News

Breaking News: NEWS ARCHIVES
ALTERNATIVE NEWS SOURCES

'The Art of the Hit Piece'

For a paper that initially indicated they wouldn't be publishing anything but good news, Quartzsite's 'other' paper is once again full of puff pieces from our illustrious incumbents -- while ignoring the actions and activities of those incumbents that brought our community to its current position -- FLAT BROKE.

Although you can't really blame people whose livelihoods depend upon advertising revenue for taking in 'advertising' -- no matter the source -- [which is why this publication has not taken advertising], clearly two factions exist in Quartzsite and, sooner or later, the ones that are preventing a public accounting of the monies that have been spent [and other things] are going to have to answer for their actions.

Attempting to justify what's happened in Quartzsite while treating this election as just another election with two differing opinions on the operation of the town is ludicrous. There are missing monies -- and not just minor amounts -- hundreds of thousands of them, escalating into many millions -- that Steve Bennett, once in office, expressed shock as well as concern over when he discovered that not only had this been happening, it was continuing to happen!

And what happened to Bennett? He was vilified -- humiliated -- driven from office. But from that point on, various people began to come forward with their own concerns and -- yes -- even then, many of them were employees of the Town of Quartzsite.

These people continue to come forward -- not to DAMAGE the town -- to PROTECT the town from whatever unscrupulous people have taken control. They are acting in the BEST INTEREST of the community and are working behind the scenes, putting themselves and their positions on the line, in the hope that the VOTERS will see what's happening and put some WATCHDOGS in office that can stop the constant outflow of money and PREVENT the looting of this town from continuing to occur!

These people want to see the things that have been happening over the past 7-8 years stop happening. They want to see AN END to SELECTIVE AUDITS and CHARACTER　 DEFAMATION, to BACKROOM DEALS AND SECRET MEETINGS, HIDDEN BONUSES and UNETHICAL PRACTICES.

They want to see an END to the HIRING OF MORE RELATIVES AND FRIENDS that aren't hired for their SKILLS but for their willingness to stand idly by and watch as the coffers are DRAINED by incompetents, UNABLE, UNQUALIFIED and UNWILLING to go EARN an HONEST LIVING.

ELECTING SEVERAL QUALIFIED CANDIDATES that are not dependent upon the town for their livings -- but who actually have decent pensions and other incomes they've earned in the past based upon their actual skills and talents will not be the ruination of this town.

These people aren't running for office because they have no place else to be or because they need the money.

They're running for office in the hope that they can save Quartzsite from what's been happening here that has rendered the town broke and on the verge of bankruptcy.　 They're hoping they can turn the tide and stop the reckless and unethical spending that's continuing to occur.

For all the grandstanding and manipulation of the facts that has been offered by the sitting council, none of them have acted to reign in the ridiculous spending but Mr. Jose Lizarraga -- and he needs a strong council that will endorse his brand of leadership: careful evaluation of spending and a fearless determination to see that Quartzsite succeeds as it faces a precarious future.

There is time to rebuild our community and establish a new criteria for giving back control to the citizens of the town. It is not for a few people to decide that this community no longer needs or wants vendors -- that is for the community to determine.

If the water and sewer rates needed to be increased, why was the issue not reviewed or handled before it reached catastrophic proportions -- and why are we forcing the the Show, RV and Mobile Home Park owners to carry the entire burden, more than their share of the weight? This isn't a simple matter of increases -- these are TREMENDOUS amounts of money! To these park owners, these fees will amount to THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS PER MONTH! They will LITERALLY be FORCED OUT OF BUSINESS! And when THEY'RE gone, on whom will the NEXT unequal burden be forced?

Could it be that they were UNDER-REPRESENTED because there are no show, RV or Mobile Home park owners that were APPOINTED and NOT ELECTED to the Quartzsite council that didn't get a special deal?

Does this take you back to the ‘WHAT DID THEY KNOW and WHEN DID THEY KNOW IT?’ days of spiraling American government?

The vending businesses -- the mainstay of Quartzsite's financial base for many, many years, is collapsing. There is no national advertising for Quartzsite being done anywhere anymore and the vendors go where the crowds are -- so they're leaving Quartzsite behind for 'greener pastures.'

Thus, many of these show and park grounds -- which have a high overhead already and have fewer and fewer winter visitors to sustain them, are facing financial catastrophes of their own.

Their seasons -- which used to run six to seven months out of the year are now down to 30-45 days! This water and sewer legislation, an ill-conceived and ridiculous attempt to 'squeeze' revenue from our park and show owners will ultimately only serve to force them out of business even faster than the lack of crowds.

And what was the council's reaction?

