To the editor:

Local voters will narrow the mayoral race from three to two candidates on March 9th. Flagstaff, the State of Arizona and the nation are in the midst of a painful, yet necessary, financial transition — a transition that will alter the country’s political attitudes and economy for decades. The election is one of the most crucial in recent years. The current economic crisis requires leaders who are risk-takers, who understand how to address Flagstaff’s — the country’s — issues, plus who are unafraid of voicing their positions regardless of the potential consequences.

Kara Kelty has those attributes.

She’s worked with the area’s housing, economic and environmental issues. Kara has dealt with those matters via her stints on the City Council, the NAU Family Housing Office, and the Coalition on Economic Empowerment, for instance. Kara can resolve many of Flagstaff’s economic challenges, including its difficult housing and cost of living issues. She can also transform the city into a Green-based economy — a transformation that can establish a national precedent for other communities across the country.

MATTHEW KENNEDY

Flagstaff

To the editor:

I’d like to add to the list of Kara Kelty’s accomplishments that your readers have pointed out. In 2003, I was on the Bond Advisory Task Force that worked for months to analyze critical needs within the city, examine our city’s current debt, and put a balanced bond package before voters.

Two of the items that rose to the top were the construction of a city-owned swimming facility and a multi-generational facility. Advocates for many causes showed up in droves to offer us compelling reasons why their favored project should be placed on the ballot. This advocacy continued when the City Council took the task force’s recommendations and deliberated on which items would be placed on the ballot.

It was Kara Kelty’s leadership on the City Council that ensured that much-needed investment in our city’s “adult center” as it was then referred to. Without Kara’s level head and public outreach, the voices of our community’s seniors would have been lost and the bond package on the ballot would not have included funding for improvements at the Thorpe Park Community and Senior Center.

It was because of Kara’s steady leadership and reasoned approach that our city now benefits from both the Aquaplex and the Thorpe Park Community and Senior Center. A visit to either of these facilities on any day of the week demonstrates that both are much-loved and needed amenities used by people of all ages and interests.

For this reason and many more, I voted for Kara Kelty for Mayor.

BECKY DAGGETT

Flagstaff

To the editor: In the face of such impending economic predictions for Flagstaff as found in the article titled “Burke: Flag still hasn’t hit bottom” (Feb. 26), we should be asking ourselves who would be the most experienced and best prepared mayoral candidate to handle this anticipated economic crisis?

Kara Kelty is that person. During her tenure on the City Council, Kelty was instrumental in procuring the necessary resources to establish the Northern Arizona Center for Emerging Technologies, which has created upwards of 80 well-paying jobs. Additionally, Kelty supports increased City of Flagstaff involvement in the Aspen Place at Sawmill, which has been transformed from a polluted brownfield to a tastefully done development. Kelty’s support for Aspen Place demonstrates her recognition that in the long-term, it will serve as an important tax-revenue generator and job creator.

Sara Presler, on the other hand, has said she will not support any more city involvement to assist the struggling Aspen Place. She would rather choose political expediency over finding viable and practical solutions to aid Flagstaff’s worsening economy.

Lastly, we need a candidate who can collaborate on these important economic issues with the rest of the City Council. Kelty has demonstrated this ability by gaining the endorsements of two sitting council members. Compare that to Sara Presler, who couldn’t garner the support needed for a second on her motion to rescind Meet and Confer, even by Councilmembers Haughey and Overton who opposed City Council adoption of Meet and Confer from the beginning.

The choice is clear, vote Kara Kelty.

JENNIFER HUNTER

Flagstaff

To the editor:

Kudos to Joe Ferguson for generally fine reporting on local elections. Sorry, Joe, but you had it wrong on motives for locals who contribute to more than one candidate. You claim we are “hedging our bets” (Feb. 28). Can’t we simply thank worthy folks for running for office? I appreciate both Kelty and Presler for their readiness to serve as mayor. I support Kelty more, because Flagstaff needs her special combination of sound judgment, solid experience and readiness to hear all sides.

FLORENCE KARLSTROM

Flagstaff

Click here to watch the debate

To the editor: Flagstaff needs a professional-quality, level-headed person in the mayor’s office — Kara Kelty.

While on the previous city council, Kara helped work out the best possible train horn policy. She would have supported total horn elimination, but the city could not afford the extra millions of dollars required for that option. She found a way to have three crossings completely free of horns, and a significant improvement at the two other crossings.

Mayor Sara Presler fought this reasonable approach as indicated in the summarized minutes of the council meeting dated Sept. 2, 2008, which states:

“The motion to direct staff to continue with the implementation and construction of the previous Council action for Scenario D passed on majority vote with Vice Mayor White … in favor, and Mayor Presler … opposed.”

