To Charlie Bell,
Payson City Council, Payson, Arizona June 2, 2025
We the people tend to be too trusting and are oftentimes taken for a ride. Unfortunately, our local
government is filled with people who will dig their heels in on their pet projects hoped for, and
that they will have the ear of the city manager to have their projects done at tax payer’s expense.
Somewhere in this I believe a perversion has taken place.
Do we elect our fellow citizens to office to run our local government with the projects and services we want or are we paying for the unelected to tell us what we want and need?
We need to remember that as in regular life, we give contracts for projects or services. We elect
people to office to get the projects and services we want done. We get upset when we paid for
something and nothing is done or not completed by the contract. This does not mean that our
contractors or city officials are stupid, bandits, or helpless; but it might mean that we should have
mechanisms in place that we could exercise to eliminate the people or contracts because of non-
performance or the taking of us in the directions we do not want or care to go.
When our officials are put in second place and a town employee, (manager an unelected position) is placed first, and thus acts as the executive branch of our form of government; we no longer have any say, as to the way our government is run or possibly represent the needs or the services we want. In such circumstances, our local government officials will only have the budgets, projects or services presented to them from the unelected, to vote on. We only will have the privilege of paying for it.
Our city council has asked us to tell them what we want and what projects we would like for
them to do or what changes we would like to see happen in our community.
***I believe that our current form of City Manager/Mayor-Council is unworkable and the wrong form of government for the City of Payson, Arizona.
***I believe that a new governmental structure for Payson, Arizona needs to be written and voted on by the people of Payson for a Mavor/City council with a manager placed under them as a true city employee that is told what to do, what “We the People” of our community want done” and are willing to pay for.
***I believe that until this is done, I will continue have no say on projects or services and will be voting in name only for my Mayor or City Council members told what they are allowed to vote for.
Thank you for asking, Sincerely
Bruce Miller
Payson Arizona resident