Ahwatukee Foothills News : Letters to the Editor

Local author crosses line

Dear Editor:

I just read the article: “Top 10 ingredients to avoid” (AFN Feb. 26). I really have to say something about it, because I feel the article crosses the line of responsibility for both the author and the newspaper itself.

One of the issues is self interest. Paula Owens is a business owner. It is in her interest to draw attention to her business, which she does indirectly by listing common ingredients and how harmful she believes them to be. The reader is left believing that all of these common ingredients are harmful, and is left looking for alternatives. Conveniently, the author then plugs her business Web site at the end of the article.

If a similar article was written by a senior staff member of a hospital, or other public health organization, it is assumed that the author is well researched and is using widely accepted studies as references. Such organizations comply with strict regulations and follow protocols of broad consensus set by mainstream organizations such as the American Medical Association. A private business owner has no such backing, and thus the bar must be held high for statements presented in an article that is not in the opinion section.

To press the issue even further, Owens practices holistic medicine, which, although popular, is considered “alternative medicine” and is met with considerable skepticism from the mainstream medical community. Such practices have a far weaker body of scientific study behind their practices than conventional medicine.

Having a B.S. in microbiology and currently working on a M.S. in forest ecology, I expect strong claims to be backed up with good research. The article in question is dealing with public health and makes bold claims against commonly used, FDA-approved ingredients.

In the case of this article, which appears in a non-opinion section of the paper and is written by a private business owner, I feel that such claims must be backed up with citations to the specific scientific studies and organizations from which these claims receive backing. Barring that (I know that space is precious in any newspaper), such information should be available as a Web link or by some other convenient means. The alternative is to not publish the article, which, in my opinion, would have been the responsible thing to do.

It is my opinion that the newspaper is represented by the claims its contributors make in articles that do not appear in the opinion section and/or are not followed by a disclaimer. When powerful statements are made against the status quo, such claims need to be made with the backing of good research, and such research should be made available to the reader in some way.

Without such qualifiers, the content of the article in question amounts to no more than an advertisement that uses fear mongering and sensationalism as a tool to draw attention to the author’s business.

Erik Nelson

Rename Village Planning Committee, Village Fundraising Committee

Dear Editor:

Funny what three months can bring. It appears with the removal of planners, architects, designers and community activists from the Ahwatukee Foothills Village Planning Committee we are done planning the future of Ahwatukee, and can now become the Ahwatukee Foothills Fundraising Committee.

While events such as the Festival of Lights, Fourth of July Fireworks and Easter Parade are important to our community and have been a signature component of Ahwatukee, they fall outside the purview of the city and the AFVPC. Perhaps Councilman Sal DiCiccio should appoint another one of his community panels outside of the Village Planning Committee (similar to the South Mountain 202 Committee he pulled together) to do fundraising for these community events. DiCiccio’s concern and scrutinization of the financial structure of the city is well founded, and we can appreciate having a councilman who is challenging and working to find solutions to the city’s financial debacle. Thank you councilman for taking a stand.

There are still many planning issues that the Planning Committee should engage actively in: redevelopment and revitalization of strip malls, corners, housing areas, South Mountain 202 trail building to South Mountain Park, increasing walkability in our small community. The character of our community is not immune to possible changes in our urban fabric. We should be proactive about what is on the horizon for Ahwatukee and not just respond to the city’s directives.

The health and future of our community rests on many issues. Let the Village Planning Committee focus on community planning and growth-related issues. We have 85,000 residents in Ahwatukee who can be utilized for future leadership and fundraising activities. Certainly, DiCiccio can tap into more of his friends to fill his new committee.

Laurel Arndt

Member of the

AFVPC 1999-2009

Fairness in HOA elections needed now

Dear Editor:

A short time ago I filled out a questionnaire to become a candidate on the Lakewood HOA community board of directors. The paperwork asked candidates for input on why they were running and to include ideas on improving the Lakewood community. I wrote the following on the Lakewood candidate information sheet and dropped it in the mail:

1. “HOA meetings should be open to the HOA community”

I stated this because past meetings that I attended were behind locked doors. I had to knock on the door, state why I was there, then was let in later during the meeting.

2. “All HOA elections should be certified by a qualified independent third party”

This seems only fair and will improve the level of trust between the community and the HOA board. I can only think in our one-man, one-vote democracy that there should be safeguards for this type of election.

3. “Design and implement HOA recall elections”

What recourse would homeowners have if tyrants were elected to HOA boards? The answer in none. With a recall rule in place, there would be a system of checks and balances, ensuring fairness and civility.

Just yesterday the Lakewood HOA mailed out information on the four candidates, myself included. Much to my surprise the three points I wrote about above were not included under my profile. Instead there was a short paragraph with generic terms such as “strong sense of community” or “safe place to live.” When I filled out the candidate questionnaire, I did not give a long-winded statement but just listed the three bullet points as stated above. So as of today I have no other recourse but make a request to my state representatives. Please protect all Arizona citizens who are HOA members by passing legislation that will:

1. Have all AZ HOA meetings open to the HOA membership.

2. Have all AZ HOA elections certified by an independent qualified third party.

3. Implement a recall process by which HOA members are allowed to remove one or all HOA board members.

I see no other choice to instill fairness and balance in this situation other than to implement the above-stated recommendations as law. I do realize that HOA members are required to follow all CC&Rs while also keeping their property clean, neat and well kept. When the HOA election process is misconstrued how could we ever hope for fair treatment from a local HOA board.

