FROM: Paula Hartwell - Wickenburg Aspiring Merchants

FROM: Paula Hartwell - Wickenburg Aspiring Merchants W. A. M. - 138 West Wickenburg Way Ph. 928-684-9018 Wickenburg, Az. 85390

TO: Wickenburg Talk. Com

THE TRUTH - CALL THE BULLIES OUT

I had asked a few merchants in November 2012 if they knew if they could now have vendors on their business properties. I told them that it had been announced in the Wickenburg Sun Newspaper but, they still did not know. W.A.M. had collected $500 from merchants a few years before and spent over a year with the Town of Wickenburg trying to get the code past which they fought me all the way. Julie Brooks and Kristi Henson got up and spoke against it at the Town Council Meeting. These should have been the two people that should have come up with the idea in the first place. So, I made a flyer telling merchants about the code change and at the bottom I put, “ if you need me , call.” I past it around beginning with part of down town and the 2 shopping centers an W. Wickenburg Way and Vulture Mine Road. A wonderful lady named Bonnie called me from the Gold Nugget Restaurant and it was with the permission of the manager as he set up a night for us to hold meetings in the restaurant conference room. The meetings were for one reason, what can we do to bring people down town with events beginning with the month of January, 2013. Merchants and retired residents came together for the first meeting. In that 1st meeting, we laid out the whole month of Jan. 2013 with an event for each weekend plus the final dedication and acknowledgement of VULTURE MINE DAY established by Ernie McCollum and our District State Legislatures, Judy Burges and Jack Harper. The event was on Sunday, Jan. 27th with a dinner and entertainment at the Wickenburg Community Center. At the very first meeting, I asked the manager if he would be interested in having special entertainment on his slowest week night and sell tickets to the Dinner and Show with Flamenco dancers and a guitarist. I said that I would dance for free but, the charge would be $125 for the other dancer, Sidora and $125 for the guitarist, Enrique. They would be coming up from Phoenix. He agreed and brought Donna Henry in the main dining room to give her a tour and told her exactly what I had suggested and what we were going to do. I made the prelims. for the tickets, marquees and the small card to go on the tables for people to take home as a reminder. The Manager approved them and then I proceeded to make the originals and then, the copies. I also bought the two large frames from the Habitat for the 2 large marquees. I was at their beckon call. Anything I could do to help, I would do and would do again in the same position and in hoping for a positive and profitable outcome for the restaurant. As time went on , the manager told me that he was going to make it a fundraiser for the Wickenburg Humane Society which was not my decision anyway because I was not the person heading or putting on this particular event. Then he told me that he was telling the people to make their checks out to W.A.M. I sought legal advice immediately and then called the manager back to tell him that in no way is W.A.M.’s name to be written on any check . This was not W.A.M.’s event or fundraiser. I did not know it at the time but, a person called the manager of the Gold Nugget Restaurant and told him , “ If Paula Hartwell is there, other people will not come.” I had an appointment with the manager to bring the guitarist to see what we may need or the restaurant do to have things ready for the event including items like the sound equipment, etc. The meeting went fine and then as soon as the guitarist and I started to rehearse in the conference room, the manager came in yelling and telling me to get out and for the guitarist to find another dancer . I asked why and he told me about the phone call. So, for all the work I had done for him, ( and I am the one who came when they called and no one else in this town, no other organization, etc. ), if he had been any kind of a man, he would of stood up for me and told the person on the phone that Paula has proven that she cares and puts herself out with no salary or pat on the back but, cares about helping anyone in need. The guitarist was going to try to keep it together by finding another dancer. When he called the first dancer who I had hired, she, Sidora, said that she was not interested since Paula had gotten the job for the 3 of us. The guitarist, Enrique, bowed out. The restaurant manager had to find another guitarist, Miquel and 2 dancers Bernadette and Yumi. When I started with the Laura Moya Hispanic Dance Company in my 30’s, Enrique, Bernadette and Sidora were already in the company. In the last Concert I did for Laura at the Herberger theater in Phoenix, Miquel was hired as our guitarist .

T O T A L S - ESTIMATE ON MAXIMUM TICKETS SOLD 80 seats (if sold out) @ $25 = $2000 total income from guests. 80 seats with $15 going straight to the restaurant because the owner told me = minus $1200 $800 left for 3 entertainers compared to just spending $250 for 3 entertainers and one (Paula ), dancing for free. Miquel, the guitarist was paid $400 and the 2 dancers were paid $200 each = $800 for the 3 = minus $800 $2000 total MINUS $1200 to the house MINUS $800 to the ENTERTAINMENT = $ 0 LEFT FOR THE FUNDRAISER .