Mr. Kelly cut a special deal for the residents of Q Mountain. Those people don't have to face the same burden as the rest of the mobile home park residents throughour the community.

But what happens when it's YOUR business on the line? Who will represent YOU? It's simple to see that when the parks are gone so too will be the snowbirds. And with them will go the few remaining businesses -- already cash-strapped and praying that Quartzsite will find a way to survive -- because it's growing increasingly doubtful that Quartzsite will make it through this downturn.

Instead of putting the blame for the town leadership's complete lack of foresight and accountability squarely on the backs of this small group of people. there needs to be an end to the dismal practice of allocating large chunks of money without proper accounting.

A comprehensive breakdown and analysis of Quartzsite's spending should be readily available for any citizen that wants to review it. No more should citizens be criticized or vilified for asking questions in public -- and if the citizenry determines that they want to speak before an issue comes to a vote, that should be their right.

Why should Quartzsite have a town manager that doesn't answer the phone or return calls? Does the community recognize that her salary alone is nearly $100,000.00 per year? Yet just try to obtain information from her pertinent to the finances of this community.

Under Arizona's Sunshine Laws secrecy is to be completely prohibited -- and cameras, video recorders and tape recording devices are to be allowed in any public meetings to which the public is invited. When -- and why -- did Quartzsite's officials endorse such restrictive methods for dealing with their own constituents?

Those running for office in Quartzsite have established themselves as strong and capable people working to create an open and transparent governing structure for the GOOD OF ALL of QUARTZSITE'S CITIZENS, NOT JUST A SELECT FEW.

While the INCUMBENTS work to instill fear in the citizenry and indicate there will be 'PROBLEMS' should any of the REFORM SLATE CANDIDATES succeed in their efforts to join the council, this fear mongering is bordering on the absurd.

Council candidates are NOT in CHARGE of the council. They carry one vote each. But the incumbents know that with the inclusion of these individuals, there will be an end to DOUBLE DEALING, BACKROOM MANIPULATIONS, SECRET ENDORSEMENTS,　 CONSEALED FACTS and a BANKRUPT COMMUNITY.

Quartzsite's citizens did not create the dismal financial condition the community faces today, nor did they HIDE the fact that the community was INSOLVENT...

THEIR COUNCILMEN DID.

Water Issue to be a Catalyst for the Review of Policy and Reporting Practices

So... What is up with the water?

When Bennett's pool incident raised public awareness about what may or may not be responsible for the discoloration of the water and the 'material' floating -- later sinking to the bottom -- in the liquid, people started looking into the issue. Among them, Council Candidate Bill Moore, who has openly made the question of safe water a platform in his campaign for public office. Vocal in his criticism, Moore is questioning the difficulty Bennett encountered in finding someone to accept the report of his findings and respond to his concern.

In a search for further information and to see about independent testing of water, it appears that Quartzsite's residents aren't alone in their concern over the lack of response on the part of community officials or their confusion over who is to be contacted and how to have independent testing done.

"The 911 dispatch Sheriff's Department had no contact information for the state's officials," Foster said, "Public services officials or the public services department were unable to contact Quartzsite's officials during a two-hour period. There was also no response from the county health department. The phone rang incessantly without being answered, forwarded or sent through to an answering service.

"Even the state police headquarters in Phoenix had no emergency numbers to call. Nowhere, I was told, in the state is there an emergency action plan for public utilities. Even ADEQ did not have a number to call. There is no emergency action plan for any public utility in the State of Arizona."

Many of the water resources sites online have been closed due to budget cuts or constraints, leaving consumers to fend for themselves.

Ed Foster, publisher of the MINESHAFT and candidate for Mayor, in the course of researching this issue, found a most unusual notation on the Internet's Google search page, indicating that by visiting the primary page for information [a government owned site] that one's computer could be even be damaged.
[Link HERE.]

"Are consumers being discouraged from launching their own investigations?" Foster asked. Not to be dissuaded, he's asking public officials to check out the Google notation and find out why the site might be generating such an ominous message.

"Surely the governmental agencies understand the ramifications of having such a notation on their site's links -- it needs to be acknowledged and whatever is causing the message should be repaired."

Also, the Internet needs to be clearly state how and where to report concerns.

TIMELINE of the Quartzsite Pool Incident

1. 6PM Attempted to call Town Hall -- The line was not answered.
2. Attempted to contact the La Paz County Health Department but the line was not answered.
3. At approximately 6:30PM contacted the La Paz County Sheriff's office and was told they would dispatch an officer to contact public works official.
4. At approximately 8:30PM called The La Paz County Sheriff's office and was told the call was now 'Code 97' --
    [This means this report was completed without any response from Quartzsite's officials.]
5. Called the Department of Public Safety office in Phoenix in an attempt to contact to contact the Arizona State Health Department.
    I was told DPS had no emergency contact numbers for state officials.
6. Called ADEQ official who attempted to contact local officials.
    They said they had not established contact with Quartzsite's officials but that they would be in Quartzsite Monday.

