Dear Editor,
Northern Arizona Consolidated Fire District has three people running for the board that are violating Arizona State Law, specifically Pursuant to A.R.S. §16-192, a person or public entity that knowingly violates, or knowingly aids in violating the prohibition, may be subject to a civil penalty up to $5,000. These three people – Rick Veradt, Jerry Lucero, and Sue Brown – have been served a cease and desist notice from NACFD Attorney, due to their unlawful use of NACFD Logo on their signage and websites. These three responded to the cease and desist notification, stating that they will not remove the NACFD logo from their campaign signs and websites. Ask yourselves if these people who are knowingly/ blatantly violating Arizona State Law, are the people you want to trust to control millions of dollars of our Fire District tax dollars each year? Do you support the people who openly violate state law, asking you to vote them into the NACFD as Board Members? I certainly hope that you do not support these people.
A Fire District Board Member is an elected position, the terms are for four years, and there is no pay or compensation for elected Board Members. It is strictly considered a community service appointed position. Board members should not receive, or expect to receive, any Fire District Tax compensation for any reason.
In a Special Board Meeting of the NACFD, held on September 30, 2020 at 3 pm, our board considered legal action against the three candidates for violating state law. Due to the financial burden to our district taxpayers, and no guarantee of recovering the associated fees with prosecution of the three people, the board decided to publish a Press Release condemning the lawlessness, and publish an ad in local newspapers also condemning their use of our district logo.
These three people violating state law, who are asking for your vote in November, are close personal friends of Wayne Eder. Wayne Eder was hired by the Hualapai Valley Fire District Board in approximately 2004. During Wayne Eder’s first reign as the Fire District Chief, he was personally responsible for a Wrongful Termination lawsuit filed against the Fire District by a number of very experienced district firefighters. Ultimately, the Fire District was found responsible for the wrongful termination, and the district insurance provider paid out a nearly seven figure settlement. Wayne Eder was also responsible for destroying all professional working relationships with area fire departments, fire districts, County fire agencies, and State fire agencies. Wayne Eder even extorted money from the local High School District after the new High School was built on N. Bank Street. The school district was forced to buy the fire district 1000′ of 5″ supply hose, to provide the high school with fire protection. The problem with this, is that all of our district Fire Engines were already equipped with 1000′ of 5″ supply hose.
By the time of the November General Elections, of 2008, our fire district had 70,000.00 in the bank account, and the district was nearly one million dollars in debt. There were approximately five grants that our fire district was being considered to receive from the Federal Government. These grants require approximately ten to twenty percent contribution from the fire district, in order to receive the grant funding. These grants were going to add approximately two hundred thousand dollars to the fire district debt. Wayne Eder abruptly left the NACFD with very little notice, near the end of November 2008.
The November General Election of 2008, elected Erik Berg, Mike Collins and myself (Jim Bailey) to the NACFD governing board. Through unanimous board consideration, the spending was quickly brought under control, and the threat of Bankruptcy was avoided. A quality hiring process was immediately initiated for the Fire Chief’s position, including an extensive skills evaluation for qualified applicants, and in April of 2009 Patrick Moore accepted the position. Chief Moore immediately restored all professional working relationships with area Fire Departments, Fire Districts, County Fire agencies, and State Fire agencies. The NACFD extreme debt was paid off within 18 months, and the district braced for the unavoidable recession. Over the next six to seven years, our NACFD property values plummeted, with a nearly sixty percent decrease, which was devastating to our fire district revenue. Our elected fire district board, with Chief Moore’s fantastic expertise in district finances, weathered the recession while maintaining the best possible emergency/ non emergency service, and protection, to our fire district residents. Interesting fact, during this time, Arizona lawmakers decided to change the taxation laws. Lawmakers actions allowed fire districts to lose any amount of assessed property values, over any time period including months, but were only allowed to recover five percent per year. With the sixty percent decrease in property values, during the recession, at five percent growth per year it will take decades to recover the lost revenue to the fire district.
The November General Elections of 2016, resulted in an unfortunate decision to elect a close personal friend of Wayne Eder’s. This addition of Eder’s close personal friend to the NACFD Governing Board, resulted in the voluntary resignation of Fire Chief Patrick Moore. This was a devastating loss to NACFD. January of 2017 resulted in the search for a qualified Fire Chief, with the board approving a company to conduct the advertising, screening of applicants, provide extensive skills testing/ evaluations, and then bring the top candidates to the Governing Board for the final interviews. The three close personal friends of Wayne Eder would have no part in a fair and impartial search for a new Fire Chief, and in March of 2017, these three voted to bring Wayne Eder back as the NACFD Interim Fire Chief, with no skills testing/ evaluation process required.
