AUGUST 2016
COUNTY CANDIDATE FORUM
Tuesday August 2, 2016 6:00 PM
Gila County Community College
A forum for all candidates running for County offices,
hosted by the Arizona Silver Belt, the Globe-Miami
Chamber of Commerce and Gila Community College, was
held on the College's Globe Campus Tuesday evening.
In attendance was Globe Mayor Terry Wheeler, past Globe
Mayor Stan Gibson, Supervisor John Marcanti, Globe
Mayoral candidate Al Gameros, and Tim Humphrey.
Marcanti is unopposed as a Democrat running for re-election
in District Three, and Humphrey is unopposed running as a
Republican for District Two Supervisor.
As the August 30th primary is a race between candidates
within the two major parties to determine who will be on the
ballot in November, only Republican and Democrat
candidates facing opposition within their parties are
considered in the primary.
Tommie Martin, who was not in attendance, is running
unopposed for District One Supervisor.
Primary Candidates for District Two Supervisor include:
incumbent Michael Pastor and challenger Fred Barcon,
both democrats.
Primary Candidates for District Three Supervisor include:
Kenny Evans and Woody Cline, both Republicans.
Each candidate was given time for introductory remarks
before facing a series of questions from the audience. Topics
included how best for a county to handle state cutbacks,
what to do about the extensive blight problem in the area,
and why each was running for office.
For County Recorder, incumbent Sadie Jo Bingham, a
Republican is facing Republican opposition from Monica
Wohlforth, proprietor of Bernard's Coffee Station. The two
tackled topics including dead voters and greater accessibility
of county records.
Gail Gorry and Roy Sandoval, who are running as
Republicans for Gila County School Superintendent faced
questions about consolidating the districts and what to do
about schools here locally being the worst in the state.
Current School Superintendent Dr. Linda O'Dell has retired.
Supervisor Candidates L-R: Barcon, Pastor, Cline, Evans
Mike Pastor
Fred Barcon
Woody Cline
Kenny Evans
Sadie Jo Bingham
Monica Wohlforth
Gail Gorry
Roy Sandoval
John Marcanti
Tim Humphrey
Results of the August 30th Primary
Congratulations to Michael Pastor, who will face
unopposed Republican Tim Humphrey in the District 2
Supervisor race, and to Woody Cline, who will try to unseat
unopposed Democrat John Marcanti in District 3.
Al Gameros is Globe's new Mayor. Joining the City
Council is Freddy Rios who defeated Terry Wheeler in
District 1, and Charlene Giles who will represent District 5.
Michael Black and Sammy Gonazales remain on the
Miami Town Council. Don Reiman exits. Joining is Ruben
Mancha II.
Roy Sandoval is Gila County's new school superintendent,
Sadie Jo Bingham remains county recorder. Paul Babeu
and Tom O'Halleran will battle for Ann Kirkpatrick's
District 1 US congressional seat, and Kirkpatrick,
unopposed, is running against John McCain for the US
Senate seat. Home Rule passed everywhere-- but it was by
only 10 votes in Miami, so the provisional ballots could
affect that. For all the local results as they stand, click here.
And if you'd like to see the up to the minute results from all
of Arizona, click here.
REGULAR MEETING OF THE TOWN OF MIAMI
MAYOR AND COUNCIL
Monday August 8, 2016 6:30 PM
Town Council Chambers - Sullivan Street
There will be no change in Miami's property tax rates.
Resolution 1182 was passed at Monday night's Regular
Meeting of the Mayor and Council. It's more of a formality,
allowing the Town to assess and collect the taxes.
A couple liquor licenses were issued. One for the Sarah
McQuaid concert to be held at Bullion Plaza on Wednesday
September 14th. The other went to Miami Genesis for
September 10th's Miami Fiesta.
Chief Scott Gillen gave the police report comparing July
2016 with July 2015, a year ago. This July, 2,902 miles
were patrolled. In July 2015 it was 1,796. Most statics saw
improvement. This July 493 calls for service were received.
The figure was 374 for last July. Adult arrest were down:
eight this July, 19 a year ago. There were two juvenile
arrests last month, three in July 2015. 911 calls came in at
16 last month, compared to 23 in July 2015.
DUIs were at two this July, and double that a year ago at 4.
There was one harassment complaint this July compared to
six last July. There were three theft reports this July, a year
ago they were at seven. Traffic incidents fell significantly.
This July there were three. In July 2015, there were 18.
Suspicious activity reports also saw a significant drop. 12
this past July, 20 a year ago.
Animal incidents at 25 and burglaries at three were the same
this July as last July. Civil matters rose. There were 12 this
July, nine in July 2015.
