As a resident of Payson for nearly 50 years I have observed many elections, but in this election cycle I have noticed a very frightening change in the politics of the town. Yes, there were heated political contests in the past, but what I have observed this election cycle makes the past elections look like child’s play.
Payson has basically devolved into two factions that are unique to our town. One faction is part of and supports the MHA Foundation (MHA) and its “spin-off” companies. This group is taking advantage of numerous allies that have become embedded within town staff, the Town Council, and other town appointed committees. The fanatical response by this group refusing to acknowledge BOTH the Town’s requests to replace MHA associated board members with more neutral, open-minded candidates, and the request for detailed financial reports (which are required by law) from the MHA and the Rim Country Educational Alliance (RCEA-SLE) should give voters of Payson a clue that something is very wrong.
The blatant intimidation of any individual who asks for detailed information about the MHA conglomerate by threatening lawsuits, slow walking freedom of information requests by the senior town staff, and even intimidating employers to fire those requesting transparency information is evidence of a coverup. One sitting town council member was even visited in person and told that they (the MHA faction) controlled Payson and that this council member needed to understand that or suffer serious consequences. These tactics remind this writer of the tactics used by mobsters in Chicago during prohibition.
When you control the various seats of power within a community from judges, and town committees, to department heads any attempt to investigate suspicious activities can and are being blocked. This group wants to continue to control our community, and it seems they will stop at nothing to continue that control.
The other grass-roots side of contemporary Payson politics only wants transparency from the MHA conglomerate, as well as, any other groups that requests taxpayer funds and/or has the desire and authority to affect Payson residents and their quality of life.
An example of such a project that needed detailed review was the Joint Facilities Management (JFM) water line and water sale project. Was it a colluding council with Kenny Evans as Mayor that provided water to Joint Facilities Management (JFM) (the Country Clubs) at a very reduced rate in an unheard of 50 year contract (they saved $1.2M over a 4 year period) while raising the water rates of all other water customers during that time 42%? The pipeline construction project designed to provide water to JFM also gave the RCEA-SLE several hundred thousand dollars to use for their projects. [Issue 2]
A detailed review of this project has ALSO been stopped because the RCEA-SLE will not provide the financial details, and the contract town attorneys (Possibly controlled by MHA) will not attempt to force the RCEA-SLE to do so, or pursue the renegotiation of the water sale contract for the people of Payson. [Issue 4] [Res. 2724] [Res. 2725]
There are many more examples where a review has been stopped either by town staff or others. The Bonita street paving project and the Manzanita street paving project are on the top of that list. The general contractor for one of these projects has a spouse working for the town, imagine that.
It would be nice to have a town council that never had serious disagreements on the issues but that is not always the way to assure good town governance.
I urge the voters of Payson to elect council members who have not been involved with the MHA and who are willing to ask the difficult questions and demand plausible answers. Those individuals are: Janell Sterner, who has proved her willingness to take the flack even while in the minority; Dave Golembewski, a hard-working local businessman who has already felt the negative pressure on his business from the MHA faction; and Deborah Rose, also a local businesswoman who has been maligned by the opposition and is still willing to take the heat to provide honest governance.
