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Common ents ISSUE 13 May 1, 2020 UPCOMING EVENTS: Daily Updates @ 8:30am KMOG 103.3 FM / 1420 AM With Mayor Tom Morrissey May 5, 2020 Town Council Meeting Town Hall, 5:30 pm Not open to the public, But you can watch it here: http://www.paysonaz.gov/Video/ Council-Meetings.html Agenda for meeting: HERE. May 19, 2020 Town Council Meeting Town Hall, 5:30 pm Not open to the public, But you can watch it here: http://www.paysonaz.gov/Video/ Council-Meetings.html KMOG 103.3 DAILY 8:30am Update with the Mayor Views and opinions expressed in The Payson News are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect our policy or position; none of which are intended to malign anyone or anything. The Freedom Press, LLC. Out with the old, in with the TRUE! $1,375,000 MISTAKE with TOWN TOURISM WEBSITE! Pg 5. TOWN ATTORNEYS FRIEND OR FOE? Pg 8 On Tuesday May 5th, 2020 President Trump will be in Arizona at Honeywell for consulting on Arizona’s industry, and possibly lend help to Governor Ducey in further developing the re-opening plan for the state. Ducey’s plan was unveiled late the day before his May 1st re-open date. A very disappointing and unaggressive plan for the state that ranks 22nd in the US with 7,962 cases of CoVID-19. Gila County with a total of 13 cases. After a month with much of the country locked down, sheltered in place, and healthy at home, some states have begun lifting restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Georgia has gotten the most attention, and for good reason. No governor has thrown open the doors to his state’s businesses as aggressively as Brian Kemp, whose decision to reopen the state first drew praise, and then criticism, from President Trump. But many other states have either started or announced plans to allow previously shuttered businesses to operate once again, despite the warnings of some public-health experts. This is where that list stands, so far: Alaska Alaska went into phase one of the state’s reopening on Friday, April 24, with Governor Mike Dunleavy allowing restaurants to open for in-person dining and personal-care services businesses (nail salons, barbers, etc.) to operate by reservation only. Retail stores were also allowed to reopen with social distancing and masks worn by all employees and customers. … Continued on page 2 FUN FACT: The lifespan of a squirrel is about nine years. DUCEy’s new executive orders for re-opening Arizona REVIEW it HERE PAGE 1
Transcript
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Common ₵ents ISSUE 13 May 1, 2020

UPCOMING EVENTS: Daily Updates @ 8:30am KMOG 103.3 FM / 1420 AM With Mayor Tom Morrissey

May 5, 2020 Town Council Meeting Town Hall, 5:30 pm Not open to the public, But you can watch it here: http://www.paysonaz.gov/Video/Council-Meetings.html Agenda for meeting: HERE.

May 19, 2020 Town Council Meeting Town Hall, 5:30 pm Not open to the public, But you can watch it here: http://www.paysonaz.gov/Video/Council-Meetings.html ★

KMOG 103.3 DAILY 8:30am Update with

the Mayor

Views and opinions expressed in The Payson News are those of the authors,

and do not necessarily reflect our policy or position; none of which are

intended to malign anyone or anything. The Freedom Press, LLC.Out with the old, in with the TRUE!

$1,375,000 MISTAKE with TOWN TOURISM WEBSITE! Pg 5. TOWN ATTORNEYS FRIEND OR FOE? Pg 8

On Tuesday May 5th, 2020 President Trump will be in Arizona at Honeywell for consulting on Arizona’s industry, and possibly lend help to Governor Ducey in further developing the re-opening plan for the state.

Ducey’s plan was unveiled late the day before his May 1st re-open date. A very disappointing and unaggressive plan for the state that ranks 22nd in the US with 7,962 cases of CoVID-19. Gila County with a total of 13 cases.

After a month with much of the country locked down, sheltered in place, and healthy at home, some states have begun lifting restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Georg ia has gotten the most attention, and for good reason. No governor has thrown open the doors to his state’s businesses as aggressively as

Brian Kemp, whose decision to reopen the state first drew praise, and then criticism, from President Trump.

