Carefree has 13 candidates vying for mayor and Town Council seats. Here's where they stand on key issues

Voters in Carefree will begin casting their ballots for a new mayor and six Town Council positions July 6, when early voting begins for the Aug. 2 primary election.

Every elected role in Carefree is up for grabs and residents who want to have their voices heard can register to vote, check their registration status or request a mail-in ballot at beballotready.vote. Residents also can call 602-506-1511 to request a ballot through the mail.

Five council incumbents are seeking reelection and will have to contend with six newcomers who hope to take their positions. Vice Mayor John Crane is vying for the mayoral position and will be up against local businessman Peter Sample in that race.

The Arizona Republic asked each of the candidates to share their views on key topics facing the town. Here are their responses.

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Ideally, what will Carefree look like in 10 years? How will you make that happen?

Mayoral candidates

John Crane: "In 10 years, residential neighborhoods will look much like they do today. Our town culture will continue to emphasize our unique small-town feel, which I have cultivated during my tenure on council.

"The northeast corner of Carefree Highway and Cave Creek Road will be commercially developed, to the stipulations agreed to with the immediate neighbors, with businesses bringing those residents value. The northwest corner of Tom Darlington Road and Carefree Highway will showcase a boutique hotel similar to the Hermosa Inn in Paradise Valley, including a first-class restaurant our residents will enjoy. The property will have been developed in accordance with the stipulations agreed to with the immediate neighbors. The walkable Town Core will be vibrant and include a diversity of restaurants, art galleries and merchants enhancing the Carefree experience. This will come to pass by working closely with residents and businesses and having a sound economic development plan."

Peter Sample: "Most of Carefree's residents moved here because of the open spaces, beautiful desert, dark and quiet night skies, and quaint town center. My commitment to residents is to maintain the uniqueness of our town and protect Carefree from the overdevelopment that has been embraced by our current Town Council and mayor. The outcome of this election will determine whether the Carefree 10 years from now remains the hidden gem at the base of Black Mountain that it currently is, or if it is destined to turn into a cheap imitation of Old Town Scottsdale.

"As mayor, I will protect Carefree by holding a higher standard of quality to new development projects and ensuring that new developments conform to the expectation of the residents of our community.  Additionally, I will make Carefree a safer place to live by ensuring that our Fire Department is a member of the Regional Automatic Aid system."

Council candidates 

Sheila Amoroso: "Carefree is primarily a residential community and about 80% built out. It is a charming, peaceful, beautiful area of Arizona and we want it to stay that way. There are four major development projects in the beginning stages and the town’s general plan is up for review in the next few years.

"We need to increase community engagement earlier in our development planning process and it will be an area of focus for me. We have a lot of decisions coming up over the next few years and a high degree of community input will be required.

"In general, the most notable change that will be impacting most town residents will be the redevelopment of the town center. We have started the process of the redevelopment and I feel supporting and increasing community engagement, public meetings and workshops are vital to reach a consensus on our shared visions and values."

Vince D’Aliesio, incumbent: "The town has grown slowly and the growth has been sustained. We are at 80% resident build-out, with most of the remaining 20% being uninhabitable property. We are continually evolving as a town, we are no longer a tour bus destination from Old Town Scottsdale where you can travel to buy trinkets and see the desert.

"We need to continue revitalizing our downtown core: draw new businesses that are unique to the desert foothills blended with other businesses that will continue to draw sustained tax revenue for our town. I will continue to facilitate programming to benefit our town core and support the activities of our economic development team in promoting that growth."

Tony Geiger, incumbent: "In 10 years, I believe Carefree will have reached build-out. The town will have sustainable infrastructure including water, sewer and well-maintained roads as well as sustainable finances. The town will be a place that retains its original character and will draw visitors due to its natural beauty, available amenities and will be a small but top destination for wellness tourism.

"I will help make this happen by completing the town’s water consolidation project and water management initiatives, implementing the established economic development plan, continue with the program of pay-as-you-go road maintenance and manage the evaluation and potential evolution of the town’s fire service from mutual aid to the automatic aid system. This will require identifying additional costs and find matching revenues to make sure there is sustainable funding for fire protection into the future."

Glenn Grossman: "Carefree will have a revitalized downtown shopping district which is aesthetically pleasing and consistent with our charming small-town look and feel. Our now-undeveloped parcels will be built out with developments which pay for themselves and enhance the small-town charm of Carefree. I will work to implement the Village Center Master Plan for revitalization of our downtown and provide a thoughtful, common-sense review of proposed developments in the town."

