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  Can it be repealed by Town Council or any legislative group?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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September 15, 2024

Paper Tigers and Bad Advice.

The Town of Payson released a statement on the Rose vs. the Town of Payson suit.  

The full Town Statement document is at our website.  The Town has a long history of attempted intimidation.  Part of the release states:

"Unfortunately, the lawsuit has necessitated its inclusion in the Town’s financial statements and disclosures about risk.  It is possible that the filing of this suit will increase cost of the sale of the bonds.  These potential cost increases could amount to significant damages.  The Town Council has a fiduciary responsibility to protect the taxpayer’s funds, and we will evaluate the potential for a counterclaim against the Plaintiff as this action proceeds."

The Town may file a countersuit against Ms. Rose for the costs associated with the increased purchase price of the bond issuance if it goes forward.  They have a “fiduciary duty” to do so.  If we will discuss duties, we should likely discuss them all.

  • A fiduciary duty to not go over budget on a splash pad by 51%?  No.
  • A fiduciary duty to maintain current facilities and roads?   No.
  • A fiduciary duty not to enter into a lease on land you do not control?   No.
  • A fiduciary duty not to abuse the “emergency clause” to preclude a referendum?  We will see.
  • A fiduciary duty to threaten citizens who have the audacity to stand up?  It appears so.

A new Council will be seated later this year, deciding the future course.

In the meantime, roar, Paper Tiger. ROAR!

We encouraged people to read the Goldwater Institute filings of the Complaint and the Application for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO).   The documents may be found here.

If the new Council wishes to succeed, it may be time to discharge Town Legal, Mr. Paladini.

We hope they ask the right questions of future Town Legal.  Something tells us they will.

Learn more and view additional information at our website.

https://transparentpayson.org/...


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