But many other states have either started or announced plans to allow previously shuttered businesses to operate once again, despite the warnings of some public-health experts. This is where that list stands, so far:

Alaska

Alaska went into phase one of the state’s reopening on Friday, April 24, with Governor Mike Dunleavy allowing restaurants to open for in-person dining and personal-care services businesses (nail salons, barbers, etc.) to operate by reservation only. Retail stores were also allowed to reopen with social distancing and masks worn by all employees and customers. … Continued on page 2

FUN FACT: The lifespan of a squirrel is about nine years.

DUCEy’s new executive orders for re-opening Arizona REVIEW it HERE

PAGE 1

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ISSUE 13 PAYSON, ARIZONA May 1, 2020

928.363.4163LIKE US ON FACEBOOK@newbeginningsthriftstore-thenook

408 W. Main StreetPayson, AZ 85541

“THE NOOK”

Thrift Store

You can find past issues of The Payson News here: http://savepaysonaz.com/supporting-documents/

Wheretheordinarybecomestheextraordinary!

& GIFTS

www.paysonazflorist.com 616 N Beeline Hwy Payson, AZ 85541

928.363.4080

Locatedinuptow

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HistoricalSw

issVillage

PAGE 2FUN FACT: A tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion will make it instantly go mad and sting itself!

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Common ₵ents ISSUE 13 May 1, 2020Continued from front page 1… Colorado With its stay-at-home order expiring Sunday, April 26, Colorado moved into a new phase called “safer at home” on Monday wi th some nonessent ia l businesses allowed to reopen for curbside service. On Friday, May 1, personal-care services and retai l businesses can reopen with strict social-distancing measures in place, and on May 4, offices will be allowed to reopen at 50 percent capacity. Bars and restaurants will remain closed to in-person dining at least until mid-May. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has made the nation’s biggest push to reopen in the country. Starting Friday, April 24, barbershops, gyms, salons, and massage therapists could reopen. On Monday, April 27, restaurants and movie theaters fo l lowed. Desp i te the loosened restrictions, not all business owners will be opening their doors to customers.

Idaho The four-step plan laid out by Governor Brad Little calls for houses of worship and some nonessential businesses, excluding personal-care services, gyms, bars, and restaurants, to reopen on May 1. If, by May 16, coronavirus cases continue trending down, most of those businesses excluded on May 1 can open, wi th the except ion of bars and nightclubs.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced this week that 77 of the state’s 99 counties can reopen, with some limitations, on May 1. Malls, gyms, libraries, and restaurants can all reopen at 50 percent capacity, while horse and dog tracks can reopen without spectators. Restrictions on religious gatherings have also been lifted. The 22 counties not included in the order are those that have been hit hardest by COVID-19 in the state. They’ll have to wait at least until May 15 to reopen.

Minnesota Starting Monday, Apri l 27, some nonessential businesses began to reopen in Minnesota. An executive order from Governor Tim Walz applies to “workers in non-customer- fac ing industrial and office-based businesses

who cannot work from home,” he said. Walz estimated that this would put 80,000 to 100,000 people back to work.

Mississippi Starting Monday, April 27, some retail businesses were allowed to open with social-distancing measures in place. Barbers, gyms, salons, spas, and movie theaters must remain closed though. Restaurants will still be limited to drive-through, carryout, and delivery. These orders will remain in place for at least two weeks.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson announced an aggressive reopening set to begin on May 4. That’s when all businesses can reopen with no limitations on crowd size, as long as social-distancing guidelines are fo l lowed. The ban on large gatherings will also be allowed to expire, meaning, as the Kansas City Star notes, “amusement parks and attractions, concerts, funerals, museums, school graduations and weddings will be permitted. So will events in large venues and stadiums.” Parson’s order allows local government to enact stricter rules. Kansas City and St. Louis already have, and their stay-at-home orders will not be affected by the governor’s order.

Montana With just 442 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 14 deaths, Montana is moving this weekend to lift restrictions for individuals and businesses . The statewide stay-at-home order ended Sunday, and on Monday, April 27, retail businesses could open with social-distancing measures in place. Beginning May 4, restaurants, bars, and casinos can open with social distancing and capacity reductions. And on May 7, schools may resume in-person instruction pending decisions from local districts. Gyms, movie theaters, bowling alleys, and bingo halls will remain closed.

Nebraska Beginning May 4, funerals, weddings, and religious services will no longer be capped at ten participants, Governor Pete Ricketts announced last week. Restaurants can reopen dining rooms at half capacity, personal-care services can reopen, and day cares will be allowed to once again operate, but with a maximum of 15 children per room.

