Letter to the Editor: Paradise Valley elections ought to remain nonpartisan
Posted
Each of us has been honored to serve the citizens of the great Town of Paradise Valley as either mayor or vice mayor, and we all wholeheartedly support the re-election of Mayor Jerry Bien-Willner, who has served the town and its residents remarkably well.
Paradise Valley mayor and council elections have been deliberately non-partisan by design from our town’s beginning. Unfortunately, Mayor Bien-Willner’s challenger in this election is breaking our town’s long and successful tradition by sending unsolicited text messages and robocalls trying to color the race with partisan messaging to Republican citizens.
Beyond seeming desperate, it’s both sad and destructive, and it’s not good for town residents of any political party. We are each Republicans, and we all proudly support Mayor Bien-Willner.
It is undisputed that Mayor Bien-Willner’s opponent followed his votes 99% of the time over the past four years, and the five occasions she sought to take the town in a different direction, she was on the losing side and our town kept thriving.
A candidate’s inability to demonstrate a positive or persuasive record is no justification to depart from 60 years of success for our town and try to drag us all away from the issues and into the swamp of hyper partisanship, superficial labeling, and needless division that we and other town leaders — including Mayor Bien-Willner — have carefully and deliberately avoided.
As people who care deeply about the town and our community’s stability and wellbeing, none of us can approve of the most recent intrusive and attention-seeking messaging from Mayor Bien-Willner’s opponent.
Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, or Independent, Mayor Bien-Willner has served you with honor, and his successful record as a leader who builds consensus and solves problems for our community is clear. Please join us in supporting Mayor Bien-Willner’s re-election to keep the town thriving and on a path of civility and success.
Scott LeMarr, Former Mayor of Paradise Valley Vernon Parker, Former Mayor of Paradise Valley Mary Hamway, Former Vice Mayor of Paradise Valley Scott Moore, Current Councilmember and former Vice Mayor of Paradise Valley
