Take a Stand Sedona!

Sedona's fight: Starry nights or road lights

2008-10-09T08:51:00.000-07:00

Sedona's fight: Starry nights or road lights

Acosta Editorial about Leadership in Sedona

2008-09-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

Where a political vacuum exists, something is bound to fill it
An Editorial Opinion
By Tommy Acosta, SVVT
Sedona, AZ - Sept. 24, 2008 -

The last line of our editorial in the 9/11 edition of the Sedona Verde Valley Times read “In politics, where a vacuum exists, one can be sure it will be filled.”

Talk about looking into a crystal ball and foretelling the future.

An individual Sedona resident by the name of Dr. Samantha Ruckman stepped into the political landscape of this community and almost single handedly, in a week, collected more than 700 signatures from citizens who want the 76-lights for 89A question put to a vote.

Of course the city’s legal staff made Swiss cheese out of the petition and rejected it; but the fact remains an individual was able to make a profound statement political entities and interests in this town need to be acutely aware of.
Those signatures represent almost 800 voters who are not going to forget the council members who voted for the lights the next time they face election.

Further, armed with the email addresses, home addresses and phone numbers of these voters, one can be sure Dr. Ruckman, now galvanized and more resolute than ever to change the course and face of city government, will use them with precision to remove the 89A lights supporting council members and replace them with representatives amenable to their cause in the next election.

And she doesn’t even have to form a political action committee to do it.
Take for example what happened in Gilbert, Arizona, a number of years ago when the town council voted to put fluoride in its water supply.

One solitary woman launched a campaign to override the council’s vote, gathering thousands of signatures against it. The council prevailed but those supporting fluoride signed their own political-death warrants because without forming a PAC, without raising money or contributing money to a candidate, she and her supporters voted out of office the offending council members.

Those who believe the 89A lights issue divided the community are also mistaken. The community, through surveys and petitions and showing up at council meetings, has spoken loud and clear its support for dark skies in Sedona.
There has been absolutely no groundswell of support for the lights in the community, save for members of boards who are related to council members supporting the lights and editorials in one of Sedona’s weekly newspapers.
People have come out en-masse against the lights and for alternate-safety measures. There has been no organized effort by residents in support of the lights.

The real division is not between the people of the community – it is between the people and their government.
Presently, Keep Sedona Beautiful, the International Dark-Sky Association and the Sierra Club are mobilizing a day of protest and demonstrations at the State Capital and City Hall on Oct. 1.

Sedona resident Cole Greenberg is spearheading a petition drive to recall Councilwoman Nancy Scagnelli, considered by some as the chief architect behind the city’s approval of the lights.

One community resident, skilled in accounting, is conducting an investigation into the city’s budgetary-record keeping and is now sharing his findings with the press.

Why now? Why are so many people so fired up and taking action to change the political course of their government?
At Mr. Greenberg’s Sept. 21 community meeting at the Elk’s Club on Airport Road, more than 150 members of the community showed up to protest and organize against the city council’s decision on the lights and pursue a recall.
During the meeting, Mr. Greenberg asked how people felt about the coverage they get from the Red Rock News. People hissed and booed and it was captured on video. RNN publicly supports the lights.

They were asked how they felt about Sedona.biz and the Sedona-Verde Valley Times and people cheered.
Community leaders realize their efforts to create change will now see the light of newsprint, both electronic and pulp. Where before there was only one source of information and one perspective, now there are three.

One news outlet no longer monopolizes community news. Other opinions now can be expressed publicly. This emboldens individuals to take action. And they are taking action, like never before, and from many different directions.
Proponents for dark skies in Sedona have raised their sights to ADOT itself. They know they have almost two years to stop ADOT from putting the lights up and the same amount of time to find candidates amenable to their cause to replace those council members who went against them.

Existing-council members supporting the lights should be acutely aware of this.
There are leaders in the community who are grabbing the proverbial bull by the horns and demanding change.
Barbara Litrell, Cole Greenberg, Cliff Ochser and now Dr. Samantha Ruckman: these are leaders who are going to deeply influence Sedona’s direction now and in the near future.

Stay tuned.
Acosta, SVVT

Freedom of the Press

2008-09-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting since Friday to post the article that appeared in the Red Rock News on 9/19. Finally today, after I noticed that they were posting stories about golden retrievers instead of my story, I called the editor, who told me that they were not going to post my story at all. If I want to send it to people, I'll need to photocopy it and snail mail it. Now, it's not that I dislike Golden Retrievers, or dogs at all, for that matter, but is he kidding me?!