Stephen Hatcher, incumbent: "Carefree will look very much like it does today. We only have a few parcels of land that can be developed. We hope to see further revitalization of our business district. Also, there (are) plans to develop more parking, safer crosswalks, and enhancements to our town website. We are in the middle of completing a major renovation project to our water supply and distribution network. Furthermore, we are evaluating our fire station to see how we can modernize and integrate it with our neighboring towns to provide first-class fire protection."

Michael Johnson, incumbent: "My vision is that Carefree continues to be a safe, quiet desert town where people can come relax, explore and shop. Currently, there are two parcels of land planned for commercial development on the east and west corners of Carefree Highway, with lots available for infill housing. Carefree is approaching build-out so commercial development must enhance and keep with the character of our town while providing sources of revenue. Sixty percent of our funding comes from sales taxes; there are no property taxes.

"I will work for smart development, work to complete the Carefree Water Consolidation Project, and the move from mutual-aid to automatic-aid for fire service. I support the SRP (proposal) to raise Bartlett Lake that will increase water storage and supply and the re-charging of our unused CAP water. Water is our most precious resource and we must thoroughly study our options before making a decision for fire service."

Cheryl Kroyer, incumbent: "If we have done our job right, in 10 years Carefree will still be the quality, residential community for which we are known. But we will have found complementary parts to generate revenues to support our sales tax-centric financial model. We will have focused on areas which have non-residential uses to generate revenue while minimizing disruption to any nearby residential areas."

Kathlina Lai: "In 2032, Carefree is going to be the jewel in Arizona’s crown, just as our founders had envisioned it.

"Our once proud motto, the Sunshine Government, is restored because trust and transparency are the way we do business in this town. Our residents will be proud to call this pristine dark sky and open space community home and visitors will flock to Carefree to spend money at our unique selections of ethnic restaurants from around the world, cool coffee shops with fresh-baked pastries for breakfast and attractive shops on Easy Street. Carefree is 'where the sun marks time and growth is done responsibly.

"I will represent and respect your wishes, preserve the unique characteristics of our town and restore trust and transparency to our council. … I will insist that the council does not conduct business behind closed doors. Cronyism, favoritism and underhanded tactics have no place in Carefree."

Sven Maric: "The next two years will be defining for Carefree. The current administration is working off a decade-old voter-approved General Plan. This plan calls for turning the commercial part of Carefree into an entertainment district similar to Old Town Scottsdale. … This plan (must) be voted on by Carefree voters every 10 years. … I will make it a priority to bring this to the Carefree voters ASAP.

"We … have to ask ourselves if we still want to be like Old Town Scottsdale. Do we want to be the entertainment and hospitality hub of north Scottsdale? Arizona is facing an unprecedented drought and potential water restrictions. … I find it irresponsible to attract more hotels and water-intensive industries. With your vote, together we can protect the natural beauty for future generations and stop irresponsible growth in Carefree.

"Let’s keep Carefree as an oasis of peace and quiet."

Gene Orrico: "Ideally, I would hope that Carefree continues to be the unique, local and guest-friendly town that visitors would desire to come and visit. One of the ways to help make this happen is to have eclectic mom-and-pop stores that have and cater to the things that people want and (not) necessarily just what they need. Diversity in restaurants i.e. Italian, Greek, Asian, Mexican and American."

Duke Vukotic: "Carefree was conceived in the mid-1950s as an upscale residential area. Ideally, Carefree will preserve its unique residential setting, exceptional safety, beautiful and clean open spaces, dark skies, Western heritage and family-friendly atmosphere.

"If elected to council, I will ensure that town ordinances and code enforcement are fair and equitable for all residents and businesses with no exceptions. I will ensure that decision-making within the town chambers closely aligns with the goal of Keeping Carefree - Carefree, an upscale residential area. No more excuses for four-story motels, lack of transparency and accountability."

What skills or qualifications do you have that would benefit residents?

Mayoral candidates

Crane: "Having served as a Carefree Council member and vice mayor, my intimate knowledge of the town’s ongoing water integration and public safety challenges will be crucial to resolving these and other issues. As a 33-year Carefree resident, I have immersed myself in the community not only on the Carefree Council, but as a planning & zoning commissioner, Desert Foothills Land Trust vice chair, Maricopa County Parks and Recreation commissioner, an HOA president, and a hands-on supporter of virtually every town initiated community event in the past 10 years.

"I know Carefree. As a successful small business owner of 28 years and a fiscal conservative, I know how to manage a budget. I respectfully listen and speak with residents and business owners. I bring an analytical thought process. This is the style of leadership needed at this critical juncture."

