A Look Back at 2023 in Cottonwood

January

• The Cottonwood Police Department received a $25,000 DUI grant for increased traffic safety and DUI enforcement.
• Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes discussed issues facing law enforcement at a Mingus Mountain Republican Club meeting, including increased fentanyl and recruitment issues. 
• Debbie Wilden was chosen to serve as Vice Mayor of Cottonwood on Jan. 3.
• Mingus Union High School’s A Troupe of Ridiculous Thespians performed the Broadway musical “Hairspray.” 
• The Cottonwood Municipal Airport hosted an open house about its master plan, which will guide development over the next 20 years. 

February

• The Yavapai College Clarkdale campus announced its plans to use virtual reality technology to teach classes. 
• Vincent Randall, former Apache Cultural Director for the Yavapai-Apache Nation, discussed Apache and Yavapai history at the Clarkdale Historical Society and Museum on Feb. 3.
• The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors approved funding a roundabout at Cornville and Tissaw roads. 
• The Cottonwood City Council held the first hearing for a zone change and general plan amendment for the proposed Silverado Lofts, a multi-family housing complex with 152 units to be located west of Walmart.
• The Arizona Interscholastic Association rescinded a decision to impose a one-year probation on the Mingus Union High School girls’ track and field and cross-country programs. MUHS District Governing Board member Austin Babcock had his daughter run in the state girls’ cross-country championship although she was not eligible to do so and it was done without the coaches’ and athletic director’s knowledge.
• The Yavapai-Apache Nation commemorated Exodus Day on Feb. 25, remembering the day Yavapai and Apache peoples were forced to march 180 miles to a reservation in San Carlos.

March

• City Council held the first reading of an ordinance requiring registration for short-term vacation rentals, and declined Silverado Lofts.
• The Planning and Zoning Commission gathered views at multiple community meetings to get resident input on updating the city’s general plan.
• The MUHSD Governing Board formed a committee to explore a four day school week.
• The Verde Valley Comic Expo returned for its sixth year on March 25 with a variety of pop culture related vendors, artists and authors.
• The Cottonwood City Council denied the Arizona Pride Tour 2023 a special event liquor license for its drag show on April 8 at the Cottonwood Community Clubhouse.

April

• Cottonwood’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved a general plan land use designation change for Blazin’ M Ranch’s proposed glamping and lodging site. 
• MUHS’ theatre presented “Mary Poppins” as their spring musical. 
• Councilwoman Tosca Henry resigned from City Council on March 31 after serving since 2016.
• Kids hunted for Easter eggs during the annual Easter Egg Hunt at Riverfront Park put on by the Parks and Recreation Department on April 8. 
• The Walk Like MADD Power of Youth 5K walk took place at Riverfront Park on April 15. The walk was put together by Mothers Against Drunk Driving and VACTE students.
• The Planning and Zoning Commission approved a conditional use permit and design review for an 80-room hotel located at the northeast corner of State Route 89A and Mingus Avenue at its April 17 meeting.

May 

• The Verde Valley Fair took place from May 3 to 7 with carnival rides, animals, arts and crafts, vendors, fair food and a rodeo. 
• The Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival hosted a series of educational lectures and events related to birding and the outdoors.
• Irina Del Genio, Ph.D., Dean of Yavapai College Verde Valley Campus, discussed emigrating from the Soviet Union to the United States on April 21 as part of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Brown Bag Program. 
• The Verde Valley Wine Festival took place on May 20 at Riverfront Park to celebrate the local wineries and growers of the Verde Valley. 
• Yavapai College’s Clarkdale Campus gave away the majority of its books to make room for its new VR lab between May 8 and 11. 
• The Clarkdale Town Council voted unanimously to demolish and reconstruct the town’s historic bandstand rather than continue to restore it at a meeting on May 9.
•  Cottonwood Police Chief Steve Gesell was placed on paid administrative leave on May 11. He would later be fired for threatening interim City Manager Rudy Rodriguez. 
• Derek Palosaari was unanimously appointed to the Cottonwood City Council on May 22. By the end of the year, numerous female city staffers would file sexual misconduct complaints against him. 
• Cottonwood’s new city manager, Scotty Douglass, started on May 15, replacing interim City Manager Rudy Rodriguez. 
• The Mingus Union High School class of 2023 celebrated their commencement ceremony on May 26.

June

• Public comment on the Clarkdale town bandstand prompted the town to add a website page regarding the gazebo and discussions about demolishing or restoring it. The Clarkdale Historic Preservation Commission also held a meeting discussing the bandstand. 
• Jerome’s Chamber of Commerce hosted the inaugural Jerome Music and Arts Festival. The two-day festival featured 43 musical acts at 10 venues across the town. 
• The MUHSD Governing Board voted against holding a capital bond election at its June 8 meeting. 
• A woman drowned at the Tuzigoot River Access Point in Clarkdale on June 24 while tubing with her grandson. 