Chief Gillen asked for, and received, approval for a Gila
River Indian Community Grant filing. He's requesting
$114,313 for police vehicles and equipment.
Councilmember Don Reiman wondered if the application
had been submitted. It was. Reiman's concern was that the
population figures were off by almost a factor of two. The
Chief had 1,000 more people than Miami does, which he
attributed to a typo.
Librarian Delvan Hayward was on vacation, so no library
report was given.
Town Manager Joe Heatherly gave the public works report.
The contaminated soil clean up at the public works yard is
complete. Heatherly is meeting with AMAC and Hilgard
Wilson to set up a schedule of investigations for the sewer
project, as discussed at a previous meeting.
Regarding Town business, Heatherly said the annual
employee evaluations are almost complete, and the exact
amount of the 2012 over-expenditure should be determined
shortly. It isn't that the town overspent it's 2012 budget, but
because it didn't properly secure Home Rule, the alternative
spending limitation required by the state, Miami was
constrained to spend no more than it did in Fiscal Year 1979.
Clearly it did- and the Town will therefore be obligated to
pay steep fines to the state, likely between $50 and $80,000,
with collection to begin in Fiscal year 2017-18.
There was also a discussion of whether the Town should
enact an ordinance prohibiting open fires, with the exception
of backyard barbecues and fire pits, requiring permits for
other fire uses.
Councilmember Sammy Gonzales said the annual Vandal
bash at the pool went well with many people attending. A
date has been set for next year's Boomtown Spree. It's April
9th. Hopefully, Globe's ATV jamboree will be held on a
different weekend. This Saturday, there's another Concert in
the Park, the second to last for the season.
Resident Jonathan Skelton took advantage of the Call to the
Public to ask permission to clean the graffiti from Veteran's
Memorial Park. He received a round of applause.
The meeting closed in executive session, where a legal
discussion was held privately on the matter of the
homeowner instructed to cut three feet off his mobile home,
which he erected after trying without success to get the Town
to inform him of the code requirements.
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SECOND CANDIDATE FORUM
Thursday August 4, 2016 6:00 PM
Gila County Community College
The second forum for candidates was held this evening,
again sponsored by the Arizona Silver Belt, the Globe
Miami Chamber of Commerce and Gila Community
College, where the event was held on the Globe Campus.
Candidates for the Miami Town Council and Globe City
Council who are facing opposition in the August 30th
primary were included.
The audience, which included Globe City Councilmembers
Mike Stapleton, Roberta Lee Johnson and Lerry Alderman;
Superior Court Judge Bryan Chambers; and Chairman of the
Gila County Board of Supervisors Mike Pastor, was smaller
than the first forum on Tuesday, with about 30 people in
attendance.
Miami candidates included incumbents Sammy Gonzales
and Don Reiman, along with newcomer Gary Vessels. This
is the second election for Gonzales, who was originally
appointed to the Miami Town Council to fill a vacancy
before successfully running for office. Reiman, the current
Vice Mayor of Miami, has been on the Council for seven
years. Vessels, a Miami resident for the past ten years, is a
cotton merchant.
Six issues were raised including: Miami's infrastructure
needs and the progress of the sewer project, the importance
of Resolution Copper, whether a regional aquatic center
should be supported, the economic fate of the town, the
possible adoption of a ban on smoking for anyone under 21,
and rumors of the police department disbanding.
All in attendance felt that ultimately Miami having its own
police department is economically unfeasible. Reiman said
that the police budget is half of the general fund. Gonzales
added that the issue is currently under analysis with the
County. And Vessels felt everyone wants to be safe, but
there's a lot of work yet to be done to achieve it.
Globe candidates included Al Gameros and James Gillette
running for mayor; Freddy Rios, Terry Wheeler and Alexis
Rivera, a write in candidate, running for District One
Councilmember; and Charlene Giles and Bernard Wohlforth
running for District Five Councilmember.
Al Gameros, who was born and raised in Miami, spent 18
years as chief of the Globe Fire Department before filling in
briefly as city manager in the past year. His is focus is on
economic development.
James Gillette, with a military background, is a third
generation Globe resident who feels everyone in the county
deserves good representation.
Freddy Rios has been coaching youth sports in Globe for the
past 30 years. A 34 year employee of AWC in Globe with
many years in management, Rios has been attending City
Council meetings regularly for the past three years and
believes his background makes him well suited to navigate
regulations and handle people.
Alexis Rivera, who hails from Puerto Rico originally, has
been in Globe for the past 12 years. He's the former
financial manager for Hayden, and currently is an
accounting consultant for the San Carlos Apache Tribe.