Sample: "First and foremost, I love the Town of Carefree, and am dedicated to protecting it and its citizens. As an owner of an investment advisory firm and successful production company, I understand the importance of fiscal responsibility and the value of transparent communication for business and community to thrive.

"I am a proven and effective leader, strong negotiator, and skillful problem solver. With these skills, I will be able to effectively communicate town policy and vision, promote community unity and manage the future growth of Carefree. It will be my pleasure to serve and represent the residents of Carefree."

Council candidates 

Amoroso: "I retired as the director of the Municipal Bond Department at Franklin Templeton Investments in July of 2020 and moved to Carefree. I have 34 years of experience investing in public infrastructure and was the leader of over 30 investment professionals providing investment opportunities for individual and institutional investors.

"Our investment decisions required deep analysis of all aspects of government budgets, services, tax policy and public policy. I’ve seen the best, the mediocre and the worst government practices. I know what works, what does not and know practices to avoid.

"I was a member of the Carefree Public Safety Advisory Committee. Our public safety contracts were coming up for renewal in 2022 and we were charged with evaluating current services, potential options for renewal or new contracts and revenue sources to cover the increased costs. Our report is available for review on the Carefree website."

D’Aliesio: "I have worked well within our council, I ask questions and do my homework before voting. I listen and I get along with others, I value teamwork. I have followed through on promises to ensure quality water service to all residents, continue to bring commerce to our downtown core with our new anchor tenant, the Hampton Inn, and still value our past with voting to restrict the type of commercial development that can be installed, such as the restrictions placed on developing the northeast corner of Cave Creek/Carefree Highway. We are growing and evolving as a town, so I have been flexible in that evolution, I’m raising a family here and will retire here."

Geiger: "My business career prepared me with a deep background in finance, engineering, law and marketing. A 21-year resident, since 2013 I have volunteered my time working on town initiatives including five years as the Carefree representative to the Cave Creek Water Advisory Committee, including two years as chair, a member of the mayor's task force to close the Boulders Sewer plant and am completing my first two-year term on the Town Council.

"I bring a skill set that combines extensive business experience, tempered with the realities of working to get things done in local government. Learning to understand the differences between the two has enabled me to become effective in my role. I have a solid understanding of the history of our town and the town’s character while possessing the experience to understand the challenges we face and the realities of solving problems and governing."

Grossman: "I’m a CPA by trade with over a 30-years' experience in financial administration and corporate management. I am also a small business owner for over 13 years in our community."

Hatcher: "I hold a degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA in finance and work in the investment field. In addition, I spent five years on the board of a 22-story condominium in Phoenix. During this time I was very much involved in securing a $2.5 million loan for a series of renovation projects. These renovations included; new elevators, interior renovations, electrical system and sewer system upgrades. My formal education and experience provide me with a unique understanding of the engineering projects facing the town and how those projects are financed."

Johnson: "I'm a retired chief financial officer/CPA with 35 years of working in startup, public and fortune 500 companies. Experience includes telecom startups that created jobs and helped build the internet infrastructure; print news and railroad industries. I managed high growth, mergers and acquisitions, forecasting, spending and fundraising. Companies included Ascend Communications, Oakland Tribune and Itel Rail.

"I've been on the council for 8 months and seek to retain my seat. I've volunteered since 2015 working on issues that affect Carefree and my HOA as a board president. We led the effort to ensure the rezoning of Carefree Highway's northeast corner to commercial which backs up to us, worked for us and the town. We ensured it would not have fast-food drive-thrus, tall dense buildings and a 24-hour emergency hospital. I worked with Scottsdale to install turning lanes at my community and 60th street on Carefree Highway making it safer."

Kroyer: "Experience. I have five-plus years on the Council to date. During that time, I have brought 30 years of marketing and communications expertise to support the town’s marketing and communications projects. I have studied the issues that have impacted our town the most: how to get and keep a safe, reliable source of water for all of our residents; how to generate revenues (without imposing a property tax) to provide state-of-the-art fire and police services; and keep our roads safe for motorists and pedestrians. I believe that I am uniquely qualified to continue my roles in these and other projects that we urgently face now and in the future."

Lai: "Critical thinking, high standards, and asking hard questions are my trademarks of leadership.

"I am capable, ready and willing to go the extra mile to serve as your councilwoman. I am going to fight hard to preserve our way of life because Carefree is also my home. Having been a successful corporate leader in strategy and technology for Fortune 100 companies, I know what it takes to turn an organization around. These are all transferable skills I can leverage to elevate our town."

Maric: "As a business owner, I understand the need to operate successfully within a certain budget and to set priorities on where the financial impact will be the greatest.

