Ahwatukee Foothills News - 9.30.2020 by Times Media Group

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he immediate future of the Club West Golf Course hangs in the balance this week as a Superior Court judge hears a homeowners group’s plea for a five-month delay on further action toward turning the 55acre site into a park with homes. Judge Daniel Kiley has set aside five hours tomorrow for testimony and argument on a request by the Club West Conservancy for a temporary restraining order to stop the Foothills Club West Community Association board from scheduling a vote this year on the park plan, which is tentatively set to be unveiled Oct. 15. At the same time, the board contends the

Conservancy has no right to a restraining order. Four investors incorporated as The Edge have an agreement with owner Wilson Gee to buy the course for $750,000. After an initial plan to build a shorter 18hole course and 162 homes fell apart in February, three of The Edge investors formed a related entity called Community Land Solutions, which dubbed the site The Park at Club West. It hopes to sell homeowners on a plan for parkland, trails, some other amenities like a dog park – and an unspecified number of homes. It set up an advisory committee to gather homeowners’ ideas for what it should include. Minutes from one of the advisory committee meetings state it “discussed temporary parking, mountain top saguaros with holiday lights,

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water features, pools, retail and restaurants as well as the ‘sense of arrival’ and what that would feel and look like.” There has been no public indication that CLS and The Edge are considering commercial uses on the course. CLS has declared that its goal “is to create a sustainable park that looks natural. Through careful planning the landscape will look as if it evolved naturally rather than a dead golf course that become overgrown or was converted to desert. The preliminary plans also call for at least five miles of walkways and paths.” It also states, “We are in the process of planning for amenities such as pickle ball, public

see WEST page 6

Remaining SM Freeway pieces opening Oct.19 BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

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PUMPKIN PARTYING

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|CLASSIFIED

October could surprise Club West

EMPTY STADIUMS

P. 47

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

P. 38 | B U S I N E S S

This is what the westbound exit ramp of the South Mountain Freeway’s 32nd Street looked like a few weeks ago as crews work to meet a tentative Oct. 19 opening date for the long-awaited intersection. (Tom Sanfilippo/Inside Out Aerial)

en months after vehicles were allowed to roll along the South Mountain Freeway, an opening date has been set for the final two pieces of the $1.7-billion project. The Arizona Department of Transportation has set Monday, Oct. 19 for the opening of the 32nd Street Interchange and the 6-mile multiuse path along the freeway’s southern edge. “The date could change if something unexpected - for example, severe weather - happens between now and then,” ADOT spokesman Tom Herrmann said. “For safety reasons the path will remain closed until it officially opens,” he said. “Construction equipment will remain in the area until the work is complete and we want to protect both the general public and construction crews.” Last year the agency had hoped to open the interchange by September “but delays related to COVID-19 have slowed the work,” it said.

see FREEWAY page 19

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

NEWS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

The Ahwatukee Foothills News is published every Wednesday and distributed free of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout Ahwatukee Foothills.

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1 6 - ye a r old Ahwatukee boy who ran away from home more than a week ago is still missing. Christian Moon – described by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as Caucasian with brown hair and hazel eyes and 5’7” tall, weighing 120 pounds and with pierced ears – was last seen Sept. 21. Since then there have been sightings reported to police in Tempe CHRISTIAN MOON with some reports saying he may be pushing a baby stroller with a large duffle bag while carrying a backpack on his back. He does not have a phone and likely is wearing black, royal blue or white clothing since he does not like brown. He may be wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses to disguise himself. Residents and businesses have rallied to his mother’s pleas. Businesses are handing out flyers with the boy’s picture and urging anyone who spots him to call 911. Friends and even strangers have roamed various Tempe neighborhoods searching for him. “We are exhausted,” his mother posted over the weekend. “We have posted flyers and searched everywhere we can think of. He is on the National Missing kid website and the police are fully informed and engaged. “It is heartbreaking to think of him sleeping under a bush or being hungry. We appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers and thank you for all of your hard work posting flyers, sharing posts and searching for him. Please keep praying.”

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art, and an enhanced trail system. We are also considering zero-cost or revenuepositive concepts such as the Club West Arts Festival with food trucks, host tents, vendor booths and music as well as an annual candlelight holiday walk and homeowner lights contests.” But paying for the park would require the sale of some land for housing – and the Conservancy says that would be unfair to 357 homeowners who paid premium prices for lots on the course. New homes would obscure their views, the group says. Moreover, The Edge and CLS also would have to pay an unspecified amount in back taxes. Once the site ceased to be a golf course, it lost the reduced rate levied on courses. Minutes from previous advisory committee meetings say CLS conferred with County Assessor’s office and that “the Assessors’ office cannot provide hard numbers or even estimates, but can only assess what is owed. “The amount owed will be specific to the amount of land converted from golf usage to other usages and subject to a 10-year look-back on tax benefits received,” the

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

minutes continue, adding CLS would try “to closely estimate this key component of the budget.” CLS is scheduled to unveil the product of its work at the next HOA board meeting Oct. 15 – creating the potential for the board to set a date before year’s end for a vote by Club West’s 2,700 homeowners. It published a timeline that included a reception five days after the HOA board meeting that will include unspecified city officials and others to further refine the plan. While it lists a homeowners vote on the timeline, it set no target date. Community Land Solutions posted this conceptual map of what the Park at Club West could look like. The salmon-colored areas are The Conservancy, a suggested for residences, most likely single-family homes. (Community Land Solutions) group of homeowners vehemently opposed to any houses on the That’s when Kiley has set a trial on its site’s covenants, conditions and restriccourse, wants Kiley to stop that vote until contention that the board secretly and ilat least February. see WESTpage 9 legally gave itself the power to alter the

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WEST from page 6

tions without the consent of a majority of all Club West homeowners. The board denies it did anything wrong in 2018 when it assumed the “declarant rights” to the course. It contends it actually saved the course from falling into the hands of an owner who could change the CC&Rs with the permission of only about 10 percent of the homeowners. The board tripled to 30 percent the required percentage of homeowners needed to change the site’s use but the Conservancy says that violates the association’s overarching CC&Rs.. The Conservancy argues that any changes in the course’s use require approval by 75 percent of homeowners. The last four months have been busy for both the Conservancy and The Edge/Park at Club West. The Conservancy polled homeowners and got more than 800 responses. Of those responses, the vast majority opposed home construction on the site. The Edge has cleared overgrowth and leveled a shed while the advisory committee has been discussing things like what

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kind of low-maintenance vegetation can be planted and what social activities could be hosted by the course. The committee also rejected the Conservancy’s proposal for reviving the golf course, ripping its presentation to homeowners in a mailing. It assailed the Conservancy of “nonproductive and misleading tactics” during meetings it held with the group and said, “It was time to move on and focus on a solution.” Meanwhile, the Conservancy has objectives of its own – including forcing the board to sue Wilson Gee to restore the course as required by the CC&Rs. A previous HOA board, some of whose members are currently on the board, did sue Gee in 2016 after he shut off the water, saying he could no longer afford the city’s bill that totaled more than $700,000. The board dropped the suit following Richard Breuninger’s efforts to revive the course in late 2017. The Conservancy also has noted that rulings in the Lakes course case – in which Gee now faces sanctions for ignoring a judge’s restoration order – add new precedent for the Club West board to do the same with Gee.

tion of the case.” But attorney Jeffrey Solloway, representing the board, urged Kiley not to grant the Conservancy more time, saying the extension gave the Conservancy more time “to disseminate misinformation to the Association community through their frequent newsletter postings.” It said Slavin’s busy schedule – only part of the reason he sought the delay – was no excuse. Admitting he normally accommodates opposing counsel’s requests for more time, Solloway wrote, “Ironically Plaintiff seems to express urgency in attempting to stop the Association from taking action but apparently does not have urgency in resolving a key issue in this case.” He said if Slavin was well-intentioned, he would have sought a delay in the hearing on the restraining order instead. Kiley, in a six-line order, granted the delay until Oct. 23.

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Instead, the Conservancy notes, “The board also gave Wilson Gee, owner of the golf course, membership into the HOA and 41 votes – even though the golf course is not under the management of the Club West HOA. This just makes it easier for the developers to push through a vote to build new houses. “Many in this community are justifiably shocked and outraged that the HOA Board would take any steps that would obviously hurt the property values of many residents of our community, who would have new houses built in their backyard. This appears to be a clear violation of their responsibility to take only actions that benefit the entire community.” The bitterness between the HOA board and the Conservancy also has spilled into the court case right up to a few weeks ago. The Conservancy’s lawyer asked the judge for more time to file a brief in opposition to the board’s request for dismissal of the lawsuit on grounds it has no standing. Conservancy attorney Daniel Slavin’s petition for a delay to late October stated the delay “will not affect the parties’ rights or defenses, nor will it delay final resolu-

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

25 years later, Sunset Limited mystery still unsolved BY GARY NELSON AFN Contributor

little before midnight on Sunday, Oct. 8, 1995, an Amtrak passenger train called the Sunset Limited pulled out of Phoenix under a full desert moon, heading west. Its two locomotives pulled 12 cars. There were 268 souls on board, of whom 20 were Amtrak crew members. Earlier they had cruised through Mesa and Tempe, passing Sun Devil Stadium and crossing an arid riverbed that was still more than three years away from becoming Tempe Town Lake. Before long the train was churning through the Maricopa County desert, bound for Los Angeles after originating in Miami. The passengers who were still awake could glance out the silver cars’ panoramic windows and see a moonlit monotony of scrub brush, power poles and saguaros. Out in the desert, someone had been busy. He, or she, or they, found the spot where the tracks curve toward a concrete bridge that crosses Quail Spring Wash. They pulled 29 spikes that bound the rails to the wooden ties. They shoved one of the rails out of alignment and propped it in place with a metal bar. And they bypassed the alarm wires that run along the tracks so the engineers on the train could not know what lay ahead.

The derailment of an Amtrak passenger train 25 years ago a few hours after it passed through the East Valley remains an unsolved mystery of domestic terrorism. (Special to AFN)

Mitchell Bates, a 41-year-old sleepingcar attendant, died. Another 78 people were injured, many of them critically. After the engineers called in their SOS, it took 45 minutes for the first help to arrive in an area so remote that even the tiny outpost of Hyder was still 15 miles away. The area was so isolated that news organizations had a hard time even putting a dateline on the story. Some said Hyder. Some said Palo Verde. But really, it was the middle of nowhere. The wreck of the Sunset Limited remains one of Arizona’s enduring mysteries. It has defied the concentrated efforts of one of the most sophisticated investigative agencies in the world, namely the FBI, and those of numerous other law officers as well. It endures despite a $310,000 pot of reward money for information leading to the killers. And at this stage its solution – which may or may not lie in the convoluted and bloody The FBI has never given up looking for the person or persons who sabotaged the Sunset Limited, killing an employee and injuring 78 politics of America in the passengers. (Special to AFN) The Sunset Limited, traveling about 50 mph, rolled into the sabotaged section of track sometime after 1 a.m. on Oct. 9. Somehow the engines made it across the bridge. The passenger cars did not. Four of them lurched off the tracks and into the wash 30 feet below. The lead car smashed into a 2-foot-thick abutment, gouging a huge hole into the concrete.

mid-1990s – seems as elusive as in the benumbed immediate hours after the crash. That is not to say the FBI has given up. Jill McCabe, spokeswoman for the Phoenix FBI office, said the derailment is still being investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force as an act of domestic terrorism. That implies that the FBI believes there was an ideological motive behind the sabotage. According to McCabe, the FBI defines domestic terrorism as “violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.” But the terrorists here left only the most cryptic of clues.

A note in the moonlight

Emerging from one of the undamaged cars after the crash, a passenger named Neal Hallford saw a piece of paper protruding from under a rock. He picked it up. The page told – or at least it purported to tell – of someone’s rage over the ac-

see SUNSET page 14

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

SUNSET from page 12

tions of federal agents at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, and Waco, Texas. At Ruby Ridge, in 1992, the government had engaged in an 11-day siege with a segregationist named Randy Weaver in which Weaver’s wife, son and a federal agent were killed. Months later, in early 1993, nearly 80 people died in the fiery climax to the federal siege of a Branch Davidian religious compound near Waco. To many Americans, those events betokened a government far too big for its britches – a government, in fact, at war with its own citizens. Anti-government domestic terrorists already had taken bloody revenge on April 19, 1995, by bombing a federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people in a scheme that had actually been hatched in Arizona. And now, if the note in Hallford’s hands was to be believed, they had struck again. Claiming that Ruby Ridge and Waco served as justification for the train attack, its author signed off with an ominous appellation: Sons of the Gestapo. The problem was, no one had ever heard of any such outfit. Not the FBI. Not any of the civil-rights organizations that keep a close watch on home-grown American hate groups. Nobody. “While the manifestos were signed by the Sons of Gestapo, to date, we have not been able to verify that they are an actual group,” McCabe told The Mesa Tribune. Suspicion arose, and never went away, that “Sons of the Gestapo” was a red herring. And theories were all over the map. Right after the derailment, a Los Angeles Times reporter quizzed people in small towns along and near Interstate 17 up toward Prescott, finding plenty of theories. Maybe the derailment had been the work of leftists out to discredit the flourishing militia movement. Maybe it had been government agents trying to gin up support for an anti-terrorism bill languishing in Congress. Maybe it was white supremacists angry over the recent ac-

Geowts? N

Authorities believe that whoever sabotaged the Sunset Limited knew something about trains and that particular route. (Special to AFN)

quittal of O.J. Simpson in a spectacular Los Angeles murder trial. In 1995 – just as in 2020 – just about any theory could find its promulgators and its adherents.

Eerie echo of the past

But if the Sons of the Gestapo note (actually, four of them were found at the derailment site) was indeed a red herring, there was a far more prosaic – and possibly more reasonable – theory. “Whoever did this knew something about trains,” former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said at the scene as government authorities probed the wreckage. His comment pointed to what emerged as the most commonly cited theory – that the derailment had been the work of a disgruntled, or perhaps psychotic, lone wolf, perhaps someone with ties to the railroad industry. The FBI poured resources into the case, at one point enlisting 90 agents in what the bureau called its biggest-ever investigation to that point outside the Oklahoma City bombing. The location of the crash suggested that

the perpetrators were familiar with the area, maybe someone who lived nearby. Agents fanned out to knock on doors to no avail. Oddly, a magazine for railroad buffs had recently published an article about a 1939 passenger train crash in the remote Nevada desert that had been attributed to similar methods of sabotage. That crash killed 24 people. No one was ever arrested. After the Arizona derailment, agents interviewed people who subscribed to the train magazine, but that part of the investigation led nowhere. In the quarter-century since the crash, no groups known as the “Sons of the Gestapo” have emerged, and no further crimes have been associated with that name. Amtrak still runs the Sunset Limited, three days a week between New Orleans and Los Angeles with stops in Maricopa. The stretch from Miami to New Orleans, however, has been out of commission ever since Hurricane Katrina struck the South in 2005. “We are going to pursue every bit of evidence, every lead, very thoughtfully, with-

out any preconception about what may be correct and what may not be correct,” she said. “It may take a day, it may take a week, it may take a month.” Twenty-five years later, her words linger unfulfilled, as fading and untouchable and haunting as a train whistle in the night. 

