 
Mayor John Crane Council Member Sheila Amoroso
  
P&Z Commissioner Sharon Smith P&Z Commissioner Les Hardie
Carefree is truly unique among cities and towns in Arizona for its combination of breathtaking natural surroundings, accomplished and friendly residents, low taxes, a well-conceived and managed small-town atmosphere, and limited town government responsive to its residents’desires. Taken together, these are some of the primary reasons why long-term residents stay here, and why new residents move here. The natural environment is a gift, but the town’s character has been and will continue to be the result of the critical decisions Carefree residents have been making at the ballot box since 1984.
Current Carefree residents have benefited from the knowledge and perspective of experienced and dedicated volunteers on the Carefree Town Council and the Carefree Planning and Zoning Commission, who have worked successfully since the Town’s incorporation to maintain the soul of our community by preserving the special attributes that define Carefree.
Carefree Unity endorses the following people as the most prepared and qualified Candidates to “Keep Carefree . . . Carefree” in the Upcoming Primary Election for Town Council
For Carefree Mayor:
John Crane, the incumbent Carefree Mayor
For Carefree Town Council:
– Sheila Amoroso, an incumbent Carefree Town Council Member
– Les Hardie, a current Carefree Planning and Zoning Commissioner
– Sharon Smith, a current Carefree Planning and Zoning Commissioner
A total of eight candidates are running for these four positions, and at the Carefree Candidate forum earlier this week a clear separation was on display. The four recommended candidates, all incumbents in elected or appointed positions, have been doing the hard work necessary to uncover and consider actual facts about important issues, collaborate with their peers, communicate with residents, explain the decisions made by their bodies, and manage their implementation. Before taking their current positions, they also participated in Town committees with other residents to consider issues of public interest and to share their conclusions with the governing bodies they would eventually join.
No other candidates have the same qualifications or have been as recently active in working for the Town. There are some differences among the other candidates, but during the Candidate forum all criticized recent actions of the Carefree government and all supported major changes to governance in Carefree. While we agree it is always important to evaluate processes and policies objectively in the quest for better governance, the four change candidates generally failed to meet that standard by struggling to provide convincing arguments for their specific criticisms and by promoting changes that were lacking detail or simply not practical.
Experienced and positive Town Council members, closely attuned to the desires of residents and the practicalities and legalities of managing a municipality, are crucial to Carefree’s continued success. The incumbent Mayor, John Crane, and three of the Candidates for Town Council, incumbent Sheila Amoroso, and two current members of the Carefree Planning and Zoning Commission, Les Hardie and Sharon Smith, have the qualifications, experience and desire necessary to keep
Carefree . . . Carefree.
Carefree Unity recommends that a vote for these four candidates for the Carefree Town Council would best meet the needs and desires of Carefree residents.
Carefree Unity 5/22/2026 |
Carefree Unity 