Derek Pfaff

Economy Done correctly, tourism advertising can bring needed revenue to our community, while at the same time lessening the negative impacts of tourism on our parks, trails, roads, neighborhoods, and states of mind, but let's not overdo it and attract more tourists than we can handle. Housing Whether the amphitheater stays or goes, I'd envision a mixed-use development including multi-family housing (across all income levels but with an emphasis on workforce housing), low-intensity office and retail, public use space such as a community center and a senior center, an indoor pool, walking paths, and maybe a botanical garden either as a standalone feature or interspersed throughout the site. Housing While I don't fault part-time residents for leasing out homes while they'd otherwise sit vacate, and I understand when people let out an extra room to help make ends meet, too many Sedona homes have been bought up by out-of-state investors who have no intention of using them for anything other than short-term rentals. This has exacerbated an already dire workforce housing situation. Sedona and its residents need to continue to put pressure on the Arizona legislature and the governor's office to return control to the cities. Only then, will we have the necessary tools to address the STR issue in a meaningful way. Criminal Justice / Public Safety Lastly, for Sedona to really thrive, I think we need police officers, firefighters, teachers, and other workers to live where they work. It's no secret that local residents tend to take more pride in their communities and reinvest more of their time and effort in bettering those communities. Also, strong schools help build strong communities. More families mean more students. More students mean more state funding that can be used to help our schools and students live up to their full potentials. Infrastructure / Transportation There will come a time when the Dells are developed. Sprawl is an unfortunate but inevitable by-product of growth. The Phoenix area has experienced unmitigated sprawl over the years. Let’s not rush to imitate that. I, for one, value Sedona’s open space. My personal opinion is that the Dells should be left alone for the time being. Economy As a city councilor, I would work to mitigate the negative impacts of tourism on residents, all the while remaining mindful of tourism's vital role to our community. Improving the quality of life of Sedona residents will always be my first priority. Infrastructure / Transportation Sadly, there are no viable solutions that will solve all of Sedona's traffic woes. Many of the suggestions are cost-prohibitive or involve lands that are not subject to the City's control. The City needs to work with these outside jurisdictions to develop plans that can be implemented. Unfortunately, this will be a slow and painful process. In the meantime, the City needs to address the factors that are within its control. Continued expansion of mass transit needs to be explored, prioritizing the needs of residents and workers over those of tourists. Still, we need to keep in mind that the more tourists use mass transit, the less their cars will clog our roads. Economy Love it or hate it, tourism is here to stay. Nevertheless, the City needs to focus on managing tourism for the benefit of Sedona's residents. I applaud the City's current and past leadership for the steps that have been taken. The median barriers installed in uptown help control pedestrian flow. The shuttle program has reduced the number of vehicles at trailheads. Simply placing boulders along Carruth Drive eliminated lines of parked vehicles that were a daily occurrence. Still, more needs to be done.