In case you know something

The reward for information leading to the arrests and conviction of those responsible for the 1995 derailment of the Sunset Limited passenger train totals $310,000. The money comes from the FBI, Amtrak and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Tips may be phoned in to the Phoenix FBI office at 623-466-1999 or reported to tips.fbi.gov.

Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.com

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Tempe Union candidates address issues

FN today concludes a two-part presentation of the questionnaires it sent to the candidates

LORI BASTIAN What is biggest challenge confronting the district that must be addressed within the next two years and how would you address that challenge? In talking to families across our community, I have learned that they have vastly different experiences. Our schools must provide more consistent opportunities. Resources vary significantly across the district. We must focus on offering an equitable education for all students. Recruiting and retaining the best teachers should be a priority. We can do this by ensuring teachers’ needs are met. Students with disabilities and those most at risk need to be prioritized. If funding became a critical issue for the district in the next two years, would you be more inclined to cut programs or raise taxes? Why? Cutting programs is not an option. TUHSD needs to provide a great education to remain a destination district with exceptional programs and athletics. I would recommend a district-wide audit to review district resources and funding allocation. This type of transparency will ensure the trust of our community, who consistently supports bonds and overrides. Knowing what you know now, would you vote to extend Dr. Mendivil’s contract beyond June 2021? Not yet being familiar with the district’s inner workings, I would like to see an audit conducted at Tempe Union, similar to the one undertaken by Kyrene. Based on the audit findings, we can make informed decisions about the administration and district operations. I would seek to work collaboratively with the district leadership. What is the one area the district administration is addressing in an exceptional manner and why do you think that? Tempe Union made an effort to address our students’ social and emotional health before the pandemic.

see BASTIAN page 18

for Tempe Union High School District Governing Board. The complete questionnaire appears at Ahwatukee.com.

Candidates for both Tempe Union and Kyrene boards also have been invited to write a column on a subject of their

see FLETCHER page 18

see HODGE page 18

DON FLETCHER What is biggest challenge confronting the district that must be addressed within the next two years and how would you address that challenge? Funding. Community members rallied two years ago to support our teachers and additional funding was provided. But COVID-19 has impacted state revenues and we must acknowledge tough financial decisions will have to be made in the next two years. I will speak loudly in our community and government circles for protecting teacher pay raises and seeking funds for education. If funding became a critical issue for the district in the next two years, would you be more inclined to cut programs or raise taxes? Why? This should not be as an either/or proposition. If there is less funding, we must look at how to keep programs, but make them function with less revenue. We must also demonstrate to our community why good schools are important. For example, good schools protect property values. We must make sure government leaders recognize the need for adequate funding for education and teachers. Knowing what you know now, would you vote to extend Dr. Mendivil’s contract beyond June 2021? Yes. I have been in board meetings and on committees and I have seen first-hand how he listens to the board members and follows their direction. I have seen how he solicits community involvement on important programs. He has a long-term vision of what is needed in education including working tirelessly on many issues including teacher retention and budget. What is one area the district administration is addressing in an exceptional manner and why do you think that? Our TUHSD has an annual budget of over $120 million – a lot of taxpayer dollars spent on our local schools. TUHSD is well run in its finances, and its budgeting processes are open and transparent. I

BERDETTA HODGE What is biggest challenge confronting the district that must be addressed within the next two years and how would you address that challenge? We must endeavor to maintain high-quality instruction and advance equity in TUHSD while serving every community member, not just those sending their kids to school. That requires embracing our role as a community institution and creating a level playing field for every student and teacher in the district. That means we close the technology gap and ensure our teachers are fully compensated. If funding became a critical issue for the district in the next two years, would you be more inclined to cut programs or raise taxes? Why? I would insist on having a palette of options derived from analyses from administrators and staff. I would assess what reductions can be made, with the goals of preserving jobs, maintaining service to students, and complying with our duty to maintain a balanced budget. I will also have the courage to work with the community to identify options to raise revenue when it makes sense for providing our critical services. Knowing what you know now, would you vote to extend Dr. Mendivil’s contract beyond June 2021? Dr. Mendivil has worked proactively to keep our students safe and care for our teachers and staff. He is always looking for opportunities to serve the community broadly and has been a steadfast advocate for our kids in a critical time. He is someone we can trust for years to come. What is the one area the district administration is addressing in an exceptional manner and why do you think that? I am pleased with the transparency with which we operate. I am a regular presence at community events and work closely with principals, teachers, and students to fulfill needs of schools and families. The staff we hire also embraces accountability. I am also very pleased that

choice. Those will appear over the next two weeks. There are three seats up for grabs on both boards.

SARAH LINDSAY JAMES What is the biggest challenge confronting the district that must be addressed within the next two years and how would you address that challenge? Planning our budgets will be a huge challenge. We will need to keep in mind that our schools must be equipped to both educate our students and provide them with opportunities outside of academics - we must educate the whole child. I would ensure we focus our budget on retaining the best educators and programs that will most benefit our children. If funding became a critical issue for the district in the next two years, would you be more inclined to cut programs or raise taxes? Why? Our constitution guarantees Arizona students a public education paid for and improved through taxation. Over the years we have continually cut taxes, leaving our budget without the funding education desperately needs. When used appropriately, taxes can uplift our communities. I support Invest in Ed and hope to see a dedicated source of funding for education in AZ on Nov. 3. Knowing what you know now, would you vote to extend Dr. Mendivil’s contract beyond June 2021? Reviewing the contract of a superintendent is one of the most important roles a school board has. As with any job review, our superintendent deserves a review based on past performance and district data I will bring a fair and objective point of view to the process. What is the one area the district administration is addressing in an exceptional manner and why do you think that? As the district is faced with reopening, I have been impressed with their commitment to seeing the district as “one family.” Each school is unique, but we are all Tempe Union. We must ensure we are looking after all of our educators and students in the district

see JAMES page 18

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

SANDY LOWE What is biggest challenge confronting the district that must be addressed within the next two years and how would you address that challenge? Hard to name one, but just about every decision involves budget. Budget deficits as a result of the pandemic’s impact on the economy may seriously affect decisions in the next few years. Hopefully, given our excellent financial position and continuing to make financially responsible decisions, we will be able to weather this with minimal impact on students. If funding became a critical issue for the district in the next two years, would you be more inclined to cut programs or raise taxes? Why? Raising taxes can only be done by the legislature, governor or voters. My goal will be to first prioritize spending on essentials and not take on any new expenses (additional staff or add new programs). At the same time, we must preserve as much as possible in providing a quality education for our students by not cutting relevant programs or staff. Knowing what you know now, would you vote to extend Dr. Mendivil’s contract beyond June 2021? I will not respond to this question as I consider it inappropriate in this context. I will say that I am thankful for Dr. Mendivil’s strong leadership especially during this extremely challenging time. What is the one area the district administration is addressing in an exceptional manner and why do you think that? Tempe Union has excelled in providing safe campuses for students and staff. In recent years, our District has identified needs on each campus (using input from a homeland security expert), developed a short-term and long-term plan, and then over time, has prioritized the suggested changes, with consideration of budget and need. What three accomplishments as a board member are you proudest of? The first area would be mental health. Given the increased need of support by students, our District has been proactive in: training all staff in identifying students showing signs of serious anxiety/ depression (1st in AZ), providing a full-

see LOWE page 18

ARMANDO MONTERO What is biggest challenge confronting the district that must be addressed within the next two years and how would you address that challenge? Mental health and suicide prevention. After losing a friend of mine, I worked with our district to support students and teachers. We must work to expand resources virtually and on-site, reduce administrative tasks for counselors, examine the structure and priorities of our counseling departments, and reduce the stigma around mental health by fostering open and honest conversations. If funding became a critical issue for the district in the next two years, would you be more inclined to cut programs or raise taxes? Why? With funding being a consistent issue with COVID-19, we need board members who understand the needs of our students in relation to the budget. I will be committed to taking a critical look at our budget to assess where the money is going, how it is being spent, and effects it has in order to determine where we could reallocate. Knowing what you know now, would you vote to extend Dr. Mendivil’s contract beyond June 2021? As a board member, my job would be to act as a bridge from the community to our district. On these decisions, I would take the time to talk with our teachers, students, parents, and staff to get their feedback on our superintendent in conjunction with the board’s review of his performance to make the most informed decision. What is the one area the district administration is addressing in an exceptional manner and why do you think that? While working with the district, I have seen the strong commitment and diligent work they have done regarding student safety. While there is still work to be done, plenty of progress has been made in ensuring our students feel safe during the school day which is key to ensuring they can focus on getting the best education possible. In what three areas has the current board not met your expectations and what would you do differently? 1) Transparency and community involvement – we must be transpar-

see MONTERO page 18

MICHAEL MYRICK What is biggest challenge confronting the district that must be addressed within the next two years and how would you address that challenge? The biggest issues will be managing the district through COVID-19 and how the board will address a future economic downturn. The first challenge is leadership can help the board work out common-sense solutions in regard to COVID and a return to school plan. Also starting to build a reserve in the budget and increase the credit rating of the district now so in the event it needs to borrow it can do so at a reasonable cost. If funding became a critical issue for the district in the next two years, would you be more inclined to cut programs or raise taxes? Why? I believe in living within a budget and public entities are no different, no matter what critical issue a cut would need to be made. Far too often in government we have seen a pass the buck mentality to the taxpayer and the simple reality is there is not enough money or higher taxes to go around to pay for everything. Knowing what you know now, would you vote to extend Dr. Mendivil’s contract beyond June 2021? Given that fact it would be difficult to answer the question until I worked with Dr. Mendivil to decide if the large and vast failures of TUHSD are due to the current governing board or Dr. Mendivil or both. As I can see now based on information as of today, I believe an entirely new board (three newly elected and nonincumbent board members) and a new superintendent might be the best option going forward for the students, employees and our community. What is the one area the district administration is addressing in an exceptional manner and why do you think that? Candidly and sadly I cannot think of one area. In what three areas has the current board not met your expectations and what would you do differently? I would ask the superintendent to make changes in some cabinet level positions. Back to school COVID roll out. I would have followed the other neighboring districts Kyrene and Tempe Elementary

see MYRICK page 18

PAIGE REESOR What is biggest challenge confronting the district that must be addressed within the next two years and how would you address that challenge? We need to address equity issues if we are wanting to have stronger public schools during and after the pandemic. The impact on public schools starts in the community as we address issues on housing, food insecurity, mental health, etc. that feed into our campuses. We cannot have academic success without addressing this first. If elected, I would start a dialogue with experts in our field to determine the best possible solutions creating meaningful change for our students. If funding became a critical issue for the district in the next two years, would you be more inclined to cut programs or raise taxes? Why? In this situation, I would support looking at all of the options for raising revenue for schools. Education has struggled with proper funding for the last several years, and if we care about meeting the academic and social-emotional needs of our students, we need to invest in our schools. Investing in education is an investment in the future. Knowing what you know now, would you vote to extend Dr. Mendivil’s contract beyond June 2021? I would base my decision on if all schools have shown academic achievement and how decision making is done based on data for reopening schools. What is the one area the district administration is addressing in an exceptional manner and why do you think that? The district has done well in addressing teacher pay and striving for better compensation. They understand if they care about their teachers first, then students will succeed. Taking care of our teachers also attracts the best talent to our district. In what 3 areas has the current board not met your expectations and what would you do differently? The disciplinary policies should take a mental health approach for our students, especially for students with IEP and 504s. Making sure we are addressing all forms of equity when it comes to educa-

see REESOR page 18

NEWS

BASTIAN from page 16

I would continue the partnerships with the City of Tempe and Care 7, in addition to, fully funding the SRO program that is a model across the country. In these difficult times, strengthening and fostering relationships between School Resource Officers and students is critical. In what 3 areas has the current Board not met your expectations and what would you do differently? 1) Communication. Currently, many parents, students, and teachers are feeling hopeless and without a voice. Parents have provided feedback to the Board with little response. I would establish stakeholder groups to give a voice to the many challenges we face. 2) Board members should keep personal agendas and politics out of our school district. 3) Transparency. I think it is imperative to provide full accountability to our community.

LOWE from page 17

time specialist in each school (assists with group exercises and some individual counseling), and adding academic & behavior interventionists who work with kids at risk. The second is how discipline has changed. Punishment is not the end goal anymore. It now involves thoughtful conversations with the student to determine if there are some underlying struggles that need to be addressed and to allow for teaching moments. In addition, the use of suspension has been reduced significantly understanding the importance of students not missing class time. The third is regarding our Technology support. It has been critical to have a quick response regarding the need of providing computers/equipment for our teachers and all students when this pandemic began. Not to mention troubleshooting and training. A miraculous response.

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

FLETCHER from page 16

have read the outside audit reports and found that the professionals accounting for funds spent have done an excellent job accounting for the taxpayer dollars. In what 3 areas has the current board not met your expectations and what would you do differently? 1) Being a voice for encouraging students to participate in trade-based education. I want to see every graduation ceremony recognizing students who receive trade certification. 2) Expand opportunities for community and parent participation in study groups, forums and various committees providing directions on future policies. 3) Greater use of outside professionals to provide performance audits of programs and staffing needs.

MONTERO from page 17

HODGE from page 16

efforts to provide technology to students are making a difference in their educational careers. What three accomplishments as a board member are you proudest of? I am an accessible and active advocate for our teachers, students, and community. After the Parkland shooting, I pressured governments to invest in mental health. Additionally, my student and staff engagement, strengthens our schools and community. I have dedicated efforts to champion full funding for our schools and have worked to secure millions of dollars in the education fund.

GOT NEWS?

JAMES from page 16

and know that we are working together to keep our community safe. In what 3 areas has the current board not met your expectations and what would you do differently? I will work to serve all students and communities. Everyone should have access to district announcements and eventsthere should be Spanish translations, ASL, and closed captioning wherever possible. I will also strive to empower our educators so students have access to the best a teacher can give. Finally, I would like to ensure schools feel like community centers again.

Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.com

ent about operations and decisions we make while involving teachers, students, and other stakeholders in talks. 2) Mental health – we need to take steps to reduce the stigma and restructure and expand resources where necessary. 3) Teacher retention – we need to work to support our amazing educators through increased compensation and benefits.

MYRICK from page 17

and been aligned with those districts. Sports will be practiced and played safely following district and state guidelines to protect all students and coaches.

REESOR from page 17

tion, including students’ emotional wellbeing. I want to find in-school programs to deal with behavior issues. This will also address the need for more socialemotional professionals on campus, like counselors and social workers.

The latest breaking news and top local stories in Ahwatukee!

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Virus now helps drive teacher vacancies in Arizona BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

n average 20 percent boost in teacher salaries over the past four years has apparently done little to entice people into the classroom and keep experienced staffers there. A new report released last week by the Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association said schools surveyed filled just 28 percent of the vacancies they had due to retirement and other reasons. That’s not to say there weren’t adults standing in front of classrooms. But dis-

FREEWAY from page 1

Both the interchange and the multi-use path have a long history that took a long time to iron out as the former was an offagain on-again component and the multiuse path the result of persistent lobbying by the high-speed bicycling enthusiasts. For years, bicyclists across the Valley flocked to Pecos Road, which was considered a premiere training facility where they could cruise up and down hills while reaching speeds of up to 40 mph for stretches between traffic lights. But it was a far from perfect place for cycling, given that motorists reached hit higher speeds. Two cyclists were killed in 2004 and 2014. Cycling community leader Joe Struttmann saw the imminent disappearance of Pecos Road to make way for the freeway as a perfect opportunity to build a safe path for cyclists that would be the first of its kind in the country – and far safer than Pecos Road. “We would be negligent not to build this facility. It screams to be done,’’ Struttmann said in 2016. “We’re losing Pecos Road. We need to have a place for cyclists to go.’’ As the result of months of negotiations by a slew of political and cycling community leaders, ADOT in 2017 agreed to build the path. Even before that agreement was reached, city Councilman Sal DiCiccio told the Ahwatukee Foothills, Village Planning Committee that it had the potential to become “a national landmark for the city” that would draw cycling enthusiasts even from outside the state. “We have very specific types of parks in

tricts had to make up the difference, largely by having their current teachers work extra hours or using long-term substitutes. Justin Wing, the organization’s immediate past president, acknowledged that filling vacancies has been a perennial problem in Arizona schools. But Wing said there’s something different in this year’s report: the number of experienced teachers who resigned as the school year began. In “normal’’ years, Wing said there always are new teachers who quickly conclude that the job isn’t what they expected and decide to pursue another career. This

year, he said, the problem appears to be directly related to COVID-19. The 145 school districts and charter schools that responded to the survey reported 751 teachers leaving at the beginning of the year. Of that, 326 of those resignations were teachers who said they were quitting outright or retiring because of the coronavirus. Another 342 said they were taking a year off without pay due to COVID-19. The districts also reported 633 other non-teaching staff who resigned or retired, citing the virus as the primary reason. COVID-19 aside, Wing said the “why’’

The area on the left shows the location of the multi-use path that will be open to all but motorized vehicles Oct. 19. (Tom Sanfilippo/Inside Out Aerial)

our community. No one has created a park for the cycling community,’’ DiCiccio said. “It’s all about quality life.’’ The negotiations didn’t end with ADOT’s agreement to build the path, which will be accessible at each freeway cross street, including 40th, 32nd and 24th streets, Desert Foothills Parkway and 17th Avenue. Struttmann and other cycling community leaders have spent months meeting with ADOT, haggling over a number of safety and other issues that he calls critical, especially because pedestrians, parents with baby strollers and others will be allowed to use the path. In an email last month, Struttman told ADOT, “We are close to opening an unprecedented, for the state (maybe the nation),

Shared Use Path that we have all worked very hard on...This path is going to be very popular seven days a week.” But Struttmann complained that ADOT and freeway builders Connect202Partners “have not followed through” an October 2017 commitment to install bicycle facilities at the arterial roads and the path. “What we proposed is very common sense and well supported by” several highway agencies,” he said. “It is not expensive and easy to do with a little paint and signs, a drop in the bucket. If I thought it would be productive, I would just scream in a meeting that we are building a great facility, we are a federal focus state and city due to the high number of bike/pedestrian fatalities.”

behind the staffing problems is unclear though salaries remain an issue. “Even though pay has gone up, we were in a big hole,’’ he said. Facing a teacher walkout in 2018, Gov. Doug Ducey pushed through funding designed to provide a 20 percent average pay hike over four years. This is the final year of that increase. That did not mean all teachers are getting that much more, with variables including what teachers were making before and how district officials chose to allocate

see TEACHERS page 28

Herrmann told AFN that ADOT officials and biking community representatives toured the entire 6-mile stretch of the path “to make sure it accomodates all users. “At this time we’re confident we have made the necessary adjustments,” he said. The 32nd Street interchange also has had a politically rocky history. ADOT said that in 2005, a citizens advisory committee that it had been dealing with when planning the freeway opposed the interchange and so it decided not to include it. But around the same time the cycling community was clamoring for a bike path, lawmakers and various community leaders also became concerned about the lack of an emergency route for the various schools that aren’t too far from that area. They feared that if any kind of emergency at Desert Vista High or any of the other nearby schools a mass evacuation would be difficult. ADOT initially offered to leave a nearby path made for construction vehicles, suggesting it could be padlocked and opened only when an emergency arose. But then in 2018, neighborhood and political pressure for a full interchange became so loud that the agency decided to take a second look. ADOT officials sought public input, and hundreds of emails poured into the agency with the overwhelming number begging for an interchange. After several months of engineering and environmental study, the agency in November 2018 bowed to popular demand and said it would shell out the estimated $10 million needed to build a full interchange.

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Phoenix Council hears details of airport art project BY MEGAN CHILD AFN Contributor

hoenix City Council is turning its attention to artwork at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport as it recently reviewed the proposed installation of a new Terminal 4 project. Mayor Kate Gallego said at a recent meeting that she strongly supports the Terminal 4 project and other public art projects across the city. The massive art project will be on the 12th terrazzo floor that artists have designed for the airport’s PHX SkyTrain and terminal expansions over the past decade. “The artist-designed bridges connecting terminal concourses and PHX Sky Train stations offer passengers pauses of beauty in the rush of travel. This new design will also create a calm and peaceful transition for passengers as they progress from the security checkpoint to the boarding gates,” said Gallego. Submitted by Deputy Manager Karen

Peters and the Office of Arts and Culture, the Terminal 4 S1 Concourse is one of 33 projects in the Fiscal Year Public Art Project Plan and is expected to finish construction in 2022 at a cost of $1.6 million. “Construction of the new Terminal 4 South Concourse is already under way and design is scheduled to take place over the next five to eight months. The terrazzo fabrication/installation is tentatively set to take place in mid-2021,” said Peters. She said the concourse being constructed on the southwest corner of Terminal 3 will feature original work by artists and produce jobs for local design and construction trades such as materials suppliers, waterjet-cutting manufacturers, and terrazzo fabricators and installers. On March 20, 2019, a five-person panel chose four finalists from a pool of 102 applicants who responded to a request for qualifications. Artist Susan Logoreci has been the first artist selected for the Terminal 4 project.

At the City Council meeting she was cited for her thorough understanding of the project’s idea, her ability to create exceptional designs for the bridge floors and walls as well as her experience with complex design teams. She was officially selected to work with the aviation project team to design the connector bridge’s terrazzo floor in addition to several sections of the wall along the bridge corridor. “In order to sufficiently carry out their work, artists must work closely with numerous individuals such as project architects, engineers and other essential design professionals,” said Peters. While the city Aviation Department oversees airport facilities as the new T-4 South Concourse, the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture Public Art Program coordinates the artists’ involvement. City officials are drafting a contract with Logoreci and the budget cannot exceed $136,500. “The modernized contemporary art will

add to the airport’s major artist-designed projects, bolstering its reputation as one of the nation’s friendliest, most beautiful airports,” said Peters. Muktar Sheikh, director of the Somali Association of Arizona who served on the selection committee, said he hopes the project will enhance the traveling experience. “I hope passengers enjoy viewing the completed product in addition to easing their minds during their travels as they walk across the concourse bridge,” said Sheikh. Sheikh also said people interested in other art projects in Phoenix should get involved in community meetings that are planning public arts and entertainment projects around the city. “Citizens should always connect with their mayor and city council representative to learn and acquire more information related to upcoming proposals. We need more community involvement,” said Sheikh.

entrances remind parents to make daily health checks before dropping their child off at school that includes taking their child’s temperature and watching for other possible symptoms of COVID-19. The return to classrooms couldn’t come soon enough for Laura Myers, a mother of a fifth grader at Lagos Elementary in Ahwatukee. Her 10-year-old daughter misses socializing with classmates, Myers said, adding that the closures have negatively affected “almost all” elementary school students. Board President Michael Myrick and member Michelle Fahy said they too were thrilled that campuses were reopening. The board met two days before new data posted by the Maricopa County Public Health Department showed that

two of the three benchmarks used by districts as a reopening guide are now in the “green” category, signifying minimal virus spread. However, positive COVID-19 tests were slightly up during the most recent week posted – the data is 12 days old when posted. Positivity rates rose from 3.07 percent to 3.82 percent. Readings below 5 percent are considered safe for five-day in-class learning. The only category showing moderate virus spread – cases per 100,000 people – showed improvement with the most recent metrics, showing a decline from 37 to 32. Myrick noted that it was inevitable that there would be some positive cases with the reopening of schools, but noted that the district has a comprehensive system

for dealing with them. Meanwhile, the board adopted a suicide prevention training program for all employees who deal with students in sixth through 8th grade. The training is required to begin this year in all districts under a law that Ahwatukee state Sen. Sean Bowie pushed through the Legislature two years ago. The law covers school personnel working with students in 6th through 12th grades. The policy requires all employees to learn how to identify at-risk children and what to do about it. “I think this is really important” said board member John King, “we need to take care of this.” The next board meeting will be held on October 13, after all Kyrene grades will be open for in-classroom learning.

Kyrene reopening a success, school board told BY ALEXANDRA COSTELLO AFN Contributor

yrene School District Governing Board members last week hailed the gradual return of students to classrooms. During a meeting Sept. 22 – two days before third through fifth readers returned – Superintendent Dr. Jan Vesely recounted her visits to campuses where K-2 students returned the previous Thursday. “Every campus I visited repeatedly shared how happy they were to have students returning to their schools,” said Vesely. She briefly reiterated the virus-mitigation strategies that are in place at all campuses, noting signs outside of the school

t o G s? w e N

Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.com

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Huge mask-making project launched here BY JIM WALSH AFN Staff Writer

olunteers are mobilizing to sew 600,000 medical-grade face masks for use in hospitals throughout the Phoenix area as the masks become a part of everyday life throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The Arizona Masks for Medical Workers project is patterned after a similar project in Salt Lake City sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its community service arm, JustServe.org and LDS Charities. But Jennifer Wheeler, a church spokeswoman, said the mask undertaking is an ecumenical project that also involves Catholic and Protestant churches, with everyone united in the goal of protecting medical workers. “We are thrilled to be working side by side with many different faith groups to sew masks for our valued healthcare providers,’’ Wheeler said. In the East Valley, the Central Christian Church is participating through its Mesa and Gilbert campuses. To learn more about the project, go to AZMasksforMedicalWorkers.org. “We invite all who are able and willing to sew medical grade masks to join us as we work together to ensure that caregivers battling COVID-19 have the equipment they need to stay safe. Your personal contributions to this effort will help

save lives,’’ the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said in a statement. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints is recruiting 6,000 volunteers to pick up 6,000 kits of pre-cut materials for making the masks next week and sew them together. Each kit contains enough materials to make 100 masks, including pre-cut pieces of polypropylene and either elastic or fabric ties. The goal is to produce the masks during a four-week period. Each mask is expected to take about five to 10 minutes to sew, depending upon the volunteer’s experience and each kit taking 10-15 hours. A self-help video is included on the JustServe.org website, along with instructions on where to pick up and drop off the completed kits. The project kicked off on Saturday. “All we are trying to do is serve, working shoulder to shoulder in the community,’’ said Debbie Jensen, a community outreach specialist for JustServe in west Mesa. “This is the best of both worlds. They can do it from home and make a big difference,’’ Jensen said. Although we live in a disposable world, Jensen said there are many women like her who love to sew and sewing remains a major industry. She said enthusiasm for the service project is running high,

see MASKS page 22

Each mask in the project takes five to 10 minutes to sew, depending on a volunteer's experience. With material for 100 masks, the kit takes about 10 to 15 hours to complete. (Special to AFN)

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MASKS from page 21

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with people calling her steadily, asking for details. She said sewing the masks is easy, although she expects to receive plenty of calls from volunteers asking for additional instruction. “If someone owns a sewing machine and they can sew a straight stitch, that’s all they need to do,’’ Jensen. “This is really easy. Anyone can do this with a little bit of instructions.’’ Jensen said she prepared for her mission by watching the video herself and sewing some masks. “I’ve made a ton of them. I made sure I did 20 or 30 of them so I know what I’m talking about,’’ she said. Wheeler said that JustServe will donate the completed masks to several healthcare providers throughout the state, including the Banner Health Foundation,

Valleywise Health Foundation, Dignity Health Foundation, Honor Health Foundation and Phoenix Children’s Hospital. In a statement, Banner Health thanked JustServe.org in advance for the masks, saying that they will be put to good use, but stopping short of saying they will be used by staff while treating COVID-19 patients. Megan Brownell, vice president of communications and external relations for the Banner Health Foundation, said “Continuous masking will be routine for the foreseeable future, and nowhere is this more important than in healthcare settings.” Andy Kramer Petersen, president and CEO of Banner Health Foundation, added that donations like these “help Banner Health to ensure adequate supplies for patients and hospital staff as we remain vigilant in slowing the spread of viruses. We sincerely appreciate this support.”

