November 8, 2022 General Election
Remember: Early Voting starts October 12th!This important local issue affects you
in the Village of Oak Creek (VOC) - Sedona 86351 Zip CodeWhat is the RRREMD?
The Red Rock Road Enhancement Maintenance District (Red Rock Road E.M.D. or RRREMD) is a Special Improvement District in Yavapai County. The RRREMD Board is responsible for maintaining the landscaping, pedestrian lighting, sidewalks and benches on SR 179 in the Village of Oak Creek (VOC).
Who Pays for the RRREMD?
The RRREMD expenses are paid by the property taxes of landowners in the 86351 zip code.
Why is this an important issue now?
After successfully transitioning to 100% non-toxic herbicides in 2017, the RRREMD Board voted in January 2022 to allow Roundup based herbicides.
To date, the Roundup manufacturer has paid $11 billion to settle lawsuits linking Roundup to cancer. In June 2022, a Federal Court of Appeals ruled the EPA had not adequately evaluated the cancer and environmental hazards of Roundup based chemicals.
What are the hazards of the current RRREMD Roundup based chemicals?
- Increased risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Acute toxicity to animals
- Nasal inflammation and asthma
- Spray drift has high risk to desired plants
- Runoff can harm aquatic organisms
VOTE in the General Election on November 8, 2022
✓ Melina FUHRMANN
✓ Karen McCLELLAND
Vote for Melina FUHRMANN
I am a holistic health practitioner and homeowner, living and working in the Village of Oak Creek since the beginning of 2020. After 28 years of living in Europe, including the Netherlands, Italy, France and Germany, with 21 of those years in Switzerland, my Swiss husband and I decided that it was time to start a new life, and moved to the Village of Oak Creek with our teenage daughter, three cats and a dog. Originally from Wellesley, Massachusetts, I moved to Europe for work and then graduate school. I received an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) with a focus on European Studies and International Economics, as well as an MBA from the European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD). After spending a decade in international banking, I changed the course of my personal and professional life by going to the Barbara Brennan School of Healing and started working as a holistic health practitioner. In the fall of 2021, we moved my elderly parents in with us, so we now have three generations living under one roof.
I have been a decades-long advocate of non-toxic solutions that protect human, animal and environmental health. As a Member of Parliament in Geneva, my husband was instrumental in eliminating glyphosate from local agriculture. His political engagement inspired me to run for the RRREMD Board when I learned Roundup was being used in the RRREMD. I am committed to ensuring we use effective, non-toxic solutions. With my financial background, I also have the financial acumen to represent residents’ concerns for fiscal responsibility.
Vote for Karen McCLELLAND
In 1987, my son and I moved to the Village of Oak Creek. He was 3 at that time and has since graduated from Sedona Red Rock High School and NAU. We lived with my parents Joan and Clyde McClelland at first, and bought a house in VOC in 1989. I worked for the USPS in Sedona for 25 years, for a savings and loan, and a small store uptown. Before moving to Sedona, I worked in retail management for Kmart and for several banks in the US and Canada. In 2002 I ran for an elected position on the Sedona-Oak Creek Governing Board and am now running for re-election to a sixth term on that public board. As a school board member, I have been recognized as a master of boardsmanship, chosen as an All-Arizona School Board Award recipient and Legislative Advocate of the Year. I have experience as a member of a publicly elected board, and several statewide and local non-profit 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) boards.
I collected signatures to create the RRREMD. My mother was very involved with the Big Park Regional Coordinating Council, VOCA , Yavapai County, and the All American Road Committee. I see my election to the RRREMD Board as a continuation of my mother’s involvement in the preservation of our community for ourselves and future generations. As a simple but important step, we must return to the use of a nontoxic weed control program. I believe that we can accomplish this and also make the RRREMD Board better known and more responsive to the residents of VOC and Big Park.
Why VOTE for FUHRMANN and McCLELLAND?
We are committed...
to effective, non-toxic solutions for landscape maintenance that do not harm humans, animals or the environment.
We are committed...
to maintaining beautiful, cost-effective landscaping along SR 179 in the VOC.
We will work hard...
to restore the high quality, non-toxic weed control we’ve enjoyed in the past.
Our Action Plan
#1
Put out a request for bids on the services the current landscaping company is providing, specifying the use of only non-toxic, organic weed sprays. The services have not been put out for bid since 2011.
#2
Examine the feasibility of installing an effective weed barrier to prevent overgrowth of weeds like we are seeing now in the RRREMD, and reduce the need for contracted weed control services.
