By Paul Frommelt
What will it take for the ‘Old Guard’ to realize that ‘We The People” have spoken? Two years ago we passed Propositions 401 and 402 by 2 to 1 margins! With their passage, we the people said we do not want to allow a Canadian company, that was crowd funded into existence only a few years ago, with NO accomplishments whatsoever, to take control of our town.
What will it take? Perhaps it may take the election of a new Mayor, with a different vision from that of the ‘old guard’? Oh wait. We did that two years ago! Perhaps new council members, with different perspectives on ways to move our town forward, rather than that of the ‘old ways’? Well we did that also, two years ago.
Perhaps the ‘old guard’ need to lose a case in Superior Court, as they cling to the power they feel slipping away? Oh wait, they already lost their case a few months back! In fact, shortly after, they also lost their appeal at the State Supreme Court level also!
What will it take for the ways of old, to let go, and return our community to ‘We The People’? It certainly isn’t going to be an $87,400,000.00 Lawsuit [15] against “We the People and the town of Payson! That is not going to endear the respect, admiration, and loyalty of Payson taxpayers. In fact, all of the members of the faction that have banded together to prevent change in our community have now become toxic.
What will it take?
In my opinion, it will take exposing the identities of those who currently oppose a new, positive direction for our town. Doing business the same old way it’s always been done won’t cut it anymore! We all need to know just who are these “Old guard” relics, unwilling to release their stranglehold on our town? What are their names? What have they to gain by hanging on to what they have already lost, without realizing it? I think we all know the answer to that. The larger question is “what are they so afraid of”? I think we all know the answer to that question too!
Over the past few years it has often been asked “why has it taken so long for Payson to recover from the recession, when the rest of Arizona and the country recovered years ago?” Why indeed. The citizens of Payson are ready to move forward as a community, and to put the failed policies of the past regimes behind us. But…What will it take?