North Dakota Despite never issuing a stay-at-home order, Governor Doug Burgum had ordered many nonessential businesses to close. He has said he wants businesses to begin reopening when that order expires on May 1.

Ohio May 12 will mark the great reopening of Ohio, Governor Mike Dewine said this week. That’s when many retail businesses will be allowed to reopen. Personal-care services, however, will remain closed, along with restaurant dining rooms, day cares, and places of public amusement. Dewine said employers must provide workers with face masks once they reopen and asked businesses to refuse customers not wearing them. “No mask, no work, no service, no exception,” he said at his Monday press conference.

Oklahoma Personal-care services in Oklahoma could begin operating again on Friday, April 24, though by appointment only. Gyms, restaurants, movie theaters, and houses of worship can follow on May 1. Governor Kevin Stitt said phase two of the plan will allow bars to reopen, and weddings and funerals with more than ten people to be held. Phase two will be implemented, he said, if hospitals remain able to handle the flow of patients for the next two weeks.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has said he hopes parts of Pennsylvania will reopen on May 8. His plan calls for a regional approach; the north-central and northwestern parts of the state, where the virus has not hit very hard, are expected to be the first areas to resume business.

South Carolina Reta i l s tores prev ious ly deemed nonessential, including bookstores, department stores, and sporting-goods stores, were allowed to reopen last week. Governor Henry McMaster’s order allowing their opening restricts the businesses to no more than five customers per 1,000 square feet. Salons, gyms, and restaurants are still required to be closed.

Tennessee Restaurants in Tennessee were allowed to reopen on April 27, and retail stores will follow on April 29, provided they

PAGE 3FUN FACT:Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails!

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ISSUE 13 PAYSON, ARIZONA May 1, 2020

Homemade fudgeItalian gelatoLocal coffee

618 N Beeline HwyPayson, AZ 85541

www.paysonfudge.com

Buy 1 pound of homemade fudge and get a 1/4 pound free!

928.978.0640

PAGE 4FUN FACT: You can tell the sex of a horse by its teeth. Most males have 40, females have 36.

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Common ₵ents ISSUE 13 May 1, 2020Continued from page 3… operate at 50 percent capacity. The loosened restrictions from Governor Bill Lee will apply only in Tennessee counties w i thout the i r own pub l i c -hea l th departments, meaning large cities, including Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville, will be allowed to set their own timeline.

Texas When Texas’s stay-at-home order expires Thursday, the state will allow many businesses to open back up, Governor Greg Abbott said Monday. That includes nonessential retail, malls, movie theaters, and restaurants, which must all operate at 25 percent capacity. Abbott said that personal-care services will have to wait at least until mid-May to reopen. And though he declined to mandate Texans to wear face coverings while in public, he did “strongly recommend” it.

Vermont Last week, Governor Phil Scott allowed certain businesses to begin operating, including “construction operations with crews of two or less and some single-person low contact professional services, such as appraisers, attorneys, realtors and others.” On Friday, he upped the maximum number of workers to five.

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice’s plan to reopen West Virginia will take place once the state sees three consecutive days of a positive test rate under 3 percent. That could happen as early at Thursday, April 30, and would mark the start of week one of the state’s reopening, which would include the return of elective medical procedures. By week two, businesses with less than ten employees, personal-care services, and restaurants with outdoor dining would be allowed to return. Weeks three through six would cover the rest of the state’s businesses.

Wisconsin Nonessential business that can operate without customer contact, such as car washes, dog groomers, and upholsterers, will be allowed to open on Wednesday, April 29, Governor Tony Evers said Monday. Outdoor recreational rentals may return to business too.