Last year saw increase in uninsured Arizonans BY JOSH ORTEGA Cronkite New

ASHINGTON – The number of Arizonans without health insurance jumped to more than 800,000 last year, the third consecutive year of increases for the state, according to the latest data from the Census Bureau. The number of uninsured also rose nationwide, but not as sharply as in Arizona. Nationally, the share of people without insurance rose from 8.9 percent in 2018 to 9.2 percent last year, the bureau said, while Arizona went from 10.6 percent to 11.3 percent in the same period. Health experts in Arizona note that the latest numbers do not reflect the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year, which likely makes for an even gloomier picture this year. “Probably anything you look at that’s estimated, as far as our uninsured rate, is an undercount of where things are right now,” said Dr. Dan Derksen, associate vice president of health sciences at the University of Arizona. Analysts attribute the rise to a number of factors, not the least of which is uncertainty about the availability of coverage

under the Affordable Care Act after years of attack by the Trump administration. Allen Gjersvig, director of outreach and enrollment services for Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers, points to what he calls an “awareness and education problem” that has left some uninsured unaware that they might still qualify for affordable coverage under the ACA, or Obamacare. Gjersvig said “the vast majority” of the 809,000 uninsured people in Arizona could qualify for a tax credit that covers most of their monthly premiums, which could end up being less than $100 per month out of pocket. Some could even qualify for the tax credit and a reduction in deductibles and co-pay that Gjersvig said could cut out-of-pocket expenses to “less than $1 per month.” “Based on Kaiser Family Foundation for 2018 data, we estimate that 323,000 or more Arizonans are eligible for no-cost coverage (AHCCCS) or low-cost coverage from the health insurance marketplace,” Gjersvig said. The number of uninsured has crept up steadily for the past three years, after

see INSURE page 28

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Ducey rules out any more business closures BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

ov. Doug Ducey will not order businesses to re-close or impose new restrictions even if the infection threat of COVID-19 in any area returns to “substantial.’’ “Arizona’s open,’’ the governor said Thursday. “Arizona’s economy is open, Arizona’s educational institutions are open, Arizona’s tourism institutions are open. The expectation is they are going to remain open.’’ Ducey’s comments came as state Health Director Cara Christ said the coronavirus numbers are going to get worse. “There are counties that are likely to go back into substantial spread starting next week,’’ she said. It was having that threat of substantial spread that led to the original orders to shutter businesses in March and then Ducey’s directive to re-close many of them in June following a spike in cases. “We should expect a rise in cases,’’ the

governor said, though he suggested part of the reason for that will be an increase in the number and types of testing available. But the governor said the decisions he made before won’t be repeated. “We are not going to be, due to a gradual rise in cases, be making any dramatic changes,’’ he said. The problems appear to be localized. Statewide, the rate of infection remains below 100 per 100,000 residents, enough to put it in the moderate range. And the percentage of tests for the virus coming back positive actually is below 5 percent, showing what the state calls “minimal’’ spread. But in Pima County, for example, the rate of infection is not just increasing but, for the week ending Sept. 13 -- the most recent data available -- it actually slipped past that 100 per 100,000 level. That, according to health department measurements, makes the risk of spread substantial. Most other counties, by contrast, appear to have a slowing rate of infection, at least on a county-wide basis. But there still are

potentials of local hotspots. One potential cause could relate to the return of university students. The situation in Tucson got so bad that the University of Arizona and Pima County instituted a voluntary “shelter-in-place’’ recommendation. Police and code inspectors have issued citations and code-of-conduct violations and warned of potential legal action to curb the spread of the virus. “We want to avoid closing down,’’ Christ said. “We’re starting to work with those county health departments to identify if there are targeted areas where we can work specifically with those business owners,’’ she said. Rather than shuttering businesses she would instead propose narrower “mitigation strategies’’ like a further reduction in the number of customers at any one time. Daniel Scarpinato, the governor’s chief of staff, said one reason his boss can say he won’t close businesses again is because the situation is far different, even if the raw numbers may not show it.

“We have broad access to testing with fast turnaround,’’ Scarpinato said. “We have increased contact tracing,’’ he continued. “We’ve got enforcement of rules and regulations.’’ All that, Scarpinato said, means it allows people to be found and told to isolate themselves if they’ve been exposed. “Businesses are operating much differently today than they were when some of these industries were closed,’’ Scarpinato said. For example, he said, restaurant patrons have to wear their masks when they’re not at their table. Masks also are required at salons and barber shops. Then there are capacity restrictions, with restaurants and bars that operate like restaurants at 50 percent and gyms at just 25 percent of normal attendance. And even in cities and counties where masks are not required, Scarpinato said most retailers are requiring them of customers. The other big issue, he said, is that the

There’s 12 percent for grants for career and technical education program and 10 percent for mentoring and retaining new teachers in the classroom. And the last 3 percent goes to the Arizona Teachers Academy to provide tuition grants for those who go into education. “This money goes directly to school districts and it very specifically says what the money can be used for,’’ said David Lujan, director of the Arizona Center for Economic Progress who helped craft the measure. “It cannot be used on administrative costs,’’ Lujan said. “It can only be used on very specific things.’’ But Jaime Molera, a former state schools chief, said he finds some wiggle room that could put some dollars into the pockets of administrators. Molera, retained by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry to spearhead its opposition to the tax hike, said just that fact alone should give voters pause. “Who are the mentors of the teachers?’’ he asked.

“I would imagine they’re going to be principals, assistant principals or even superintendents,’’ Molera said. “There’s no structure against that in this proposition.’’ He conceded that isn’t the way those programs work now, with most mentoring done by more senior teachers. The broader attack by foes of Proposition 208 goes to the claim that, overall, too much education money is being spent outside the classroom. In several commercials, Arizonans for Great Schools and a Strong Economy, the Chamber-financed opposition, says that just 55 cents of every dollar go to the classroom and the rest goes to administration and overhead. Those numbers are accurate. They come from the most recent report by Auditor General Lindsey Perry, who in March put the figure at 54.7 cents. The commercial tells voters not to put more money into education until the financing system is fixed. But as Perry’s report spells out, there’s more to this story.

First, she points out that Arizona schools, on average, spend less on administrative expenses than the rest of the country, an average of $903 per student here versus the most recent national average of $1,383. Potentially more telling is that the 55cent figure does not include other necessary instructional support like librarians and teacher training. And then there are guidance counselors, nurses, speech pathologists and social workers. Add the basic teacher salaries and the total is now 68.8 percent. What’s left, according to the Auditor General, are things like running the school buses, building maintenance and utilities. Perry wrote, using the most recent national data available, found teacher salaries here averaging about $11,500 less than nationally. Moreover, she noted, “Another factor that may account for Arizona’s lower percentage of instructional spending is class size.’’

see DUCEY page 26

Education tax debate focuses on classroom spending BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

oth sides of the debate on Proposition 208 appear to agree that the state is not spending enough on public education. But the outcome of the vote on whether to hike income taxes on the wealthiest Arizonans could come down to two issues: whether the money really winds up in the classroom and whether it’s fair or economically sound to have the burden borne by the top 4 percent of earners. On paper, the initiative lists how the cash raised will be divided is fairly specific: Half the estimated $940 million that proponents say would be raised is for schools to hire teachers and classroom support personnel, such as librarians, nurses, counselors and coaches. Those dollars also could be used for raises. Another quarter would be for support services personnel, including classroom aides, security personnel, food service and transportation.

see PROP page 26

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state is better equipped to handle an outbreak. “Our hospitals were at capacity,’’ Scarpinato said, with some close to having to implement “surge’’ plans to find more space. One potential reason for Ducey’s reticence to once again shut down businesses is purely financial. Earlier this year business owners could apply for the federal Paycheck Protection Program which provided loans to companies to keep workers on the payroll. That program is now gone. What’s also gone is the extra unemployment benefits available from the federal government, initially at $600 a week and, more recently, reduced to $300. Those, too, have disappeared, leaving jobless Arizona workers with a maximum state benefit of $240 a week. One issue that remains is how broad would be any closure orders if the governor

PROP from page 24

In Arizona, there are an average of 18.4 students per teacher compared with 16 in the rest of the country. Molera said there are other alternatives, such as a proposal by several Republican legislators to increase the current 0.6-cent sales tax for education to a full penny. Legislative budget analysts said that could raise an extra nearly $473 million a year, versus the $940 million predicted by proponents of Proposition 208. But that idea, which has been around since last year, never got out of the Legislature, leaving Prop 208 as the only takeit-or-leave-it proposal for voters. Lujan defends the income tax proposal as being the fairest, given a series of tax cuts by state lawmakers in the past decade that he said have largely benefited business and the wealthy. And this is designed so that 96 percent of Arizonans won’t be affected. This proposal relies on Arizona’s tiered income tax system. Everyone pays the same rate on the same earnings. So any individual is taxed at 2.59 percent for the first $26,500 of earnings, 3.34% on everything between

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

believes the spike in new cases merits it. The current system measures and reacts to outbreaks on a county-by-county basis: If the overall infection numbers hit a certain level, any changes in business operations would be imposed on a countywide basis. But the problem could be more localized, such as around a university campus. That raises the question of whether the spike in one area, putting the overall county numbers into the substantial range, should affect all businesses in that county or should result only in closures in the immediate area affected. Scarpinato was noncommittal. “We’re going to follow the data closely and see,’’ he said. Schools aren’t affected by all of this, at least not at the state level, even amid indications of rising infection rates. That’s because the state has issued only “recommendations’’ for when in-person classes can start, with local districts free to follow or disregard them.

that and $53,000, 4.17 percent on income of $53,001 through $159,000 and 4.5 percent on everything over that. Proposition 208 would add a 3.5 percent surcharge on individual earnings above $250,000. Put another way, a married couple earning $650,000 would pay no additional taxes on the first $500,000. But the rate on the balance would go from $6,750 to $12,000. Foes of the initiative said that would give Arizona one of the highest top tax brackets in the nation. But Lujan said that, given the tiered tax system, the overall burden on that couple making $650,000 a year would still be less than in 34 other states. Lujan said sales tax hikes disproportionately affect those with lower incomes. But he has conceded that having a tax hike that affects perhaps only 4 percent of Arizonans is more likely to be politically palatable at the polls than one which hits more. That, in turn, has led to dueling economic reports. One prepared by the Goldwater Institute says the higher top tax rate will make it harder to recruit new businesses into Arizona and result in “out-migration of high-income individuals’’ to states with

Gov. Doug Ducey several weeks ago discussed mental health in the age of COVID-19 and last week he said he would not consider massive business shutdowns if the coronavirus should spike in Arizona again. (AFN file photo)

lower taxes. Its economic modeling predicts 124,000 jobs will be lost within 10 years with a reduction of $120 million a year in state tax collections. It also questions whether the promised revenues will be there, saying income tax collections on the wealthiest are the most volatile. But Enrique Lopezlira, an economics professor at Grand Canyon College, says that after accounting for inflation and student growth, prior cuts in education funding have resulted in the state spending less per student now than it did a decade ago. He predicts that restoring funds cut from public schools actually would grow the Arizona economy. On a deeper philosophical level, Lopezlira said the cuts in education funding were not due to the recession but instead part of an “ideological shift’’ to reduce investment in public education and enact tax cuts. That included a 30 percent reduction in corporate income tax rates. Prop 208 opponents argue that the initiative would harm small businesses because many are organized not as corporations, where the taxes are paid by the business at corporate tax rates, but as sole

proprietorships, partnerships and under a section of the Internal Revenue Code, all of which are situations where the business owes no taxes and all earnings are ascribed to the owner or owners. That, foes argue, makes the earnings subject to the higher taxes. Lujan noted that state income taxes are due on the net profits, after a business owner pays all costs of employees, utilities, supplies, equipment and other overhead. It is only what’s left as the net profits to the business owner, Lujan said, that is subject to individual income taxes. And he said any couple netting $500,000 a year after paying all the costs of their business operations probably can afford to pay some extra taxes for education. Anything approved by the voters is protected against legislative repeal or alteration. The Arizona Constitution allows lawmakers to make changes only with a threefourths vote and only if they “further the purpose’’ of the original measure. From Molera’s perspective, that’s a bad idea as it locks the measure in place unless and until the issue goes back to voters. Lujan, however, sees that as a plus against legislative tinkering.

GOT NEWS? Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.com

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Chandler girl, 12, weathering cancer ordeal BY KATY SPRINGER AFN Contributor

t started as a lump on her knee. Twelve-year-old Kylie Lark had taken a spill down the stairs and her parents, Jolene and Daryl, figured she had sprained something. The Chandler couple did all of the right things – ice, elevation and rest – but ended up in urgent care when the Hull Elementary School sixth grader’s leg didn’t get better. They were worried Kylie may have torn a ligament – they never considered the possibility of pediatric cancer. “The doctor called us at home and asked if we were sitting down,” said Jolene, recalling that dark day. “He said the x-ray showed a cancerous mass on her knee. We were absolutely blindsided. Our lives were turned upside down in that moment.” The next morning, May 4, Kylie was admitted to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, where doctors gave a formal diagnosis: osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, on her knee and femur. She would need to begin an aggressive chemotherapy treatment schedule immediately, followed by a total knee replacement and partial femur replacement. “We were in a hospital for about a week after the diagnosis so that Kylie could get started on her chemo, but we’ve been back to the hospital many times over the course of her treatment because the medication makes her so sick,” said Jolene. As if fighting cancer weren’t difficult enough, COVID-19 has added an extra layer of complication and stress. “Patients can only have one visitor right now, which means Daryl and I are constantly taking turns,” Jolene added. “During those long days and weeks in the hospital, we see each other for about two minutes a day in the hospital lobby when we swap places. I can’t begin to explain how hard it has been.” Kylie’s diagnosis has affected the entire family in profound ways. Her siblings – Jeffrey, 27, Jacob, 23, and Kayla, 13 – are stressed as their younger sister suffers the terrible side effects of cancer treatment. “Kayla and Kylie are especially close,” said Jolene. “We’ve driven Kayla to the hospital to wave at Kylie in her hospital room, and that does help, but Kayla has