"I have spent 20-plus years building large technology systems in the marketing and business automation areas for Fortune 100 companies. These implementations consist of multi-million dollar budgets and the management of cross-functional teams to deliver successful projects.

"As a Carefree resident, I feel strongly about serving Carefree residents to ensure Carefree remains the pristine place that our founders had envisioned. I don’t have any financial interest in Carefree and can therefore stay objective on all business-related issues. Also, I didn't take any campaign donations and cannot be bought by anyone."

Orrico: "I served as a Carefree councilman for five years. Presently treasurer of Carefree Shadows HOA, vice president of the Carefree/ Cave Creek Italian Club, past president of the Kiwanis Club of Carefree. I serve on the Board of  Directors of the Kiwanis Foundation and Club of Carefree. I have a master's in business, also past broker-owner of insurance and real estate offices. Last career position was as a  general building contractor."

Vukotic: "I would bring unique qualities such as passion for Carefree and utilize critical thinking, interdependency and transparency to ensure the residents have a say in each and every decision council is making. The Town of Carefree deserves sustainable growth with resident buy-in."

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What are the two biggest challenges you believe Carefree faces? What will you do to address them?

Mayoral candidates

Crane: "Reliable and safe water for all Carefree residents: Complete the integration of all of our residents into the Carefree Water Company, improve the Town Drought Preparedness Plan, take steps to encourage water conservation awareness and behavior, begin to explore water charging opportunities, and support the town’s participation in raising the height of Bartlett Dam and gaining access to additional water rights.

"Manage a town discussion to arrive at a consensus for a fire protection system that will be financially sound and ensure public safety through public engagement where questions will be answered and ideas and solutions heard."

Sample: "The two biggest challenges faced by Carefree today are navigating the continued development of our town center and open spaces, and the need for our fire department to become a member of the Regional Automatic Aid system.

"As mayor, I will listen to the residents with regard to the amount of development that is suitable and acceptable for our town. Four-story chain hotels are not appropriate development projects for our community, and Carefree's elected officials should understand that. I will end the out-of-touch development policies of our current Town Council and mayor, and protect Carefree from the overdevelopment that has affected our neighboring communities.

"Regarding public safety, Carefree's Fire Department currently stands alone with a small fire and emergency staff. I will ensure that Carefree joins the Regional Automatic Aid system to have guaranteed, seamless and timely response from Daisy Mountain and Scottsdale fire departments in addition to our own."

Council candidates 

Amoroso: "Our two biggest challenges are fire service and consolidating all Carefree residents into the Carefree water system. I believe we are on the right track and will continue to support these projects.

"Following the recommendations of the Public Safety Advisory Commission, our town hired two independent consultants to analyze the future financial needs of the town to pay for fire service and analyze the fire service needs of our community. The next stage will be community meetings to make the final decision.

"Carefree is in the process of bringing high-quality water and service to all Carefree residents. Not all water systems are created equal. While customers of Carefree water were receiving high-quality water and service, residents subscribed to Cave Creek water were not. After many complaints regarding Cave Creek water, consolidation was determined to be the best solution, which included construction of the underground water tank."

D’Aliesio: "1. We have a small minority of residents that continually question the transparency of town government. The town is extremely transparent. We have encouraged residents to attend all public meetings and make appointments with myself or town staff to gain a greater understanding of town operations. Public meetings and agenda items are constantly posted and residents can sign up for email alerts at carefree.org. We have an amazing staff, and our council members all make themselves available to visit with residents.

"2. Our objective as a council and staff is to ensure that ALL residents have the best available service, and the same service. Our goal is to continue to represent all constituents in Carefree. We are one community, neighbors must continue to look out for neighbors."

Geiger: "The first challenge is determining the future of the town’s fire and emergency services provider. For the past 50 years, Carefree has contracted with Rural Metro for these services. Recently there has been a change in posture by the surrounding fire departments as to their willingness to enter into formal mutual aid agreements with Rural Metro. As the town evaluates its options moving forward I want to ensure there is proper due diligence conducted on costs, the options to fund any additional spending and make sure there is robust citizen input.

"The second challenge will be to find the revenue over the next 10 years to offset expected inflation and the expected decreases in construction sales taxes and state shared revenues. I will address this challenge by implementing the town’s economic development plan, adjusted as needed due to citizen preferences and market realities."

Grossman: "Fire protection/emergency services and property taxes. The Public Safety Advisory Committee has documented in their report the excellent service we have enjoyed from Rural Metro for over 50 years but concluded that we should turn Rural Metro out for a much more expensive alternative with automatic aid. This is especially puzzling since Rural Metro now has two fire companies in Carefree: 821 and 825.

