Candidate: Nathan Porter, Clarkdale resident of five years
Age: 63
Current or past profession: “Retired from 23 years as criminal law paralegal in 2019. Currently work part-time in the collections department at Sedona Heritage Museum, cataloging, organizing and storing artifacts.”
Q: Why are you qualified to serve on council?
A: “I am willing to serve and I want to contribute to my community. I have been married for 36 years and have two adult daughters. I am a U.S. Army veteran, worked in municipal government for 23 years and held leadership positions in the city of Tempe non-supervisory employee associations. I served on the Clarkdale General Plan Committee from 2020 to 2021. I am currently serving as a board member of the Clarkdale Historical Society and Museum since 2020, and I serve as chair of the Park Committee of the Mountain Gate HOA since 2023. I believe in honesty, integrity, hard work, open-mindedness and careful decision-making and I prefer action over words.”
Q: How should the town keep Clarkdale’s downtown historic yet encourage businesses to open and develop it economically?
A: “Clarkdale has a unique history of being a master planned company town with a historic downtown and adjacent neighborhoods; things the town must preserve, develop and market. In addition to our natural attractions, visitors will come to experience Clarkdale’s history and while here support local businesses. Residents also are seeking nearby easy to access businesses, and they offer a significant loyal customer base, but most do not want to sacrifice the historical charm of downtown Clarkdale. This should encourage entrepreneurs looking to provide additional goods and services to both locals and tourists. It is a worthwhile investment for developers to incorporate historically-compatible exterior design elements within the historic downtown area to preserve Clarkdale’s story. When a new development is proposed, the town should respect input from its citizens, and when a project is approved, the town should facilitate completion in a timely manner.”
Q: Why is the town’s trail master plan and improvements to local parks important for residents and visitors?
A: “For visitors, desirable trails and parks encourage slow tourism, where tourists are motivated to spend more time and money in the town. This could potentially attract new business developments. For residents, they add to quality of life and our sense of place by fostering low-impact outdoor recreation and enjoyment of the area’s natural beauty.”
Q: How should the town balance resident growth while remaining a small, historic town?
A: “There are market forces beyond the town’s control that are applying pressure to develop additional housing for people who want to move here and develop attainable housing for those already living here. Development of some areas of the town may be inevitable, but the town must do everything it can to preserve the integrity of the historic section of the town and maintain a reasonable density of housing. The town must balance the need for housing with the feel of the community our residents want to preserve. The town has a duty to anticipate what we know is coming and put in place tools to manage that growth.”
Q: How should the town encourage Yavapai College to bring more programs back to the Verde Valley campus in Clarkdale?
A: “The Clarkdale Town Council and the Yavapai College District Governing Board are separate political entities. The town can try to encourage and influence the board’s decisions, but it can’t control them. The town should communicate to the board citizen input from Verde Valley residents, who help fund the college, that due to the demographics of Yavapai County there is a need for sufficient in-person courses to be available at all the campuses. As a body elected by the public, the board must be transparent and responsive to the citizens in its district. We must all be aware that the cost of educating in our rural region is going to be more challenging and more expensive than in urban areas. The town should strongly advocate continuation and support of college’s special programs, such as the lifelong learning program which contributes to the quality of life for our senior population, and the Southwest Wine Center, a gem that attracts business from tourists and residents as well as students who may relocate here from outside our region.”
Clarkdale Town Council Election
Mayoral candidates (one four-year seat):
- Robyn Prud’homme-Bauer, incumbent
- Cynthia Malla, challenger
Council Candidates (two four-year seats)
- Amanda Arnold, challenger
- Marney Babbitt-Pierce, incumbent
- Debbie Hunseder, incumbent
- Nathan Porter, challenger