Chandler resident Kylie Lark, 12, is staying strong while going through multiple treatments for bone cancer in one of her legs. (Special to AFN)

started to have nightmares about the cancer. She’s crushed by worry. We all are.” For her part, Kylie remains positive and happy. The long-time Girl Scout and volleyball player is described as a highachieving student, a natural-born leader and the first to befriend a new student at school – helping earn her the moniker “Smiley Kylie” at a young age. “She is so friendly and kind to everyone,” said Jolene. “Now we’re seeing this incredible strength in her.” Kylie is now in month six of her 12-month treatment. She has undergone 10 sessions of chemotherapy and one surgery so far. The next six months will bring 10 more chemo sessions and a second surgery, this time to remove unknown spots on her lungs. From there, Kylie hopes to get back on the volleyball court and back to life. “We have learned to take things one day at a time,” said Jolene. “We’re focused

on getting through one day, and then the next, and we try not to think too far into the future. I don’t think we would have made it this far without our community.” Indeed, the Larks’ friends and family have shown steady support, from meals and gifts to a drive-by parade for Kylie when she returned home from the hospital after the initial diagnosis. Children’s Cancer Network, a Chandlerbased nonprofit organization serving pediatric cancer families across Arizona, also has stepped up to help. “A social worker at Phoenix Children’s Hospital connected us to CCN and Patti Luttrell,” said Jolene. “From the moment we first talked to Patti on the phone, she has been such a support to our family. CCN helped Kylie get her wig after she lost her hair!” “Our biggest priority is to ensure no family has to fight cancer alone,” said Luttrell, CCN’s founder and executive director. “The

pandemic has made things so much harder on families. Many are facing extreme financial strain, but they’re also isolated and suffering social and emotional difficulties. We’re here to help with all of it.” CCN provides a host of services to families like the Larks, from gas cards that offset the cost of travel to and from chemo, grocery gift cards to help parents feed their families, wigs, health and wellness activities, support programs for siblings, college scholarships and numerous others. Now, CCN is hosting a monthlong fundraiser in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September. Pinwheels for Hope, a virtual event aimed at rallying the community around the cause, aims to raise $22,500 - or $25 for each of the 900 Arizona children in cancer treatment. Donations can be made at childrenscancernetwork.org/pinwheels. Childhood cancer continues to be the most overshadowed and underfunded category of all cancer research, comprising just 4 percent of federal funding. In the last 20 years, only four new drugs have been approved by the FDA to treat childhood cancer specifically. “The drugs for childhood cancer are so old,” said Jolene. “It’s really crazy. Medicine has come so far, but we’re still using drugs from the 1950’s and 60’s on our children.” Added Luttrell, “Research funding is limited because the number of children diagnosed with cancer is small compared to the numbers of adult cancer patients. “The survival rate for kids is improving, but two-thirds of them experience chronic and even life-threatening secondary effects from toxic treatments like chemotherapy and radiation. The societal impact of pediatric cancer is significant, even though the numbers are smaller.” The Larks, along with other Arizona families facing cancer, created a video to boost support of Pinwheels for Hope. View it at youtu.be/T0ylVMlHA-0. Learn more about CCN at childrenscancernetwork.org. The Children’s Cancer Network’s 10th Annual Run to Fight Children’s Cancer, now a virtual event scheduled Oct. 1825. You can participate in the 5K or 10K to build awareness of childhood cancer and raise money for research, treatments, patient education and support services. $45. runtofightcancer.com

NEWS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Phoenix Council gives go-ahead for Latino center hoenix City Council last week gave a unanimous blessing to a Latino Cultural Center that will be built somewhere after almost 20 years of discussing it. The idea originated in 2001 when bond money was given to an organization called Museo Chicano to expand their space in Downtown Phoenix. The organization folded in 2005, but the bond money was reserved for a future Latino capital project, said Mitch Menchaca, the director of the city Office of Arts and Culture. The space was eventually rented out by someone else and the bond money was

left on a hold until 2016, when the Office of Arts and Culture hired a professional consultant to conduct an analysis of what it would require to build a Latino Cultural Center, said Menchaca. Council last week approved an adhoc team to take the lead and figure out the next steps and the center’s future operation. The committee asked Council to approve of three additional recommendations. The first recommendation was that the center would be run by the city for the first five years, then be passed down to a nonprofit or collective. Second, the Office of Arts and Culture should coordinate pop-up program events to promote the center before

opening. Lastly, a Friends of Latino Cultural Center nonprofit should be set up to recruit inaugural board members. The Friends of Latino Cultural Center would help raise money and spread awareness about the center and maybe one day can take over operations, according to Menchaca. Latinos account for almost 44 percent of Phoenix’s population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Adding this center will be great for that population if it is placed in the right area, Ahwatukee resident and 2018 Republican mayoral candidate Moses Sanchez said. Public safety and education are what matter most to the people of Ahwatukee,

Sanchez said. He is “all for” the Phoenix Latino Cultural Center, as long as the budget doesn’t affect those two key factors. What the Latino people of Phoenix really want from a cultural center is a place that is for, “celebrating the rich traditions of the Latino population but also a place that can educate and inspire residents and visitors,” said Menchaca. Council approved the use of the North Building at Hance Park in Phoenix to be utilized for the Latino Cultural Center while the committee explores other sites around the city. Manchaca said he and the ad-hoc team are happy Council approved their recommendations but added that the center is “not going to happen overnight.”

sharp drops after 2014 when the state expanded eligibility for coverage under the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state’s Medicaid system. Currently, families earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level can qualify for Medicaid coverage in Arizona. The federal poverty threshold varies according to family size. But in 2019 it was set at $25,926 for a family of two parents and two children under 18 – so a family of four making about $35,000 would meet the 138 percent threshold.

Derksen said another factor behind the loss in insurance is the fact that U.S. health care remains “needlessly” complicated, with information so “fragmented” between different places that it requires navigators to help people understand the system. That is not the case in other developed countries, which deliver health care at a much lower cost per capita, Derksen said. He pointed to an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association that said wasteful spending on fraud, abuse and administrative costs contribute to almost $1 trillion of the $4 trillion that is

spent annually on health care in the U.S. One resource Gjersvig recommends to people looking for insurance coverage is the Cover Arizona Coalition through Vitalyst, a coalition of resources throughout the state that helps people navigate the healthcare marketplace in Arizona. He also touted two national grants that he said have helped his organization work with more than 180 locations across the state to have certified application counselors help consumers navigate the health insurance marketplace. Arizona’s 11.3 percent uninsured rate last year tied with North Carolina for

ninth-worst in the nation. Texas had the highest rate of uninsured residents, at 18.4 percent, while Massachusetts was lowest, with a 3 percent rate. With a pandemic raging and an election nearing, health care remains one of the top priorities for many Americans, Derksen said. He encouraged voters to consider all health care options this fall. “It doesn’t have to be a binary choice of Medicare-for-all vs. the private sector,” Derksen said. “Those aren’t the only two choices.” Open enrollment for coverage through the federally facilitated ACA Marketplace starts Nov. 1 and runs through Dec. 15.

BY ALEXANDRA COSTELLO AFN Contributor

INSURE from page 22

TEACHERS from page 19

those dollars. “We’ve climbed that ladder but we’re still not out of that hole,’’ Wing said. “We’re still bottom five in average salaries.’’ But Wing said there are bigger issues: “The main one is, why are high school kids not going into the teaching profession?” He acknowledged that state lawmakers have altered requirements to become a

t o G s? w e N

teacher, allowing people to make mid-career switches without having to go back to school for a full-blown education degree. And that, Wing said, has been important. But Wing said the solution is going to have to come from getting more people into the profession right out of college. That, he said, is going to remain a problem. For example, he said Arizona has one of the highest student-teacher ratios in the country.

State schools chief Kathy Hoffman said the results of the annual survey “are startling but not altogether shocking for the education community.’’ She, too, said she has seen the impact of COVID-19. “Some educators made the difficult decision to leave the classroom,’’ Hoffman said in a prepared statement. “I know this decision is deeply personal to each educator,’’ she continued. “And

I hope that one day we can recruit them back to our schools.’’ Hoffman cited the work of her agency’s Educator Recruitment and Retention Team that she formed last November. Aides to the schools chief said it is designed to function as a hub of information about what has worked at some schools to keep teachers in the classroom as well as to provide help to other schools which are having challenges.

Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.com

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

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Thrills and laughs at 2 local Halloween shows BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA AFN Contributor

o trick-or-treat or not to trick-ortreat – that’s yet another quandary COVID-19 has spawned – especially after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested door-to-door begging, trunk or treat and even indoor parties should not be held. And while two popular adult haunted houses in Phoenix – 13th Floor Haunted House and Fear Farm – are open to provide some genuine scares, at least two Ahwatukee homeowners are prepared this weekend to launch month-long family-friendly Halloween attractions in the form of elaborately decorated houses and yards. Doug and Rose Maldonado have readied their home at 16210 S. 29th Drive and for the 15th consecutive year, commercial pilot Steve Powers has set up his yard with gentle sights of the season at 2537 E. Am-

Commercial airlines pilot Steve Powers has prepared a family-friendly Halloween show for the 15th consecutive year outside his Ahwatukee home. (AFN ﬁle photo)

berwood Drive. Here’s a look at both of them.

Doug and Rose Maldonado For Doug and Rose Maldonado, giving

Community’s generosity helps Kiwanis pull off ‘baby shower’ AFN NEWS STAFF

ike many nonprofits, the Kiwanis Club of Ahwatukee has been battered by the pandemic. Their major fundraiser – and one of the community’s signature annual celebrations – went up in smoke when organizers were forced to cancel the Easter Parade and Spring Fling Carnival. “We had very little income from other sources and because of COVID-19, other smaller fundraising events were also cancelled that we had budgeted and planned for,” member Ani Pettyjohn said. It got so bad that one of the club’s – and Pettyjohn’s – favorite events, the Community Baby Shower, “was on

the chopping block,” she said. But Pettyjohn said she, her daughter Stacy Rasmussen and several other Kiwanians agreed that this year, more than ever, “these young moms needed our help and it was our duty to find a safe and resourceful way to provide for these moms.” The shower helps parents who are foster teens, who have aged out of foster care but are still under DCS guidance, students in Compadre High School’s Teen Parenting Program, residents at UMOM homeless shelter. It also came to the aid of a local mom who asked for help. Knowing that they wouldn’t be able to enlist the large number of volunteers they have drafted in the past and couldn’t hold an in-person

event, the club adapted to sponsor the baby shower for the sixth year. “We didn’t know if the community would or could be as generous with donations as they had been in years past,” Pettyjohn said. “We quickly discovered the community was incredibly generous once again.” The Kiwanians set up an Amazon Baby Registry so people didn’t need to physically go to a store to shop and donations could be delivered directly to a volunteer’s home. Since stores were limiting the purchases of diapers and wipes, the club held a diaper-and-wipe drive at Tough Mudder Boot Camp in Gilbert. With many businesses closed or

�ee SHOWER page 33

up their annual extravagantly-decorated Halloween display on and around their Foothills home loomed a real possibility. Doug, the decorator-in-chief, posted queries on social media app asking if the community thought it would be worth the month’s worth of work to have it up and running throughout the month. “I really wasn’t going to do it this year with the pandemic and the hot weather we’re having and everything else going on, but then I decided to put the question out on those sites,” said Maldonado, owner of Maldonado Home Repair Services. “I said, ‘should I do it or not? I want to know what you think.’ It came back overwhelmingly in favor of it so I’m at it again,” said Maldonado, 50. Maldonado’s approach is far from putting out a couple carved pumpkins on the stoop. It requires more than 200 strings of

�ee HALLOWEEN page 32

Stacy Rasmussen surveys some of the gifts the Ahwatukee Kiwanis Club provided teen moms at its annual baby shower. (Special to AFN)

COMMUNITY

HALLOWEEN from page 31

orange, green, white and purple lights spread along each wall and roofline of his two-story home in the Foothills Reserve. “Yes, it’s a lot of work but I’m doing it for the kids. There was no way I was going to take this away from the kids this year. Enough is enough, they’ve had enough taken away from them,” said Maldonado, who has a son and daughter at Arizona State University and an 11-year-old son at home. “I must say this year has been the hardest set-up yet. The heat has been really tough out there.” “I want kids to have this Halloween fun. Gyms are now open, kids are going to school, you can’t stop Halloween. You just need parents to be careful.” The joy of seeing the Maldonado’s Halloween House is reflected on the faces of neighborhood children, like those of Nicole and Chris Koester. “We anxiously await Doug’s annual Halloween display every year. Once he flips the switch, my children ask to drive by his home every time we enter our neighborhood. They ooh and ahh at new additions and comment about which blow-ups are their favorites,” said Nicole Koester of her three children Conner, 12, Nicolas, 8 and 6-year-old Holland. “It makes me smile to see cars slow down as they pass his house, and children peek their heads out the window,” said Koester, who teaches at ASU’ Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. “I know it takes Doug countless hours to put up the display, but I look forward to it each year, even as an adult,” she said. “It’s truly magical and this year we can use all the magic we can get.” Maldonado and his wife have been Ahwatukee residents for 13 years. “I like to make the Halloween house more kid-friendly than spooky,” he said. “I use inflatables and all but I’m not one for animatronics. I’m doing this for the kids, and if I were to stop, it would be a big black-out,” he said. Maldonado admits starting his Halloween decorating of his house in early September bucks homeowner association rules requiring no decorating for holidays 30 days prior. But he said he tries to keep the peace while trying to persuade HOA board members the results benefit community morale. “I do live in a gated community and I’m a

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

“Yes, Christmas, too, but I like Halloween more,” he smiled. Maldonado’s home repair service is available on Facebook or 480-2015013.

Steve Powers Steve Powers themes his display “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” riffing off Tim Burton’s “Night Before Christmas” with eye-popping animatronics that he himSteve Powers has spent months building his life-size displays. (Special to AFN) self made. member of the architectural board and I’ve He adds music to the elaborate scenes explained that if I started Oct. 1, there’s no he creates on his yard and this year has way I could get everything done,” he said. added new scenes and four new song. “And I assure them I never post the gate A trip to Disneyland inspired Powers to code online or anywhere – our neighbors develop the show. and families can give it to their friends. On After seeing the characters that populate Halloween its open gates, so that’s a good the Haunted Mansion ride, Powers, who time for people to drive by and enjoy it.” had no carpentry experience, set about Maldonado hedges on how long the dec- building columns and characters and usorating takes or even how many strings of ing cables and choreography to develop a lights he uses for the extraordinary effect. seven-minute show that has drawn thou“All I know is that it takes me weeks to sands to his neighborhood. put up, but the morning after Halloween, “I liked the movie and display because I’m taking it all down because I don’t want it was kid-friendly and did not include all to see it anymore. Weeks to put up, and six of the blood and gore that Halloween has hours to put away.” turned into,” Powers said. He leaves the green lights up because in Powers enjoys putting on the show for a few weeks, he starts the process again the community and though the work at for the Christmas holidays. times makes him wonder if he should just pass, he said, “when I see all of the hundreds of people who come to see this and how the little kids’ faces just light up, I suddenly think I will go for another year.” When he first got the idea for the show, Powers said, “I went around to a lot of stores Steve Powers’ eye-popping animatronics are accompanied by seasonal songs like the only to find out theme for the movie classic “Ghostbusters.” (Special to AFN) there’s noth-

ing you can get there or on the internet,” he added. “I spent months building all the characters and the columns.” Witches and ghosts in the graveyard sing, encouraging spectators to join in as they go through popular songs from movies like “Ghostbusters,” “The Addams Family” and, of course, “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” This year he has singing pumpkins to lead sing-alongs. The pandemic has given him more incentive to go on with his show this year. “Many parents have told me that so much is cancelled that they are excited that the show will go on,” Powers said, adding “masks required this time.” And he stresses, “This is a kid-friendly sing-a-long using video projections and with singing pumpkins and animated props –no blood and gore.” “Last year I changed it up a bit and it was a hit,” he said. “We had many, many kiddos singing along to “Ghostbusters,” “The Addams Family,” and “Nightmare Before Christmas.” He also said the show is twice as long with bumbling ghosts “as friendly as Casper” thrown into the mix. Powers said he’s starting earlier this year, with a first show Friday, Oct. 2, to promote social distancing by spreading crowds across five weekends. He said the least crowded weekends will be this coming weekend and the last one in October. He also said that crowds thin out a bit after 8 p.m. He said people should “use common sense with mask wearing” and that “I do ask that everyone wear masks when you can’t stay 6 feet apart…. The characters will have masks.”

