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Lloyd Meyer

Age: 65

Occupation: Former President of Steinway Piano Company, and senior executive with CBS, Inc. for nearly a decade.

Currently owns and manages own company, providing critical components used in manufacturing pianos.

Family: Married 45 years, with two sons living in the Valley

Education: BA, and graduate of Harvard Business School AMP

Carefree residency: Have lived full‑time in Carefree since 2000

Carefree Council experience: Subdivision committee and planning and zoning commission, prior to serving on town council for three years

Place of birth: California

Hobbies: Major hobby is music. My wife, Donna, and I created the annual Carefree Christmas Party five years ago, where we play special Christmas arrangements on the piano and theater organ, and also feature our local school choirs.

Why should voters support you?

I trust that most voters will carefully evaluate the records of all candidates and their respective contributions to the community in determining their votes. I have a proven record on the subdivision committee and planning and zoning commission, where I participated in the development of our new zoning ordinance and have vigorously enforced our zoning. I have served on town council for three years, during which time we have effectively dealt with critical issues of assuring a safe and secure water supply, fire and police protection, while creating the highest financial reserves in our history. All, without property or use taxes.

What are the top three issues facing Carefree over the next decade?

The fundamental issues all fall from the continued growth here and involve the basic health, safety, and welfare of our community. Priorities include continually improving, on a cost effective basis, critical services such as fire and police protection, upgrading our infrastructure, and controlling the quality of development.

What specifically will you recommend if the $100 million Easy Street Project fails to live up to its promise of revitalizing the commercial district, attracting upscale establishments and new residents?

This is a private sector development, and the town’s response to whatever problems or opportunities might develop would be the same as with any other business in Carefree. This property has remained vacant for 40 years and was likely to be developed as a couple of large, two story, boxy, office buildings, with all surface parking which our citizens would not have found desirable. Mixed‑use development is a proven concept that works in cities and towns regardless of scale because of the synergy that develops between residential and commercial by introducing more people into the town center in a pedestrian‑friendly environment. This concept was always envisioned by the town founders and will serve us well.

Crime is reportedly an issue as nearby Phoenix and Scottsdale continue to grow. Are you willing to expand the town’s contract with MCSO for more services or are you willing to push for the town to have its own police force? And why?

I chaired the Law Enforcement Advisory Committee to improve the working relationship with the Sheriff’s office and to improve police coverage for Carefree. We could establish our own police department, and we have had discussions with Cave Creek about doing that together. We could not currently achieve the level of quality and cost effectiveness, however, of our current coverage with Sheriff Joe. I do believe we need to continue to expand coverage here, given the growth and increased construction, and we are currently in negotiations with the Sheriff to do just that.

Is the character of Carefree at risk of being lost to development?

Carefree is currently at about 50 percent of residential build‑out and 70 percent of commercial build‑out. Development is never static and, even when the town is built out, development will continue in various forms.

The key is to insure that the development adheres strictly to the General Plan 2020 as approved by the citizens.

How should the town manage growth? And what measures will you specifically recommend to manage growth?

It’s all in our General Plan. We have to be diligent in enforcing that plan and our zoning ordinance. The key is consistency. We continue to get lawsuits from developers and even residents who come here wanting to change our quality of life and that will continue as more people become aware of our unique community. We simply cannot compromise.

Bob Gemmill

Age: 53

Occupation: Semi‑retired

Family: Married, three grown daughters

Education: Two‑plus years college before joining family business

Carefree residency: Since 2001

Carefree Council experience: Challenger for open seat

Place of birth: Seattle, Wash.

Hobbies: Golf, snow skiing, collector cars and travel

Why should voters support you?

I am committed to the vision of our founders K.T. Palmer and Tom Darlington, that Carefree would be a unique community and that uniqueness would be protected throughout the years. An integral part of their vision was to ensure a strong planning and zoning philosophy that would keep commercial development out of our residential neighborhoods. Additionally, I support the General Plan 2020 which is Carefree’s “Master Plan” and is a comprehensive look to our future.

As a businessman and not a politician, I am confident I can contribute to the council and provide common sense solutions to the challenges that will face the town in the coming years.

What are the top three issues facing Carefree over the next decade?

Growth: Carefree will nearly double in population over the next 10‑15 years. This expansion will create sizable demands on our general infrastructure. Prudent assessments by the town council will be critical during this period to manage our growth and not compromise our cherished “Carefree Lifestyle.”

Security: The urban sprawl will continue to encroach on our community and with it will come increased crime. The town will need to invest in adequate police protection to mitigate the negative effects of this inevitable problem.

Water: I support an aggressive strategy to maintain water availability and affordability while continuing upgrades to our fire protection infrastructure.

I do not believe the assumption that this project will fail. If a developer is willing to investment $100 million of his own money into the Town of Carefree, this to me shows what confidence he has in our potential. Our town core needs a shot in the arm. If we want to protect our lifestyle without imposing a property tax, we need to ensure a strong sales tax base for the future. I do recommend that all landlords take a look at their own buildings in the merchant districts and start thinking of ways to adapt to these changing times.

There will eventually come a time when the number of residents living in Carefree will warrant the town having its own police force. However, currently MSCO provides adequate coverage at a reasonable cost for Carefree, although I would personally advocate for the town expanding our contract to provide increased coverage in our residential neighborhoods.

Is the character of Carefree at risk of being lost to development?

Yes, the character of Carefree is at risk of being lost to development if the council does not adhere to our planning and zoning ordinances. There are a handful of commercial developers who have attempted to profit by rezoning residential property to commercial. The town is currently defending two such lawsuits and I support its position. Rezoning residential property is the most significant issue that will challenge our town’s character now and in the future.

How should the town manage growth and what measures would you specifically recommend to manage growth?

The town manages growth by adhering to the general plan, the guideline for our future and specifically our planning and zoning ordinances. There are occasions when guidelines need to be revisited in light of changing times and I believe the council needs to be constantly assessing our regulations for relevancy as the town continues to expand. The town council recently unanimously approved a text amendment change to allow mixed‑use development in the town core. This change was done to accommodate a much needed project to the business district and will prove to be a successful benefit to the town.

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