Terry Wheeler, the current Mayor, has been in Globe since
1958. He's been immersed in Globe politics since 1998.
Charlene Giles brings 20 years of local government
experience in Ohio to Globe. She believes the area has a
great environment and she wants to proactively help Globe
move forward.
Bernard Wohlforth moved to Globe five years ago. Bernard's
Coffee Shop located here is the culmination of his dream.
He believes that God made it happen and he wants to bring
God back into politics.
Like the Miami hopefuls, the Globe candidates tackled six
issues including how the city handled the PSPRS funding
shortfall of $10 million (all thought Globe did a good job),
the bed tax, blight (everyone dislikes it, no one had a
solution), the city's aging infrastructure, what each candidate
felt made him or her qualified to serve, and what each felt
should be the city's top three priorities. All were in
agreement that bringing people to the area and improving
Globe's economy were at the top of the list, though each
offered different nuances on how that might be achieved.
Al Gameros reminded everyone to vote yes on Home Rule
an issue that will have grave negative impact on Globe, and
also Miami, if it does not pass on August 30th.
Miami Hopefuls
Sammy Gonzales
Don Reiman
Gary Vessels
Some of the Globe Hopefuls
The rest of the Globe Hopefuls
Al Gameros
James Gillette
Freddy Rios
Terry Wheeler
Alexis Rivera
Charlene Giles
Berhard Wohlforth
REGULAR MEETING OF THE
GILA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Tuesday August 2, 2016 10:00 AM
Gila County Courthouse
The battle of State verses Counties was a hot topic for
Tuesday's Regular Meeting of the Gila County Board Of
Supervisors. Craig Sullivan, Executive Director for the
CSA, the County Supervisors Association, gave a complete
report. Supervisor Tommie Martin is President Elect of the
group, which includes all 61 supervisors from Arizona's 15
counties.
Well known here is the issue of the state changing laws
regarding the public employees retirement fund. But that's
not the only recent change. Money from HURF, the
Highway User Revenue Fund, has decreased significantly, in
part due to lower gasoline prices, but as Sullivan revealed,
also due to the state's practice of raiding HURF money to
use for general expenses.
In 2016, the CSA has facilitated $18.3 million in net
financial relief to Arizona Counties. Gila County's portion
was $219,410. They've also gotten $6.13 million in
additional reimbursement for counties' expenses in the
Presidential Preference Election. Eight CSA bills were
signed into state law, and three CSA policy issues were
inserted in the state budget. The CSA has also defeated or
amended 41 additional bills that would have harmed
counties without their intervention.
Sheriff Adam Shepherd recognized Sgt. Rodney Cronk who
is retiring from the Gila County Sheriff's Office with over 20
years of service. After retiring from the military, Sgt. Cronk
joined the Sheriff's Office in 1995. He's served in the
Northern County office where he's been Volunteer
Coordinator in charge of the Mounted Posse, Search &
Rescue Posse and the Explorer/Adventurer program.
Charlene Becker, head of Teen Pregnancy Outreach Services
received the Arizona Community Action Association 2016
Heart In Hand Award. Gila County is #1 in teen pregnancies
and Becker readily admits she's trying to put herself out of
work by lowering that figure, but she said teen pregnancy
shouldn't be dealt with like alcoholism or drug use. One of
her priorities is encouraging teen dads to be fathers.
L-R Melissa Buzan, Christine Becker
Jim Soulia, General Manger of the Arizona Eastern Railway
Company gave a presentation. Arizona Eastern is one of 110
railroads owned by Genesee & Wyoming. Since purchasing
A&E, G&W has invested $37 million in track infrastructure.
The annual report for Bullion Plaza was presented by
Executive Director Tom Foster. The second floor auditorium
renovation is almost complete, thanks to a Freeport
Foundation grant. Resolution Copper contributed new
windows, which were made by the Pella Company as
reproductions of the design of the original windows. The
maple hardwood floors are being refinished. The asbestos
problems have been resolved. The water harvesting system
is now operational and online. Foster asked for and received
a $10,000 annual economic development grant from the
County.
IGAs which passed at the meeting included
o An agreement between the Sheriff's Office and Star
Valley for providing law enforcement
o An agreement between the County and ADOT for $1.4
million to replace the bridge on Colcord Road over Gordon
Canyon, east of Payson.
o An agreement between the County and ADOT for
$350,000 for a sidewalk along Golden Hill road from
Russell to Main in Central Heights.
The Supervisors also passed an ordinance needed for a stop
sign to be placed at the intersection of Randall Place and
Pinetree Drive in Pine.