If You Go To These Free Shows ...

The Moldanado display: 16210 S. 29th Drive. The Halloween House lights are on Monday through Thursday, 6:30 to 9 p.m. and until 10 p.m. Friday-Sunday. Steve Powers: 2537 E. Amberwood Drive The free event can be viewed at any time during the show times since the 35-minute show is on a continuous loop 7-9 p.m. every Friday and Saturday in October.

COMMUNITY

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

ARC members defy gloom with scavenger hunt It drew to a close last week and winners will be announced shortly. club at an Ahwatukee retirement A photo scavenger community found one way around hunt can be fun for any the shut-down of group activities group, not just ARC’s caused by COVID-19. Their solution: a Happy Hour. Here’s the photo scavenger hunt. list of items they came The governor’s stay-at-home order in up with for their hunt: March shut down all activities at the Ah• Something that watukee Recreation Center, a retirement stands for Arizona to you community of 1628 homes mostly within Ed & Mary Doney captured #13 gravesite of an Arizona governor and #14 a Pyramid (cactus, Arizona flag, any the Warner-Elliot loop in the original Ah- with this picture. Since they are the organizers, it doesn’t qualify for a prize. (Ed of the 5 c’s, etc.). Doney/Special to AFN) watukee. • A personalized liUnlike its name suggests, Happy Hour cense plate—which you must translate for Some activities involving groups of 10 or less have been able to start up again, but doesn’t have much to do with drinking us. not the larger groups, which includes the – it’s more of a social gathering and pot• A billboard, sign or storefront with a center’s most popular and most attended luck. They moved their meetings to Zoom picture or drawing of a marijuana leaf on it. in April. The potluck dropped out, but the weekly event, the Happy Hour club. • A vehicle whose name is derived from social element contin- the World War II General Purpose vehicle, ued online. with the make name visible in the photo. To introduce a bit • An electric car charging station (douof fun with the excite- ble points if a car is charging at it). ment of a chase, the • A solar collector. club is trying a photo • The street signs at the corner of CoScavenger Hunt as a so- conino Street, Coconino Place and Coconicially distanced activity no Court. which works for groups • A vehicle whose name is derived from almost any size. “the people’s car” introduced just before It started two weeks the beginning of World War II, with the ago and has received make name visible in the photo. rave reviews from its • A scooter. members. • A bridge over water (bridge & water One participant re- should be visible in picture). marked, “This was the • A pedestrian bridge (over anything). Barb LeChaix and Patricia Morgan satisﬁed the search #2 for a personalized license • A waterfall. plate and #4 for a “general purpose vehicle” with one picture. Patricia is pointing most safe fun I have had to the Jeep logo on the bumper, which is barely visible. (Ed Doney/Special to AFN) in six months.” • The gravesite of any Arizona governor.* BY ED DONEY AFN Contributor

SHOWER from page 31

restricting people who could come in, the club could only use four drop-off spots: Bartoli’s Dry Cleaning, Ahwatukee Swim & Tennis Center, Mountain View Lutheran Church and Nicolas Goode’s Edward Jones. “Many volunteers had donations dropped off at their homes,” Pettyjohn said. “Wonderful community volunteers washed and sorted all used clothing by size/gender,” she said. “Storage space was donated by Extra Space Storage on Desert Foothills Parkway where we were able to store larger non-clothing items and diapers/wipes.” Under normal circumstances, all clothing would have been laid out on tables by several dozen volunteers who would sort

and make up baskets for each mom. Instead, Rasmussen used her home to lay out clothing, new and used on every available surface of her home. With the help of some of her friends for several weekends, baskets were assembled, and the “shopping” of used clothing was selected for each mom. Normally, at the “shower” moms could “shop” for the used clothing. “We did our best to select the gently used items for them taking into consideration their favorite colors, likes and dislikes,” Pettyjohn said. Each mom received a basket of new items chosen for her child, including blankets, clothing, bottles/sippy cups, a toy, a book along with other age appropriate gifts we had available. There was a mini-

mum of two bags of used clothing for each child, with some larger sizes for the child to grow into. The volunteers had asked the moms ahead of time in addition to clothing sizes, what specific wants or needs they had. After all the baskets and bags were completed, they took items in the storage sheds into the Ahwatukee Event Center and chose larger items according to the mom’s wish lists, divided them by group home and agency and readied them for delivery. Carmen Paiz and friends made up a “party pack” for each of the five foster group homes which consisted of decorations, games and treats. Making treats was organized by Carrie Chipman with beautifully decorated cook-

• A pyramid.* Extra points were given when the member appeared in the photo (i.e., a selfie). The grand prize for the person or team with the most points was billed as “A Romantic Italian Dinner,” which the fine print revealed was a frozen Costco lasagna to be left at the winner’s doorstep. It was noted that the two items with an asterisk could be satisfied by one photo. Participants were told to collect the photos from the comfort and safety of their cars, with the admonition to be sure to be socially distanced and masked if they stepped out of the car for their shot. They were also advised that for shots of vehicles, they should cruise a parking lot where the cars are more likely to pose for their pictures.

John and Joyce McDermott found #9 a scooter, close to home. (Ed Doney/Special to AFN)

ies and other treats. A high school neighbor of Pettyjohn made up several packages of hygiene items to give to the moms. The club ended up helping 91 new moms and dads and 110 children with clothing and other essentials. “Thanks to a great donation from Vision Community Management and a substantial donation from the Jim Smith Foundation, we had money left over to possibly utilize on helping moms in crisis throughout the year,” Pettyjohn added. The club has two other benefits for foster children this year, though the Thanksgiving dinner could be jeopardized by the pandemic. To �ind out how you can help: ahwatukeekiwanis.org.

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

DAR Ahwatukee member earns honors AFN NEWS STAFF

n Ahwatukee woman who belongs to the Sun Lakes-based Gila Butte Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution has picked up several honors for the book drives she has organized that have put more than 40,000 books in the hands of children. Suellen Eyre, a retired reading teacher, started five years ago to collect books for children and distributing them at Matthews Crossing Food Bank, which was started about 20 years ago by St. Matthews Episcopal Church in Chandler. Chapter spokeswoman Deborah Goodacre said October is service month for the DAR and that the Gila Butter Chapter supports animal rescue, veterans, retirement homes and food banks to name a

t ? Gow s Ne

few while other members have found individual outlets for their passion of helping adults and children. At Matthews Crossing Food Bank, she said, children are allowed to select a book for free to take home. Parents and grandparents who come without their children are allowed to select a book to take home to them. Book donations initially came from church members and then when word got out, books started rolling in from neighborhood book drives, private individuals, organizations and businesses. “Suellen also used monetary donations to purchase books from garage sales and thrift stores,” Goodacre said. “At first, the books were delivered to Suellen’s garage where she and her husband Gary sorted, cleaned and categorized the books. As her efforts grew, the food bank gave her stor-

age and work space.” A memorable moment for Suellen was the day a woman from Guatemala standing next to her at the food bank became excited about a book on the American Revolutionary War. “This is what we are studying in my citizenship class! I’m studying to become a citizen of the United States,” the woman said. Eyre gave her the book, another about Abraham Lincoln and a third book for her child. “It was then I knew the scope of how the books can truly bring meaning to someone’s life,” Eyre recalled. In the almost five years the book drive has been in existence, Eyre has helped to distribute almost 40,000 books for children from infancy to 8th grade. Eyre was nominated for and received

the Literacy Promotion Committee Award from NSDAR in 2018. Of the 63 entries for the nationwide award, Suellen came out on top. “Suellen was nominated for her second award through the efforts of close friend and fellow DAR member Carole Jones,” Goodacre said. In October 2019, Eyre received the prestigious NSDAR Founders Award: The Mary Smith Lockwood Medal for Education, for Outstanding Achievement Through Educational Pursuits, one of DAR’s highest honors. “Suellen is one example of the caring and giving members we have in our Gila Butte Chapter. Many other members have their own pursuits and to all of them who work tirelessly to support our community, we take off our hats and say, ‘Thank you for all you do,’” Goodacre said.

Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.com

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■ ARIZONA AREA RESIDENTS CASH IN: Pictured above and watched closely by guards are protected U.S. Coin Packages containing the valuable unsearched Vault Bags that everyone is trying to get. It’s hard to tell how much these unsearched bags loaded with valuable U.S. Gov’t issued coins could be worth someday. That’s because each Vault Bag is known to contain over 2 pounds of U.S. Gov’t issued coins some dating back to the early 1800’s.

Decision puts valuable U.S. Gov’t issued coins back in circulation – zip codes determine who gets them Unsearched Vault Bags loaded with valuable U.S. Gov’t issued coins some dating back to the 1800’s and worth up to 50 times their face value are actually being handed over to residents who find their zip code on the Distribution List below and beat the 48 hour order deadline

Who gets the U.S. Gov’t issued coins: Only U.S. residents who find the first three digits of their zip code listed on the Distribution List below are getting the valuable U.S. Gov’t issued coins. If you find your zip code listed below call: 1-800-865-9521 NCS1160 “The vaults at Federated Mint a re going empt y,” sa id Ma r y Ellen Withrow, the emeritus 40th Treasurer of the United States of America. That’s because a decision by Federated Mint to put valuable U.S. Gov’t issued coins, some worth up to 50 times their face value, back in circulation means unsearched Vault Bags loaded with U. S. Gov’t issued coins dating back to the 1800’s are now being handed over to U.S. residents who find the first three digits of their zip code listed in today’s publication. “These are not ordinary coins you find in your pocket change. These

are valuable silver, scarce, highly collectible and non- circulating U.S. coins dating back to the 1800’s which is why U.S. residents will be claiming as many as they can get their hands on. That’s because after the bags were loaded with over 2 pounds of U.S. Gov’t issued coins the dates were never searched and the bags were securely sealed. That means there’s no telling what you’ll find until you search all the coins,” said Withrow. “But don’t thank the Government. As Executive Advisor to Federated Mint, I get paid to inform and educate the general public regarding U.S. coins. Ever since the decision

by Federated Mint to put valuable U.S. Gov’t issued coins back in circulation – everyone’s asking me, how much are the unsearched Vault Bags worth? The answer is, there’s no way to tell. Coin values always fluctuate and there are never any guarantees, but we do know this. Each unsearched bag weighs over 2 pounds and is known to contain at least one silver Walking Liberty coin and just that one coin alone could be worth $15 - $325 in collector value. So there’s no telling what you’ll find until you search through all the coins. But you better believe at just $249 these unsearched Vault Bags are a steal, “said Withrow.

The only thing U.S. residents who find their zip code printed in today’s publication need to do is call the National Toll Free Hotline before the 48 hour deadline ends. This is very important. The Vault Bag fee has been set for $349 for residents who miss the 48 hour deadline, but for those U.S. residents who beat the 48 hour deadline the Vault Bag fee is just $249 as long as they call the National Toll Free Hotline before the deadline ends. “Remember this, we ca nnot stop collectors from buying up all the unsearched bags of coins they (Continued on next page)

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

37 SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

(Continued from previous page)

can get in this special advertising announcement. And you better believe with each bag being loaded with over 2 pounds of valuable U.S. Gov’t issued coins they’re going to go quick,” said Withrow. The phone lines will be ringing off the hook beginning at precisely 8:30am this morning. That’s because each unsearched Vault Bag is loaded in part with highly sought after collector coins dating clear back to the 1800’s including the stunning Silver Walking Liberty Half Dollar, valuable President Eisenhower Silver Dollars, rarely seen Silver Franklin Half Dollars, high demand President Kennedy Silver Half Dollars, beautiful Silver Standing Liberty Quarter Dollar, American Bicentennial Quarters, rare Liberty V Nickels, the scarce Indian Head one cent U.S. coin and the last ever minted Buffalo Nickels. “With all these valuable coins up for grabs we’re doing all we can to answer all the calls,” said Withrow. Thousands of U.S. residents stand to miss the deadline to claim the valuable U.S. Gov’t issued coins. That means U.S. residents who find the first three digits of their zip code listed in today’s publication can claim the unsearched bags of money for themselves and keep all the U.S. Gov’t issued coins found inside. Just be sure to call before the deadline ends 48 hours from today’s publication date. ■

AZ RESIDENTS: IF YOU FIND THE FIRST THREE DIGITS OF YOUR ZIP CODE BELOW. CALL: 1-800-865-9521 NCS1160

850 852

853 855

856 857

859 860

863 864

865

Boston Zone

Minneapolis Zone

New York Zone

5 1 San Francisco Zone

Chicago Zone

2 Kansas City Zone

11 10

Cleveland Zone

St. Louis Zone

Richmond Zone

Philadelphia Zone

7 Atlanta Zone

Alaska & Hawaii are part of the San Francisco Zone

Dallas Zone

The National Toll Free Hotlines open at precisely 8:30am this morning for Arizona residents only. If lines are busy keep trying, all calls will be answered. If you miss the deadline you will be turned away from this offer and forced to wait for future announcements in this publication or others, if any. The only thing residents need to do is find the first three digits of their zip code on the Distribution List above and beat the 48 hour deadline. The Vault Bag fee has been set for $349 for residents who miss the 48 hour deadline, but for those U.S. residents who beat the 48 hour deadline the Vault Bag fee is just $249 as long as they call the National Toll Free Hotline before the deadline ends.

Sealed Unsearched Vault Bags contain over 2 pounds of U.S. Gov’t issued coins

■ UNSEARCHED: Pictured above are the unsearched Vault Bags loaded with over 2 pounds of U.S. Gov’t issued coins some dating back to the 1800’s being handed over to Arizona residents by Federated Mint.