This is the first and only coverage of the referendum that the Red Rock News has printed. And now they are trying to bury the story?

I have two things to say about that: 1) I'll scan it and post it to my site this week and 2) They're about to get scooped by the AZ Republic and (if rumor holds true), a few t.v. stations.

Week of Action and Day of Protest on 10/1

2008-09-22T14:58:00.000-07:00

September 22-23-24-25
Calls or emails to Action against ADOT 89A Lights
The message is simple -- ADOT will not listen to the community. The City Council vote did not represent the will of the people. The majority of people in Sedona do not want continuous roadway lighting on 89A (surveys and petitions prove that); it does not improve safety, it wastes energy, it denigrates the vistas by day and dark skies at night. Call or email.
Monday September 22
Governor Janet Napolitano 602-542-4331
governor@az.gov

Tuesday, September 23
Victor Mendez, Director of ADOT 602-712-7227
director@azdot.gov

Wednesday, September 24
John Harper, District Engineer of ADOT 928-774-1491
JHarper@azdot.gov

Thursday, September 25
Chuck Gillick, Traffic Engineer of ADOT 928-774-1491
cgillick@azdot.gov

October 1, ADOT Protest Phoenix and Sedona
Bus trip to Phoenix to protest at the Capital from 9am-1pm (reservations call KSB 282-4938)
Protest at Sedona City Hall from 2-5pm

Day of Protest--October 1st

2008-09-22T08:55:00.001-07:00

Citizens announce day of protest over 76 lights on Hwy 89A

Sedona, AZ - Sept. 16, 2008 - On October 1, 2008, Sedona citizens will be voicing their opposition to the Arizona Department of Transportation plan to install 76 or more continuous roadway lights on Highway 89A in West Sedona according to an announcement by Keep Sedona Beautiful, the International Dark Sky Association Sedona Chapter and the Sierra Club Sedona-Verde Valley, the three organizations that have teamed up to organize what they call “A PEOPLE’S DAY OF ACTION.”

People will be out in force on the State Capital steps in Phoenix from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. and at Sedona City Hall from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. urging ADOT to abandon the plan for 76 lights and quickly implement the real safety improvement measures including a traffic signal, crosswalk and intersection lighting at Andante Drive to provide safe crossing in the one mile stretch of road where nighttime pedestrian accidents have occurred.

The vast majority of Sedona residents believe Sedona’s dark skies are a community asset and natural resource. Several surveys of the population and petitions have shown that the overwhelming majority of citizens want to protect the starry night skies and believe greater road safety can be achieved with other measures besides continuous lighting. In addition, the research data from the City’s Safety Advisory Panel does not support continuous roadway lighting as a significant safety improvement. “The community feels very strongly about this situation and this is a way for us to express our opinions to make sure our voices are heard. Keep Sedona Beautiful believes that safety and preserving the Sedona night sky are not mutually exclusive and the facts support this position,” said Barbara Litrell, President of Keep Sedona Beautiful.

Clifford Ochser, Section Leader of the International Dark Sky Association of Sedona/Verde Valley and a member of the former 89A Safety Panel explained that Sedona is a unique place that requires a sensitive solution to the perceived safety problem on Hwy 89A. According to Ochser, “Roadway lighting will serve only to destroy our dark skies and pollute our environment and do nothing to improve safety during the day when 85 percent of the accidents occur. There have been no nighttime injury accidents on Hwy. 89 A in 2008 and only two in 2007 thanks to increased enforcement and patrols by Sedona Police Department. ADOT Director Mendez and Governor Napolitano need to know that Sedona’s pristine environment is under siege and the economic impact will be significant to Sedona and the State.”

Marlene Rayner, Chair of the Sierra Club Sedona Verde Valley expressed concern about what the 47 tons of CO2 released into the atmosphere by 76 lights will do to the quality of life for residents and wildlife in the area. According to Rayner, such pollution is equivalent to the CO2 savings from 1 year of a curbside recycling program in a city of 96,000 residents. This action is unconscionable on the part of the City of Sedona. Instead the City should look to more creative and sustainable safety solutions during the upcoming redevelopment-planning process.

