Examining Proposed Developments For The Verde Valley. Steve Williamson, Hava Derby and their guests discuss five controversial developments that have been proposed for the Verde Valley. The projects include a wildlife sanctuary, a large housing development, a bridge and roadway, a glamping development, and a hotel in Village of Oak Creek.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
An In-Depth Look At US-Iran Relations. Northern Arizona University Professors, Paul Lenze and Halit Tagma, discuss US-Iran relations in the wake of the assassinations of the Iranian Quds Force commander and Iran’s top nuclear scientist. The timing of these killings is particularly troubling given its proximity to the US presidential election.
Tagma begins by stating that there appears to have been three strategic goals: To provoke a retaliation, to draw the US into a conflict, or to make the relationship more difficult for the incoming US administration. The professors go on to explain the situation from the various political science perspectives which are the basis of their new book: Understanding & Explaining The Iranian Nuclear ‘Crisis’ Theoretical Approaches.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Planning Sedona’s Future. The Democratic Perspective co-hosts welcome new Sedona City Council members, Holli Ploog and Kathy Kinsella, along with Steve Segner, owner of El Portal and chair of the Sedona Lodging Council.
Navigating through the problems of conducting remote interviews as a result of the pandemic, they discuss the most pressing issues facing Sedona and the Verde Valley in addition to several proposed controversial developments, such as Rojo Grande, AutoCamp, Verde Connect highway project, and more.
Segner stresses the need for a regional plan to balance growth with the needs of all of the area’s residents, noting that city boundaries are imaginary. And the new council members talk about the importance of listening to all constituents. Not just those who are the most vocal.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
What Can Biden Do? Now that Biden has won the presidency in a landslide, what will he do? And how will he be able to work with Republicans if they maintain control the Senate? Retired professor and political expert, Dan Singal, returns to the show to consider the possibilities.
He begins with a prediction by stating, “I think we have to assume that Trump intends to run again in 2024. One thing it means is that we’re going to need Joe Biden to run again in 2024. I think you’re going to see a rematch in four years. Biden’s people understand this. Therefor, they’re going to focus on accomplishments to address this problem.”
As for what Biden can accomplish, Singal believes he will focus on three things in particular: Infrastructure, climate change, and healthcare. Singal also offers his thoughts on Biden’s approach to other issues, such as immigration, refugees, foreign policy, and race relations.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Preserving Wilderness From Inappropriate And Destructive Development. Democratic Perspective co-hosts, Steve, Klaus, and Hava welcome DeAnna Bindley and Charley Pitcher to discuss a California developer’s proposed AutoCamp at Bear Mountain in Sedona. The guests are part of the coalition Save Bear Mountain.
According Bindley and Pitcher, AutoCamp would offer Glamping (upscale camping) for tourists with 85 Airstream trailers, 10 huts and 5 tents located on 19 acres of pristine and sensitive lands more suited to become a World Heritage site. Pitcher describes the lot this way, “It fits completely flush, right against Bear Mountain. But the back side of the lot is Secret Mountain Wilderness. The east side of the lot is Secret Mountain Wilderness. The south and western sides of the lot are Coconino Forest lands.”
By the developer’s own estimates, the site would have 15-20,000 visitors per year with 150,000 vehicle roundtrips as opposed to the current 0-10 visitors per day. In addition to creating a serious fire threat, Autocamp would place great stress on county services and could lead to the destruction of a significant archeological site. As Pritchard notes, “The whole Bear Mountain area is sacred to every Native American tribe within 100 miles. And there is significant rock art all along the base of Bear Mountain.”
Later in the show, the guests are joined by Yavapai County Supervisor-elect Donna Michaels, the first Democrat and first Sedona resident to become county supervisor.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Election 2020. What’s Next? Democratic Perspective contributors discuss what they expect to happen now that former Vice-President Joe Biden is president-elect of the United States. Klaus von Stutterheim begins by outlining the many initiatives and plans that will be priorities for the Biden administration. Gary LaMaster addresses some of the obstacles the new administration can expect, including Senate obstruction and a recalcitrant outgoing president. And Steve Williamson suggests some things Biden could do to restore norms and help bring the nation together.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Anonymous No More. Democratic Perspective welcomes Miles Taylor who gained notoriety as “Anonymous” for his op-ed and book criticizing the Trump administration. Taylor is the former Chief of Staff to former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjn Nielsen and Acting Secretary Chad Wolf. A lifelong Republican who spent 2-1/2 years in administration, he is now a Biden supporter.
Taylor first went into government service to help prevent another 9/11. His goal was to focus on the many serious threats facing our nation. Instead, under Trump, he found that the president had a very different priority. He explains it this way: “If you thought of Homeland Security as an apple pie, you have a decent slice that is border security and immigration, another slice is cyber security, another is keeping terrorists out of America, and another is emergency response to wildfires and hurricanes. When Donald Trump looked at that pie, he saw 95 percent of it as border security and just wanted to gobble it up…everything else fell off his list.
“I genuinely think that the country is less safe that it would have been,” Taylor says. “His daily tweets were like a weapon of mass disruption while we were trying to protect the country against weapons of mass destruction.”
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Running Against Far-Right Extremism. Democratic Perspective welcomes John Lutes, the Democratic candidate for Yavapai County District 1 Supervisor. A moderate Democrat, Lutes is running against someone who supports the armed right-wing extremist group The Oathkeepers. “I would call them vigilantes,” says Lutes.
Although Republicans hold a near 2 to 1 advantage in the county and there hasn’t been Democratic representation on the Board for nearly 30 years, Lutes is a moderate who believes he has a good chance to win. “I support the county sheriff and the new Justice Center in the city. I think that gained me quite a bit of Republican support,” claims Lutes. “It’s a very important office. People know very little of what the Board of Supervisors is in charge of. It controls a substantial amount of your tax money and it’s important to the public safety in Yavapai County.”
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Voting Down The Ballot (And On The Back Of The Ballot). In each election, some of the most important races are down ballot. Often these candidates and issues can affect lives more directly than those at the very top of the ballot. A great example is Coral Evans, candidate for Arizona State Representative, and Cathy Rutherford, president of Democrats of the Red Rocks.
Evans, who is currently Mayor of Flagstaff, is hoping to end the extreme partisanship in the state legislature. She says, “Too many legislators have not served at the local level. When someone calls me about a pothole, I don’t ask if they’re Republican, Democrat, Independent or Green. I ask for the address.” She continues, “The partisan world we’re living in does us all a disservice. It’s important that we pass policies that work for us all and move things forward.” Her priority issues are local control, education, small business, healthcare, rural broadband and more.
Rutherford notes that there are two important propositions on the back of the Arizona ballot, which would provide more funding for public education and legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. She calls for everyone to make a plan to vote. “It needs to be a landslide for Biden,” she says. “We need to show everyone that we will not tolerate what has happened with this administration.”
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Arizona’s Fourth Branch Of Government. Originally broadcast in March, Democratic Perspective revisits an interview with the three Democratic candidates for Arizona’s Corporation Commission. We replay the interview because we feel it important to remind listeners of the importance of looking beyond the presidential, senatorial and congressional races to vote “down ballot” for members of the Commission who have a direct impact on such important issues as utility rates and renewable energy.
Please listen as Anna Tovar, Shea Stanfield and Bill Mundell explain the importance of the offices they seek. And, if you live in Arizona, be sure to vote for all three!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
