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City a great place for ‘Wallet Wellness’

BY MAYOR JAY TIBSHRAENY

Chandler was recently named the fourth best city in America for “Wallet Wellness” by Wallet Hub, a national personal finance social website. The rankings used data that provided a correlation between physical, emotional and financial well-being. These metrics include things like income, affordability, debt, health and well-being. Below are a few reasons why I believe we made the list: Chandler holds a AAA bond rating from all three national rating agencies for a number of strong fiscal policies that go back more than two decades. Adhering to those principles helped us maintain those ratings through the Great Recession. It is this “Lead by Example” attitude that has created such a strong financial climate throughout the community.

Community Commentary Invest in Chandler by shopping local

(www.chandleraz.gov/connect) launched in 2012. This three-pronged approach to overall wellness includes my passion for exercise and play, combined with reducing health care costs for the uninsured while maintaining good mental stability through a social media campaign. Each spring, I host my Health Connect Expo, drawing dozens of vendors and hundreds of participants. A similar event in the fall, the Mayor’s Day of Play, draws even more people out to explore new horizons in health and playful activity.

BY RICK HEUMANN

The holiday shopping season is in full swing. During this time of year, I like to remind residents of the importance of shopping local. There are many great retailers that call Chandler home, and these businesses rely on your support. By shopping local, we’re investing in the community on a number of levels.

Chandler is also very aggressive in terms of job recruitment. Anchored by companies like Intel, Infusionsoft, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Microchip and others, we have maintained a very sustainable and well-balanced employment market here in the community.

Chandler is a well-educated community, with nearly 40 percent of the population having some college education or associate’s degree, creating a tremendous labor pool of talent. Chandler has some of the best school districts in the state as well as a first-class community college in Chandler-Gilbert Community College. ASU and the U of A also have a strong presence in Chandler. I continue to be a strong advocate for financial, physical and mental wellness through my Health Connect Initiative

Chandler’s parks and recreation system is among the best in the country with dozens of parks and other recreational and fitness amenities including the No. 1 ranked USTA tennis facility in the country. We also provide hundreds of programs on health and wellness, as well as entrepreneurism and business development throughout the year.

Finally, Chandler has a dynamic and growing medical community anchored by Dignity Health and its affiliates, as well as Banner Health. Other health and medical companies in Chandler include Healthways (SilverSneakers program), CVS and DaVita.

For these and many other reasons, we are more than deserving of this top-five ranking. To learn more about how you can become healthier through personal finance and well-being, visit wallethub. com, and follow me on Twitter @ jaytibshraeny. Stay healthy, Chandler!

Mayor Jay Tibshraeny can be reached at jay.tibshraeny@chandleraz.gov. His term expires January 2019.

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Locally owned businesses have vested interests in the region. They look for opportunities to conduct business with other companies within the City or state that benefit Chandler and other neighboring Arizona communities. Studies show they also are more likely to give back to the community through corporate giving, aiding area food banks and other social service agencies, and supporting cultural events. These nonprofits rely tremendously on donations received from the private sector to operate.

Sales tax revenue generated from transactions within the city limits support our local economy. Core municipal services, such as police and fire protection, parks and recreation programs, library services, and road construction and maintenance, would not be possible without these funds. These services provide the essential necessities that make Chandler a desirable location to live, work, play and shop.

As a councilman, it is a priority of mine to shop local when possible. We all know it’s convenient to shop at big-box retail stores or online; however, less or no money remains in the local economy. Local First Arizona

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is a nonprofit that provides business directories and other tools to assist in making consumer decisions. According to Local First Arizona, economic studies show for every $100 spent at locally owned businesses, approximately $73 remains in the local economy, where $57 remains when spent at non-locally owned businesses. The decision of how and where to shop relies on you and me. And, shoppers who visit a “mom-and-pop” establishment often receive a unique and personal experience. The City of Chandler also encourages businesses and residents to become involved with the “Invest Wisely, Shop Chandler” campaign. By joining the Shop Chandler Club, local businesses can post promotions, and residents receive notifications about current offers. To learn more about the campaign, go to www.chandleraz.gov.

By supporting a local business you can be proud knowing your dollars are put back into the community, making it stronger and more vibrant. As you prepare for your next shopping journey, think about where and how you want to spend your money. Shop Chandler!—no matter how large or small the purchase may be.

To learn more about why it is beneficial to shop local, visit www. localfirstaz.com.

Councilman Rick Heumann can be reached at rick.heumann@chandleraz. gov. His term expires January 2017.

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12 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015, for the Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, issue 35,000

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Fifty square mile coverage area from Price/101 to Greenfield and from Frye to Hunt Highway.

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Rick Heumann. Submitted photo

Mayor Jay Tibshraeny. Submitted photo

Community Commentary

Not everyone will celebrate Thanksgiving how they’d like

BY BENITO ALMANZA

Many individuals and families in our community struggle every day to put food on the table. Thanksgiving for them is just another day trying to figure out where the food is coming from or if there is any at all.

In fact, a shocking 1 in 7 Americans— more than 48 million people (including 15 million children)— rely on food banks to put food on the table, a basic need that directly impacts the ability to be productive at work or at school. Nearly 1 in 5 Arizonans and 1 in 7 seniors live in poverty and with daily hunger.

The first step toward alleviating hunger is understanding the seriousness of the issue: Hunger affects people from all walks of life across the United States. Many hard-working Americans who have experienced loss of income face a tough choice between providing food for their families and paying for their utilities.

helped thousands of families in need of healthy food. Every day, the St. Mary’s Food Bank Kids Cafe® provides more than 3,000 free, healthy meals in afterschool and summer programs. For some children, it may be their only meal of the day.

United Food Bank provides more than 51,000 meals a day to community partners in Eastern Maricopa, Gila, Pima, Southern Navajo and Southern Apache counties.

But, there is hope. Recognizing that food insecurity does not exist in isolation, food banks are moving beyond food service and building partnerships with job training organizations, health care workers, financial firms and others to help the people they serve access resources that enable them to meet vital needs.

basic nutrition needs which is a critical so they can focus on other goals, like getting back on their feet financially.

raise awareness about the more than 4 million families struggling with hunger in Arizona.

Over the past year, St. Mary’s Food Bank and United Food Bank have

Those who want to help can donate to Give a Meal campaign with Bank of America, which stretches donations with a two-for-one match. Partnerships like this have a collective impact, providing food insecure families with

To donate to Give a Meal , visit www.bankofamerica.com/give. Once there, enter your ZIP code and select “Your Local Food Bank” to have your donation go toward St. Mary’s Food Bank or United Food Bank in Mesa. Even if you can’t donate, posting the Give a Meal link via Twitter or Facebook helps

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