Finding officials who know what's happening and can be available for an interview is quite another matter, however.

The Arizona Water Institute website indicates that that agency has closed due to budget cuts [LINK HERE] and a notation on the page states that the agency had lost its funding.

The concern then becomes this: When funding cuts effect public safety, what is it that's continuing to be funded -- and why?
Is there something more important on the agendas of community leaders than the safety of the public water supply?

Among the concerns in regard to Quartzsite's water are the known toxic plumes per ADEQ documents that have been an issue, the pharmaceuticals that -- until recently -- people have been advised to flush when dated, obsolete or no longer required, and the fluoride additive that is under fire around the world as people have discovered fluoride's devastating effects.■

Clean water is a necessity for public health. Without it, those consuming it -- animal or human -- become ill, sometimes irreversibly so. Why shouldn't this be an issue that's accessible to the public so they can vote on its importance in their lives? If the general public doesn't care about drinking water safety and standards, then it would quickly become a non-issue. But if they do, they should be able to simply vote to remove those 'less-concerned' officials out of public office.

After all, the leadership in this country is to represent the interests of the public -- the many, not the few.

Read more:

■ Group says Arizona water pollution exceeds legal limits - Phoenix Business Journal
■ Arizona Well Owner's Help
■ Arizona Water Resources
■ The Impact of Mining on the Aquifer
■ Peak Water: Drilling into Arizona's Aquifer has Caused Aquifers and Rivers to Run Dry

Do you have 'inside' information that would be appropriate for WIKILEAKS? Upload it without fear of reprisals HERE.

Pool Water Stirs Controversy

When STEVE BENNETT sent out this letter Friday evening, he was obviously concerned about the water flowing into his pool.

And when Bennett contacted the Quartzsite Town Hall Friday, it was more to ask a question than to lodge a complaint.

"What is that, anyway?"

According to Bennett, he had begun filling his pool only to discover a strange color and an even more unusual sight. He couldn't see through the murky water to the bottom of the pool.

Bennett, prior Mayor of Quartzsite [elected, not appointed] decided to allow anyone interested in the issue to visit his property and secure their own photographs. And he put the story of how this issue had happened into an e-mail and sent it out, indicating to recipients that they could forward it wherever they wished.

Fortunately, the issue wound up in the hands of ADEQ -- who has promised to arrive Monday to do an investigation.

Bill Moore has written extensively about this issue and is making the safety of Quartzsite's water a campaign issue.

Moore's photograph of this water in a beaker -- as well as a much discussed shot of a bottle filled with Bennett's pool water -- clearly depicts his concern over the safety of the town's water.

Is there a problem? If so, how widespread is it? Have other citizens complained about water issues without making their concerns public? Or have they not encountered any problems and can register their positive experiences with the town's water supply.

Bill Moore has been an elected official. [Elected, not appointed.] It would appear he may soon be elected again. Does he represent the concerns of the people?

[Click here for Moore's letter concerning this issue.]

Now that this issue is receiving media attention, we welcome citizen's comments concerning their thoughts.

If Quartzsite's citizens would like to voice their opinions on this topic, we would like to hear them. Write, call or e-mail, we'd like to know what you think.

DEEPINTHEDIRT@QUARTZSITEMINESHAFT.COM

Arizona Enacts Firearms 'Constitutional Carry'

PHOENIX -- Governor Jan Brewer's just signed the new "Constitutional Carry" firearm law, making Arizona the 'beacon state' for the entire nation on the gun-rights 'right-to-carry'issue.

Arizonans, who have always been free to carry firearms openly since the state acquired statehood in 1912, can now carry discreetly as well, without the issue of permits or other 'read tape.' Vermont, considered a low-crime area by virtually all standards, has enjoyed this freedom since Colonial days. While the permit system remains in place, it will no longer be a requirment for discreet carry.

Arizona's has very strict laws concerning the criminal misuse of firearms -- and these laws will remain unaffected by what are being touted as 'the new public freedoms,' although the penalty for criminal use of firearms has been enhanced, and bringing widespread support from law enforcement, and causing the legislation to be more easily passed.

Alaska had enacted a Constitutional Carry law in 2003, while Texas passed a limited version intended primarily for use by travelers in 2007.

