We urge you to vote for Cathey Rusing and only Cathey Rusing in Prescott’s primary election on August 27th. Save the Dells officially endorses Cathey Rusing for City Council for 3 crucial reasons: commitment, courage, and credibility.

COMMITMENT. Cathey Rusing is the only candidate who has voiced her commitment to Save the Dells’ official position on Arizona Eco Development's (AED) annexation and rezoning request. We have given the incumbents the opportunity to support our important mission. With all eyes on Council, on March 26th, the incumbents unanimously voted against Save the Dells proposal to protect 500 critical acres in the heart of the Dells. When asked at a recent candidate forum, the incumbents dodged the question while Cathey made her support clear. Cathey is the only candidate that has committed to protecting the Granite Dells. In Savethe Dells' candidate questionnaire, Cathey said, “I commit to be a tireless trustee and protector of one of Prescott’s Crown Jewels!”

COURAGE. Cathey Rusing is the only candidate that had the courage to complete and submit Save the Dells' candidate questionnaire. On July 1st, we sent a 20-question survey to all 5 of the candidates. Cathey completed the questionnaire and took time to explain her positions. Jim Lamerson completed the questionnaire but refused to return it to us because he said the City attorney advised against it. Mengarelli, Orr, and Sischka didn’t even attempt to answer our questions. These are the questions that you have been asking! Questions like, “Does a developer have an inherent right to be annexed?” Basic questions like, “Is AED’s proposed development consistent with Prescott’s General Plan?” The incumbents wouldn’t answer. It takes courage to go on the record on tough issues and Cathey is the only candidate with enough courage to do what’s right for Prescott!

CREDIBILITY. Cathey Rusing is the only candidate that has pledged not to take a single dollar from developers. In fact, she recently returned a generous check to one of Prescott’s biggest builders. It’s no surprise to anyone that money buys elections. In the last election, the owner of AED gave Mayor Mengarelli $5,000 and the then-mayoral candidate accepted many more developer dollars!

 

In this election, based on the candidate's first quarter financial reports, incumbent Steve Sischka accepted 53% of his total campaign contributions from developers--that is almost $6,000 dollars of developer money.  In just the first quarter, incumbent Billie Orr took in nearly 60% of her campaign contributions from developers--that’s almost $13,000 dollars!

Why would developers be giving so much money to these candidates? Save the Dells believes it’s because often times developers expect something in return. Everybody has a right to donate to whomever they want, and give however much they want, but something seems really out of balance when a select few with so much to gain are giving so much money to get certain politicians elected.

By staying clean of deep-pocketed developer money, Cathey is guaranteeing that she will run Prescott for everybody, not just those who cash in from promoting endless sprawl, unsustainable water consumption, and ever-increasing traffic.

For these reasons, we believe Cathey Rusing is the right candidate for Prescott. She will represent all residents of Prescott, and she will not be indebted to a select few who can give thousands. That’s credibility.

Look, if you care about the Granite Dells, it’s crucial that Cathey gets elected. All we need is one more vote on our City Council to ensure that AED's annexation is a good deal for the taxpayers and that it protects the best of Prescott. Save the Dells strongly believes that Cathey Rusing will be that vote when she gets elected!

If you live within the city limits and are not currently registered to vote, the last day to do so is July 29th. Please vote in this crucial primary election and make sure you mail your completed and signed ballot so it is received by the election deadline of August 27th!This election may very well be decided in the primary. If we’re going to save the Dells, we need Cathey Rusing on City Council fighting for what’s best for Prescott!

We’d like to leave you with a statement from Cathey that she wrote in our candidate questionnaire. She said, “I will be your advocate, your watchdog, solely accountable to you – the voters.”