Thread by @redistrictAZ

Hearings in Payson and Window Rock getting underway..... I see four of the five commissioners - Com. Mehl chairing - virtually. Looks like Vice Chair Watchman is in Window Rock and Chair @ErikaNeuberg is in Payson. and there are audio issues...

In introductions they continue to name party and county. Sigh...

Leaving for a bit and will meet you back here in about 30 minutes...

picking up in Payson - Superior Mayor just finished speaking
Byron Lewis - Snowflake Council members - likes the Sylvia Allen map - does not like "late to the game" proposal from Flagstaff. Calls out indigenous citizens who want to "tribalism" non-reservation areas

Not racist here. Not at all.

Andy McKiinny - Vice Mayor of Star Valley - Likes to 10.2 map. suits him to a "T" - mining towns all the way down to Oracle - on the LD - app to unify all of Gila County - Gila third poorest county in AZ - and old - and low pop. - does not want to be with Flagstaff.

Mayor from City of Globe - passed resolution to support Sylvia Allen map. Had voice robbed by last commission. Do not rob our voice for another ten years.

Jim - Green Valley Water District - from Payson - supports the existing draft maps -- Gila County tribes want to be in same district - want the same county supervisor - Likes LD 7 and Cd districts.

Chris Morrisey - Payson - likes 10.2 and :LD 7 - your listened and we like what you have done. Doesn't want to be connected w/ Flagstaff - nothing will work as well as what you have already created.

Daniel Roberts - Payson - I support LD 7 and does not want Flagstaff to be connected.

Joseph Rizzo - Payson - rural interests - draft maps are just fine.

Dino DeLaurentis - does not want to be connected to Flagstaff and do not support "the other groups" suggestions.

Gary Morris - Gila County Republican Party - fully supports 10.2 and LD plan - does not like the Sylvia Allen map or the CoCo maps. Here is a NEWSFLASH: Parties - Republicans or Democrats - ARE NOT a community of interest. Not. Are. Not A. Community. of. interest.

Ms, Kline - respects and admires native Am neighbors - but has nothing in common.

Donald Kline - likes current draft maps - has no COI with any Indian nation.

Jane Evans -- Lots of sucking up to @ErikaNeuberg -- and likely to be effective. Speaker says do not combine different COOI -- like Am Indians. Calls current draft maps "fair and balanced."

Carl - Star Valley (?) agrees w/ Mayor from Star valley supports current lD 7 as proposed. We don't want Flagstaff and object to being pushed onto the reservation.

Is this the 19th century?

IN agreement that current draft maps will bring peace and prosperity across the lands - for Anglos especially!
Suzanne, David Luten, Pat White, Mike White, Ruth Waterman, Darlene Younker,
How depressing. Really glad I did not travel to Payson tonight.

More "keep our white communities, white" testimony
Rebecca (GOP person); Angela from Payson, Warren from Star Valley, Tim Deagan - Star Valley,

These speakers remind me of the Tuscon speakers who felt entitled to exactly the district they wanted. And look - @SALCLeaders and

. @RealPimaGOP (through AIRC Commissioner David Mehl) has delivered so far. What a travesty and corruption of Prop 106.

The only thing more insulting than entitled, self-satisfied people speak out for what they want - is for those same people to speak out for what the American Indians, White Mountain Apache tribes, or Flagstaff would want and what is best for them...

More self-satisfied, entitled comments from Tom Bergeron - LA Sucks; Betty Leon from Payson; Glen Gelster - done a "masterful job"; Steven Otto - Payson;

What has happened to these people? They need some kind of an intervention. This is not what is best about America.

Finally a fresh voice - a supporter of Prop 106 - calls out uncompetitiveness of CD 2 - concern about getting best candidate for every office. CDF 010 @NNHRC1 would in fact be competitive. And respect a real COI of Native America communities.

That was brave.

Now back to the regularly scheduled agenda -

The "Retired Tycoon" who moved to Chapparal Pines p (?) 5 years ago -- they support the current maps. eye roll...

Break for 5 minutes.

Back for more...
First speaker back from break names San Carlos tribe asks for opportunity district according to rights under the VRA - LD 7 in the current plan allowed this. The plan 20 years ago (when linked w/ Flagstaff) they were not able to elect the candidate of choice.

Once again @ErikaNeuberg asks speaker for technical information instead of the very well paid mappers and consultants!

Ditto from another speaker from the San Carlos Apache tribe. Asks for opportunity district.

Back to the we only want to be with people like us -
Three speakers
Fourth speaker addresses fairness and competitiveness (or lack thereof) in LD districts. Asks for CoCo CO proposals and @NNHRC1 submissions

Keep us all together - just not with them - is back now -
1 speaker, 2 speakers, 3 speakers (Is Florence urban? Really?); 4 speakers (thanks Payson Mayor for reaching out to us, oooops..); 5 speakers (not dissing Flagstaff, just don't belong in "our" district; 6 speakers

7 speakers (Veterans only support the current draft maps); 8 speakers;

A call for rights and responsibilities to be involved - >>> create fair and competitive districts will induce more engagement, Competitive districts are a must.
#Brave

Rare non-native speaker asking to give voice to Am Indians in a competitive opportunity district.

Next speaker: think about the divisions in our country. Advocate for every single district must be competitive. OR then the districts will produce the crazies.

Next Speaker - back to 10.2 support statements; No more maps are needed; 1 speaker; speaker 2 - all win with current draft maps - every voice will be heard and CD2 will be competitive - it will build bipartisanship.

speaker 3 "please do not connect them in my district"; speaker 4 - don't ruin the beautiful town of Payson;

Youth "representative" calls for not suppressing the Am Indian voices and adopting the more competitive versions

Next speaker - 10 resolution in support of Sylvia Allen map - who is the next speaker I think..
Yep - here she is -- and guess what? She supports her maps... when I represented everyone because we were focussed on issues. D6 was created to be competitive (it is not)

ditto in support of Sylvia allen -- likes that map -- Has that map been posted for the public -- it was submitted on paper months ago.. What has happened to all those paper submissions?

back on script of the evening with 1, 2, 3, 4 - speaker 4 says Republicans are not the enemy of the Am Indians.
Speaker 5 - continues the thread. "priorities"; speaker 6 more of the same;

[lots of red shirts in the last batch of organized, united speakers]

speaker says our country is divided - so competitiveness would not work... ???

Last speaker: You are the most important people in AZ at the moment. And I think you know that. You have been selected to do what is right for Arizona, the whole state. Not Payson. Not Flagstaff, Not Northern Az. the entire state.
Well said. I am stunned.

Adjourned. That was just ugly. With very few glimpses of grace.

I was not counting but the Sylvia Allen team seemed outnumbered by the out and out let us have our own district - keep those Am Indians who are our friends and neighbors and whom we love - out of our district.

and those two groups vastly outnumbered calls for competitiveness, respect for the VRA, or any other consideration.

Let these words cleanse the intolerance that was just proudly exposed for all to see:

Open minds, hearts and souls give us the opportunity to see with new eyes, sing a new song, share a kind word,
and give messages of support, encouragement, hope, joy and love.