County Manager Don McDaniel announced a Special
Meeting about tax rates to be held on Monday, August 15th.
REGULAR MEETING OF THE
CITY OF GLOBE MAYOR AND COUNCIL
Tuesday August 9, 2016 6:00 PM
City Hall - Pine Street
Say Goodbye to Health-Mart and Hello to CVS. In an
executive session at Tuesday evening's Regular Meeting of
the City of Globe Mayor and Council, a change in lessors at
the Amster bulding which houses the drug store at 100 North
Broad, was approved. Vaden Corporation, owner of the
Palace Pharmacy, is off the lease, and CVS is on it. German
Dobson CVS, LLC to be exact, an Arizona company owned
by national chain CVS Pharmacy, Inc. of Woonsocket, RI.
Globe's Fiscal Year 2016-17 budget was approved. The total
is just under $27 million. The general fund is $10.4 million.
The bed tax is expected to bring in $200,000, which will no
longer have a cap on distribution to those entities benefitted
by it. A million dollars goes directly to paying down the
$10 million PSPRS debt.
Globe will be hiring a new auditor-- John H. Naylor, who
served in that capacity for many years, succumbed to an
aggressive cancer that took his life just three weeks after
diagnosis last month. Other positions to be filled in the City
include code enforcement, grants and mechanic.
Globe Librarian Adrea Ricke reported on the Summer
Reading Program. The national theme was “On your mark,
get set, read.” Over 200 people attended the kickoff in June.
The program was a success with 475 hours of reading logged
by 1st through 5th graders participating. That's 60 hours
more than last year. The finale party, featuring a water
bounce castle, drew a crowd of about 150. Ricke thanked all
those involved, with special mention to Fire Marshall Joe
Bracamonte and Canine Evo.
The Easement Agreement with BHP Copper regarding Old
Dominion Historic Mine Park was reviewed. The damage to
the zipline and handicapped swing will run the City over
$4,000, prompting the Council to approve changes to the
City's insurance policy. The current $5,000 deductible will
drop to $1,000, resulting in an additional premium of $8,000
per year. Adding barbecue pits and improving the parking
was discussed with no action taken. Chairperson Dr. Thea
Wilshire was in attendance.
Mayor Terry Wheeler was absent. Vice Mayor Eric Mariscal
presided over the meeting. Public Works Director Jerry
Barnes and Fire Chief Gary Robinson made a plea for more
responses to the income survey needed to secure the grant
for a new fire truck. The City has 61% of the needed
responses and is on a tight two week deadline to get the
remaining 39% completed. Remember, the information is
confidential. Your identity will be separated from your
answers to economic questions before they are submitted. If
you received a survey in the mail, please fill it out and mail
it back. If a firefighter comes to your door to have you
complete a survey, please cooperate. This is a grant Globe
cannot afford to lose.
Five people were appointed to the Globe Preservation
Advisory Commission, the group that oversees proposals for
Historic Downtown Globe. They are Jo Nell Brantley,
Holley Rooney, Jason Marr, Bruce Binkley and Tim
Harmon. Three other applicants- Kim Marr, Molly
Cromwell, and Linda Gross were not selected.
Councilmember James Haley reminded voters that mail in
ballots are out, and they must be returned to City Hall by
election day on August 30th to be counted. City Clerk
Shelly Salazar added that the final vote on Home Rule will
also be part of the August 30th election and she urged
everyone to vote.
Mike Stapleton announced that $3,000 was raised for the
Boys & Girls Club at last week's event at The Cooper Hen.
He also gave thanks for all the community support he's
received on the recent passing of his mother-in-law.
REGULAR MEETING OF THE TOWN OF
MIAMI MAYOR AND COUNCIL
Monday August 22, 2016 6:30 PM
Town Council Chambers Sullivan Street
One obit from last night's Regular Meeting of the Town of
Miami Mayor and Council: The Mackey's Camp Bridge
Crossing Project is officially dead. The move to replace the
former bridge began in 2010, and while there were many
obstacles, the death knell came from the Town's inability to
secure the required documentation on property ownership
and easements at the time the bridge was originally
constructed, making it impossible to proceed.
The Miami Library is $2,000 richer thanks to a cash
donation made to the Friends of the Library this month.
Librarian Delvan Hayward reported more good news- the
summer reading program was a success with 70 sign ups,
and some bad news- public works has managed to keep the
cooling system running, but it's on its last legs.
Town Manager Joe Heatherly made several announcements:
The operating manual for the waste water treatment plant is
almost finished. The paving of Sullivan Street begins next
week. A new code enforcement officer, Joshua Derhammer,
has been hired.