I did confront the person who made the phone call to the restaurant manager. I had given a letter to 3 council members and no one else. The 3 council members were, Royce, Band and Cook. In the letter, it had a list of the other people that I was sending the letter to and that the letter was an invitation to come to the Sunday, Jan. 27th, 2013 event for VULTURE MINE DAY dinner, show and acknowledgement. Remember, no one else had this letter. This person that I confronted knew everything that I had written in the letter ( which , were no secrets but, I just had not gotten it out to anyone else yet. ) The person said that I was making it up that there was a State - VULTURE MINE DAY. So, I proceeded to tell the person that is was CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 2007 and signed by Ken Bennett , Arizona Secretary of State, on March 27th 2012. This shut the person up and they listened. The person then proceeded to tell me how ridiculous it was for me to be sending the letter to those I was sending the letter and invitation to as if I did not have a right to do so. I know who was buddies with who and how people want to cause trouble when it should not be done. No one should hurt anyone else by trying to spread false rumors because another person is not in their click or because they are doing something that they are not going to get credit for themselves. Instead, they should embrace them and thank them for putting in the effort especially since W.A.M. does not get one penny and is all volunteers. I asked the person if they knew what I have done since September 2009 in starting W.A.M. and they said, “ NO.” They , again was quiet and listened. I knew when I finished that they knew nothing about me or what I have done and put my heart into.

The following is a list of some of our accomplishments for the Town of Wickenburg residents and merchant : 1. $500 collected and paid to the Town of Wickenburg to have the code changed to allow for businesses to have vendors on their properties and have events such as the Chaparral Ice Cream is doing every Thurs. with the Farmers Market. It was a battle because the town & Julie Brooks did not want the code changed. Over a year of coming and going with the town says it all !!!! 2. Concerning A – FRAMES . W.A.M. went to the public meetings and asked for and got 3 things to make it easier for the business owners: - Another business can share your A-Frame. - The A-Frame does not have to be made by a professional company but, can be artistically designed and made by you. - The town wanted the businesses to take down their banner every night and we asked that they do not have to do so. 3. Had a meeting with merchants and held a garage sale fundraiser to help the Kibbles to start a new business. We put the info in the newspaper and residents and merchants brought items for us to sell. The Kibbles started the PONY 2ND HAND STORE and they have enlarged their business area 3 or 4 times the size since they started. 4. Put together the memorial service for Varsha Patel at the then, Wickenburg Inn for all who love her still and all her friends and family. 5. Had a flag contest noted in the paper and gave $100 to the winner of the design which was voted on by the public and tallied by me and Mr. Heatherly. The design was for the Vulture Mine State Day. 6. Gave Varsha’s donations to the Wickenburg Fire Fighters Youth Explorer Program with her sister’s wishes for the money to stay in Wickenburg. 7. Made the town aware of our new State Vulture Mine Day by Ads, articles and by a dinner with entertainment and acknowledgement to Ernie McCollum, Judy Burges and Jack Harper for making it possible. We will continue to do so each month of Jan. with Henry Wickenburg – Vulture Mine and FOUNDERS DAYSSSSSS with events thru-out the whole month of each Jan. 8. Did the preliminary drawings for the American Legion of the Veterans Memorial Monument to show to the Town Council and public. Did the first set of working drawings with the monument 3’ wide and a projection at the center which was changed as you see it now. All drawings at no charge. 9. Working on cleaning up the alleys west of the railroad tracks. Will start again this summer after allergy season. It is the responsibility of the Wickenburg Town Maintenance Department or Parks & Rec. I’ve lived here almost 26 years and seen nothing in our alleys from the town. 10. Designing and collecting donations to make artistic western alley signs made of rebar and metal. Two are up. One for Sergio Horcos and the other for Pete Peterson. Total cost of $215. The town quoted me an estimate for them to make them between $500 to $700 per sign. $80 to Bear at for top piece $45 for supplies for post $90 to welder

More can be listed. This will give you an idea of little drops in the bucket still add up when we put an effort in involvement and caring.

I have taken time to write this letter to help people know me a little bit better and what I have been working on besides my own businesses. I hope that you all will realize the bullying and intimidation that has always been going on in this town and needs to stop. Speak out when you see it. I have seen and experienced the dirty end of it since I have been here for almost 26 years this September. I know many other good and honest people who have been victimized because they won’t join a particular group or bow to the . I bow to only one King and he is JESUS CHRIST. I am doing good things and I am a good person. At the age of 65, I know who and what I am and what I stand for. I’m not into any click and do not believe in settling for a junior high school mentality. I do not gossip or speak against my neighbor. I do speak for or against anyone who is in a public position of being hired, voted in or appointed to. If they are doing injustices against us, I speak up !!!! I will write about political TRASH in another letter. Whatever time we have left on this earth, we need to make the best of it with fulfilling our bucket lists and seeing were we can help to make things better. Thanks for listening, Paula H.