Holli Ploog and Kathy Kinsella want to represent the Voices of the Citizens on the Sedona City Council

Holli Ploog and Kathy Kinsella want to bring a pragmatic progressive vision, a commitment to citizens, and valuable public service experience to the Sedona City Council.

Sedona City Council Candidates Kathy Kinsella (left) and Holli Ploog (right)

Running as a team with Ms. Ploog touting her service and dedication to the city of Sedona and Ms. Kinsella embracing her experience and enthusiasm for public service, they both want to work on:

  • Revitalizing and expanding community parks, pools, and recreation centers.
  • Addressing Sedona’s traffic and transportation infrastructure.
  • Adopting a sustainability policy that addresses climate change.
  • Affordable and sustainable housing for Sedona’s workers.
  • Expanding the city’s cultural art centers.

Both ladies, who already have extensive experience in working to move Sedona forward, graciously took time, via Zoom, to discuss their qualifications and goals for serving on the city council.

The questions and their responses are below:

  • Please tell the reader what are at least two qualifications that make you ideal for the Sedona City Council. Committed to public service

“We both have work and volunteer experience that has well prepared us for the Council. We have complimentary skill sets and biographies.  Kathy’s background in government and Holli’s in business pair well together, as we do as people. It requires two members to bring something forward on the council agenda.   Together, we will make sure that items are brought up for discussion and that citizens’ voices are heard.”

We both strongly believe in community service and that local government needs to be responsive to its citizens. We want people to know our values and vision for Sedona, and that we are in touch with what is going on in the Community.”

  • In your opinion, what are the three strengths of the City of Sedona?

 

  • “The people. The sense of volunteerism is very strong here and the level of citizen engagement is high. That helps to build a strong sense of community. We are also lucky to have a smart and capable staff led by our City Manager. Our city’s economy was doing well until the Coronavirus. Our conservative fiscal policies left a safety net that has us in good shape to weather the storm.”
  • “The Beauty and scenery of the area along with a strong sense of community stewardship to protect our natural environment are definitely one of our strengths. It is a soothing place to live but also serves to draw tourists, which supports our economy.  We have to carefully maintain that balance, though. We do not want to overburden our beautiful and unique environment.”
  • “Art and culture abound in Sedona. They are second only to the natural beauty of the area is what attracts people here.”

 

  • In your opinion, what are three areas that warrant improvement in the City of Sedona?

 

  • “We would like to improve the services for city residents. Increased opportunities in parks, pools, and recreation should be developed.”
  • “Traffic and transit. With only two roads (89A and 179) in and out of the city, we need to move ahead with mitigating traffic strain. It is a safety issue. There is a $30 million traffic improvement strategy that has been developed, but it needs to be implemented in a way that achieves the most relief for people. We have no significant public transportation. We are in the process of planning an extensive transit system but the public health emergency may cause delays in implementation.”
  • “The City needs to take a stand on fighting climate change and be a role model for other municipalities. We need to take care of our water and land resources. We want Sedona to lead by example.”

 

  • As a councilmember, what are the three most important issues that you would want the Sedona City Council and Mayoral staff to address?

 

  • “A completed and implemented climate action plan.”
  • “Commitment to seeing things through on traffic mitigation. Improved traffic helps everyone (Residents, business, and tourists. We see everything as interconnected.)”
  • “Progress on quality affordable workforce housing. Non-owner occupied short-term rentals and the investor community have heavily impacted our city. Speculation and the development of new properties specifically as STRs has depleted our potential and existing rental housing stock and has raised housing prices. We have seen large-scale changes in neighborhoods where people do not know their neighbors anymore. It contributes toward losing a sense of community.”
  • “Completion of community focus area plans so that they can be included in land use and zoning review. These area-specific plans help shape Sedona.”

 

  • What are at least three (one each) plans you would like to implement to make Sedona a better place for:

 

  1. Sedona’s Residents: “Review of our parks, pool, and recreation programs because they provide direct service to our residents. We would like to see an expansion of neighborhood-based activities so that people are served where they live. Most of our parks and recreation are concentrated in West Sedona. People should have additional opportunities for programs without having to drive from one part of Sedona to the other.”
  2. Sedona’s Commercial Interests: “Improved traffic and transit benefits not just residents, but also our businesses. We want workers and customers to get where they need to be conveniently and efficiently. We also need affordable homes for our workers. Before COVID, that was the number one issue for employers so they can attract and retain employees.  We see all these issues as interconnected. If someone lives in the community where they work, they are not adding to traffic and the environmental impact of long commutes. If they live and work in Sedona, that contributes to the local economy.”
  3. Sedona’s Cultural and Educational Centers: “Sedona is unique in that there are 3,000 artists living and creating here. We are a community sustained by our artists. We also have a renowned film festival that is 26 years strong and internationally known. We want to support our artists with additional space to display and exhibit. We see an opportunity to create spaces in conjunction with re-developed recreation space.”

 

  • Is there anything you would like the voter to know about you that was not addressed in the first five questions?

“We see Sedona as an integral part of a greater region. We are surrounded by a number of communities that are unincorporated. What happens in these areas (resources, climate, housing, and traffic) is a regional concern that impacts all the communities. We believe Sedona needs to participate in this larger community.”

 “Our focus is to listen to and engage citizens. We want to have more direct communication like going into neighborhoods and discussing and listening to their concerns.”

 “We want voters to know that our core values will guide our decisions and that we will represent the voice of citizens on the council.”

For more information on Holli Ploog and Kathy Kinsella and their team candidacy for the Sedona City Council, please visit their webpage here and their Facebook Page here.

www.VoteSedona.com

@Holli & Kathy K For Sedona

Please remember to:

Turn out and vote on primary day on August 4 and the general election on  November 3, 2020.

Register/sign up for the Permanent Early Voting List (PEVL) in Arizona or any state that allows early or absentee balloting and mail. Arizona residents can sign up at servicearizona.com

Arizona residents, mail your General Election ballot by October 28, 2020, for the November 3, 2020 election.

Check-in with the Secretary of State’s office where you live to verify your mail-in ballot was received, processed, verified, and counted.

Know the voter ID requirements in your state.

If you can, support Clean Election Candidates with a small contribution.

Also, please remember to stay informed on all the candidates and vote for all the offices on the ballot.

Also, remember to research all the ballot initiatives and vote on them as well.

Remember the Primaries are on August 4, 2020, and the General Election is on November 3. 2020.


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