We like Smoke Signals.
It’s a friendly, feel-good community publication. We enjoy reading it—and we’re glad it exists.
But we believe it falls short in one critical area: it does NOT function like an independent community newspaper –Smoke Signals is POA aligned.
Smoke Signals rarely asks questions, verifies claims, or holds our elected POA board officials and community management accountable —and that’s detrimental to property owners and residents.
Case in point: As property owners’ concerns continue to mount about General Manager Scott Auer’s qualifications and performance, the POA issued a glowing, FACT-FREE statement praising him.
Smoke Signals published it almost word-for-word—without context, questions, or verification.
That’s not journalism. That’s a POA press release with a Smoke Signals masthead.
If Smoke Signals were serving the Big Canoe community as a true independent community news outlet, it might have asked:
- What are Mr. Auer’s qualifications?
- Why has his resume never been shared with the community?
- What metrics are being used to evaluate his performance?
- What are the “results” the POA says he’s delivered?
Instead, the POA wrote the message, and Smoke Signals published it.
Meanwhile, above-the-fold, stories that focus on trucks that run off the road, naming an intersection, and park openings dominate the front page headlines. These are pleasant stories—and they have a place. But front page, above-the-fold?
Unfortunately, you won’t find Smoke Signals covering important issues that affect short and long-term property values.
Smoke Signals is choosing to ignore essential matters and choosing to put a roadside truck on the front page. Why? Perhaps to sell more ad space to Big Canoe Realty agents to who control OUR domain name and extort $500,000 from property owners.
Instead, Smoke Signals might want to cover important issues, ask questions, seek documentation, and give voice to dissenting perspectives.
A core responsibility of independent journalism is to report on and present multiple sides of a story—especially when decisions affect an entire community.
And when feel-good filler consistently takes precedence over topics that materially impact property owners and our property values, it raises a fair question:
Is Smoke Signals here to inform—or to protect the POA?
When major issues go unreported while POA narratives are repeated and go unchallenged, it’s hard to see how the label “independent” applies.
Independence in journalism is about editorial behavior—what you choose to publish, and what you choose not to.
Claim independence Smoke Signals—but your editorial decisions and actions say otherwise. That’s unfortunate—because a stronger Big Canoe starts with a better-informed community.
With Respect, A Growing Group of Concerned Property Owners & Residents
