absolute chaos," stated local activist Dean
Taylor. "We elected a Mayor that we knew didn't have
ulterior motives by which he would decide who spoke
and who didn't, who was treated with respect and who
wasn't.
"We want to get this town on the
road to recovery. It's flat broke with money running
everywhere and they're blocking a forensic audit to
find out what's happened to all those
unaccounted-for funds. It has garnered a terrible
reputation on the state level, and it's embattled.
People try to find out what's happening only to be
stonewalled and then publicly slandered and
ridiculed.
"Businesspeople are losing a
fortune and while the economy is tanking, it's even
worse in Quartzsite. They have chased off many, many
investors and hounded to the point of ridiculousness
those that were left.
"They've taken every
nickel they can wring from the townspeople and still
they won't stop. And all this while they spend huge
amounts of money with no discussion or
accountability whatsoever, hire people we don't
need, hand out raises and bonus checks and move
money around [and use funds] from sources that have
been improperly -- read that illegally -- utilized.
"We believed the election of Foster was going to
be a turning point. Here we had specifically
elected a Mayor to run the meetings that could do so
competently and with a measure of professionalism we
haven't seen in Quartzsite for some time!" Taylor
continued.
"And there sat Huntley, refusing
to relinquish his seat to the new Mayor, insisting
instead on running the meeting himself, still
yelling 'Sit down and shut up' from the bench while
banging the gavel and ordering the police to throw
people out of the meeting. And they wonder why we
have no respect for them? It was chaos -- utter
chaos."
"One concern that I believe
needs to be considered is the true intent behind
this withdrawal of Mayoral powers from Foster," he
said.
"Are they anticipating Foster declaring
an emergency and calling in outside officials when
he determines how this town has been run and by
whom?
Foster, a one time Director of the
Citizen's Coalition was widely known as the
'popular candidate' during his campaign, with
supporters dubbing him 'the People's Mayor,'
since he was selected specifically by and for the
people whose voices were consistently silenced at
Town Hall meetings.
An Illinois native and a
Marine, Foster became an engineer and traveled the
world exten-sively while working in that field. He
is now the editor and publisher of 'The
MINESHAFT," a widely read local publication.
The level of expertise he brings to the table is
far beyond that required for holding a political
position in a small town.
To question
Foster's motives or abilities without a
comprehensive review of the incident that Taft has
indicated prompted her to sponsor the actions
against Foster is premature and patently illegal.
"If the council wanted to take proper and
equitable action," stated one attorney, "they would
conduct an investigation -- a comprehensive
investigation -- of the entire incident by an
independent third party to determine why proper
protocol as set forth by governmental mandates in
2002 have not been implemented nor applied."
"To do less is for the council to take a
position
-- a side, if you will -- without
meeting the proper criteria for having done so."
"And even then, these measures do not preclude
Foster's rights and duties under his official title
of Mayor: "The power to declare an emergency has
traditionally resided in the Chief Executive Officer
of a political subdivision whether that be the
President, the Governor or the Mayor."
Further, the rules and regulations for emergency
protocols and procedures are set by State Statute
and the Town Council lacks the authority to alter
Arizona State Law.
Those present have not
only questioned the council's efforts to 'reign in'
Foster in spite of public outcry, they also question
the ramifications of yet another dilemma created by
the move: If these changes were allowed to be
implemented It would now require a consensus of a
committee before the declaration of a public
emergency could take place.
This entire issue
stemmed from an incident during which there was not
even one -- elected or otherwise -- official
available for comment whom the public or press could
utilize when a question was raised as required under
the
Emergency Response Act of 2002 [according to
which Quartzsite is still not compliant 8 years
after its implementation.]
EXCERPT FROM PAGE
14 of the EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS ACT:
Effective public and media communications is a key
element of your Emergency Response Plan [or ERP].
You should designate in advance who the spokesperson
will be during a major event. The spokesperson
should be someone who is knowledgeable and credible,
has good communication skills, and, if possible, is
not a key person needed for implementing ERP
response actions during the major event.
In
communicating with the media, the lead spokesperson
may be someone external to the CWS if another
organization has taken over the role of lead agency
or Incident Commander (e.g., a representative from
the health depart-ment or the State Drinking Water
Primacy Agency). You should consider having both
field and office staff respectfully defer questions
to the designated spokesperson.
