Bennett's
resignation presented Thursday evening did not come as a tremendous
surprise to those in attendance at Tuesday evening's
regular meeting of the Quartzsite Town Council,
August 26.
In it, evidence against Bennett's concerning a
tax debt allegedly owed the Town of Quartzsite was
presented and discussed in detail, with Councilman
Wes Huntley openly suggesting Bennett step down and
forfeit his newly acquired position as Mayor,
vacating a position he'd held only since May 21,
2008.
Bennett, a well-known businessman and builder in
Quartzsite was regarded as a favorite choice among
voters, easily winning his post despite strong
efforts by competitors for the post of Mayor to
discredit him and disseminate information concerning
his alleged tax debt to the townspeople.
Forced by these same efforts to launch a write-in
candidacy -- considered a much riskier and more
difficult alternative to the conventional candidacy
standard -- Bennett still won by a large margin,
attributing his staunch support by voters to the
number of 'disillusioned residents' who complain,
often loudly, that the council holds little or no
regard for their opinions, beliefs or concerns.
One such issue recently established as a contentious
matter among residents concerned the intention of the
council to continue holding planning meetings in
Laughlin, a sizeable distance from Quartzsite that
was widely criticized for creating an environment in
which citizens could not easily participate. In
spite of wide opposition, the council reiterated its
intention to meet in Laughlin, a move Bennett
condemned.
At a meeting held by the Citizen's Coalition Monday,
August 25, Bennett indicated that he had revised
some of his previously held concerns, citing a need
for the council and citizenry to work together to
address several matters that had heretofore
remained unaddressed.
Among those issues were several issues Bennett
had discovered immediately following his election:
the amount of money the town was paying to the Holt
Group, an engineering firm.
Indeed, the $400,000 allocated for engineering
fees far exceeded the amount typically paid by other
-- even larger -- municipalities for these same
professional fees. One comparison Bennett discovered
was $48,000.00 -- and that was for a municipality
considerably larger than Quartzsite.
At the Citizen's Coalition meeting, Town Manager
and Town Attorney Daniel G. Field indicated that this
matter was being addressed, indicating that the Holt
Group would have to authorize, beforehand, any
monies they would be charging as 'consulting fees'
to answer questions from those not authorized to
consult with them, a practice that had apparently
become accepted. Field gave no indication of exactly
what percentage of the $400,000 in question resulted
from such consultations.
He did indicate, as did Bennett, the town was very
concerned and involved with the new ADEQ [Arizona
Department of Environmental Quality] requirements
involving sewer issues that were going to cost the
town several million dollars and which, if not
addressed in a timely fashion, could result in
problems with the town's status concerning issues
related to growth-- but only if the town did not
present a plan of action. As long as the town made
arrangements to conform to the new ADEQ standards,
growth would continue unhindered.
This particular issue was at the center of
Bennett's presentation to the Citizen's Coalition.
Field indicated that the town has already borrowed $2
million of the required funds and is considering a
sizable increase in sewer fees to residents and
businesses to generate another $2 million.
Field further explained that Quartzsite's unique
position as a 'tourist attraction' with a burgeoning
population of tourists during its short tourist
season has apparently resulted in requiring an 'upscaled'
version of the sewer and treatment infrastructure.
This now necessitates significant improvements to
the existing sewer system which Field described as
'outdated' according to the ADEQ.
Bennett, who had previously indicated the town
needed to consider advertising for a new Town
Manager and suggested the town seek out a more
affordable option to the Holt Group rescinded his
previous stance at the August 25 Citizen's
Coalition meeting, citing the ADEQ improvements as
matters of higher priority and suggesting no change
in leadership be considered until the ADEQ issue had
been properly addressed.
But among the Citizen's Coalition members, many
noticed that in the council meetings held since his election
in May, Bennett's efforts to open dialog with the
council concerning several key issues were thwarted
when councilmen, required to make a motion to follow
through on the Mayor's suggestions for
consideration, met his comments with complete
silence.
While the position of Mayor remains unfilled,
many residents seem determined to find another
candidate from outside the existing group to replace
Bennett's forfeited position in the town's
government.
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