★ ★ ★ ★

It cost the good people of Payson approximately $1,375,000 and 11 y e a r s t o b u i l d www.PaysonRimCountry.com website. This website was built from 2007-2018 by former Payson’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism Director, Cameron Davis. I did the research and the Tourism Advertising and Marketing Budget for the town was and still is, $125,000 a year. This money is earmarked to build and, maintain not only the website but programs and events that will lead people to Payson. The exhaustive website that Cameron built was over 350 pages deep which is both complex and time consuming. For those of you that do not understand how to build a successful website, I will spare you the sleep inducing expository. The i m p o r t a n c e o f S e a r c h E n g i n e Optimization (SEO) is crucial and no one who builds websites can be ignorant of several foundational needs. This is a beginners list of what it entails. (taken from www.moz.com)

1. Crawl accessibility so engines can read your website

2. Compelling content that answers the searcher’s query

3. Keyword optimization to attract searches and engines

4. E a s y U s e r e x p e r i e n c e t h a t i s compelling and has fast load speeds

5. Great content that earns links, citations & amplification

6. Title, URL and description to draw high CTR in the rankings

7. Snippets/schema markup to stand out in SERP’s

Are your eyes crossed yet? This is only a basic outline. Doing the work takes an expert. So let’s assume you now have a grasp of the fundamental building blocks of what was invested into our once phenomenal website. Getting Google to catalog every page based on the content, links, citations, keyword, videos, titles, URLS’s, and time, involves frequent effort and time to build pathways to high rankings on internet searches. It is similar to building roads through a congested jungle with a machete, clippers and determination, and the end result will drive many, many people to the website, which is the ultimate goal. People equals profits, make no mistake. Once the website gained traction, small businesses were linked to this impressive and powerful website. After a few years, the amount of … continued on page 9

www.paysonrimcountry.com

PAGE 5FUN FACT: A tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion will make it instantly go mad and sting itself!

By Deborah Rose

Costly Mistake with Town Tourism Website

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ISSUE 13 PAYSON, ARIZONA May 1, 2020

By Paul Frommelt

As our society continues to endure the current Covid-19 pandemic, we are witness to some pretty bizarre behavior among the populace.  We've seen hoarding of products not normally viewed as critical during such a crisis, such as toilet paper and bottled water.  "Are they going to shut off your water while you are social distancing at home?  And how long is this going to go on?  What will it take to end the current crisis?  How many people must get sick before the contagious spread of the Covid-19 virus is no longer a threat?  What will it take, and why are people reacting the way they are?

What is herd immunity? "When most of a population is immune to an infectious disease, this provides indirect protection—or herd immunity (also called herd protection)—to those who are not immune to the disease.   For example, if 80% of a population is immune to a virus, four out of every five people who encounter someone with the disease won’t get sick (and won’t spread the disease any further). In this way, the spread of infectious diseases is kept u n d e r c o n t ro l . D e p e n d i n g h o w contagious an infection is, usually 70% to 90% of a population needs immunity to achieve herd  immunity."  Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health." [1] 

What Is Herd Mentality? "Herd mentality is the inclination for individuals within a group to follow along with what the group at large thinks or does. It is also known as mob behavior, group mind, group think, crowd p s y c h o l o g y, a n d o t h e r s i m i l a r terms  .Every child is familiar with the idea of herd mentality thanks to the age-

old question from their parents: "If Johnny jumped off a cliff, would you jump too?"

Typically, herd mentality refers to an emotional level of influence, rather than a rational one, which often leads to poor decisions compared with what the individual would have done without outside influence.    This concept is therefore used to explain why a group of people (or animals, in fact) generally behave differently than an individual." [2]

Those of us in our 60’s, 70's and older remember the 'cold war' with neighbors building bomb shelters in their garages.  We remember The Cuban Missile Crisis, where a cool headed President stared down a Communist threat, till the other blinked. We remember the Swine Flu scare of 1976, when over 40 Million Americans were vaccinated.  the virus itself killed only one patient, while the vaccine killed many dozens, and crippled many more.  Hundreds were hospitalized by the "cure"!  There was SARS, Ebola, 911, and AIDS.  All very different, all very frightening, but none with the hysteria now seen in our communities.

And now we see many millions of Americans out of work, with thousands upon thousands of businesses failing, never to reopen. We see believers prohibited from worship, under threat of fine and/or imprisonment.  We see people arrested for walking in the park, or fined for being out in public without the government's permission.  Sounds a bit like parts of Europe in the late 1930's!  

Our lives will probably never be the same again.  May cooler heads prevail, till this is all over! ★

Are You Part of the Herd?

PAGE 6FUN FACT: Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails!