On August 13, the Sedona City Council voted 4-2 to direct ADOT to install continuous roadway lighting on Hwy 89A. The Council Chambers were filled that night with people opposed to continuous lighting. A safety panel set up by the City Manager of Sedona to study pedestrian safety came back with more than a dozen recommendations on improving safety on the road. The recommendations did not include continuous roadway lighting.

The panel included ADOT and City of Sedona representatives, community representatives and International Dark Sky Association representatives. Research documented that roadway lighting ranked lowest among dozens of more efficient treatments to the roadway.

The organizations have arranged for a bus to transport people to Phoenix. Or people can drive down and join the group on the steps of the Capital at 1700 W. Washington in Phoenix. For more information or to sign up for the bus, call Keep Sedona Beautiful at 282-4938.

Related article: Referendum on 76 lights initiated

We're NOT Down OR Out

2008-09-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,

I know that some of you are just reading the news in the Red Rock News. I know you are probably angry and sad that the city attorney threw out the petition we worked so hard on over the last few weeks. I am too.

But I'm not done here. I'm speaking to a lawyer and there are other things I can try. There are also groups in town doing a variety of things that will have an impact on the situation.

I'm including the information for the other events here (below). One is this Sunday, 9/21 at the Elks Lodge at 5 p.m. The other is the multi-pronged People's Call to Action Day that KSB has organized for on October 1st. See more information here:
People's Day of Action

DO come back here often for more information.

Thank you so very much for all of your help.

Samantha

RED ROCK CONSERVATION COALITION, INC.
A Political Action Committee
P.O. Box 301 - Sedona AZ 86339-0301

Greetings Fellow Sedonans:

You know that our Community is in trouble and needs help. We must rescue our town from special interests, nepotism, back room deals and from elected officials who ignore us.

You probably heard that, regardless of the fact that the community and the Council chamber were filled with people in opposition, on a motion from Councilor Nancy Scagnelli our Sedona City Council voted on August 13 to have ADOT install continuous street lighting on 30 foot high poles along SR89A. Quickly, private citizen Dr. Samantha Ruckman initiated a referendum calling for a vote of the people on this and collected almost 700 petition signatures in 8 days. She delivered the petitions to City of Sedona city on Friday September 12. The City challenged the referendum, denying citizens of Sedona the right to vote on this issue. Private citizen Cole Greenberg is starting a recall effort to require Nancy Scagnelli to face the voters in a special election in order to retain her seat on the Council.

Last year, when every other taxing authority in Northern Arizona adjusted its tax levy to reflect the inflated values of real property caused by the “boom” of 2006-2007, our Sedona Fire District Board kept their high levy and collected an average of an additional $400 from every residential property owner in the community. Private citizen Don Harr is circulating a petition to recall Fire Board Chair Karin Maxwell and is, himself running for a seat on the Fire Board.

At 5:00, on Sunday September 21, Red Rock Conservation Coalition, Inc. (RRCC) will host a meeting at the Sedona Elks lodge to discuss the “taking back our town.” This meeting is not a public meeting. RRCC will soon EMail an agenda to everyone who responds to this letter. At the meeting, we will be asking everyone in attendance to become a member of RRCC, paying $30.00 in dues to support our efforts and to help pay the significant expenses anticipated to “fight city hall” (We plan to retain attorneys who specialize in environmental law and public interest).

If you are tired of being ignored by our elected officials, disgusted by millions of dollars being spent without your input, confused and angry about a 76 MILLION dollar City debt, and disappointed with poor municipal management, this meeting is for you! Help save Sedona and attend this meeting. Its time to take back our town. Please share this letter with your friends and neighbors and RSVP by phone to 204-1608 before Sunday and confirm that you will attend.

Very Sincerely,

Cole Greenberg, president
Red Rock Conservation Coalition, Inc.

Pre-arming

2008-09-16T16:03:00.000-07:00

I've heard through a reliable source that the City Attorney is planning to challenge my referendum on the grounds that their motion was an administrative motion and not a legislative one.

Frankly, this ticks me off even more than I was ticked off before. After all, my referendum petition only states that we want the right to vote on the issue. If the City Council accepts his advice and does not bring this issue to a ballot, it will be even clearer that our "representatives" aren't representing us at all.

I won't go away quietly. In fact, I won't go away at all. I plan to contact every newspaper, radio and television station I can find and splash this story all over the news.

Headlines will read something like this: "Sedona City Council Deaf to People's Voice on Lights."

And there are other things I can do as well. Stay tuned.

