Carefree voters are voting between 6 candidates for 3 council seats

Carefree voters are deciding who will fill three City Council seats. Residents are voting between two incumbents and four new candidates.

This election comes at a time when Carefree is facing concerns on transparency, commercial development in the area, and the proposed general plan.

Voters are deciding between candidates who advocate for development while others believe in the preservation of open space to continue the current image of Carefree.

Carefree Town Council incumbents Vince D'Aliesio and Stephen Hatcher are hoping to retain their seats against four challengers.

While newcomers Diane Roth, Lon Johnson, Colleen Rose-Scurti and Nakisa Azizi, hope to replace their incumbent competitors.

Hatcher was the only candidate who did not respond to the Arizona Republic questionnaire.

Early voting began July 3. Voters can check on the status of their mailed-in ballot on Maricopa County’s website at https://elections.maricopa.gov/voting/voter-dashboard-login. Those who choose to vote by mail are advised to mail their ballot by July 23 or drop it off at a ballot drop-off location or voting location by July 30.

Who is running for Carefree Town Council?

Each candidate proclaims their connection to Carefree.

Vince D’Aliesio, 52, has lived for 43 years in Arizona, but has been a resident of Carefree for eight years. He has served two terms on Carefree Town Council. He has worked as a consultant, an educator, and a broadcaster.

Nakisa Azizi, 36, is a native to Arizona and a practicing attorney. She moved to Carefree in 2023.

Stephen Hatcher, 67, has been a resident of Carefree for 13 years and has served on the Carefree City Council.  Hatcher first started work as an aerospace engineer in military research for 12 years. He works as an investment manager for Baird Private Wealth Management.

Lon Johnson, 64, moved to Carefree in 2021. He is currently the senior vice president of sales and marketing at Colbert Packaging as well as a member of their board of directors. Johnson also serves as a commissioner on the Carefree Planning and Zoning Commission and serves as a member of the Carefree Park board.

Arizona election: Read our full coverage of the Carefree council race

Diane Roth, 70, has been a resident of Carefree since 2020. She operated a freestanding boutique for 35 years and has served on the chamber of commerce in New Canaan, Connecticut. She is also a founding member of the New Canaan Merchants Association. Roth is also on the board of Carefree Park.

Collen Rose-Scurti, 61, moved to Carefree in 2021. She has over 30 years of experience in real estate development and executive leadership.

What issues are the candidates prioritizing in Carefree?

Hatcher said he plans to prioritize transparency by hearing everyone's perspective. He also wants to focus on getting the northeast corner of Cave Creek Road and Carefree highway developed for future tax revenue.

Azizi wants to prioritize Carefree's open space. Instead of developing open space, she wants to redevelop the town’s center by bringing in businesses. She also wants to raise awareness of environmental quality and complains wireless transmitters in the area emit microwave and millimeter wave radiation that poses health risks to residents and nature.

Scurti wants to ensure businesses in town are successful as 62 percent of the city’s income comes from sales tax. She also wants to make water a priority for the city as she is in favor of the Bartlett Lake Expansion which would provide Carefree with a third source of water. Scurti wants to prioritize public safety and wants to see quick improvement on tackling crime.

Roth’s main issue is cash flow, she wants to answer the question of where the city gets their income. She believes the northeast corner on Cave Creek Road is where the city should put its effort as 80 percent of the city’s operating income comes from there. She also thinks open space is important to the city as she wants to create a walking park in the open area.

Roth is also concerned about the special planning area on the northeast corner and how that has affected residents. She does not think the general plan the city has now will unite the community.

D’Aliesio wants to prioritize essential services such as water and sewage. He also plans to focus on fire and police services and economic development in the area as he believes the city will need additional resources for the town to evolve.

Johnson thinks the most important issue is economic development. He also wants to prioritize the open space in the city and deal with concerns on water.

What are the candidates' positions on the proposed General Plan, in particular the Special Planning Area?

Roth believes the SPA on the northwest corner should be taken out and go back to ground zero. She believes if the SPA is taken out residents would then vote for it and would feel heard.

Scurti is in favor of keeping the SPA in the general plan because of how explicit it is on what can and cannot be done. The SPA states only a boutique-style resort or a high-end restaurant can be on the corner of Tom Darlington Drive and Carefree Highway.

She believes if the SPA is redone it won’t be as specific as it is right now. Scurti states if the SPA becomes vague other businesses such as hotels or commercial industries could move in which is what residents do not want in the area.

Azizi is in favor of having the SPA removed. She believes if an area is going to be developed again, the open space should be the last resort. Azizi said if the community wants to preserve the desert landscape the SPA is needless destruction. She thinks it’s important to raise revenue, but it must be done in a way that does not sacrifice its desert landscape.

Hatcher believes issues with the SPA can be fixed as it only represents 2% of the entire general plan. He wants to put in a citizen's group that will have input on what gets developed in the area.

Johnson is against the SPA. His plan is to develop the northeast corner and build a CVS instead of building something residents do not want.

D’Aliseo states that he is in favor of the SPA, he thinks its a good and solid plan that should stand as is.

How would Carefree candidates make the city more transparent to residents?

Each candidate has stated their support in being completely transparent with the community by inviting the public to attend council meetings and making them aware of new projects happening in the city.

They all agree that as a council member the public should be granted clear communication on upcoming meetings or ideas that may affect the community.

Major endorsements?

Hatcher has not received any endorsements. He has not raised any money in campaign contributions.

Roth is self-funded and has not received any endorsements.

Azizi is endorsed by OurCarefree.

Reach the reporter at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Carefree Town Council elections 2024: Meet the candidates