ARIZONA MUSCLE CARS

601 N. BEELINE HIGHWAYPAYSON, AZ [email protected]

store: 928-468-1970cell: 602-540-3073fax: 928.468.1968

www.choiceauto.com

WE BUY CARS!

Mike KaiserPRESIDENT/OWNER

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Common ₵ents ISSUE 13 May 1, 2020

Page 7FUN FACT: According to Facebook data, the most popular day for reporting a break up is Monday. 

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ISSUE 13 PAYSON, ARIZONA May 1, 2020

On January 15th, 2020 the Council voted to dismiss the three Rim Country Educational Alliance Separate Legal Entity (RCEA-SLE) Board members that were supposed to be representing the Town. The reasons were Because of 1.) their lack of continued communication with the members of the Town Council; 2.) their failure to provide required financial documents requested by the Town of Payson; 3.) their failure to c o m p l y w i t h t h e t e r m s o f t h e Intergovernmental Agreements; AND 4.) because of the first three reasons, their potential of creating contingent financial liabilities to the Town. [3] Just like any other appointed officials, if the job is not being done as agreed, the organization that has appointed them, they are dismissed. What would you do if you became the new manager of a building and that building had an ongoing janitorial service providing cleaning services for the building? They showed up every week, but you saw no results from their cleaning service. You knew they were going to be asking for payment for their services, but you have no idea what was previously negotiated. Would you not inquire as to what benefit their service was providing? And if that could not be determined, would you not dismiss them?

When the process moved forward and it was determined that it was in the best

interest of the town to dismiss the RCEA-SLE Board members, there were no objections or cautions expressed by our Town attorneys at the January 15, 2020 Council Meeting[4] To the contrary when Steve Smith asked our attorney if we had the authority to take such action, without hesitation Mr. Arnson said, “yes”[5] The attorneys never cautioned the Council that the SLE board members’ civil rights may be violated by not allowing them ‘due process’.

Did our Town attorneys not know about Civil Law? – Apparently not. On Pierce Coleman’s website, Justin’s biography reads, “Justin is a frequent speaker b e f o r e b u s i n e s s a n d e m p l o y e r associations, including the International Public Management Association (IPMA) – HR, and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). He recently served on the faculty of the Defense Research Institute for its 2015 national conference for Governmental Tort and Civil Rights Liability.”[6] The Payson’s Town Attorney job description states, “He shall arrange for the prosecution and defense of all suits, actions or causes where the town is a party and shall report to the council on the condition of any suit or action to which the town is a party.” As soon as Snell & Wilmer filed a complaint, Pierce Coleman turned everything over to their associates at the Arizona Municipal Risk

Retention Pool (AMRRP[7] and blamed Town Council members for their reckless actions. What? Why would Pierce Coleman advise the Council to act in a manner that would most certainly bring a lawsuit When Pierce Coleman gave their opinion that the Council was justified - legally, to dismiss the three board members did they not know what the ramifications would be? Especially when they knew who the legal representation of the RCEA-SLE was Snell & Wilmer (the biggest law firm in Arizona). There should have been some careful thought and discussion given in light of the recent $187 million claim filed by the MHA Foundation and the Rim Country Educational Foundation, LLC against Tom Morrissey and James Ferris. [8] They have caused the Town to incur substantial outside legal fees by farming out legal services to the AMRRP instead of defending their own legal actions and positions. But why would they not farm out legal counsel when they know they are contracted at a flat fee? They can simply defer to their colleagues who will be fully compensated. They seem to be effective at deflecting their responsibility on members of the Town Council.Why was the Acting Town Manager and Town Council so anxious to extend Pierce Coleman’s contract? It was not necessary for the budget process to continue. One might rightfully question where their loyalties lie. Has Pierce Coleman faithfully served the interests of the citizens of Payson? In this economic climate, are we sure town resources are best used in the employment of Pierce Coleman? What was the rush?[9] - (This link cannot be provided because Town staff has not posted minutes for March 3rd, March 26th, April 9th, April 23rd, 2020 Town Council Meetings.)

Gary Pierce, Justin’s Father, made headlines in 2018 in the Arizona Republic where it states, “Friday the bribery case against a former Arizona Corporation Commission member and his wife went to the jury, which could decide whether the couple as well as a former lobbyist and a water company owner will get jail time. At issue is whether former ACC member Gary Pierce and his wife, Sherry, along with lobbyist Jim Norton and Johnson Utilities owner George Johnson were allegedly involved in a scheme involving a failed…continued on page 9

PAGE 8FUN FACT: On average a hedgehog’s heart beats 300 times a minute.