Eder did not understand the improvements made to the fire district over the eight years he was gone, so he took a ten-year step back in time, and erased nearly every improvement that we had accomplished. Over the next four to six weeks, Wayne Eder began funneling money to a board member, illegally, and a Mohave County Grand Jury indicted Wayne Eder, board members Vic Riccardi, and Sue Wilkin on one Felony count of Conflict of Interest, and one Felony count of Misuse of Public Money, each. During the time they were officially charged with the Felonies, and were released on their own recognizance, both Sue Wilkin and Vic Riccardi involved themselves in additional wrongdoings, and both received two additional Felony Counts of Conflicts of Interest each. Sue Wilkin accepted a Plea Agreement, and pleaded guilty to a Misdemeanor. Sue Wilken was removed from the NACFD board by the Court. Vic Riccardi pleaded guilty to one count of Felony Conflict of Interest, and he too was removed from the NACFD board by the court. Wayne Eder insisted on a jury trial. Wayne Eder was ultimately found guilty of the Felony Conflict of Interest. Wayne Eder was ultimately terminated from the NACFD, with just cause. If readers are interested in reading about this on your own, go to The Standard News dot com, and search NACFD. All related articles on these incidents can be reviewed.
From approximately March of 2017, to this day, every male board member of NACFD has been constantly harassed, accused, investigated for every single thing we say and do as a board, and I would estimate that approximately 30 different accusations/ allegations/ lawsuits have been filed against the male members of NACFD board. Wayne Eder, his family, and a few close personal friends are responsible for these actions against the NACFD board. The male members of the NACFD board have been investigated by the Mohave County Attorney’s Office, Yavapai County Attorney’s Office, Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Arizona Ombudsman’s Office, and they have even filed complaints with the FBI. Not one of the filed complaints has resulted in findings of wrongdoing by the board. This is great news to the residents, friends, and visitors to our fire district, that your current board has done an outstanding job representing our fire district. The unfortunate filing of all these frivolous complaints/ lawsuits has wasted tens of thousands of out fire district tax dollars. These lawless candidates/ friends of Wayne Eder don’t realize that ever one of these ridiculous complaints must be reviewed by the fire district Attorney, and in some cases they are reviewed by an Attorney that our District Insurance provider retains. Do you as fire district residents want these people who waste tens of thousands of our tax dollars representing our fire district? I certainly hope not.
After the termination of Wayne Eder, an extensive nationwide search for a Fire Chief was conducted by an Independent company, with no success. The City of Kingman, City Manager, was approached by a NACFD board member to see if there was an interest for the City to assist NACFD with administrative oversight. This would result in a possible Contract of Services Agreement between the City of Kingman, and NACFD. Over the next several months, both the Kingman City Council, and NACFD Governing Board agreed to a two-year pilot program where Fire Chief Jake Rhoades and his administrative staff would oversee operations of NACFD. This agreement allows NACFD to receive expertise from the Fire Chief, two Assistant Fire Chiefs, Two Administrative Battalion Chiefs, and three Battalion Chiefs assigned to shift personnel. This agreement has proven to be a huge benefit to NACFD. Fire Chief Rhoades, and his Administrative staff, has brought NACFD personnel into an entire new age of professionalism, training, and every surrounding community is better for it. NACFD is in great shape, and continues to improve daily.
One quick example of the great work from Fire Chief Rhoades and his staff, is the fire station project at 2600 Northern Ave. NACFD purchased the building in 2012. Over the next 6 years, the money was saved to complete the remodeling of the building. The plans were drawn, and Chief Rhoades’ staff walked the plans through the process of Engineering/ Plan Review. Due to the many changes in the full set of Engineered plans, the project was put out a second time for Contractor Bids. The project was awarded to a Contractor, and the project is now underway, with a completion date of March 1, 2021 or sooner. A fire station of this size, built new, can easily exceed 3.5 million dollars to complete. A fire station is built to the strictest building codes, because it houses emergency equipment, emergency personnel, and the building could be used as a shelter if necessary. With the purchase of the building, and remodeling costs, NACFD will have less than $2 million total into the project. This is a huge savings to the NACFD residents. Outstanding job to everyone involved in the process, and this fire station project should benefit NACFD for 40 to 50 years.
In closing, I would like to say that this November General Election process is critical to NACFD. Any vote for the lawless Wayne Eder close personal friends will result in Wayne Eder being brought back in as the Fire Chief, and given the opportunity, Wayne Eder will destroy our fire district once and for all. Please support only your NACFD board members that have looked out for the district residents, friends, and visitors since 2008. Jim Bailey, Mike Collins and Larry Moore are all backed/ supported by the Professional Firefighters of Kingman/ NACFD.
Erik Berg has also done an outstanding job as a NACFD board member. Three NACFD board member seats are up for election in November. Please vote only for Jim Bailey, Mike Collins, Larry Moore, or Erik Berg.
Feel free to contact your board members with questions or concerns through northernazfire.com
We will keep NACFD safe/ secure.
Jim Bailey
NACFD Board Chairman
