Now is the time to take a stand with Transparent Payson.   

Who we are:

We are citizens of Payson, Arizona, striving to make our local government more transparent.  We believe in the people voting on what happens with their money, their land, and their town.  We believe that elected officials are there to serve the public; as such, we should have a voice in making decisions that affect us all.  We are nonpartisan/bipartisan with no party affiliation, no hidden agenda. We believe in Payson, Arizona, and its future.  We support growth that will better serve all its citizens while remaining financially sound.  As a 527 nonprofit PAC, we were responsible for successfully enacting Propositions 401 and 402 in 2018.  A short history of our group can be found here.


Voters' rights are essential to all.

Fundamentally, we are responsible for Propositions 401 and 402 and their defense.  We have been compelled to become a voters' rights group in that defense.  The implications for Payson appear limited to the validity of Propositions 401 and 402 and their enactment.  At the state level, we suspect the implications of our effort have a much more significant impact.  That is, do citizens, as allowed by law, have the ability to initiate law?  Is that law then valid?  Can it be repealed by Town Council or any legislative group?

There was recently an attempt by the Town of Payson to repeal these ballot initiatives.   With the help of an attorney, we are fighting that effort in Superior Court; we still have much work to do to defend your voting rights.

We are defending the rights of Payson citizens on large-scale, publicly funded projects that may be placed on public lands via long-term leases to third parties.  Our goal is NOT to prevent such projects but to ensure transparency in all negotiations, discussions, and contracts that affect your town.  If the citizens approve the funding through an election, or if the citizens approve the lease of public land to complete the project, we would support that effort.  We are protecting YOU – the voter.

Our vision is that our leaders provide all the information as to the proposed spending of Town money as well as the utilization of Town property so that we, the citizens, can choose how and where our money and our land are utilized.

We welcome YOUR involvement in this process.  Dare we say, support the cause.


I appreciate your consideration.

 

Sincerely yours,

 

 

___________________________

Jeffrey S. Aal 

Chairperson, Transparent Payson

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June 8, 2023

Discussions About the Issues

We recently had the opportunity to provide some alternative information with Counsel Mr. Timothy A. La Sota at a breakfast meeting and on KMOG hosted by Charlie Seraphin.  The Town of Payson had a lengthy presentation on why the Propositions are illegal in their enforcement.  During that meeting, it appeared that some difficult questions were not asked, and answers to unasked questions were not provided to the Council. Most Town Councilors voted to repeal the Propositions.  We suspect that is partly because Town Legal did not provide all the information for and against the purported repeal.  Does Town Legal have a duty to provide complete information, or is the obligation to justify the Town’s course of action?  Do Councilors have an obligation to ask questions on behalf of the citizens?  The questions may be answered during the next contract discussion for services or the election cycle.

There is no animosity when people take action based on incomplete information.  The Town has not yet filed an answer to the suit.  Hopefully, that will occur soon, and a copy can be posted.  With luck, they will provide the complete rationale for their decision.

Thank you to FM103.3/ AM1420/ KMOGCountry.com  for hosting Board Members Stephen Otto and Jeffrey Aal for a radio interview on May 31st, 2023.

Interview on KMOG with Charlie Seraphin

Various issues were discussed, and community members had the chance to call and ask direct questions.  One of the issues discussed was the apparent intimidation of citizens when they disagreed with the Town.  A full post about that issue may be found here.  The use of an “emergency ordinance” was also discussed.

We appreciate the opportunity to discuss the issues.  It can be
difficult for people to listen to the show live.  If you could not tune
in, the audio may be found below.  Charlie always starts with a prayer
then he jumps right into the issues.  We appreciate his insight and
inquisitive style.

Learn more or listen here.

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