Celebrating and sustaining neighborhoods
BY JAY TIBSHRAENY
MAYOR OF CHANDLER
Once again, we are in the season of celebrating Chandler’s best places. Those communities within our city where people come together to conquer challenges and create lasting relationships that help mold more sustainable neighborhoods. Last year, I launched an awards program to commemorate these special places. And now in its second year, nominations are open once again. The four award categories are Best Neighborhood Event, Most Active or Engaged Neighborhood, Best Revitalization Story and Best Neighborhood Leader. The nomination process will take place through Nov. 21, and I will announce the winners during my State of the City Address in February. Applying is simple and can be done at the City’s website: www.chandleraz.gov/connect. More information is also available on the site. Best of all, once we have nar rowed the field through a judging panel, residents will once again vote online to pick their favorite.
These awards are intended to recognize, support and encourage neighborhoods and those who work so hard to make them better. But, I also want to develop that next generation of neighborhood leaders. So this year, I am announcing a new Teen Leadership Academy. This class will work with
high school students to better involve them in the workings of the City, but also to help them develop a new sense of pride for their neighborhoods. Applications are available online at the same Web address listed above—and the academy will take place next spring during the Chandler Unified School District’s intersession.
Teens will learn about all facets of City government, take part in exercises and activities that will increase their awareness and engagement in the local government process. We’ll even provide the food and class T-shirts compliments of our generous sponsor, the Chandler Kiwanis Club. When the weeklong session is over, the class will take part in a volunteer event to further the experience of community involvement.
We will review the applications in December and formally announce the first class at my State of the City Address next year. Participants will encounter a tremendous learning experience, and our City will benefit as we grow and cultivate a new generation of leaders.
We all hear it said that our children are our future. I want to show them how their ideas, creative energy and enthusiasm can be a catalyst for improving the future of our neighborhoods. If you know of someone who could benefit from this academy, please encourage them to apply today.
Mayor Tibshraeny will begin his unprecedented seventh term as mayor in January. For more Chandler updates, follow the mayor on Twitter: @ jaytibshraeny.
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More time in office? Really?
Dear editor, I received a voter information pamphlet today and opened it up to see Proposition 479 for the City of Chandler. Are these people serious? At a time when, from my perspective, the major problem with politicians is “We can’t get rid of them fast enough,” these folks want to stay longer? True, there are no “against” arguments in the pamphlet, but that’s only because I didn’t know we had the opportunity to do them. Who are the people speaking for this? Hold on to your hats now...the chamber and four council members. Now ain’t that just the most surprising thing you ever heard? There is wealth of knowledgeable, qualified people in Chandler who deserve a chance to be of service to the city. Increasing the amount of time individuals can serve (12 years consecutively with, it seems, no nonconsecutive upper limit under Proposition 479) on the council does two things: (1) reduces access to a larger pool of qualified people and (2) increases the probability of undesired alliances forming. Frankly, I’d like to see the wording changed to limit members to two, four-year terms in a lifetime. Move on, give other people with fresh ideas a turn at the dais.
Walter Wright Peterson Farms
Time to wake up
Dear editor, I just wanted to write about how much I agree with Steve Yarbrough being referred to as “honest, ethical and wise.” How else would one refer to a person who consistently introduces and votes on legislation that directly enhances his own bank account? How could you possibly question the wisdom of someone who tries
to make discrimination legal? I’m sure it’s just a funny coincidence that a disclosure bill introduced in the Legislature was referred to as the “Yarbrough disclosure act.” I want my representative to work for the community, not embarrass the state! It’s pretty obvious why Yarbrough skips debates in front of his district. He has no respect for us and takes all our votes for granted. It’s time to wake up and hold our representatives accountable. Take the time to see if you really want this “wise, honest and ethical” man representing your family. I sure don’t! Vote for change. Vote for Kristie O’Brien in November.
Jake Sessions Chandler
Stop the insanity
Dear editor,
Insanity is frequently defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. We as voters seem to behave insanely. We complain about our Legislature, and yet we vote to send the same people back.
This year we need to stop the insanity. We need to put new people in office if we expect anything to be different. Those of us in LD17 have a chance to make such a change. We can replace the incumbent senator (Yarbrough) who last year introduced SB1062—the oft-called religious discrimination act. That act addressed no actual problem in Arizona yet made us, once again, the butt of national jokes.
