Cottonwood’s third mayoral candidate may seem like an outsider — a label she is none too quick to reject.
Asked what history in political service she has, Holly Grigaitis smiled and answered, “I have none.”
For the last two decades, Grigaitis has labored in the competitive local real estate market, making a name for herself as a successful agent even during the recession. Four years ago, she bought a subdivision, which brought her into contact with many municipal agencies.
“It became clear that not everything works as it should,” Grigaitis said, describing a series of interactions with city officials that left her convinced too many resources were being directed toward the wrong ends and too much red tape was obstructing progress.
In 2013 and every year thereafter, Grigaitis petitioned the city to fix the cracks in her properties’ roads — only to be told Cottonwood lacked the capital to do the project.
These experiences inspired Grigaitis to begin attending Cottonwood City Council meetings. The discussions over building a new sewer facility, in particular, incensed her. By her count, few in the public were in favor of the project, but the council went forward regardless.
“I looked into it, and it turns out our current sewer facility is only at 67 percent capacity,” Grigaitis said, adding that the area’s largest new development — the 89 and Vine subdivision adjacent to Verde Santa Fe — will have its own sewer facility, thus placing no demand on municipal sewer resources.
Grigaitis began examining the city’s finances in detail, butting up against numbers that discouraged her. According to Grigaitis, in 2015 the city spent $17.5 million to pay its employees and only brought in $18.5 million.
Such statistics, she added, are not complicated and need to be addressed publicly by a City Council that understands the dire financial situation Cottonwood has created for itself.
“It became obvious that Cottonwood has become a distressed property, so to speak,” Grigaitis said. “It’s $82 million in debt. There’s no money left for the city anymore …. I’m going to do everything possible to avoid a bankruptcy.”
Comparing Cottonwood to nearby Sedona, Grigaitis said that the latter city is in much better financial shape, boasting a $39 million 2016-17 budget and $5 million in debt. This, she added, is a sharp contrast to Cottonwood’s $72 million 2016-17 budget and $82 million debt.
Grigaitis decided to run for mayor late in the season — on May 5, well after her two opponents, former Councilman Timothy Elinski and current Councilman Terence Pratt, had announced their bids.
“I couldn’t convince myself either incumbent is ready to fix things,” Grigaitis said.
Grigaitis added that she does not intend to serve as mayor longer than a single term.
“I’m strictly in this for one term …. I just want to come in and solve our problems,” she said, explaining that she would begin her second year in office by seeking a qualified candidate to replace her. “I think we can get on the right track, but this is a 12-year problem we’re in. As long as it took to get into it, it’ll take to get out of it.”
Grigaitis rejected the possibility of seeking a City Council seat prior to taking on the responsibilities of mayor.
“If being on the council is going to be saying yes to a lot of unwise things, that’s experience I don’t need.”
Grigaitis said that she is well acquainted with negotiating — arriving at win-win situations for home buyers and sellers. Whatever the result, she said that running for mayor is another such win-win situation.
“A lot more people are going to know about our debt issues after this is over.”