You can plan now for
public and media notifi-cation needs by
developing a communication plan or strategy for the
spokesperson to follow. The communication plan or
strategy should be a set of general guidelines for
the spokesperson to follow in order to craft clear
and concise messages for the public and to also deal
with the media. The communication plan or strategy
should be targeted to reach several audiences, such
as your customers (both residential and business),
local health professionals, and
others.
You can draft press releases
and public water re-riction notices in advance. The
key to remember
is that your message
should be clear, accurate, and easily understood by
your audience.
[This is the end of the excerpt. Please click
the link above to learn more.]
Quartzsite
officials have historically refused to communicate
with their constituents openly, with no emergency
protocol answering service to call when contact with
an official is required.
All of the numbers
on the Town Hall site are for the Town Hall office
only. There are no 'after hour' numbers available.
Should the citizens of an entire town now have
to wait for a meeting to take place before an
emergency can be declared? How much would this slow
a response?
Public emergencies have
historically consisted of everything from toxic
fumes to bomb threats. How long of a response time
would be too long to wait when public safety is at
stake?
Adding to the frustration of the
citizenry were concerns that several councilmen had
obviously made a 'decision' before the meeting --
and that they had apparently agreed to 'stand
together' against whatever opposition might come.
While the Sunshine Law clearly prohibits such
activity, it's been a mainstay of Quartzsite
politics in spite of ongoing efforts to educate
councilmen concerning the consequences of ignoring
this law.
"Who is making these ridiculous
decisions?" Taylor asked at a separate meeting, "It
just never seems to improve -- you have to wonder
about whose advice they're taking -- and why!"
Several times, facing strong criticism and
opposition from virtually all factions for refusing
to relinquish his seat to the newly elected Mayor,
exiting 'acting Mayor' Wes Huntley proclaimed, "I
have to do it. This wasn't my choice, fella, this
wasn't my choice."
Huntley's statements seem
to beg the question:
"Whose choice, then, was
it?"
Quartzsite's status on two toxic plumes were
reviewed in a public meeting
presentation by Michael Beasley of the Arizona
Department of Environmental quality.
Beasley
explained that the Tyson Wells plume, caused by
unknown factors, appears to be completely under
control and is no longer considered to be a threat
to the community.
At a cost of $2.1 million, the
project [ a 30-year issue] is slated to continue
some years into the future. All wells contaminated
by the site have transitioned to the town's water
supply, mandated by officials immediately
following the discovery of the contamination.
The Ted's Truck Stop site, the cleanup of which is
still underway, is also considered to be contained
and controlled.
While the truck stop site
has been the subject of many rumors, it is,
officially, available for purchase, without the cost
of the cleanup attached. Those costs are being borne
by the State of Arizona, under a program
administered by ADEQ.
Quartzsite's
Council asked to support
town's food bank with mixed results,
Police Chief reports on QPD
activities, telephonic presences at meetings still
challenged
The lack of a physical presence of
Vice Mayor Caroline Guthrie was again challenged by
Hal Davidson at Tuesday's meeting, with the council
voting again to excuse her absences and allow her to
retain the position of Vice Mayor until an election
is held next year.
Guthrie was again present
via telephone and consideration was given to whether
or not Guthrie's permission to appear telephonically
for a period exceeding thirty days should be
rescinded.
Bill Moore reiterated that
according to the law that as long as she is
participating by telephone and can hear and answer
she is not technically absent. A vote was taken
allowing Vice Mayor Guthrie to continue via
telephone.
A question was raised concerning
whether or not the the council could be mandated to
donate $50.00 a month to help defray the utility
costs of running the Quartzsite Food Bank.
The electricity bill at the Food Bank is over
$500.00 monthly and, although the Food Bank has done
a great job at covering the expenses of providing
food for the needy, they have fallen short on paying
for the required utilities.
It was clarified
by the town's attorney that the members could not be
mandated to donate but could make arrangements to
have the $50.00 deducted directly from their monthly
amount.
Hal Davidson asked if the donation
could come from the amount that the council had
previously voted on to reduce their monthly council
earnings. This will be investigated further.
A short discussion took place regarding the possible
action to appoint a new Vice Mayor. It was decided
that this should and would wait for the next
election.
The council considered appointing
another council member to fill the vacant council
position.
Councilman Lazarraga stated that
the town code indicates that while they can appoint
it does not stipulate when.
Councilman Moore indicated he thought it best that
the public decide with their vote in the next
general election, while Councilman Hal Davidson
stated he would prefer not to wait.