This article appeared on Sedona.biz

2008-09-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

Referendum on 76 lights initiated
By Tommy Acosta, SVVT

Sedona, AZ - Sept. 13, 2008 - In the famous words of Yogi Berra -- “It ain’t over ‘till it’s over,” -- and if one thinks the battle over the 76 lights on 89A is over, they had better think again.

On Friday, Sept. 12, Dr. Samantha Ruckman, a Sedona resident, presented the Sedona City Clerk’s office a petition for referendum to support or reject the Sedona City Council’s Aug. 13 decision directing ADOT to install 76 lights on 89A.
Referendums allow the public to change or support an existing law. Initiatives allow the public to create new laws.
Referendums and initiatives provide a legal means for the public to affect or create laws without having to depend on elected officials.

A total of 660 signatures calling for a referendum on the 76 lights were accepted by the city clerk from the more than 700 collected by Dr. Ruckman in eight days of petition circulation.

“The big story is not that we were able to collect so many signatures in such a short amount of time or the overwhelming opposition in the community to the 76 lights,” she said. “The real message is citizens can take action as individuals and change things when we are not happy with decisions made by public officials.”
Sedona Mayor Rob Adams said he supports the right of citizens to petition for referendums and hopes to have the contentious issue finally put behind them.

“Nobody in the city would like the lights on 89A issue resolved more than me,” he said. “It has been extremely distracting for me as the mayor and divisive for the council. I’m not comfortable with being railroaded by ADOT at the 11th hour to accept the lights. The argument that we had to have the medians was simply not true. We should have stood our ground and stayed with our original decision to support the Safety Committee’s recommendations. I support the right of citizen’s to call for a referendum.”

Dr. Ruckman said she was totally disappointed with the council’s Aug. 13 vote and wasn’t sure what she or anyone else could do about it. “A lot of people were upset,” she said. “People said they felt helpless, ignored. They were angry.”
Then, the idea of initiating a referendum came to her. “I started doing research on the Internet on referendums,” she said. “I realized I didn’t have to wait for our public officials to take action. I could learn to do it while doing it. You don’t have to wait for the government. If you are passionate about an issue people will follow you.”

She said she called Keep Sedona Beautiful with the referendum idea and said “If you don’t do it, I will.”
Left to her own devices, she talked to friends, got the petitions and went out into the public to get signatures.
“I learned a lot of things while out in the public,” she said. “If I had to do it again I wouldn’t wait as long as I did. If I had been collecting for one month I would have gathered many more signatures. Basically, I was able to gather more than the required amount of signatures in eight days.”

A little less than 400 signatures from qualified electors in Sedona are required to put the referendum on the ballot.
She said she was inspired by the heartfelt support she received from individuals in the community.
“People felt like somebody was listening,” she said. “Everyone said thank you. People were overwhelmingly emotional. They wanted to give me money, buy me lunch but I refused.”

The effort required she be on-point from the minute she got up in the morning to the end of the day.
“I was getting 90 phone calls a day,” she said. “I’d wake up in the morning and change my voice mail to let people know where I would be collecting signatures during the day. I relied on my friends to make calls and get the word out as well. I had signs on my car and wore sign boards on my body so people would know who to go to. I learned that if you get kicked out from a store to come back an hour later and do it again.”

Dr. Ruckman placed signs on her car so residents would know how to find her.

She said she constantly had to change locations during the signature-gathering process.

“You can’t set your locations for an entire week,” she said. “We were constantly shifting. We called each other and friends to let them know where we were going when we were kicked out of a location. We had to call people to let them know we were no longer there and where to find us.”

She said there were moments when the task seemed to be too much but she still found the strength to continue.
“I just kept saying to myself that the only way out is through,” she said.

Should her petition survive a legal challenge from ADOT, the city or the 76 lights proponents, the referendum will appear on the national-election ballot in November.

Reader comments:

#1 Way to go, Dr. Samantha Ruckman! You are, perhaps, the ONLY shining light Sedona needs at this critical juncture. Greetings from you for even a split second at one of your locations was an honor, as was the opportunity to sign one of your petitions. Thank you.

#2 Thanks for all the hard work, Samantha. It's still amazing that after nearly every city in Arizona has been eliminating lights or switching to choices that emit less light, Sedona would try to ramrod through a clearly unpopular measure to change the character of the town. It is very heart-warming to know that the bulk of citizens are able to get involved and work to change the insane.