David Folts

Downward spiral

Dear Editor:

The downward spiral started when voter initiatives, city, state, and federal politicians could legally tax and discriminate against a select group of citizens; tax more commodities each year; remove wealth from those who produce and give to those who refuse to be productive; to implement temporary taxes that never end; and pay government employees and politicians two to five times the national average salary.

The downward spiral accelerates when politicians suggest withholding expensive medical treatment for senior citizens, unfortunately that has to happen if we are to sustain the policies in the first paragraph.  Perhaps we need facilities to house and give minimal care to those who are a financial burden or those who don’t live a proper lifestyle.

Many students are now being taught that they are smarter and more savvy than their parents. These new educational standards will make it easier for future generations to ignore the needs of senior citizens.

This downward spiral will eventually come to an end when we become a feudal society or when this country is no longer a country.

Ted Griffieth 

If you cannot budget the money, find another job

Dear Editor:

I have been reading about the problems with the city of Phoenix budget and what can be or will be done to correct the problems caused by poor city management. The answer is simple, raise or put taxes on something that is not taxed or has a low tax and the voters may not say too much and will most likely forget the increase when election time shows up. Most have a short memory due to trying to survive today.

Should I not have figured right and cannot pay my real estate taxes, I have to go to a bank and take out a loan for a short time. Or delay as long as I can to find the extra money. The politicians have an endless supply of money as it only takes a bill to be put on the governor’s/mayor’s desk, have it signed, and the problem is solved by a few strokes of a pen. We read about a tax only being applied for a period, then expires. If you believe that, what more can I say. Politicians will never let go of a tax that they can continue to spend year after year, and this is like money in the bank to them.

Why do the politicians have a car allowance from the city? If need be, ride the bus or take a cab like others do, then deduct it from your income tax. Phoenix builds a nice park on Pecos then wants to shut it down due to lack of money, but what happened to the money budgeted for the park? Yes, there has to be an operations budget. No one has said a word about that.

I can see the Indian casinos from where I live, and as I look at those money pits I wonder where the money has gone that the Indians pay in taxes to the state of Arizona and I hope Phoenix is in that pot. I have not heard a word about a raise in their taxes, not one word that I know of. That is free money for Arizona and can be raised to infinity, as the Indians will only cut down on the payouts to those hoping to hit it big.

All I read about is the city or the state will have to cut back on police or fire personnel, which is a scare tactic, as everyone knows with conditions in Phoenix, the city needs every officer/fireman that can be put on the street. Lack of manpower in the police department means only one thing, one-man cars, and this leaves the lone officer just about on his own on handling assignments and we all know the results of what can happen to a lone officer. It boils down that money is more important than a police officer’s life. It is like the military, the officer is expendable, as a replacement can always be hired and at less money since it takes time to go through the pay increases, if they are given. If you cannot budget the money, then find another job. Carwash is always looking for help.

I hope the politicians sleep good at night, if they can.

John W. Sonley

Excellent story on Loop 202

Dear Editor:

I just wanted to share my approval of Robert Oppermann’s article: “Air pollution a concern for critics of Loop 202” (AFN Feb. 17).

What specifically pleased me about his article were the details he included about the air pollution study. I was an indoor air quality consultant in the Valley for three years (ending last summer) and participated in almost every Arizona Air Quality Council meeting (quarterly, in the Chase tower) during that time. The details that Oppermann wrote about were common topics in presentations given at those meetings. It was great to see such important and well researched information appear in an AFN article.

Maricopa County has been under a lot of pressure due to Clean Air Act violations for the last several years, and there are strict restrictions on many controllable sources of pollution in place. But the big one is also the most difficult to mitigate: Vehicle pollutants. Although the study cited in Oppermann’s article mentioned that the worst particulate exposure is within 500m of major roadways, we all are familiar with the “brown cloud” and know that particulates can build up and travel much farther than that. And ozone is even worse; reaching peak levels in the Mesa area, far east of the emissions source. So far Ahwatukee has been mostly shielded by these particulates due to South Mountain. I wouldn’t blame anyone for being concerned over what a southern extension of the Loop 202 would do for Ahwatukee air quality, and it’s a reasonable argument against placing a freeway in our area.

Anyway, I’m glad that you have Robert Oppermann interning with the AFN, and look forward to his future coverage of interesting topics.

Erik Nelson

Who prioritizes this stuff?

Dear Editor:

The front page of the AFN on Feb. 3, 2010: Value engineering cuts cost of South Mountain Freeway from $2.5 to $1.9 billion. But the profit motive is alive and well – same page also has laying off firefighters and police officers due to budget shortfall.

Maybe if we laid off a few more cops and firemen we could donate to a fund to keep 10 lanes instead of cutting back to a measly eight. Or maybe even squeeze in an extra couple. How about 12? Or 14? In each direction?

I’m pretty sure I voted for somebody down at The Bureau of First Things First to wrestle with such painful priorities. Or maybe it was The Department of Eggs in Baskets? Or is the explanation for these Decisions From Mars simply that those are all different dollars managed by different agencies with different priorities at different levels of left- and right-handed awareness.

Maybe what we need is a Department of Homeland Priorities. Meanwhile, so much for government as advocate – so much for government as adversary.

Novotny Ingersol

Get it done

Dear Editor:

Folks need to quit complaining about the Loop 202 extension and move on and get it done. As to destroying a few homes in the process ... this has been planned for more than 20 years ... most of those homes were built in the right of way less than 20 years ago ... so they knew it was coming.

As to pollution: For the last 20 years I have lived in the Ahwatukee retirement area, just less than a half mile from Interstate 10 ... with the barrier walls, there is no discernible noise and my health has not suffered any ill effects of perceived pollution.

David A. Gilliland