We have a choice this election. We can vote for Kristie O’Brien—an energetic, young lawyer with an incredible resume who will bring perspective to our legislative process and focus on real problems instead of imaginary ones.
Or we can continue the insanity—hoping for change but sending the same people back to the Capitol.
Have a story idea or news tip? Know of an interesting photo opportunity? How about positive feedback or constructive comments? We’d like to hear from you. Email us at News@SanTanSun.com.
We know you have an opinion! Share it with the SanTan Sun News. Please keep your Letters to the Editor around 200-300 words, or they may be edited for length. Include your first and last name, community or development name in Southern Chandler (Cooper Commons, Ocotillo, Sun Groves, etc.) or ZIP code and daytime phone number for verification. Anonymous letters are not typically accepted. Email is the preferred submission method, to Letters@SanTanSun.com. All submitted Letters to the Editor and Community Commentaries become the property of the SanTan Sun News and may be reprinted in part, quoting the letters’ authors, or in their entirety. Your submission to the SanTan Sun News is considered your permission to print your written opinion. Opinions expressed in Community Commentaries, Letters to the Editor or cartoons are those of the author, and not that of the SanTan Sun News.
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An
open
letter to Chandler Public Library cardholders
Dear Chandler Library cardholder, Beginning Nov. 1, Chandler Public Library cardholders will no longer have access to the Greater Phoenix Digital Library from Overdrive. Leaving the GPDL consortium was not an easy decision, but we felt that you deserved more from your digital collection. As a member of GPDL, we had limited control over what materials were included in the collection, your waiting times for popular books were excessive and you weren’t able to access and download this collection directly from the Chandler Library’s catalog. We felt that you—our customers—deserve better.
We are excited to announce that Chandler cardholders now have access to their own digital collection of e-books and e-audio using the 3M Cloud Library! This collection has over 3,500 titles and will continue to grow. We have worked hard to develop a collection that is responsive to your reading trends, focusing on new, popular releases. Best of all, your wait time for those popular titles will be far less than before. The one down side to this change is that we are unable to transfer any holds you may have with Greater Phoenix Digital Library. However, many of these titles are currently in our 3M Cloud
Community Commentary
Library so you should easily be able to place a hold, if not check them out, immediately!
The 3M Cloud Library is a simple way to browse, borrow, and read popular fiction and nonfiction titles from your Chandler Public Library!
• Download the app. Download the 3M Cloud Library App from the Apple App Store, Google Play, NOOK Storefront or install the PC or Mac 3M Cloud Library Apps. www.3m.com/us/ library/eBook
• Log into our library on the app. Using the drop-down menu, select Arizona, Chandler Public Library and enter your library card number and PIN. Click agree to terms and log in.
• Browse, check out, and read. Now you are ready to browse, check out and read e-books from your Chandler Public Library! You can also browse and checkout digital items directly from the library’s catalog and monitor your digital holds and checkouts through your library account.
• Read on multiple devices. The 3M Cloud Library automatically syncs to all your devices that have the 3M Cloud Library App downloaded to them. You can start reading on your tablet and continue later on your phone—right where you’ve left off! Please note, black and white or nontablet Kindles are not compatible with the 3M Cloud Library. Compatible devices are iOS App, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Android App, Android Phones, Android Devices, Nook
App, NOOK Tablets, Kindle Fire App, Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle Fire HDX, PC/Mac App, Windows/Mac OS X, NOOK eReader and Kobo eReader. While we recognize that this may impact you, we are confident that once you give the 3M Cloud Library a try, you will agree that this was a sound decision. The availability of popular items, the decrease in wait times and the ease of use will be very apparent. We appreciate your patience during this transition, and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask any staff member.
Sincerely,
Brenda Brown Library Manager
Maricopa County regulatory reform a work in progress
BY
DENNY BARNEY
Do you ever wonder why we were given two ears and one mouth? Probably to remind us that listening is so much more valuable than talking. The same holds true in government. One of the things I’m most proud of during my time
of service is: Maricopa County is trying harder to listen.
For some time, I had heard that the county “had good people,” but the regulatory process was cumbersome and confusing. Requirements were often burdensome and “one size fits all.” You had to go to several different offices—in different parts of the Valley—to get permits from all the departments you needed. You couldn’t do much online. And too few in authority had time to listen.
