By Terrance Thornton | Digital Free Press
It was an intimate affair Monday, Oct. 7, as the Digital Free Press hosted a local political forum where about 30 Town of Paradise Valley residents came to hear both candidates vying for the station of mayor at the Tuesday, Nov. 5, general election.
The Paradise Valley mayoral forum was made possible by the generosity of Andrew Chippindall, general manager and vice president of the Mountain Shadows Resort, which is found along Lincoln Drive in the heart of the Town of Paradise Valley.
“This is our gift to the community to offer the venue for residents to come and hear from our mayoral candidates,” Mr. Chippindall said of his community service to the Town of Paradise Valley. “We have no expectation of monetary compensation, this is our contribution to the community.”
Paradise Valley mayoral candidates Anna Thomasson and Mark Stanton emerged from the primary election with Ms. Thomasson receiving the most votes for mayor in the primary race of the Town of Paradise Valley.
Of Note: The race for Paradise Valley Town Council was unchallenged ushering in re-election efforts for members of Town Council Scott Moore, Julie Pace and newcomer Karen Liepmann taking office January 2025.
The mayoral forum was held in the Paradise Ballroom North and at about 5:05 p.m. the majority of the audience had arrived and the civil dialogue ensued as the 55-miute program featured a spirited debate on the local issues that matter to Town of Paradise Valley residents.
The Digital Free Press came with a bank of 17 questions broken into distinctive categories, which were: City Hall & personality, public safety, development and short-term rentals. Read the script and bank of questions HERE.
The debate began with questions regarding technology and public safety at the Paradise Valley Police Department.
“Photo radar and photo enforcement saves lives — it is a key component of our public safety,” Ms. Thomasson said of the town’s usage of photo radar on local thoroughfares — major, minor and arterial. “It is key to protecting our town.”
It is no secret at Town Hall that every year elected leaders at the Arizona Legislature attempt to put an end to the municipal use of photo radar technologies and, when asked if elected mayor, what Ms. Thomasson would do to thwart those attempts, she offered a novel solution.
“I would like to create a coalition of the communities that have photo enforcement — in particular Phoenix and Tempe,” she said of taking a proactive approach to the typical legislative chagrin over the technology.