Lazarraga indicated his preference to postpone the
decision.
Further, the motion to appoint a
new member to the vacant seat failed in this
session, with Councilman Kelly stating that with
only two or so council meetings left before the
election, both vacant seats at that time should be
decided by the public. He indicated he did not feel
comfortable with the council members making that
decision.
Amidst demands for the reduction
of Quartzsite's police force, reports on police
activity have been requested to be provided on a
regular basis.
In his first public report,
Police Chief Jeff Gilbert reported to meeting
attendees that over the past weeks there was a
combined total of 168 civil and criminal
citations. According to Gilbert, 28 individuals
were were arrested and, of those, seven were for
drug related offenses, four for driving under the
influence.
The drug arrest consisted of a
group of eight individuals all interacting with
several area police departments including Parker and
Quartzsite. Gilbert indicated that many individuals
had invested many hours in investigations to build a
case in this instance, hoping to make it clear that
drug dealers are not welcome and will not be
tolerated in La Paz county.
Gilbert also
indicated that the death of Laura Vittori is still
considered to be an ongoing investigation. He stated
that there was no safety concern for Quartzsite
citizens since there are no obvious signs that
Vittori's death was, indeed, a homicide. Gilbert
further stated that as more information becomes
available in the case, he will provide that
information to the public via press release.
Reports and Announcements:
Anita Carlson made a passionate speech thanking
all those who provided assistance with making the
Flag Retirement Ceremony held on June 14th 2009 a
success. "Without their help this would not have
been possible," Carlson stated, offering awards of
Awards of thanks to Alex Taft, Police Chief Jeff
Gilbert, several additional police officers and
members of the Quartzsite Fire Dept with and plaques
and other mementos.
Alex Taft reported on
the best practices of the meter readers, indicating
that price comparisons show manual readings to be
the most efficient way to serve Quartzsite. Taft
further indicated that these readings can find
problems whereas a computerized system cannot.
Representatives met from Yuma and Phoenix in
Quartzsite to gather information on the sale of the
BLM land sale. BLM has voiced concern that there
will not be enough input by the public. If anyone is
interested in the purchase of this land they should
contact the Quartzsite Town Hall.
Deena
Blythe announced that she will be providing Low
Income Toenail Trimming on July, 6th August, 3rd
September, 7th and October, 5th 2009.
Blythe
is State Board certified, and this service will be
offered on a limited basis through the Quartzsite
Senior Center. With limited appointments available,
three forms of I.D. are required. For additional
information, contact Carol Kelly at the Senior
Center at 928-927-6496.
Public Comments:
Mike Roth
spoke to the council about what he thinks is a low
attendance at the council meetings and indicated
more should be done to get more people to
participate. He also mentioned that since La Paz
County is in financial difficulty, spending should
be curtailed to help the budget.
The meeting
was adjourned at 7:46pm
You can contact this
reporter using the following information:
J Mills
Po Box 2002
Quartzsite, AZ 85346
Michael Beasley
Quartzsite's interim Mayor
Walter Akin stepped down citing medical reasons.
A special meeting -- held at 1
P.M. Tuesday and scheduled to fill the position of
Mayor -- ultimately provided a forum for a myriad of
complaints as the meeting deteriorated
into virtual mayhem...

Vice Mayor Caroline Guthrie,
currently under recall, criticizes Recall Petition
Circulator Ed Foster during Tuesday's meeting.
Guthrie also criticized her fellow councilmen in the
open session, with disastrous results.
Roth and Field
first clashed when Roth
encountered problems dealing with Field's code
enforcement issues, prompting
Roth to become involved in the political structure
of Quartzsite.
When a candidacy for the La Paz Board of Supervisors
proved unsuccessful, Roth used connections gained
during the race to continue sharing his concerns
with others and ultimately organized a successful
recall effort that has brought two of Quartzsite's
councilmen, Caroline Guthrie and William Moore,
under recall.
Three other sitting councilmen narrowly missed being
recalled themselves -- although not for a lack of
signatures. Instead, those petitions were dismissed
for various technical issues -- Wesley Huntley, for
an error in the date; Walter Akin's for addressing
him as Mayor instead of Councilman. [Akin had
assumed the Mayoral seat despite strong opposition
but resigned for reasons yet unclear to leave the
area almost immediately after it was finally
obtained.]
Hal Davidson's petition was also dismissed on a
technicality, although it was unclear at this
writing precisely why it was not accepted at the
county level.
