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CHANDLER CELEBRATES DIVERSITY / P. 4 From Uptown to Downtown, covering Chandler like the sun.
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
INSIDE
This Week
Newbies ready for Chandler City Council challenges Jane Poston has embraced Community engagement this city in many ways led Angel Encinas to seat BY KEN SAIN Arizonan Managing Editor
COMMUNITY............. 24 Seton alumna reaps rewards for documentary.
BUSINESS.................... 28 New Chandler restaurant offers healthy menu.
W
hen Jane Poston finally had a chance to fully embrace a community, she took it. Poston grew up with a dad who worked in broadcast news, which meant they moved a lot as she was growing up. Putting down roots was not
an option. “We moved all the time,” Poston said. “I was a kid that moved my whole life, about every two years. For me, you know, playing psychoanalyst, that’s why when I found a community to stay in, I dug in deep and stayed because I always wanted that.” Poston is about to become
Chandler International Film Festival is bigger than ever. COMMUNITY.............................24 BUSINESS....................................28 GET OUT.....................................34 CLASSIFIEDS................................36
see POSTON page 10
BY KEN SAIN Arizonan Managing Editor
A
lberto Esparza has watched Angel Encinas grow up, meeting him for the first time when he was an 8-year-old boy. He said he’s a bit surprised Encinas got involved in local politics. Encinas will be sworn in to serve a four-year term on the
New year could challenge city, school fiscal picture BY KEN SAIN Arizonan Managing Editor
GETOUT...................... 34
January 8, 2023
FREE | chandlernews.com
The previous year was a pretty good one financially for both the City of Chandler and the Chandler Unified School District. While this new year may not look scary, city and school officials this year face fiscal challenges that will likely comprise one of the top stories of 2023. But the new year promises other notable possibilities to keep an eye on locally – including possible steps by the city to regulate shortterm rentals and the long-awaited
opening of a tourist-attracting superstore.
City finances
Chandler was doing so well with its finances in 2022 that it made a one-time payment of $50 million toward its debt in the Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System. The ongoing expansion at the Intel Ocotillo campus gets a lot of credit for the extra tax dollars coming in. City officials say they see
Chandler City Council on Jan. 12 and is believed to be its first openly gay member. “Well, it was somewhat of a surprise,” Esparza said. “I didn’t think he was going that way. But when he told me he was going into politics, I said, ‘Okay, then I’ll help you campaign,’ because I truly believe there are very few
see ENCINAS page 11
Bittersweet end Democratic state Sen. Sean Bowie, who represented west and northern Chandler as a member of the Legislative District 18 delegation since 2016, officially becomes a private citizen tomorrow, Jan. 9, as Rep. Mitzi Epstein replaces him. The Ahwatukee resident decided against seeking a fourth term, and leaves the Capitol with mixed emotions, as you’ll read on page 3 . (David Minton/ Arizonan Staff Photographer)
see AHEAD page 12
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