July

• Tami Mayes was promoted to city clerk on July 12. 
• Cottonwood Police Officer Kiedi Dever reached a settlement agreement with the Cottonwood Police Department and the city of Cottonwood on May 25 regarding a discrimination complaint she had filed with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. 
• The Arizona monsoon arrived later than usual. 
• The Cottonwood City Council proclaimed July 24 to be Faith Moore Memorial Day in observance of Moore’s death in a flash flood event.

August 

• Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District resumed school Aug. 3 and reported a shortage of bus drivers and difficulty replacing retiring drivers. 
• The Copper Canyon Fire and Medical District and the Verde Valley Fire District approved a joint management agreement on Aug. 24, which allowed VVFD Fire Chief Danny Johnson to serve as fire chief for both districts. 
• MUHS’ A Troupe of Ridiculous Thespians theatre group performed “Beyond the Yellow Brick Road.” 
• By a 4-3 vote, the Cottonwood City Council rejected creating an ordinance prohibiting minors from attending drag shows during a work session on Aug. 8. The ordinance would have faced a lawsuit, council members stated.
• The Cottonwood Public Library and Parks and Recreation took a group of teens hiking to the top of the Mount Humphreys trail in Flagstaff as part of their Get Out program.
•  The organizer of the Arizona Pride Tour drag show that took place on April 8 filed a discrimination complaint against the city of Cottonwood after the council refused to approve a liquor license. 
• Cottonwood City Manager Scotty Douglass and Utilities Director Tom Whitmer discussed Verde Santa Fe’s water shortage issues on Aug. 23.

September

• Councilwoman Jackie Nairn resigned on Sept. 5 due to her job requiring her to relocate to Buckeye. Nairn had served on the council since March 2019. 
• The Thunder Valley Rally returned to Cottonwood for a weekend of live music and motorcycles.
• MUHSD Superintendent Mike Westcott announced his upcoming retirement in June 2024. 
• Cottonwood Police Chief Steve Gesell was fired by the city of Cottonwood on Sept. 14 following an independent investigation. Gesell had been on paid leave for four months. 
• The 32nd annual Jerome Jamboree took place at the Gold King Mine in Jerome with hundreds of Volkswagen enthusiasts attending. 
• The Clemenceau Public School building celebrated its 100th birthday with special presentations and an open house on Sept. 30.

October 

• Residents celebrated the 34th annual Verde River Day with free admission to Dead Horse Ranch State Park with a variety of outdoor activities. 
• Cottonwood hosted its National Night Out on Oct. 5. 
• Chris Dowell was appointed as the city’s interim police chief. 
• The Cottonwood City Council interviewed and rejected all three applicants for the vacant council seat during its Oct. 3 meeting. 
• The Verde Village Community Connection held a workshop to discuss a sewer feasibility study on Oct. 10 and potential options if the state demands that the community move away from septic systems. 
• MUHS theatre and choir teacher and ATORT director James Ball received the Arizona Thespians Teacher of the Year Award for the Northern Region. 
• On Oct. 23, a group filed a petition with the Cottonwood City Clerk’s Office to recall Mayor Tim Elinski. It would later fail.

November 

• The Haunted Group, a hospitality group that runs several restaurants in Cottonwood, donated $40,585 to the Phoenix Children’s Foundation in support of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
• The 14th annual Walkin’ on Main event took place on Nov. 11 with live music, wine tasting, a classic car show and local vendors.
• The Cottonwood City Council discussed options for a new city hall during a work session on Nov. 14. 
• A new statue honoring Purple Heart recipients was unveiled at the Verde Valley Military Service Park as part of a Veterans’ Day ceremony on Nov. 11. 
• Fired Cottonwood Police Chief Steve Gesell filed a notice of claim for wrongful termination on Nov. 2. He asked for $625,000 for three years’ worth of lost salary and benefits.

December 

• Kids spent a day with local law enforcement during the 20th annual Shop With a Cop event. Fifty children from across the Verde Valley had the opportunity to go on a shopping spree with officers from the Cottonwood Police Department, Clarkdale Police Department, Camp Verde Marshal’s Office, Yavapai-Apache Nation Police Department , Sedona Police Department, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office and the Arizona Rangers.
• Vincent Randall, a teacher, Apache scholar and former chairman of the Yavapai-Apache Nation, died on Dec. 16. 
• The petition to recall Cottonwood Mayor Tim Elinski failed after the Yavapai County Recorder’s Office found its valid signatures fell well short of the 641 minimum.
• The Cottonwood City Council appointed Michael Mathews to fill Nairn’s vacant council seat during a special session on Dec. 12 by a 4-2 vote. 
• The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and the city of Cottonwood hosted a community meeting regarding the Minerals Research and Recovery slag mining operation on Dec. 13. 
• The Cottonwood City Council failed to approve a resolution condemning Councilman Derek Palosaari’s sexual misconduct towards female employees of the city by a 3-3 vote at their Dec. 19 meeting.