In Letters to the Editors of the PARKER PIONEER, the
DESERT MESSENGER and QUARTZSITENEWS.COM, Roth
cited those reasons
he believed Field should not become the La Paz
County Administrator, and challenged the decision.
Today, he took those concerns to an higher
authority, reading a letter he had prepared for the
Supervisors to hear at the 'Call to the Public'
portion of the meeting.
In it, he again challenged the decision to hire
Field, and questioned the methods utilized to do so.
Roth further challenged the timing of Field's
appointment to the position, citing the recent $9.3
million dollar judgment against the county and the
myriad of financial problems now facing the county.
When Field challenged Roth in return, saying he
could not afford to pay his [Quartzsite] fines, Roth
countered by mentioning Field's bankruptcy.
Both Roth and Edward Foster have created a firestorm
of controversy among Quartzsite's council, several
of whom have complained bitterly that the election
-- now necessary because of recall efforts -- will
cost the town $12,000.00. However that figure has
been widely disputed and no further clarification
has been offered to substantiate exactly how
councilmen arrived at the $12,000.00 price tag.
In fact, recent calculations from similarly sized
municipalities have indicated it will cost
significantly less.
Whatever the cost, citizens in Quartzsite seem
determined to proceed. Of the six currently sitting
councilmen, four now hold positions they were not
elected to fill and the situation has voters
frustrated.
In spite of the council's complaints, Roth and
Foster do not seem to be alone in their quest for
change as supporters have had little trouble
garnering the number of signatures necessary to
press forward with the recall.
A transcript of Monday's County Board of Supervisors
meeting will be available here as soon as it is
provided by the county officials.

The Town's council
Tuesday afternoon was divided on efforts to swiftly
replace exiting Mayor Walter Akin. Akin's hasty exit
from the position of Mayor in Quartzsite stood in
sharp contrast to his efforts to secure the office
just a few months ago, despite strong opposition
from the Citizen's Coalition to Akin's assumption of
the post following the death of Charles Busby --
also not elected to the post.
The position was last held by a duly elected Mayor
when Steven Bennett, who resigned during a period of
financial turmoil, was elected. Since that time, the
Citizen's Coalition and various independent citizens
have pressed for an election, only to be ignored by
the presiding council.
The 'apparent disregard for voters' was cited as a
primary reason for the recall efforts that were then
developed.
Several citizens made efforts to address the council
as the

meeting deteriorated Tuesday, including Rain Shanana
Golden-Bear, the publisher of the Desert Messenger
and one of the organizers of 'Proud Neighbors of
Quartzsite,' a pro-Quartzsite organization designed
to promote Quartzsite throughout the U.S.
Golden-Bear encouraged the council to recognize that
their actions were damaging the town and that there
are those that want to see animosity and difficulty
set aside in favor of a united front and a pride in
the community. Councilman Guthrie prevented
Golden-Bear from presenting a Native American song
dedicated to exiting Mayor Akin.

Ed
Foster, openly criticized by both Councilman
Caroline Guthrie and Councilman Wesley Huntley for
his efforts to facilitate a recall on several
council members -- including the two of them --
stood to remind the council that there was evidence
of further violations of the law preventing council
business from being held held in secret 'backroom
deals' and suggested that the council be certain to
have an attorney present at future meetings so that
the council could make sure they are acting within
the law.
Alex Taft, the current Town
Manager, indicated that steps would be taken to
ensure that the attorney would be present at the
next council meeting.

Angelina
Masales, a strong proponent of Quartzsite and
familiar with the issues facing Quartzsite has
indicated that the council members need to be
properly schooled in learning how to facilitate
meetings including the establishing of a strong
sense of order, with disrespectful comments on the
part of council members held to an absolute minimum.
At Monday's meeting, councilmen made derogatory
comments both to each other and to meeting
attendees. Onlookers appeared shocked at the lack of
professionalism on the part of council members, with
audible gasps and groans apparent throughout the
crowd. Some voiced concern that the charges of 'back
room' dealings were not without merit.
Dean
Taylor, a longtime critic of the council members,
indicated he intended to continue pressing state
officials for assistance in managing the council
business. Taylor reiterated the concerns of citizen
Edward Foster, who charged that there is extensive
evidence that the council ignores open meeting laws
and acts in private to make decisions following
telephonic and e-mail communications.