It is interesting that the mayor answered the Daily Sun questionnaire saying that she supported the solution adopted. She voted against it!

Candidate Kara Kelty said that she supported the adopted solution. She voted that way.

We should also recognize Kara for her successful help at the state hearings that reviewed the train crossing decision, although she was not then on council.

This is one example of Kara’s leadership. We will be a fortunate city to have her as our new mayor.

COLLIN WELLER

The gloves came off on Friday morning as the three mayoral candidates clashed over more than a half-dozen hot button topics tied to leadership inside Flagstaff City Hall and the day-to-day role of the mayor.

During a 90-minute question-and-answer session with the Daily Sun, the trio weighed in on the financially struggling Aspen Place at The Sawmill project, development impact fees and revisiting previous council decisions on train noise as well as the anti-camping ordinance…

Click here to go to the Arizona Daily Sun website to view the rest of the article and listen to the audio!

It is time for Mayoral leadership in Flagstaff that can advance job creation, strengthen our economy and revitalize our neighborhoods. We need a reliable, consistent and independent Mayor who can move Flagstaff forward. We need a Mayor who is committed to working collaboratively with the City Council to set priorities, to create meeting agendas that are reflective of those priorities and to make progress on goals. Of the three Mayoral candidates, I am the only one who has endorsements from current city council members, including our Vice-Mayor. I am running for Mayor of the City of Flagstaff because I have the best combination of experience, proven accomplishments and the judgment necessary to create progress on the critical issues facing Flagstaff.

As your Mayor, I will ensure that the City’s fiscal investments are prioritized to support job creation while maintaining support for existing businesses in our community. I will focus sustainability efforts into a large scale renewable energy project in our city such as negotiating a power purchase agreement city wide that will not require capital investment in infrastructure. I will ensure that our policies protect neighborhoods from crime, erosion and neglect.

I served honorably as a Flagstaff City Councilmember from 2002-2008 and during that time I earned a reputation for being fair, thorough and thoughtful. I led the Community Housing Policy Task Force that identified barriers to affordable homeownership and implemented solutions to solve the problem, and started the city’s Land Trust Program to provide affordable housing for Flagstaff’s workforce. I was successful in changing city management because it was unresponsive and disrespectful to our community.

My other significant accomplishments on council include development of the Northern Arizona Center for Emerging Technologies, which has created over 80 quality jobs for Flagstaff residents, and continues to drive innovation every day. I also, among the many initiatives I fought for while on council, ensured that critical voter-approved bond projects were completed, including the Aquaplex, and substantial upgrades to the Adult Center and the fields in Thorpe Park.

Throughout my life in Flagstaff, I have committed myself to making the city more responsive to citizens’ needs, and to making our community a vibrant and prosperous place to call home. Please take a serious look at all the candidates for Mayor and ask which one will best represent you and not special interests. I have not accepted any money from political action committees because I will be a leader that serves all of Flagstaff.

Together we can get Flagstaff moving forward again. Mark and return your ballot for Kara Kelty by March 9 and send a message that we need real action for Flagstaff.

Kara Kelty is a candidate for Mayor and lives with her husband and two children in Flagstaff. She previously served on the Flagstaff City Council from 2002-2008. Currently, she is the Director of the Southwest Renewable Energy Conference.

All of this information and more can be found on the AZ Daily Sun Website Election Page.

Clarifications:

Question #1: The Council-approved Meet and Confer ordinance (2009)

Background: The Council decided to implement union-style collective bargaining for city of Flagstaff employees late last year. In previous years city employees have rejected the process, better known as Meet and Confer, in part because of concerns organized unions like the local firefighters would be able to get better benefits that other less-organized employee groups. Currently all city employees are represented by the employee advisory group.

A citizen group has successfully referred the issue to the voters on the May 2010 ballot.

Question #2: Approval of the Catholic Church rezoning on McMillan Mesa

Background: The local Catholic parish, which owns 107 acres on McMillan Mesa, asked the Council in 2009 to rezone 28 acres in order to build a 1,500-seat church, a two-story school, a 375-space parking lot and playing fields.

Some local residents opposed the rezoning, arguing the construction would destroy one of Flagstaff’s last undeveloped areas within the city limits.

The Council unanimously approved the rezoning.

Question #3   The amended anti-camping ordinance

Background: Once earning the city the label of one of the 10 “meanest” cities in the country, the Council amended the anti-camping ordinance in 2009.

Under the revised law, those found camping could avoid arrest by citing a threat of imminent injury, known as the “necessity” defense.