Silver Walking Liberty 1916-1947

Silver Eisenhower Dollar 1971-1978

Silver Ben Franklin Half 1948-1963

Silver Standing Liberty 1916-1930

Rare Liberty V Nickel 1883-1913

FEDERATED MINT, LLC IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. MINT, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, A BANK OR ANY GOVERNMENT AGENCY. IF FOR ANY REASON WITHIN 30 DAYS FROM SHIPMENT YOU ARE DISSATISFIED, RETURN THE PRODUCT FOR A REFUND LESS SHIPPING AND RETURN POSTAGE. THIS SAME OFFER MAY BE MADE AVAILABLE AT A LATER DATE OR IN A DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION. OH RESIDENTS ADD 6.5% SALES TAX. FEDERATED MINT, PO BOX 1200, MASSILLON, OH 44647 ©2020 FEDERATED MINT

OPINION

Opinion 38

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Monitor young children’s screen time BY DONNA SHOTT AFN Guest Writer

s families continue to practice social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic and many parents remain at home with their young children, it’s important to monitor the amount of time young children spend in front of a screen. “Families should recognize that this is a unique time in everybody’s lives,” said Katherine Willard First Things First’s senior director of family support,. “While access to technology has been a resource during COVID-19, it’s important to remember that the best way children learn is through interactions with a trusted caregiver.” First Things First, Arizona’s early childhood agency, knows that now, many families do not have the option to shield their child from a screen at all times. Instead, parents can follow some simple guidelines to manage screen time for their young kids. The American Academy of Pediatrics rec-

Correction

ommends no exposure to screens for children 18 months old and younger. The exception is using live video chat so that children can connect with family and friends who are far away or who can’t visit in-person because of social distancing. As the child gets older, families can use technology and interactive media to strengthen relationships. The recommendations say that between 18 months and 2 years old, you should limit the watching to educational programming with a caregiver. For example, if you’re watching Sesame Street and Elmo is doing the happy dance, encourage your child to dance along. Find ways to interact with your child, based on what he is watching. For children between ages 2-5, highquality educational content is recommended for a limit of about an hour a day, the AAP says. Make sure that whatever your child is watching, that it is age appropriate. Even Disney movies, like The Lion King are not

appropriate for young children. One of Willard’s recommendations is the Arizona PBS app, which gives age ranges for their shows for young kids. Ultimately, parents of toddlers and preschoolers should give themselves a break while trying to balance working from home and caring for young children, Willard said. “Instead of focusing on what you can’t do, focus on what you can do with your child after your work day is over,” she said. Willard said she knows that sometimes the only option is to offer an educational video, if parents have a video meeting or phone call that they must attend to, but make a plan for positive interactions later in the day. “Have them help you set the table or cook a meal,” she said. Turn off the television or computer, which is sometimes used as background noise, during dinner time. “Talk about your day. You have another opportunity for that back and forth conversation during mealtime,” Willard said.

As noted earlier, the one exception to screen time limits is live video chat, like FaceTime, Zoom and Skype, among others, which allow the kind of responsive interactions that are good for helping babies and toddlers develop language. When the baby communicates through nods, gestures or expressions, they are able to see that the person on the other end responds to them. “On FaceTime, kids can have time with grandparents, who can play peek-a-boo, or sing songs, or even read a book to them,” Willard said. “It’s the personal connection that is really helping brain development. And it’s so important to maintain that social connection during this time.” Donna Shott is a spokeswoman for First Things First, a voter-created, statewide organization that funds early learning, family support and children’s preventive health services to help kids be successful once they enter kindergarten. Information: FirstThingsFirst.org.

Heather Sandstrom, who wrote a column published in last week’s edition of AFN, was incorrectly identified as the Arizona Republican Women.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Master-planned communities need master landscapers

We live in Mountain Park Ranch but I am sure I can speak for other communities when I say it has become so disappointing to see that master-planned communities do not have master-planned landscaping. Blowing rock and trimming shrubs and trees does not qualify for master-planned landscaping maintenance. When a shrub or tree dies, replacement of the lost landscaping should be a priority. Back in the day (when we truly had monsoons) the community lost so many trees, the replacements (if any) were bargain-lot willows, not meant for our desert. Dead trees, saguaros and poor design alterations show

through time. When the agave cacti finally die or a scrub is lost, it seems the drip systems are then turned off—destroying the microbiome and any saguaro that might have been depending on it. We have all seen the countless fallen saguaros of late. Maybe it is time to rethink who the HOA uses for landscaping services. Going to the lowest bidder is never a good idea in the long run. We have been witnessing the decay of our landscaping for years. If it means we have to increase our HOA fees by $10 more a month per home – it would certainly be worth it to see landscaping being cared for in the masterplanned communities we call home. -J. Fisher

Foothills HOA candidate: I fought for transparency

I am Vicky Glover, and I am running for the Foothills HOA Board of Directors. For years I have called for more transparency in our HOA. I want more opportunities for participation by homeowners, who are the most valuable asset we have. I was part of the team of homeowners who pushed for the recent bylaw reforms. Last week, board Treasurer Sandi Salvo wrote a letter attacking me. At the candidate forum the previous week, she was even more hostile. It was so bad that homeowners called her out during the forum. Salvo tried to criticize me for filing a complaint against the HOA that cost $5,000 in

legal fees. What really happened? I spent my money to fight for more transparency and allow homeowners the ability to participate at the Design Review Committee meetings while Salvo and the board spent money from our HOA dues on lawyers to fight against transparency and homeowner participation. At the candidate forum, Salvo questioned how much support I had. I welcome a comparison of how many homeowner votes I received in the 2019 election and how many she got in the 2018 election. In 2019 I received the most votes from homeowners. However, I did not win a seat because of the large corporate voters. In contrast,

see LETTERS page 39

OPINION

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

LETTERS from page 38

Salvo won her seat in 2018 because of corporate votes. In July, homeowners voted 11:1 for term limits that require Salvo to sit out for a year. Of all the votes against the reforms, 65 percent were from a single corporate supporter of Salvo. While Salvo is looking backward, I want to look forward and focus on the improvements waiting to be made in our HOA. I ask for your vote so that I can work to help implement the new reforms and to ensure transparency and accountability. I want to involve homeowners in the HOA so we can all work together for the benefit of our community. Check out: TheFoothillsInfo.com for more information about me and the other reform candidates. -Vicky Glover

Corporations hold too much sway in Foothills HOA voting

Last week, Foothills Community Association Treasurer Sandi Salvo and her next-door neighbor, Mary Engbrecht, signed two disturbing letters to the editor of this newspaper. HOA members should know something about the letter signed by Engbrecht. She asserted that current board director Jon Samuelson (appointed in January) stood out in the Sept. 16 candidate forum to such a degree that he was the only candidate worth voting for. She was highly critical of the other candidates. HOA members can rest assured that objective observers drew a much different conclusion from the Forum. Engbrecht’s views notwithstanding, our HOA is not condemned to have unqualified members elected to the board. To the contrary, the forum made clear that we are blessed with a wealth of strong, wellqualified candidates. It totally belied the claims of those who had opposed term limits on the grounds that there would not be enough good HOA members willing to run for the board. I endorse four candidates who support the recent reform movement: Rob Doherty, Vicky Glover, George Lemley and Michael Warren. More information about them can be found at TheFoothillsInfo.com. The Forum left me very optimistic. I believe that, following the upcoming election, there will be a number of directors on the board who really want to chart a new course. One thing that gives me pause about Samuelson is his close relationship with outgoing President Bill Fautsch. If elected, I hope he will not cling to the old ways but work with the new directors to promote transparency and accountability.

And Samuelson may well be elected. How he would be elected raises another concern. I am troubled by Samuelson’s appeal for cumulative voting. This arcane procedure, which allows members to cast multiple votes for one candidate, is the bane of our electoral system. Cumulative voting is a key reason the big corporations have such influence in selecting who sits on the Board. In this election, just one corporate member could use cumulative voting to give Samuelson more than 1,000 votes, virtually assuring him a seat. For me, Samuelson’s embrace of cumulative voting and asking members to cast all their votes for only him is a huge red flag. I urge all HOA members to participate in the election, no matter whom they vote for. This is the only way we homeowners can lessen the sway of the big corporations. -David Randolph

Foothills HOA board finally mailing election notices

Recently, the Foothills HOA Board failed to send notices by U.S. mail to hundreds of Foothills homeowners about the Oct. 21, 2020 annual meeting. The current board withheld sending notices by mail to this large group of homeowners because these homeowners had previously voted electronically at the special meeting in July. The board’s theory was that homeowners who had voted electronically in July had also somehow waived their right to receive notices by mail for all future meetings. The practical problem with this situation is that an unknown number of these emails went into people’s spam folders. These homeowners, therefore, did not actually receive notice of the October annual meeting, nor did they receive a ballot for the four open board director seats. The bigger problem is that the current Board should have known better. There had already been issues in July with emails going into people’s spam folders. It was a mistake not to send notices by mail to everyone. When I brought this problem to the board’s attention, the board’s response was that the “process is operating as intended.” I was shocked by the cavalier attitude towards homeowners who did not receive notice of the annual meeting. When I raised this problem again last week, the board finally consulted with its attorney and now the board says it is going to send notices by mail to those who did not receive them. Also, until I alerted them about it, the board had failed to put the annual meeting on its online calendar that is used to inform the HOA membership about all meetings. We need fresh leadership on the Foothills HOA board who will avoid these kinds of problems by putting the interests of homeowners first. I am a candidate for the board, and I ask

for your vote. You can find more information about me and other candidates at www.TheFoothillsInfo. com. If you live in the Foothills and have not received a ballot, please contact the management company at 480-704-2900. The deadline for voting is Friday, Oct. 16 at 5 p.m. Please vote! -Rob Doherty

Stephen Richer deserves vote for County Recorder

Current Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes lost his case recently in the Arizona Supreme Court for an instruction that he had added to the mail-in ballots for the 2020 General Elections. Fontes’ instruction advised voters to cross out votes made in error, and write in another item. This course of action should never be allowed in any election as it is an open invitation to voter fraud. Also, Fontes hasn’t been lawful. Secretary of State Hobbs – a Democrat also – told Fontes as he was about to break election law, “Adrian... This is clearly not the law in Arizona.” Attorney General Brnovich, a Republican, wrote, Fontes “cannot unilaterally rewrite state election laws.” His moral turpitude can be deduced by the people he represented as a criminal defense attorney. Fontes represented: Alexander Andrews, who was charged with six counts of failure to register as a sex offender in Maricopa County; Orlando Molina-Barraza and his associates, who were charged with five counts of narcotic drug violations, seven counts of money laundering, six counts of dangerous drug violations, three counts of illegal control of an enterprise, and one count of misconduct involving weapons in Maricopa County, Arizona; Miguel Angel Velarde-Macias, who was detained by the United States Border Patrol for transporting illegal immigrants across the border. Upon Velarde-Macias’ detention, USBP discovered that “Velarde-Macias had been arrested on about twenty two previous occasions” and “this history indicates that Velarde may be involved in human trafficking.” And lastly, Manuel Fabian Celis-Acosta – the “primary target” in the Obama Administration’s Fast and Furious Investigation. Fontes’ personal record includes: A class 5 Felony charge; alcohol and drug abuse resulting in probation for 1 year; three nights in jail; mortgage foreclosure; rebuke for failure to appear and gross mismanagement of law office from U.S. District Judge Stephen McNamee. The judge said, “Mr. Fontes acknowledged that he was struggling to address his own deficient office management practices. Regretfully, the Court has heard this explanation on prior occasions when there have been concerns ex-

pressed about Mr. Fontes’ conduct before the Court.” I am voting for Stephen Richer and encourage you to do as well. -Jill Norgaard

Triné Nelson driven to keep Kyrene strong

Triné Nelson is honest, open-minded, balanced, and will make a great addition to the Kyrene District school board. In this highly contentious election year, it is refreshing to hear a candidate who is receptive toward all points of view. Triné Nelson is running for Kyrene District School Board. She is a fulltime working mother of two Kyrene children, a collegiate curriculum manager/instructor and an active district volunteer. Triné brings over 15 years of experience working to help others succeed and is driven to keep Kyrene strong during these uncertain times. Triné cares deeply about giving back to her community by contributing her voice in discussions that affect many. Triné has first-hand knowledge facing challenges advocating for a student’s unique needs; collaborating with District teachers and staff while considering all the choices parents have in the best interest of their child. I know I can trust Triné to make educated decisions based on equitable consideration for all students, teachers, and families. -Terri Becker

Voting is too important to ignore this year

How many of us have voted for candidates about whom we know next to nothing? We might have a sense of their party affiliation, but would we recognize them on the street? Can we express one of their views? Do we know anything about their background, their experience, their success in similar endeavors? I am guessing that most of us are not fully informed before we drop the ballot into the box. Why? Because it takes time, it takes persistence and it takes commitment to vote responsibly and maturely. And, because we are filled with excuses. “I can’t find the website about the candidate.” “I don’t have time to dig around for the truth.” “I just vote as my friends tell me.” “I don’t even bother voting – what difference does it make?” I have used some of these excuses myself in the past. Too often I have relied on someone else’s assessments and just blackened the circles they have suggested. Too often I have skipped a group of names because who can tell one judge from another? And, too often I have just gotten it done to get it done without even checking to see if my candi-

see LETTERS page 40

OPINION

LETTERS from page 39

dates or propositions won. I am not proud to admit any of this, but I know I am not alone. This year however, I am not going to slide by again, because voting my conscience and my values are too important. Throwing out a political opinion occasionally on Facebook isn’t going to satisfy my sense of morality, asking someone to send me suggestions yet again is not going to satisfy my moral compass. There is something too important at stake this year. More than I can recall any other year, and I have been a voter for over 40 years. This year, the morality of the country that I love is at stake. This year, the soul of our country is in peril. This year, I must get involved. So, I have. I have mailed postcards, placed signs in the yard, listened to candidates speak online, encouraged others to do the same. I have donated time and money, sermonized on the importance of supporting compassionate candidates who share our values, and, yes, written this editorial. Because, unless you and I and all those who support rationality, decency, justice and honesty step up and make our voices heard, we will likely sink more deeply into the discord and division that we currently experience. If you and I and all those who believe that truth and righteous behavior and action are values worth fighting for and do not write the postcards, sign the petitions, display the signs and get our ballots mailed or dropped off on time, we will have to face our children and grandchildren when they ask us, and they will, “how did you let it happen?” Voting is a spiritual endeavor because it demands us to examine our values every time we place a mark on the ballot. And, I say to anyone who is reading this and shaking their head, that to vote against what you know to be right and true is to deny your deepest and best self. It is to deny the legacy and promise that is America. It is to deny our country’s future as a people and nation indivisible. We must not let that happen. Vote to give our country a chance to once again stand tall and firm and resolute against those internally and externally who would tear us apart. Vote to give your children and grandchildren a safe future in America. It’s up to us. - Rabbi Susan Schanerman

Will governor protect our right to vote?

