WSJ on Quartzsite

The Wall Street Journal’s Tamara Audi has written a comprehensive article on the latest political battles in the town of Quartzsite. It’s available to subscribers HERE.

Highlights:

• “We’re calling this the Twilight Zone in Quartzsite,” said Ed Foster, the elected, but so far unseated, mayor who has filed a complaint in superior court to force the town to install him. Mr. Foster, 70 years old, began humming the music from the television show, and said, “Every day we get up and ask, ‘What’s going to happen today?'”
  
• On Tuesday night, Mr. Foster’s lawyer said an attorney hired by the town called to discuss a potential settlement deal that would include seating Mr. Foster as mayor. The deal hasn’t been finalized yet, said his lawyer, Julie LaBenz. If a deal isn’t reached, she said Mr. Foster will move ahead with a court hearing due next week.
• The unrest boils down to a struggle between two groups: on one side, some current and former town leaders who say they are being targeted by activists who oppose development; on the other side, activists and the mayor-elect who claim city officials are hiding corruption and targeting them for criticizing town leaders. In interviews, the officials have denied the accusations.
• Business owners just want the fighting to end before the busy winter season. “It’s an embarrassment to our town,” said Paul Winer, the nudist owner of Reader’s Oasis bookstore.