In
response, Councilman Jose Lazarraga suggested that
citizens stop taking their concerns to state
officials and, instead, deal with them on a local
level.
Lazarrag

a
acknowledged that while things may have been
mishandled in the past, there could be a better
future ahead. It was a theme reiterated by some who
agree that Quartzsite needs to come together to
facilitate change.
Ten people have placed
their names before the council for consideration of
the posts open on the council, including the two
positions under recall: those of Caroline Guthrie
and William Moore.
Foster has indicated the
vote will be watched carefully and steps taken to
facilitate a proper handling of the votes after
counting.
When Guthrie was last elected it
was only after the votes were recounted in Parker
that she succeeded in winning the election.
One attorney consulted in the matter has stepped
forward to indicate that there was no protocol for
having had those votes recounted in Parker, and
steps have been taken to prevent such actions from
occurring again.
The Town's council is
again under fire for the passing of
an ordinance Tuesday evening, March 10th, when it
was decided to prevent anyone not in 'good standing'
with the town be prohibited from running for office.

The move was immediately questioned by sitting
councilman Bill Moore, who questioned the legality
of the move and cited its obvious potential for
misuse and abuse as a tool to prevent certain people
from running for office.
Town Attorney and
Town Manager Dan Field, overseeing his last meeting
before leaving to become the La Paz County
Administrator, gave an extensive presentation to the
council and advised them, as the town's legal
counselor, to proceed with the move, in spite of the
questions and concerns raised by Moore.
Moore
staunchly criticized the effort and was the only
dissenting vote on the part of the entire council,
with it easily passing.
Ed Foster, who also
raised questions concerning the legality of the
move, cited evidence that since Quartzsite exists
under a Common Council form of government and
restrictions upon those who would run for office
would constitute a qualification to hold office.
"The Arizona Court of Appeals has held that the
State statutes 'pre-empted the area' of law on
qualifications for office.
"Nowhere in Title
9 is there a power for Council to set qualifications
to be a member of Council."
These questions
are currently being raised with the city and their
defense, if they offer one, will be promptly posted
-- but the suggestion has been made that they check
with the League of Cities and Towns before
furthering this piece of legislation.
Also
in
spite of vigorous opposition, exiting Town attorney
and Town Manager Daniel G. Field's replacement
as Town Manager will be Librarian Alex Taft, with no
Town Attorney yet appointed to replace him since the
pending appointment of Field's wife, Kathy, was met
with resistance.
"Why should Field's wife have precedence over the
application of other attorneys," stated Quartzsite
citizen Ed Foster, "especially when there are other,
more qualified people to replace him?
"I for
one would much prefer someone not related to Field
would step in and manage the legal affairs of the
town -- especially since the town is supposedly now
broke, I'd like to know where and how those monies
were spent."
"As for the appointment of Alex
Taft to the position of Town Manager, I would like
to know what qualifies her to hold that position,
how much she's being paid to hold that position and
whether or not the position was advertised so that
qualified applicants might be sought," Foster said.
Apparently Foster is not alone in his
questioning of the Town of Quartzsite officials,
since a recall effort is currently underway with
petitioners readily acquiring the necessary
signatures to launch the recall against no fewer
than four of the sitting seven councilmen.
Currently under fire [and under recall] are Mayor
Walter Aiken, Vice Mayor Caroline Guthrie,
councilman Wesley Huntley and Councilman Hal
Davidson.
"We're just not going to take this
anymore," Foster said, citing the willingness of
those signing petitions to see that their voices are
heard. "We are all sick of seeing these people sit
in office while refusing to allow an independent
audit of the town's financial records or to listen
to their constituents in matters such as blatant
conflict of interest and all kinds of suspicion.
"Why did we pay the Holt Group literally
hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in
'engineering fees' when municipalities much larger
than ours spent closer to $ 50,000.00 each?" he
asked.
"We demand answers to these questions
and we're not going to stop until this books are
opened and these questions answered to our
satisfaction," he concluded.
The Town's missing councilmen continue to be
an issue even as Caroline Guthrie
has been repeatedly excused by the council for her
extended absences in spite of vocal opposition from
citizens. Guthrie made telephonic appearances
throughout most of the summer in 2008 and has
reiterated her intention to do so in 2009, failing
to appear for most council meetings .
Guthrie is one of two councilmen currently under
recall. In spite of the her lack of popularity with
her constituents, she has stood in opposition to
changing.