And two termination appeals from former town workers
were held today, with the Town's decision to fire them
upheld in both cases.
Bullion Plaza director Tom Foster spoke in Call to the
Public. He's working on a new grant package from the
USDA to build a new elevator and replace more windows.
Miami received the grant for police vehicles and equipment
from the Gila River Indian Community State Shared Gaming
Revenues. Resolution 1183 was passed to authorize and
accept it.
The Miami Fiesta will be held on Saturday September 10th
from 9:30 in the morning to midnight. The festivities
include music, dancing, the ever-popular Chihuahua races,
and the presentation of this year's Fiesta Queen and Court.
Admission is free and so is the entertainment.
Fiesta Queen contestants will be presented to the public this
Saturday at Miami's Music In The Park. The free concert
from 6:30 to 9:00 PM at Miami Memorial Park is the last
one of the season.
REGULAR MEETING OF THE
GILA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Monday August 15, 2016 10:00 AM
Gila County Courthouse
Should Gila County enact legislation against “fat folks in
flip flops?... Wait, before you weigh in, let me tell you
exactly what happened at Monday morning's Regular
Meeting of The Gila County Board of Supervisors.
Supervisor Tommie Martin was upset-and rightfully so. In
one day alone, 41 people had to be rescued from Fossil
Creek near Payson. It's one thing when an experienced, or at
least prepared, hiker encounters difficulties. But when
people who have no business attempting the 1500 foot climb
into, and 1500 foot climb out of, Fossil Creek, get it trouble,
rescuing them is an expense Supervisor Martin thinks Gila
County taxpayers shouldn't have to bear. That 1500 feet, by
the way, is altitude, not distance. It's arduous for the very
physically fit, who understand what to bring-like water, and
what to wear-like hiking boots; and impossible for most
everyone else, like fat folks in flip flops.
Martin's suggestion for the “Stupid Hiker Law,” which
would charge imbeciles that enter the canyon wholly
unprepared for the rigors of it, for getting them out of it, is
not without precedent in the state. Since 1995, Arizona has
had a “Stupid Motorist Law” on the books. It charges any
motorist who drives around barricades to go through a
flooded stretch of roadway for the cost of rescuing them.
The discussion was curtailed when the County lawyer said it
needed to come up as an agenda item-which it will.
Blight was also discussed at the meeting, specifically how to
get the state to drop tax liens on abandoned properties so that
the county can tear them down or fix them up. The
Supervisors are looking into what legislative changes are
needed, and how to make that happen. For now, that leaves
a lot of blighted properties in limbo. What to do with
blighted properties with paid taxes wasn't tackled.
Theresa Williams has been named interim deputy finance
director for Gila County.
Supervisor Martin reminded everyone that the Payson Rodeo
starts Thursday.
DONALD TRUMP RALLY
PHOENIX CONVENTION CENTER
Wednesday August 31, 2016 6 PM
Donald Trump was in Phoenix at the Convention Center
downtown yesterday and KQSS was there to hear him. He
was late in arriving, as he, Vice Presidential Candidate Mike
Pence, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions and former New York
Mayor Rudy Giuliani were returning from visiting with the
president of Mexico. Trump was upbeat about the trip,
saying he believes that 'Mexico will be a great partner in
dealing with illegal immigration.' He noted that rival Hillary
Clinton was also invited to the meeting, which she declined.
The crowd didn't mind the wait, with Gov. Doug Ducey and
Sheriffs Joe Arpaio and Paul Babeau providing the warm up
to the main event. Pence introduced Trump who began by
assuring the crowd they would not hear a stump speech.
Instead he outlined his policies on what he termed 'a very
important issue' for Arizonans: Immigration.
Trump's first point was the need for border security. Build a
wall. 'Starting on day one, and the Mexicans are going to
pay for it,' he said. 'They don't know it yet but they will.'
'A country with open borders is not a viable nation,' Trump
said to cheers and picture taking. His plan is to strengthen
and uphold existing immigration laws, which he termed a
disaster for the past 50 years. He promised extreme vetting
of nationals from countries that don't uphold our values, and
vowed that on his watch America would not let one terrorist
in the United States through legal immigration.
Thousands of enthusiastic supporters, wearing Make
America Great Again hats, waiving Trump/Pence banners
were in attendance, all of whom had to request tickets on
their smart phones. Media presence was pervasive, with
cameras and laptops everywhere.
Attention was turned to the press when Trump mentioned its
liberal bias. The crow cheered and turned toward the press
pit with jeers and angry motions.
The culmination of the event was the presence of 12 families
on stage, each of whom had a close relative killed by
someone who had no legal right to be in America.