"Contracting with more expensive fire protection could lead to the implementation of property taxes in Carefree. This would be a mistake on two fronts. Automatic aid will cost $1 million to $1.7 million more than Rural Metro in year one, which is a waste of money and property taxes, once adopted, never go away. They just grow every year. I will fight to maintain our conservative values and I stand against property taxes in Carefree."

Hatcher: "First big challenge is the full integration of our new auxiliary water tank and the renovation of the piping system that we acquired from Cave Creek which ensures our residents have clean safe water.

"Second big challenge is to modernize and integrate a new fire station with our neighboring towns to provide first class fire protection for years to come."

Johnson: "Complete the Carefree Water Consolidation Project and connect the 550 Carefree accounts now on Cave Creek Water to Carefree Water generating revenue. The revenue will be used to pay the bond payment due on July 1, 2023, that was not pre-funded by bond proceeds. We should finalize an agreement with SRP to participate in the study to raise Bartlett Lake to increase water supplies. We must look at a project to recharge our unused CAP water.

"Complete due diligence on the potential move from Mutual Aid to Automatic Aid fire service. The town expects the reports from the financial and fire service operations experts completed in late fall. We expect to have several public meetings to share the findings with the public and receive feedback. This will be critical in determining next steps and how we move forward.

"Superior water and fire service are critical to Carefree's long-term success."

Kroyer: "Our two biggest challenges ... are to ensure a safe, reliable source of water for all town residents and generate revenues to provide for town safety initiatives (police and fire).

"We are already in the process of building a water reservoir to get water to the 500-plus homes that are not currently served by the Carefree Water Company. Once this is completed sometime this summer, the next job is to make sure that we utilize all the tools at our disposal studying water charging opportunities, tapping into underground resources and participating in the SRP study underway to raise the height of Bartlett Dam allowing more storage of runoff water that can be directed to Carefree.

"Working with the town’s economic development manager and my fellow council members, find ways to raise revenues to support the already high and rising costs of fire and police protection without changing the makeup of our community."

Lai: "There are a number of challenges facing Carefree ... The two biggest are reckless developments planned for the remaining open spaces and the lack of trust and transparency of our current Town Council. As a result, (most) Carefree residents are … disillusioned and disengaged, wondering how Carefree got hijacked by the current Council who will do anything to stay in power - including suing our town.

"Secrecy, anonymity and underhanded maneuvers are the enemies of trust, veracity and transparency. This has been the modus operandi of the current Carefree council for years and it is unacceptable. … I will ask the hard questions to challenge the status quo, insist that the Council does not conduct its business behind closed doors, and let the voters decide the future of Carefree instead of allowing a group of megalomaniac leaders and a small vocal minority hold our beloved town hostage. Carefree belongs to all Carefree residents."

Maric: "In the next several years, Carefree has to decide what type of development it wants for those precious few open spaces. Making the wrong decision could be a burden for our town for many years to come. We need to avoid reckless development at all costs. Right now we still have the ability to course-correct with the right council members in place. With our current water shortage, developing Carefree for more hotels/resorts is not the way to go.

"Public safety is an area that needs drastic improvement. An upscale community like Carefree deserves first-rate public safety and we should make this our top priority.  Many senior citizens worked their entire lives to be able to enjoy their golden years in Carefree. They deserve peace of mind knowing that when they face an emergency qualified help will be available within minutes. I will make public safety my No. 1 priority."

Orrico: "Public fire and police safety and economic development. To address these challenges, we need to promote new businesses that provide sales tax revenue. Once again, public-private partnerships promote a town that is business-friendly."

Vukotic: "Public safety and irresponsible growth are the two biggest challenges. … Lack of a coherent vision backed by the town residents and apparent incompetence on the current Town Council, resulted in the 'status quo' we have today within Carefree town government.

"As an example, dismissive and arrogant fashion of business caused our town millions of dollars in unnecessary lawsuits, expensive pet projects and disengaged residents.

“I will immediately work on revisiting the 2030 general plan in collaborative effort with the residents and the council. As … Carefree residents and the tourist numbers grew substantially in the last decade, we must increase (the) level of public safety. I will seek an upgrade for our fire protection from mutual aid to automatic aid (and) improve our contract with our law enforcement partners. I will also work to improve relationships with neighboring … Cave Creek and … Scottsdale on the issues of common interest."

Reach Sam at sam.kmack@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @KmackSam.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Carefree election: Q&A with Town Council candidates