#3
Improve transparency by re-establishing a RRREMD Board website with easily accessible meeting notices, agendas, minutes, meeting recordings, and official documents.
The public is always invited to the RRREMD Board Meetings, which take place 5 times a year. Agendas and minutes are at Improvement District Services Board Meeting Minutes.
RRREMD:
The Red Rock Road Enhancement Maintenance District is a special taxing district formed pursuant to Title 48 of the Arizona Revised Statutes to provide maintenance of the landscaping, pedestrian lighting, benches, and trash receptacles and banners along SR 179.
The limits of the RRREMD project are along SR 179 between milepost 305.45 and 307.08 for a distance of 1.63 miles; or from the Coconino National Forest boundary in the south (or approximately 890 feet south of Rojo Drive) to the Coconino National Forest boundary in the north (or approximately 465 feet north of East Bell Rock Boulevard).
The District contracts for landscaping maintenance service with Green Earth. Environmental Biomass Services provides pedestrian lighting maintenance and other miscellaneous duties. Improvement District Services Inc. provides administrative and Board services for the District. The District is served by a 5-member Board of elected officials.
Current Board of Directors:
Dave Norton, Chair
Joanne Johnson, Valna Wilson, Mark Mumaw & Stephen Smith
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE CITY OF SEDONA?
In order to understand the experience of the City of Sedona with non-toxic solutions for landscape maintenance, Karen and Melina met with Andy Dickey, Director of Public Works, and Ryan Hayes, City Maintenance Manager, to learn about their landscape maintenance and nearly 3 years experience with 100% non-toxic weed control.
In the winter of 2019 after experimenting in 2018 with different non-toxic herbicides, the City of Sedona transitioned to a 100% organic herbicide called Mirimichi Green.
McClelland & Fuhrmann met with the Public Works Department of the City of Sedona - August 31, 2022
SOME FURTHER INFORMATION
%
Non-Toxic Solutions in the City of Sedona since 2019
Billion US$ paid to settle Roundup cancer Lawsuits as of May 2022
%
Increased Risk of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma from Exposure to Glyphosate
Non-toxic Weed Control Solutions
What can you do at home? Although removing weeds by hand is perhaps the most effective method, it can be tempting to use Roundup or another toxic herbicide — especially if they’ve gotten a little out of hand after a healthy monsoon season. But there are some serious health and environmental reasons to avoid them.
Non-Toxic Herbicides
Herbicides approved for organic farming are the best choice for health and environment. They have “OMRI Listed®” on the label. Weed Zap and Miramichi Green are good choices available online. Others may be available in local stores. Corn gluten meal is a good choice as a pre-emergent in lawns.
Weed Barriers
For stone, gravel, crushed rock, etc. landscapes, use a dual layer weed barrier to eliminate weeds. It is very effective and should last over 20 years. The City of Sedona has used it on its unplanted Hwy 179 medians, and Hwy 89A shoulder landscaping in West Sedona.
Manual Pulling
A scuffle hoe or stirrup hoe is an excellent choice for manual weeding. Hand pulling works well for larger weeds. A string trimmer can be useful for thickly weeded areas, but it does not kill the weeds and will spread seeds far and wide if the weeds have gone to seed.
Roundup and Other Toxic Herbicides using Glyphosate
Glyphosate is a chemical compound, while Roundup is a product that contains glyphosate. Some people who are not that familiar with herbicides tend to interchange the two items. Nonetheless, glyphosate is used worldwide by those in the lawn care and agricultural industries. The tide seems to be turning as the federal court rulings, lawsuits and further research is showing the human, animal and environmental health hazards associated with these toxic herbicides.
9th Circuit Court of Appeals & the EPA
In June 2022, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the EPA’s analysis for determining that glyphosate is likely not carcinogenic to people and ordered EPA to conduct “further analysis and explanation.” The ruling, if left standing, will force EPA to re-examine the registration of glyphosate under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) when it comes to whether there is link between glyphosate and cancer. Link to ruling.
$11 Billion in Lawsuits paid by Bayer/Monsanto
Bayer/Monsanto has settled over 100,000 Roundup lawsuits, paying out about $11 billion as of May 2022. There are still 30,000 lawsuits pending. Approximately 80% of all filed Roundup claims have been settled. Victim’s of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma received compensation in 2021 and 2022.
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) & the WHO
“Glyphosate is… a probably carcinogenic to humans”
While the EPA states that there’s no direct link to cancer, the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s stance is more in line with scientific evidence. A study from the University of Washington found that exposure to glyphosate increased an individual’s risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma by 41%. That is significant.