I am an optimist and I live each day with positivity. It’s not a hard position to take when you live where we live. Paradise Valley truly is a beacon of unique character, scenic beauty and safety. I believe the leaders of this town should focus on facts, and not be buried under attacks.”
Paul Dembow, Paradise Valley Town Council candidate
By Paul Dembow | Guest Commentary
I recently had the pleasure of addressing the Eagle Society when they hosted a candidate forum for Paradise Valley Town Council candidates.
I presented my consistent voting record.
100% for our police force, for the personnel and technology to keep us safe. When I joined Council our police had to call in to dispatch to run a license plate number. They didn’t have computers in their vehicles.
100% for one house per acre on non-resort properties.
100% for low density resort development.
100% for transparency in government to ensure residents can easily access government.
100% for local zoning control.
100% for regulating out of control short-term rentals.
100% for under grounding the utility poles in our town.
With me, what you see is what you get.
But that is not the case with all of the candidates.
Three candidates have joined forces, creating a political slate, under the hand of mayoral hopeful Julie Pace.
Councilwoman Pace and Councilwoman Ellen Andeen have long acted in lock step. Their attack team and alarmist “sky is falling” approach has been divisive for our current Council. Now they’ve recruited newcomer Christine Labelle to round out their trio.
Look at the placement of their signs. Where you find one, you are likely to find three. Their campaign spending reports confirm their campaigns are all being managed by the same PR firm. To have three that act — and vote — as one voice on Council hinders progress for the town by eliminating independent thought and productive discussion and debate of an issue.
It dampens the spirit of democracy, of debate, of evolving thoughts and plans.
I am an independent thinking leader, and I welcome opposing thoughts and ideas. I enjoy engaging in active listening to new and different thoughts and sparing between convincing and compromise. Having three voices speak as one only limits what the leadership of Paradise Valley can achieve for its residents.
In the past year, Councilwomen Pace and Councilwoman Andeen publicly stated that every other member of Council, our town attorney and town manager had all breached their ethical duties.
In response the town hired an outside ethics attorney, spent countless hours and resources investigating, to conclude that were no ethics violations by any of the accused. That is a fact. In my tenure I have never experienced two Council members smearing their own town’s leadership!
I’ve asked Ms. Labelle if her alliance with Pace and Andeen is intended to show approval for such actions, but she has yet to respond.
I am an optimist and I live each day with positivity. It’s not a hard position to take when you live where we live. Paradise Valley truly is a beacon of unique character, scenic beauty and safety. I believe the leaders of this town should focus on facts, and not be buried under attacks.
Politics and the truth rarely get along, but fortunately it’s usually easy to choose the side you align with. Andeen and Labelle have picked their side. You get to pick your side with your vote on Aug. 2.
Editor’s Note: Paul Dembow is a candidate for Paradise Valley Town Council seeking reelection in the Aug. 2 primary election.