More Poor Choices?

Questions for Payson’s Town Attorneys: Pierce Coleman, PLLC

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Common ₵ents ISSUE 13 May 1, 2020

Continued from page 8… real estate deal, a payment to Pierce's wife and promises to hike rates for the utility, according to the Arizona Republic. [10] 1. Should we be putting our trust in a law firm that is closely affiliated with Gary Pierce, the former Arizona Corporation Commissioner who was tried for bribery, corruption, and fraud in 2018? [11] Read the inditement here: [12] 2. Is Pierce Coleman a law firm that is assigned by AMRRP to represent other towns and cities?

3. Might there be a better choice for the most crucial position in our Town? One that doesn’t exhibit questionable behavior?

The Town needs to adhere to more transparent contracting and open each contract to the public. Other Cities and Towns in Arizona have a much better system for getting bids on contracts and hiring employees. Payson must raise the the bar one the quality of work that is being contracted with the Town. We should have the best of the best to match the exorbitant salaries we keep handing out, and maybe we wouldn’t need all these expensive studies in order to make competent decisions. ★

Tourism Web$ite continued from page 5…

traffic to this site was generating nearly one million page views annually. If you don’t know, Google owns the internet and if you play by Googles rules, you win big. Cameron played by Google rules and it was evidenced by the sheer volume of visitors not only to the website, but to our town. I was one of the many small businesses that linked my w e b s i t e t o p a g e s o n paysonrimcountry.com. Recently, I was reviewing the content on my own website, paysonazproperties.com. Do you recall a song by AC/DC titled, “I’m on the Highway to Hell”? Well that’s the song that jumped into my head when discovered that most of the links to the old pages on paysonrimcountry.com now led to a blank page, telling me that, ‘You’ve adventured too far”. More than 22,000 links or pathways disconnected. What once led to a massive discovery process for website visitors, now leads to dead-ends. Due to our symbiotic connectivity, I lost customers too.

Upon further research I uncovered that our town website was un-done and re-done by the Axis Culture Group a local web development company hired by the Town of Payson. Upon further research it proved that our once powerful lead generating town website was an anemic shell. I followed up my research by contacting our current Parks, Recreation

and Tourism Director, Courtney Spawn and fe l t my concer ns were not addressed. How could this happen? The only explanation seemed to lead to a lack of expertise. In my mind, the Town and all parties involved with this particular contract flushed $1,375,000 down the drain. There is no way to correct this mistake. It will take years and a lot of money and time to re-build our “new” site to its old glory. Consider a quick tour of paysonrimcountry.com to see for yourselves.

This kind of error makes me mad. Who is going to pay for this mistake? You and I, that’s who. This is the kind of bloated government waste that I want to prevent. When are we going to qualify people who say they can do this job or do that one? Who is going to verify, investigate and ensure they have expertise and credibility to do the job expected of them?

Here’s a solution; “Inspect what you Expect” . Vote for Town Counci l candidates that respect and will protect your hard earned money. No more government waste. If I am voted in, I promise to watch your money and mine, like a hawk. Let’s slow down the gravy train, shall we?

www.paysonaz.gov is also in bad shape and needs professional help. There is more to this story…By Deborah Rose ★

PAGE 9FUN FACT: Camels have three eyelids to protect themselves from blowing sand.

928.468.6116 [email protected] www.youravon.com/cwatts

Ask me about positioning yourself to benefit in today’s market!

Gary Pierce

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ISSUE 13 PAYSON, ARIZONA May 1, 2020

More About AXiS Culture Group, LLC. Editor’s Note: On July 6, 2018 an article in the Payson Roundup entitled: “The Payson Town Council recently approved a $36,000 marketing contract [13] with a local firm to continue the Adventure Where We Live campaign.

Former Town Manager LaRon Garrett had hired Axis Culture Group, LLC [14] in March of 2017 for three months to continue promoting tourism in the area after Cameron Davis’ departure and recommended the council continue that contract for another fiscal year. In its contract, Axis, which is owned by Joey Klein was a former Payson Planning and Zoning Commission member.