Advocates for the homeless have contended such a defense is needed when the shelters are full on a bitterly cold night or an abusive spouse has forced someone to temporarily sleep in their car.

Question #4 Gay Civil Rights ordinance proposed by Equality Arizona

Background: A local group of activists asked the Council to consider adopting a gay civil rights ordinance that would have added sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of civil rights that are protected in the areas of employment, housing, public accommodations and education in Flagstaff. A draft submitted to the Council called for a commission that would review possible violations if the law was enacted.

The city held three public meetings on the proposal, which attracted large crowds and lengthy debates between the local LGBT and religious communities.

The Council eventually adopted a non-binding resolution of inclusiveness for the civil rights. One result of the resolution was for the city to place signs at the city limits proclaiming that the city is an inclusive community.

Kara Kelty: Undecided. “In general, it is poor public policy to adopt an ordinance from another City directly without adjusting the language to meet our community’s needs.  I support the purpose and intent of the ordinance which stipulates that it will safeguard the right for all persons to be free from discrimination.  However, the ordinance as presented is inconsistent with the nature and structure of city commissions because it delegates authority and enforcement rights to an unelected commission. Under the City’s Charter, the City Council does not have the authority to delegate these rights.  Other troubling language in the ordinance for me includes the provision that “The parties are not bound by the Arizona rules of Evidence” a lack of an appeal process, and a lack of confidentiality provisions during investigation.”

Question #5 Flagstaff Unified School District budget override

Background: Flagstaff Unified School District  will conduct an override election to exceed its revenue control limit by 15 percent on March 9. If the override passes, it will allow the school district to raise up to $8 million annually.

FUSD attempted a 10 percent budget override renewal last November, but it failed by a 52-48 margin.

The Flagstaff City Council has no role in the override but it is an important community issue.

Kara Kelty: Yes. “Flagstaff’s economic development efforts are directly impacted by the quality of education in our community.  While serving as a City Councilmember I heard repeatedly from large employers such as Flagstaff Medical Center, W.L. Gore and Associates and Nestle-Purina that finding employees with a critical skill set was difficult and these vacancies were detrimental to their ability to be successful.  I have two children in the public school system and the budget cuts being made at the state legislature will have an adverse impact on the quality of education.  That having been said, Flagstaff Unified School District has a responsibility to the voters to demonstrate proper fiscal oversight and management of all over rides, past and proposed.  There must be improved transparency and oversight of the budget operations if FUSD is to retain and improve parent confidence and taxpayer support.”

Question #6   Extending city’s BBB and Sales taxes

Background: The legal authority for the city’s sales and Bed, Beverage and Board expires in a few years, so the city is seeking voter approval to extend (not increase) the taxes. The city is heavily dependent on the two taxes to fund city services including the police and fire departments.

Question #7 The proposed property maintenance ordinance

Background: Neighborhood activists in Sunnyside, Southside and the Plaza Vieja neighborhoods have been pushing for property maintenance ordinance for more than a decade. They hope a PMO would make landlords accountable for dilapidated and abandoned buildings, false advertising on rental properties, junked vehicles and problems that would pose health issues for the surrounding community, like raw sewage.

The Council said in 2009 that just drafting an ordinance for the Council to consider would take at least another year due to staffing issues.

Question #8 A temporary one-cent sales tax hike (statewide)

Background: Gov. Jan Brewer and some members of the state legislature are seeking a temporary one-cent increase in the state sales tax. The tax would generate roughly $1 billion in much needed revenue for the state – which is facing a $1.4 billion deficit this fiscal year and $3.2 billion for the next fiscal year that starts on July 1.

Kara Kelty: No. “I oppose the version of the temporary one-cent sales tax proposed by Governor Brewer because the gains in revenue that will be made by the increased sales tax would be offset by an immediate repeal of the state property tax and future tax cuts for business.  The plan that has been unveiled to date is neither effective nor sustainable.  Additionally, low consumer confidence means spending is down and the projections for the sales tax gain are not realistic. Relying on the temporary sales to fix the budget deficit seems similar to the Legislature’s approval of photo radar as a revenue generator that didn’t meet expectations.”

Question #9  Sale of water from the San Francisco Peaks to a water bottling company.

Backgound: Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water had approached the city about pumping 55 million gallons of spring water annually out of the aquifer, but it was rejected by City Manager Kevin Burke.

Question #10 Downtown Management Plan (with parking meters)

Backgound: The Flagstaff City Council has seen several iterations of the Downtown Management Plan over the last few years. The complex plan has been controversial for many reasons but downtown business have been largely at odds nearby homeowners who oppose plans that would allow temporary parking for downtown employees in front of homes. Others opposed to the reintroduction of parking meters downtown when plans for parking garages are several years away.

