The real Jerry Frey

SEDONA, AZ (January 19, 2010) - When I think of Sedona City Councilor and former Sedona Vice Mayor Jerry Frey, I'm reminded of a line from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" with Paul Newman and Robert Redford: "Who is that guy?" 

As I've pondered the political question over the years, I've concluded that there are two Jerry Freys:  a public Frey and a private Frey.

The public Frey is not beyond digging his boot spurs into the sides of his political opponents when necessary, and scrapping it out in a bear knuckles political brawl.  He is the guy you want on your side in the trenches, and whose punch you don't want to be at the end of. 

He's been known to say things publicly that might make some wince and others secretly wish they had the guts to say, such as his public disdain for Keep Sedona Beautiful and Sedona Mayor Rob Adams.

The private Frey, however, is a teddy bear: charming, friendly, and caring.  The kind of guy who has solar panels installed at his home and who recycles; and who in person instantly makes you feel at ease. 

Jerry said he's been recycling since he was 10 years old in 4H, and his RV park is a large recycler in Sedona. 

"A lot of people don't understand me because I am very conservative when it comes to fiscal responsibility...I just don't talk about it."

I've recounted on these Web pages how the Sedona city staff told me what a good guy he is, and I experienced it myself the day of our interview at my home in Sedona.

When the councilor pulled into my driveway, I went out to greet him.  The first thing he said? "You know you've got a fresh oil spot on your driveway?  You might want to put some dishwashing liquid on it to break it down before it dries." 

"The private Frey has arrived," I thought.

About Jerry Frey

Born in Davis, CA, Jerry says he's spent most of his life in Arizona.   He graduated from Paradise Valley High School, Scottsdale Community College, and Northern Arizona University.

He became interested in local politics when Phoenix was annexing property in Maricopa County.  "I got to see the big boys," he says. "[Arizona Attorney General] Terry Goddard was the mayor at the time, a very good mayor."

Jerry came to Sedona in 1998 and opened a successful RV park Rancho Sedona down by Oak Creek. 

In Sedona, he was on the Board of Adjustments, and began attending planning & zoning and city council meetings in 1999.   "It's good entertainment," he says, "better than watching TV."

Most recently he was appointed to the Sedona City Council and previously served for 4 years as Sedona's Vice Mayor under Mayor Pud Colquitt.

When asked what will make him a good mayor, Jerry says, "I have experience from the last 4 years on council as Vice Mayor.  I'm a resident and I have a successful business. I'm still successful, which is tough to say in this environment, and I believe in Sedona...I understand sales tax collections and what drives the City.  I know the history of Sedona.  It's a controversial City.  We've been dealing with the same problems for 15 years."

National Scenic Area

On the issue of whether he supports a National Scenic Area designation for the greater Sedona area, Jerry says the issue is out of our hands.

"We're done!  It's on the Congresswoman's desk."  Although he says he doesn't want land trades he believes Amendment 12 to the forest service plan that currently restricts land trades is doing a good job.

Says Jerry, "I have land out there. It's tough.  I see some good in it [but] look at the Federal government.  I wouldn't trust them with a Billy goat.  I don't want land trades but forever is forever.  We may be taking away options 20-30 years out for the next generation.  We can address it in the next forest service plan.  We're not even done with this forest service plan - that's how long it takes."

Challenges

"It all goes back to the economy.  We need to start collecting our own sales tax. We have no idea if we're getting everything from the Arizona Department of Revenue or not.  There's never been an audit.  There's no accountability now."

He says the City would also benefit from collecting its sales tax more quickly rather than waiting for it to work its way through the State.  He says that according to the City Manager the City may be able to increase its sales tax collections by 5-15%.

If he had to raise taxes, Jerry says he would likely focus on grocery tax.  "I've heard that grocery tax is a regressive tax," he said. "Personally I think all tax is a regressive tax.  I don't think many people know that Cottonwood has a grocery tax, and a lot of people from Sedona shop at Wal-mart.  If you go to our grocery stores any day of the week, timeshare people are shopping.  [A grocery tax is] a way to share the tax burden between tourists and residents [(Sedona.biz note: Sedona timeshares don't pay bed tax)].

"We should try everything to keep away from a property tax," he says.

Jerry says that we also have to recognize that tourism is Sedona's life-blood and always will be, and it's important to keep tourism strong in order to maintain healthy sales tax collections. 

"Our only arm in advertising is the [Sedona] Chamber.  We should keep that spending as close as we can to the budget....We are a tourist town."

"Right now we have no growth going on," he says.  "If you listen to some people, you'd think we're breaking at the seams in terms of growth."

Lights on 89A

Says Jerry, "[The issue] just keeps coming [up].  I think it's a minority personally [of those who don't want lights]. It's ADOT's road...If something happens on that road the liability for the State, County and City of Sedona would be tremendous."

Jerry says that we need lights on 89A to prevent nighttime fatalities.  "I've heard the statistics on daytime and nighttime accidents.  There's only one person that was a fatality in the daytime, in the morning."

"It is not the person that was killed that has to live with it, it's the person that was driving the vehicle that has to live with the damage for the rest of their life.  That's pretty profound."

"I'm a member of the Dark Sky Association. Flagstaff is a the first international dark sky city, and they have two interstate routes that are lit."

As for installing medians and pedestrian barriers in lieu of lights, he says, "We don't have the financial capabilities of redoing anything right now as a City...pedestrian barriers are a 4 foot wall so people cannot cross...We have no idea what that will cost and that [cost] would be on the City."

Accessory Dwelling Units / Affordable Housing

Jerry says he supports affordable housing and accessory dwelling units (separate rental guest units).

"We had a rezone in the past when I was on council.  It was Hawkeye RV / Mobile Park.  I was the only one on council that asked what are we going to do with these people?  It was a very affordable...We're supposed to be an inclusive society in Sedona...but guess what?  We're not.  I have a real problem with that."

"If we get 30 [ADUs] for people that work in Sedona and want to live in Sedona, what's wrong with that?  I'm not against ADUs."

In summary, Jerry said, "We are a tourist town.  We're so lucky to live here. We need to share Sedona."