By Lacey Latch | Arizona Republic
With less than a month left to decide who to elect as Sedona mayor, more than 100 residents to the Performing Arts Center on Wednesday night to hear the city’s vice mayor, Scott Jablow and challenger Samaire Armstrong, answer questions from voters.
In the forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Northern Arizona and the Sedona Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau, the questions covered a wide range of topics that are top of mind for many Sedona residents, including local governance, tourism, affordable housing, the environment and short-term rentals.
While everyone seemed to agree that the city has a plethora of very real issues to deal with, there is a great divide about what which one should be dealt with first and how.
Some voters, like west Sedona’s Peggy Chaikin, prefer a candidate with more experience over one with new ideas but little practice putting those into action.
“I think one candidate really wins with performance and the other wins with substance,” Chaikin said, of mayoral race.