Kara Kelty: Undecided. “I have been supportive of efforts to alleviate the shortage of on-street downtown parking that allows easy customer access to businesses, shops and restaurants.  As part of this effort I supported the paving of the lot on Phoenix Avenue for downtown employees to have access to all day parking.  However, there are still large gaps in this plan such as the cost of a downtown parking garage and how it will be funded.”

Question #11  Pawn shop fee

Background: The Council approved a $2 transaction fee for pawn shops in 2008 to help pay for a property crimes detective. The fee was heavily criticized as being regressive – charging a tax on Flagstaff’s working poor.

Question #12 Establishment of the Townsite historic district

Background: Residents in the Townsite Historic District successfully petitioned the Council in 2007 to impose building restrictions on properties in an attempt to preserve the historic character of the neighborhood. This sparked a lawsuit against the city by several homeowners who argue the new limits have devalued their property.

Question #13 Tax deal for Aspen Place at The Sawmill

Background: The Council approved $19 million in bonds for the privately backed retail project to help pay for its internal infrastructure: Streets, sewers and water lines.  The city-backed bonds were supposed to be repaid by the developer over a 25-year period. The Council approved the bonds in part because the 40-acre development met many of the Council’s stated goals: Brownfields clean-up, urban infill, a mix of commercial and residential development, realignment of the Lone Tree Corridor and donated land to be used for affordable housing.

Kara Kelty: Yes. “I am on record as opposing government funding of private retail investments.  I supported and continue to support the public/private partnership at Sawmill because this development provided three critical benefits to the taxpayers of Flagstaff: 1) it cleaned up a polluted site, creating an infill development; 2) increased revenue for the City by adding new businesses not in Flagstaff and allowed for the expansion of an existing business; 3) Added to the City’s affordable housing stock because the developer donated lots to the City’s Land Trust Program.”

Question #14  End train horn noise in Flagstaff (with wayside horns in East Flagstaff)

Background: Two different Councils have decided to move forward with identical plans on how to silence train horns in Flagstaff.

The controversial decision has been critcized by eastside residents, who dislike the placement of directional electronic equipment known as wayside horns at the Steves Boulevard and Fanning Drive crossings. The three other at-grade crossings are getting a different treatment that does not include wayside horns and therefore will be much quieter at the intersection. (Sound from the wayside horns are expected to dissipate fairly quickly and will not echo like the train-mounted horns.)

Both Councils noted that the decision was largely made due to financial reasons. Of note, the citizen-run bond committee is considering bonding to convert the two eastside crossing to true quiet zones that will not have wayside horns.

Question #15  New Public Works Yard

Background: City officials have the asked the Council to consider bonding to build a new public works yard for approximately $20 million. The city has largely outgrown the current public works yard, forcing expensive equipment to be stored outdoors and at some repairs to be made outside of the current garage facilities. One city report suggested their are safety issues at the current yard.

A leading proposal would relocate the new public works yard to west Flagstaff near the Clay Avenue Detention Basin.

The project topped a Council list of bond priorities but the Bond Advisory Task Force has not made a decision on what projects to bring to the voters.

Kara Kelty: Undecided. “There is not enough information available on costs and return on investment to make an educated decision on the proposed bond items… A Public Works facility that provides City workers with decent working conditions is necessary, however, are there existing options or facilities that could be upgraded before embarking on building a new facility?”

Question #16 Lone Tree Railroad overpass

Background: City officials have the asked the Council to consider bonding for  a railroad overpass connecting Lone Tree Road to East Route 66 east of downtown for $45 million. The project is believed to significantly reduce traffic along Milton.

The project topped a Council list of bond priorities but the Bond Advisory Task Force has not made a decision on what projects to bring to the voters.

Kara Kelty: Undecided. “There is not enough information available on costs and return on investment to make an educated decision on the proposed bond items.  While I was on the City Council I saw preliminary drafts for the Lone Tree Corridor Study.  I still have unanswered questions about how the Lone Tree Overpass without improvements to the Lone Tree Corridor will alleviate traffic on Milton Road.”

Amid declining economic conditions in 2008 and 2009, Arizona’s bioscience industry continued its rapid growth in high-paying jobs and firms, and the state achieved notable gains in implementing its long-term plan to develop a thriving bioscience sector.

However, Arizona could not escape the lowering tide of federal research grants and venture-capital investments that has plagued bioscience regions throughout the nation.

These are among the findings of an annual performance review of Arizona’s bioscience initiative released today by the Battelle Technology Partnership Practice. The Ohio-based nonprofit technology-management firm has been assessing Arizona’s bioscience progress since the launch of Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap in 2002.

