Desert Messenger

16 www.DesertMessenger.com April 20, 2022 READER'S OASIS BOOKS 690 E. Main - Quartzsite (one block east of Family Dollar) Your vacation should be a pleasant experience for you and your family. Take a few simple steps to reduce the possibility of becoming a victim of a burglary or other criminal acts against your home. Before you leave for your trip No- tify local police of the departure and return dates of your trip and provide the name and telephone number of a neighbor or relative to notify in the event of an emergency. Vacation Watch Request Form is available online at http:// c i . q u a r t z s i t e . a z . u s / i m a g e s / P o - lice_Department/QPD_Vacation_ Watch_Request.pdf Going on vacation? Notify QPD were determined to be a value of $100. It is not a requirement of the Town to notify the Superior Court or file a notice of penalty. It is up to the individual if they choose to appeal; there is a process to file a civil action with Superior Court to contest the penalty. The imposition of the pen- alty was based on the fact a mailer was sent out in a coordinated effort under ARS Title 16. Proper notice was followed. The determination was made and never appealed." Estes explained if you coordinate with other candidates, you are re- quired to form a PAC. When multi- ple candidates for office coordinate, that is when there is an issue and a PAC must be formed. The issue for both Vosper and Saxton is there was a flyer mailed in 2020 that contained four candi- dates' names. The issue was that the group of candidates had NOT filed a Political Action Committee (PAC) when it was required. Candidates cannot support other candidates fi- nancially without forming a PAC. Saxton also addressed the Coun- cil, also mentioned Starr BearCat who provided evidence from his Facebook Page using the word "we." Saxton then said, "'We' is pronoun, that was taken out of context, that 'we' was referring to PAC, but I was meaning 'we' as the 'Royal we,' which is used by people of stature, people of prominent figures. You can use the word 'we', meaning yourself." Saxton continued, "The reason I didn't pay the $100 is because to me it was as if it was a speeding ticket that was unfounded, so I was wait- ing for my day in court, just like a speeding ticket, so I could prove." Saxton added, "Our thought and to our knowledge, we didn't think we needed to form a PAC. There was a comma in the middle of everybody else's name, it was supposed to be in- dividualized, and should have been semi-colons, not commas. That's where the mistake was made." He concluded, "I don't know how these things are done, I don't know legal jargon. There was no commit- tee put together, it was just a few people that thought the same thing and letting the public know what we thought as individuals, not as a PAC. To me, we are not guilty of this. When I say 'we,' that is the pro- noun I've chose to use. I do believe this was malicious, but that may not be appropriate, but the mic is mine. This absolutely was an attack on us. To spend $4,000 of taxpayer money is absurd. We are not guilty of what we are being accused of. If it needs to go to court, it absolutely will." Estes explained to Council that he does not make the laws, nor does the Town make the laws. These are statutory requirements for indi- viduals seeking election take. There were opportunities for an appeal, or payment even under protest. The Town code provides qualifications for candidates for election. The town code does not address appointment to council." Council Member Starr BearCat asked the Town Attorney if the fact Saxton had been disqualified by the County in 2020 to run had anything to do with the timing of the com- plaint. Estes explained, "It is deter- mined by the campaign activity." Regarding the filing of the 2020 complaint, BearCat later stated, "I asked the Town Clerk if the four names on the flyer had formed a PAC. The answer was No, so I asked, now what? I was told some- one had to file a complaint to have it checked out, so I did. After that, it was out of my hands and it went up the chain." She added, "I like the phrase, 'if you want to play in the sandbox, you gotta go by the rules of the sandbox." The three disqualified candidates could pay their fines and file required nomination papers to be write-in candidates for the August 22nd pri- mary. Last day to file as a Write-in Candidate is June 12, 1022. Contact Town of Quartzsite for more details. 928-927-4333. 465 N. Plymouth Ave. Quartzsite, AZ or visit their new web- site at www. QuartzsiteAZ.org DISQUALIFIED FROM PAGE 1

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