Flagstaff voters have selected Jerry Nabours for Mayor and reelected Karla Brewster and Coral Evans. Newcomer Jeff Oravits, who ran on a platform of bringing more fiscal conservatism to Flagstaff City hall, was the third highest vote getter in the election.
The following are the vote percentages for the election.
Jerry Nabours 51.19%
All White 48.10%
For the city council seats
Coral Evans 22.99%
Karla Brewster 18.30%
Jeff Oravits 17.55%
Jim McCarthy 16.00%
Avtar Khalsa 14.11%
John Malin 10.52%
Al White, who has served as a Flagstaff City Councilman since 2000, was defeated by 320 votes.
The following statement was issued to Flagstaff Business News by Nabours during the election.
Our City has made some major financial blunders in the last few years. (Auto Mall, Horizon Airlines, sewer plant, Aspen Place, Presidio in the Pines, etc.) Although well intentioned at the time, these things show a lack of experienced and knowledgeable leadership on the City Council. The job of the Mayor is to keep the City out of ill- advised ventures and focused on its primary responsibilities to the citizens: Provide reliable services, provide public protection, keep the streets repaired and provide parks and recreation.
A City also has to keep building its economy. We either move forward or we end up moving backward. Cities everywhere are learning that offering financial incentives to new business is a losing proposition. We can get companies interested in Flagstaff by factors such as our interstate and railroad location. The next step is for them to see Flagstaff as a place they want to live. We can do this by having an efficiently run City and a welcoming attitude at City Hall. “How can we help?” rather than “Here are the hoops to jump through.”
We should make our City as attractive as possible. Our roads look bad. They have to become a priority. We can build civic pride with promotions such as a summer of bulky trash every week with a “Trim it, paint it, trash it” theme. I would start a long term program of burying overhead utility wires. This creates a subtle cleanliness much needed in the older areas. (The intersection of Fort Valley Road and Forest has a beautiful view of the Peaks, with 22 wires overhead).
I have been an attorney in Flagstaff for 37 years. I have scaled back my practice to perform the office of Mayor. I am fortunate in that I have these years of experience in Flagstaff. But more than my own experience, I share the experiences I have seen and discussed with hundreds of clients.