Others of my colleagues also sensed the need to examine more closely the operations of our regulatory agencies with an eye on reducing duplication and paperwork, simplifying the process, engaging businesses and consumers and opening ourselves up to more public input.
Fortunately, County Manager Tom Manos embraced the idea and challenged county departments to do better. So we created citizen-led task forces, made up of people who interact with the county regularly and are familiar with the impacts of government regulations. To date, the Planning and Development Department, the Environmental Services Department and the Flood Control District have benefitted from this process. The newly formed Transportation Department Task Force just held a kick-off meeting to review customer service practices and imp rove the department’s processes. Overall, 107 key customers
Tempe
are
Denny Barney. Submitted photo
comprised of business owners, engineers, architects, attorneys and project managers have been involved.
Open discussions with stakeholders about department strengths and opportunities for imp rovement help determine the formation of subcommittees. Some examples of topics that subcommittees cover include customer service, process and communication, regulatory review and standardization/consistency to name a few. The subcommittee members, along with assigned staff, meet biweekly to identify ways to imp rove performance. The whole process is customer-driven and recommendation initiatives are developed by task-force members themselves, with support from staff. A total of 59 recommended improvements have been identified and reported to the Board of Supervisors for approval.
Most recommendations were implemented immediately with advances evident: a trial permit for adaptive re-use for renovating old buildings for new purposes; the co-location of several regulatory departments into Phoenix City Hall to give residents doing business with both the city and county a “one-stop shop” for their work.; the voluntary Cutting Edge Restaurant inspection program; the streamlining of the county dust permit application form from 42 pages to seven.
I know this wasn’t easy. The early
Community Commentary
sessions of the task forces were probably excruciating for county staff.
A lot of gripes and stinging criticism were aired. Our employees were advised not to take things personally and, to their credit, were interested in doing better. We want to build working relationships and engage in partnering efforts. The task-force volunteers have spent over 100 hours searching for ways to balance efficiency and convenience without compromising public safety.
I think we’re making progress.
Denny Barney is a Gilbert resident and chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
Clock is ticking on Export-Import Bank re-authorization
BY CHAD HEINRICH
Arizonans are hard at work— doing, creating, building and developing. The business community and community leaders are redefining and reshaping the state’s economy through tax reform, research-and-
development grants and business retention and expansion programs.
In less than 30 days, a key component of Arizona’s economy and growth potential—a very sharp tool in our toolbox—will be eliminated if Congress fails to act.
Without congressional action, the Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank—a government agency that helps finance foreign sales of U.S. goods and services—will no longer be authorized to operate and aid American businesses and employers. The shutdown of the Ex-Im Bank would negatively impact the Arizona Comeback we have all worked diligently to advance.
In the past seven years, the ExIm Bank has supported roughly $658 million of exports from companies in Arizona to countries such as Australia, Mexico and India. Currently, the Ex-Im Bank assists 117 Arizona companies—93 of them small businesses—to access these foreign markets.
The Ex-Im Bank’s core mission is to facilitate business growth and create American jobs by helping companies of all sizes see the growth potential of exporting goods and services. It encourages companies to look beyond their current business model and expand into the global marketplace.
Seven out of every 10 Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce members are small-business owners, many of whom don’t consider expanding their business to include
a global export model. The Ex-Im Bank can provide small businesses the assistance and guidance needed when they choose to transition into the export market.
The Ex-Im Bank works hard for small businesses, providing them with certainty and protection that allows business owners to enter new markets, expand operations and create jobs.
In 2013, Ex-Im supported 3,413 small business transactions worth $11.7 billion. In the past five years, it financed more small-business transactions than in the previous 11 years combined.
If business leaders and community members fail to rally Congress to reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank, our state and nation will be at a competitive disadvantage in the global marketplace. As a part of the Arizona Comeback, employers and innovators have made great strides in advancing our state’s economy. Now is not the time to hinder growth.
Now is the time to encourage business owners—big and small—to look beyond their current business expansion model and expand into global markets. Now is the time to support American businesses and American jobs. Now is the time to support the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank.
Chad Heinrich is the vice president of public affairs of the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce.
Chad Heinrich. Submitted photo