Jobs in Arizona’s bioscience industry grew by nearly 4,900, or 5.8 percent, to 89,674 in 2008, the latest year offering detailed employment statistics. In contrast to this strong showing, Arizona’s overall private sector lost 3.2 percent of its positions during the same timeframe, as the global recession began to take hold.

“It’s too early to gauge how Arizona will fare in 2009, though several of the state’s major bioscience employers—W.L. Gore, Covance, Ventana Medical Systems, and sanofi-aventis—had announced expansions,” said Walter Plosila, senior advisor to the Battelle Technology Partnership Practice.

From 2002-08, Arizona bioscience jobs grew by 31 percent, compared to 12 percent across the nation. The average salary of bioscience jobs in Arizona reached $55,749 in 2008, 33 percent higher than the average Arizona private-sector wage.

Several notable developments occurred in 2009 that address recommendations outlined in Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap, a comprehensive analysis and strategic plan developed by Battelle and commissioned by the Flinn Foundation.

New bioscience and technology incubatorincubator: An entity designed to nurture business concepts or new technologies to the point that they become attractive to venture capitalists.s, which help early-stage firms to become self-sufficient, were launched in Chandler, Phoenix, and Surprise, while the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University announced plans for its own acceleratoraccelerator: An institution that assists young startups. It is similar to an incubatorincubator: An entity designed to nurture business concepts or new technologies to the point that they become attractive to venture capitalists., though typically involving companies that are further developed.. The University of Arizona broke ground on a major bioscience park, and Flagstaff’s new incubatorincubator: An entity designed to nurture business concepts or new technologies to the point that they become attractive to venture capitalists. graduated its first major tenant.

A “fund of funds” was launched that will raise and manage up to $200 million for private venture-capital investments in early-stage bioscience and technology firms in Arizona. And a host of achievements were made to expand STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education programs in Arizona’s schools.

Of the Roadmap’s 19 recommended action items, progress has been made on 17, including substantial progress on 11.

“Overall, Roadmap implementation advanced during the recessionary year of 2009,” Plosila said. “However, several items are in jeopardy of backtracking during 2010 if budget cuts continue to the universities, state and local economic development programs, and Science Foundation Arizona.”

Total academic research and development expenditures at Arizona’s public universities reached a new high of $435 million in 2008, though Arizona saw its grant funding from the National Institutes of Health—the industry gold standard—drop by 10.1 percent to $157.6 million. This mirrors a national decline of 9.5 percent.

The preliminary NIH outlook for 2009 data is encouraging, based on an improved overall performance and $33 million already secured from federal stimulus research funds. From 2002-08, Arizona’s NIH funding increased by 14 percent, outpacing the nation’s top-10 states at 10 percent.

Like the nation overall, Arizona saw its bioscience venture-capital investments substantially decline in 2009, the worst year since 2003. Arizona bioscience firms secured five VC investments during the year totaling $16.4 million, down from $65 million in 2008.

The budget crisis faced by state and local governments presents another challenge, as public investment in research and education programs is threatened.

“It’s admittedly difficult to sustain investments in bad economic times,” Plosila said. “States like Texas, Colorado, North Carolina, and Ohio are doing exactly that, though, and gaining a competitive advantage over other states as the recession eases. Protecting investments will lead to long-term economic gains for Arizona.”

A Battelle study in early 2009 showed that Arizona’s bioscience sector has annual revenues of $12.5 billion, which in turn creates an additional $8.6 billion in economic activity in the state, and in total generates more than $765 million in state and local tax revenues.

“High-quality, well-paying jobs are imperative to a healthy future for Arizona, and to weathering economic downturns like the one we’re struggling through now,” said Jack Jewett, president and CEO of the Flinn Foundation. “The Battelle data suggest that the biosciences offer great promise in meeting this need and helping to diversify Arizona’s future economy. Arizona must prioritize efforts to build knowledge-based industries, including the biosciences, in order to compete in the global economy.”

The Flinn Foundation is a Phoenix-based, private, nonprofit philanthropic endowment. It was established by Dr. and Mrs. Robert S. Flinn in 1965 with the mission of improving the quality of life in Arizona. The nonprofit philanthropy supports the advancement of Arizona’s bioscience sector, the Flinn Scholars Program, and the Metro Phoenix Partnership for Arts and Culture.

For more information:

“Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap: Performance Assessment 2002-2009,” Walter H. Plosila, Battelle Technology Partnership Practice, 01/2010

“Overcoming Obstacles: 2009 Progress on Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap,” Flinn Foundation, 01/2010