Montana's similar law has been on the books since 1991 on 99.4% of its land (that lying outside city limits). Interestingly, these states have experienced no increase in crime or accidents related to these expanded freedoms to discreetly bear arms in public. However that didn't prevent the expected dire warnings of "blood in the streets" that preceded the implementation of the new laws, all of which were ultimately proven false.

What many considered an 'intrusive government permit' system in Arizona was introduced in 1994. With it began an extensive array of paperwork, approvals, fingerprinting, criminal-database listings, required classes, two mandatory tests, taxation and expiration dates to exercise rights.

That option is still available but, ultimately required the use of extemsive police resources that most believe should be utilized to reduce crime instead of being diverted into a program of registering, regulating and tracking the innocent, with no history of abuse.

Essentially, only 3% of the public have signed up for what amounts to a plastic-coated permission slip, although an about 50% of the state's population maintains their right to keep and bear arms. Official sources admit they get millions of dollars per year from the resulting permit taxes now labeled 'fees.'

Dave Koppe, a lobbyist for the Arizona Citizens Defense League that promoted the new law states, "This new law brings rights restoration for the public, and an increase in freedom for law-abiding people."

"The people have the same right to bear arms discreetly that they have to bear arms openly, we are simply correcting statute to reflect that. If your jacket accidentally covers your sidearm, that no longer exposes you to criminal penalties. A woman will be able to put a handgun in her handbag, go about her business, and not be subject to arrest."

Conflict of Interest Charge Against Quartzsite's 'Acting Mayor' Wes Huntley

When WES HUNTLEY refused to recuse himself from a meeting on backflow devices Tuesday, April 13, 2010, it was a violation of the law.

In order for Huntley to participate in such a meeting, he would have to be out of any semblance of that business for a period of at least two years.

It is illegal for councilmen who have a CONFLICT OF INTEREST to participate in any proceedings that will allow them inside information or bring about circumstances in which they or their companies, their friends, their relatives or other associates could conceivably profit or obtain other information via the 'use' individual's of their publicly held position.

This matter has yet to be considered publicly -- and it is a pending Expose. Huntley and the Town Attorney Pamela Walsma of SHADLE & WALSMA Law Offices in Yuma, Arizona were properly apprised of this conflict of interest before Huntley participated in this meeting and did nothing to prevent it. Huntley went ahead with the EXECUTIVE SESSION MEETING which took place behind closed doors and, during the session, several council meeting attendees waiting in the Town Hall portion of the building criticized his decision to go through with his participation and indicated that they were aware that his participation constituted a violation of the law and a violation of ethics.

Editor's Note: Quartzsite's officials should understand that just because the people of Quartzsite stood silent did not indicate they do not understand ethics violations nor would ignore clear evidence of law-breaking.

What possible reason could they have had for meeting secretly with Huntley present in spite of proper notification?

News

You don't have to wait until The MINESHAFT goes to press! You can get the storylines as they become available by checking back here. As you already know, 'the world turns on a dime' in Quartzsite and there are always interesting things afoot. Don't be in the dark! Click here To Make The MINESHAFT Your Homepage!

Breaking News: NEWS ARCHIVES
ALTERNATIVE NEWS SOURCES

'The Art of the Hit Piece'

"Are consumers being discouraged from launching their own investigations?" Foster asked. Not to be dissuaded, he's asking public officials to check out the Google notation and find out why the site might be generating such an ominous message.

"Surely the governmental agencies understand the ramifications of having such a notation on their site's links -- it needs to be acknowledged and whatever is causing the message should be repaired."

Also, the Internet needs to be clearly state how and where to report concerns.

Finding officials who know what's happening and can be available for an interview is quite another matter, however.

News

Top Stories

Press Releases

Links:

Related resources

Related resources - Key Information

Breaking News: NEWS ARCHIVES ALTERNATIVE NEWS SOURCES 'The Art of the Hit Piece'

"Are consumers being discouraged from launching their own investigations?" Foster asked. Not to be dissuaded, he's asking public officials to check out the Google notation and find out why the site might be generating such an ominous message.

"Surely the governmental agencies understand the ramifications of having such a notation on their site's links -- it needs to be acknowledged and whatever is causing the message should be repaired." Also, the Internet needs to be clearly state how and where to report concerns.

Finding officials who know what's happening and can be available for an interview is quite another matter, however.

News

Top Stories

Press Releases

Links:

Related resources

Related resources - Key Information

Breaking News: NEWS ARCHIVES
ALTERNATIVE NEWS SOURCES

'The Art of the Hit Piece'

"Surely the governmental agencies understand the ramifications of having such a notation on their site's links -- it needs to be acknowledged and whatever is causing the message should be repaired."

Also, the Internet needs to be clearly state how and where to report concerns.