Councilor Chris Higgins said he was happy to see the marketing campaign was working well and drawing positive at tent ion to the communi ty. He supported hiring Axis to continue marketing.

Councilor Janell Sterner asked why the town had not gone out to bid for the marketing contract. Garrett said they were already working with Axis so it made sense to continue using them as they are familiar with the town’s goals and Adventure Where We Live. Sterner said she was concerned it looked like “favoritism” since no bid was put out. The council approved the contract 5-1 with Sterner voting no. The contract runs through June 30, 2019. “

LaRon Garrett filled Cameron Davis’s position internally by hiring Courtney Spawn.[15] He told Human Resources her pay grade was a 76 at $69,748 per year.[16] Cameron Davis was able to do the website programming himself, yet Spawn had to hire in a company (Axis) to be able to fill the position. That’s costing the taxpayers of Payson Ms. Spawn’s $86,000 + $36,000 for Axis for 6 months and it was renewed in 2018 for another $36,000 = $152,000 for a grand total of a whole lot of nothing.

That was then, this is now, nevertheless, Payson’s tourism is the life force of our community. The timing on this so called “mistake” could not have been worse

for our town. Anything that jeopardizes our Town’s survival absolutely cannot be tolerated. Axis Culture Group, LLC was recently hired by the acting Town Manager to create yet another website www.onepayson.com AND is currently asking Town Council to approve another $120,000 contract! Why hasn’t the acting Town Manager done anything or told anyone about the “mistake”? Why would the Town still employ Courtney Spawn at the current salary level if they have to contract additional outside sources to get the job done? Why would the acting Town Manager recently suggest Axis Culture Group, LLC. be selected to createa yet another website, www.onepayson.com, without allowing the public to bid on the contract/project? Why would the acting Town Manager even consider putting an additional 3 year, $120,000 contract in f ro n t o f t h e To w n C o u n c i l f o r consideration knowing the “mistake” that had just happened? Was the acting To w n M a n a g e r u n a w a re o f t h e “mistake”? Maybe this new contract is to repair the “mistake?” When is enough, enough Payson? A small group of citizens can only do so much, but a large group of citizens can move mountains. Consider getting involved and fighting to return the Town back to the people where our voices are heard and our desires are carried out for the better of all, not the privileged few. ★

Footnotes/Links: 1. https://www.jhsph.edu/covid-19/

articles/achieving-herd-immunity-with-covid19.html

2. https://www.consulting.com/herd-mentality

3. http://savepaysonaz.com/data/documents/PAYSON_NEWSPAPER_1-17-20.pdf

4. www.paysonaz.gov/Council/agendas/2020/01-15-20-SPA-RCEA/01-15-20-SPA-RCEA.htm

5. payson.granicus.com/player/clip/2357?view_id=17

6. piercecoleman.com/index.php/justin-pierce/

7. https://www.amrrp.org 8. savepaysonaz.com/data/

documents/87-million-Claims.pdf

9. http://www.paysonaz.gov/Video/Council-Meetings.html

10. https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/energy/2017/06/12/gary-pierce-known-unpopular-decisions-utility-regulator-george-johnson-jim-norton-sherry-pierce/352548001/

11. https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/energy/2017/06/12/gary-pierce-known-unpopular-decisions-utility-regulator-george-johnson-jim-norton-sherry-pierce/352548001/

12. archive.azcentral.com/persistent/icimages/news/Johnson indictment.pdf

13. www.paysonaz.gov/Council/agendas/2018/06-28-18-A/J2CDRAXISContract.pdf

14. www.paysonaz.gov/Council/agendas/2018/06-28-18-A/J2CDRAXISContract.pdf

15. http://thepaysonnews.com/docs/i12docs/Screen%20Shot%202020-04-18%20at%201.14.33%20PM.png

16. http://thepaysonnews.com/docs/i12docs/Screen%20Shot%202020-04-18%20at%201.14.53%20PM.png

17. http://archive.azcentral.com/business/consumer/articles/20131211panel-call-new-solar-fee-too-small.html

18. https://azpbs.org/horizon/2018/06/journalists-roundtable-gary-pierce-bribery-trial-election-ballot-ken-bennett-tweet/

PAGE 10FUN FACT: A group of twelve or more cows is called a flink.


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