As a voter, I want to hear from our Governor. I am incredibly concerned about the President’s recent comments where he admitted plans of “getting rid of ballots” backed by his

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Atlantic magazine interview where Mr. Trump discussed having states appoint electors rather than honoring duly-elected ones. I want to know what the Governor is planning to do to protect our vote, thus our democracy. Will Mr. Ducey commit to uphold the will of Arizona voters? I’ve requested this commitment in writing. So far, crickets. Your silence is deafening. We need to hear from you, Governor. -Laurie Nerat

Julie Gunnigle should be our next County Attorney

A former prosecutor and law professor, Julie Gunnigle has my vote to become the first woman to win the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. If elected this November, Julie Gunnigle vows “to be tough, smart, and fair” as the new County Attorney. Among her many issues on her agenda, she will work to protect women, children, and seniors from violent crimes, stop systemic racism, implement sentencing reform, end cash bail, hold law enforcement accountable, protect Arizonan civil liberties, create effective diversion programs for at-risk populations, and stop the prosecution of low-level drug offenses. “My platform is straightforward and hasn’t deviated since we started this campaign. We need to transform this office into an institution that is tough, smart, and fair. This means being tough on corruption and crimes that target the most vulnerable in our society like women, children, and our seniors. “Being smart with our resources by instituting reforms to fix our incarceration crisis and save $250 million a year. Being fair with our sentencing and ending regressive practices like pleading so that the punishments in our legal system fit the crime committed. “ These are all commonsense reforms backed by evidence that will both make our community safer and save us money when they’re implemented. Talking directly to people in Arizona, there has been overwhelming bipartisan support for these kinds of changes. I’m convinced Julie Gunnigle will be tough, smart and fair as our next Maricopa County Attorney. Julie Gunnigle has my vote. -David Gordon

Where is the outrage over Eloy detention enter?

Eloy AZ ICE detention center boasts one of the nation’s largest COVID outbreaks with over 40 percent of employees and detainees infected. Where is the outrage? -CJ Briggle

Vote yes on Prop 207 even if you don’t like weed

As a person who doesn’t use marijuana in any form, despises the smell, and has no love of being with others who are enjoying it, I wholeheartedly endorse a “yes” vote on Proposition 207 to decriminalize marijuana use and possession in Arizona. The number one argument for me—actually, the only argument I care about – concerns racial justice. People of color are far more likely to be arrested for violating marijuana laws, even though they use the drug at virtually the same rate as whites. This is true everywhere in the country – cities big and small, rural and urban areas, places that are wealthy or poor. I personally have several friends of color whose families have been drastically negatively impacted by draconian marijuana laws. These laws are grossly oppressive to otherwise law-abiding citizens just because of their skin color. It is a despicable corruption of “justice” and should be enough to make anyone with a conscience mark “yes” on the ballot despite all of the specious arguments the opposition tries to throw at us. For more details on the legislation, check out smartandsafeaz.com. For more information on the racial justice take, visit travel writer/ activist Rick Steves’ website (ricksteves.com) and navigate to his “social activism & philanthropy” page. He’s a fervent supporter of decriminalization and a decent human being. I hope you will be, too. -Geri Koeppel

League of Women Voters supports Proposition 208

League of Women Voters of Arizona supports a yes vote on Proposition 208-Invest in Education, the ballot measure that increases and begins to equalize public school funding across the state. It increases income taxes only on those Arizonans with the highest 1 percent of personal income. After careful analysis, League members have determined Proposition 208 is consistent with established League positions and is structured to deliver the promised results for Arizona public school children. The League is a nonpartisan organization and develops positions only after careful indepth studies. The League has studied and developed comprehensive positions on public school finance since 1979 and addresses such issues as funding for quality, how funds should be collected, an adequate funding formula, a uniform distribution of state funds, fiscal accountability and local participation in decision-making and the distribution of funds. These positions, developed by the League well before Prop 208, provide the basis for our

strong support of this ballot measure in 2020. The League of Women Voters recognizes the inequities of local school property taxes. We support a state funding formula that decreases reliance on local district property taxes and increases reliance on statewide taxes for support of public education to better assure parity across school districts throughout our state. The Legislature has failed to provide such a plan for the past 10 years, resulting in a rate of per pupil spending that ranks 49th in the nation. Despite recent increases, our elected leaders have managed to spend $800 million less on education than they did a decade ago. This deficit has resulted in large class sizes, teacher and support staff shortages, and reductions in educator salaries. These deficits can be corrected by asking those in Arizona with the highest 1 percent of personal incomes to pay a little more (3.5 percent on individual earnings over $250,000 or joint earnings over $500,000) to invest in our communities and the future of our state. A “yes” vote on Proposition 208 will: Put an estimated $940 million into Arizona’s public schools. Enact a 3.5 percent income tax in addition to the existing income tax (4.5 percent in 2020), on income above $250,000 (single filing) or $500,000 (joint filing). Distribute the revenue from the 3.5 percent income tax to teacher and classroom support staff salaries, teacher mentoring and retention programs, career and technical programs, and the Arizona Teachers Academy. Make the measure a state statute, with strong accountability measures that will prevent the legislature from diverting the funds to causes other than what voters intend. Proposition 208 offers a solution that will channel needed funds to the personnel working directly with our children — not to the administration of schools, as opponents claim. The proposition does place an additional tax on those who earn more. Opponents claim this is an unfair burden on small businesses. Again, the additional tax applies only to income above $250,000 (single filers) or $500,000 (joint filers). We would assert that any business that yields that much money in personal income is not a small business. Business owners will continue to thrive in Arizona, even as they pay a little more for the quality education needed so that they can benefit from a strong, well-educated workforce. Please join League of Women Voters of Arizona in supporting Proposition 208. - Bonnie Saunders, Interim President, and Pinny Sheoran, State Advocacy Chair

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Online consignment shopping surges here BY KRISTINE CANNON AFN Staff Writer

hoppers may not be keen to rummage through racks at secondhand stores for clothing, but used furniture sales and consignments are going through the roof. Shoppers are also spending more time shopping high-end, luxury secondhand treasures online and on social media, two Scottsdale-based consignment store owners report. “My Sister’s Attic, which is our furniture and home furnishing store, is doing really well. It actually beat last year’s comp sales, which in a time like this is unheard of,” said Ann Siner, CEO and co-founder of consignment retail stores My Sister’s Closet, My Sister’s Attic and Well Suited. Less than a mile south of My Sister’s Closet’s Lincoln Village store, To Be Con-

Scottsdale-based luxury consignment store To Be Continued saw 57 percent year-over-year growth since the onset of the pandemic, thanks to its social media and online presence. (Special to AFN)

tinued has also seen success amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Since pivoting to Instagram and turning its brick-and-mortar store into a hybrid

online destination, the luxury consignment store at the Shops at Hilton Village has seen a 57 percent year-over-year growth since the onset of the pandemic and a monthly increase of 1,000 followers on Instagram. “At the onset of the pandemic in March, everything came to a screeching halt as we were suddenly unable to service our client base who regularly traveled to our brickand-mortar locations to buy and sell their luxury goods. So, we had to think quickly and strategically,” said Chrissy Sayare, coowner of To Be Continued. That meant focusing on their digital presence and offering virtual styling sessions through Instagram Stories in order to consign their designer handbags, apparel, shoes, accessories and more to those shopping from home.

�� CONSIGNMENT�� 43

Desert Financial Credit Union CEO a family man BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA AFN Contributor

n 26 years at Desert Financial Credit Union, the last 3-1/2 as president and CEO, Jeff Meshey has never missed a day of work. He credits his upbringing in the farmlands of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, for solidifying a work ethic that has served him well in his career, starting as a senior auditor at Ernst and Young shortly after graduating from Ohio’s University of Mount Union. Meshey is also a family man with six children from a blended family, ranging from grown adults to two daughters in �ifth and sixth grade at Chandler Online Academy. This experience, he says, also contributes to his ability to manage a diverse group of 1,125 full-time and part-time employees. He also has a big heart, demonstrated recently when he engineered a $10,000 donation to an Ahwatukee couple who

needed to raise money to move to Italy in an effort to extend the lives of their two terminally-ill children Desert Financial, now Arizona’s largest credit union, was chartered in 1939 by 15 valley educators as Arizona Educational Association Federal Credit Union. In 1972, the name was changed to Desert Schools Federal Credit Union to better de�ine its niche market, and remained so for more than four decades. Meshey began his career at Desert Financial in 1994 as vice president of �inance through 2000, when he was named executive vice president. In 2017, following the retirement of his longtime boss and CEO Susan Frank, he took the helm. In January 2018, Desert Financial Credit Union, a $4.5 billion full-service Arizona based institution with 330,000 members throughout Maricopa, Pinal and Gila Counties, received its new moniker under Meshey’s leadership.

Chandler resident Jeff Meshey, CEO of Desert Financial Credit, whoops it up with Sparky at a Sun Devil basketball game. (Special to AFN)

The rebranding gained a wide audience when promoted during a Super Bowl commercial featuring Alice Cooper rif�ing on his 1972 hit, “School’s Out” to emphasize

the name from Desert Schools to Desert Financial.

�� CREDIT �� 44

BUSINESS

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

Things to consider with early retirement BY JOSEPH ORTIZ AFN Guest Writer

he COVID-19 pandemic has unsettled the country’s employment picture for months and will likely continue to do so for a while. However, the nature and terminology of this disruption varies greatly among individuals – some have seen their jobs disappear, others have been “furloughed” and still others have been offered an early retirement. If you’re in this �inal group – those either offered, or feeling forced to accept, an early retirement, how should you respond? Try to look at your situation holistically, rather than strictly in a short-term manner. Consider these four areas: Retirement. What does retirement really look like to you? Are you ready to fully retire or would you like to work part time? Are you con�ident that

CONSIGNMENT �� 42

“We’ve been able to access clients from all over the world that are purchasing our products in real time,” Sayare said. “Over the last few months, we’ve shipped Louis Vuitton and Prada bags to the beaches of Turk and Caicos, Hermes handbags to Hong Kong and a Karl Lagerfeld vintage handbag to the head handbag designer for Chanel in Paris. It’s truly amazing to see the demand during these times.” According to research from Future Market Insights, a retail analytics �irm, online resellers – think Poshmark and Thredup – are expected to jump from $30 million in sales in the United States in 2020 to $70 million by 2027. Traditional in-store thrift and resale, however, are expected to drop from $57 million in 2020 to $50 million by 2027. As Siner embraced social media and expanded their virtual presence, offering FaceTime shopping for their customers, in-store shopping boomed – speci�ically at her My Sister’s Attic stores in Scottsdale, Chandler and Encinitas, California. “We’re up 25 percent in Arizona and 14 percent in California. That’s just for the

you can work somewhere else for a few years before retiring on your own terms? If you’re not certain you can work elsewhere, how can you adjust your desired retirement lifestyle – what you planned to do, where you hoped to live, etc. – to meet your new reality? Income. Just how �inancially affected you’ll be from an early retirement depends on several factors: how much you’ve already saved and invested, whether you’re married and have a working spouse, whether you’ve paid off your mortgage, and so on. In any case, though, you’ll need to answer several questions. Questions can include: “Do I need to start taking withdrawals from my IRA and 401(k)? If so, how much can I afford to take out each year without running the risk of outliving my resources? Should I adjust my current investment mix? If I haven’t yet started collecting Social Security, should I do so now, or can I afford to wait until my monthly

payments will be bigger? Are there any other sources of income I can leverage?” You may want to work with a �inancial professional to address these and other key income-related issues. Insurance. If you received health insurance through your employer, an early retirement could present you with a dilemma, especially if you’re not quite old enough for Medicare. You might be eligible for COBRA, which provides exemployees and their dependents the option of continued health insurance for potentially up to 36 months. But this coverage can be expensive. As an alternative, you might be able to negotiate an extended severance package, which could provide you with health insurance for several months. Or, you might be able to get on the health insurance plan of your working spouse. Legacy. Many people want to take care of their family while they’re alive – and leave something behind when they’re gone. If you take an early retire-

�ice things. Or, they month of August,” weren’t modeled, or Siner said. they got a divorce,” People are not Siner surmised. “It only spending more was life-changing, money, but they’re for so many people also consigning to be at home for so more items than long.” ever before — and Unlike To Be quality furniture Continued, clothand decor at that. ing sales at Siner’s “We’ve always gotMy Sister’s Closet ten really nice things stores were a differbut the quality of the ent story: furniture right now Arizona Closets is just craziness: a was down in August lot of Restoration compared to last Hardware, Roche year by 20 percent Bobois, good basics – and that’s conlike Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn. Chrissy Sayare is the co-owner of To Be Continued, a sidered their best luxury consignment store located at the Shops at Hilton month since the Everything’s in great Village. (Special to AFN) shutdown. condition or we Why aren’t people buying used clothing? won’t take it; and it’s coming in so fast and “People have nowhere to go,” Siner said furious,” Siner said, suggesting this spike simply. “You’re not going to a cocktail paris likely the result of cabin fever. “I think because people were stuck at ty. You’re really not going out to a restauhome and they looked around their house, rant very often. And you have no galas, no ‘I need a new dining room.’ Or, they moved fundraisers, no social events. You’re not their of�ice home and need some new of- even going to meetings in person, so you

ment, you might lose your employer’s group life insurance. Of course, if this plan was not suf�icient, you may have already supplemented it with your own policy, but, if you haven’t, you may need to shop around for some coverage, particularly if you have children still at home. You also may want to take this opportunity to review your key �inancial accounts to make sure your bene�iciary designations still accurately re�lect your wishes. Going through an unplanned career transition is certainly challenging. But looking closely at the four areas described above, and making the appropriate moves, may help you reduce some of the stress and can put you in a better position to start the next phase of your life. Ahwatukee resident Joseph Ortiz is a �inancial advisor for Edward Jones. Information: 480-753-7664 or Joseph.Ortiz@edwardjones.com.

don’t need new party clothes or even new work wear.” According to a July survey from Mintel, 33 percent of people have stopped buying clothes entirely while 32 percent have concerns about shopping for clothes in a store. Over the past two weekends, however, Siner did see glimmers of hope: Their Fall Unveiling event, where more than 100,000 fall items were unveiled, saw nearly 100 people lined up in the heat to shop at their Lincoln Village store. Crowding isn’t an issue at My Sister’s Closet stores, either; both their �lagship store in Scottsdale and their store in Chandler are a staggering 15,000 square feet. While My Sister’s Closet stores may not be reporting strong consignment numbers, To Be Continued has – thanks to its new trade program, which allows shoppers to trade in items at no additional cost. Once the deal has been negotiated, To Be Continued then authenticates, photographs and takes ownership of the new items and sells them through its online store for a pro�it. Information: mysistersattic.com and tbcconsignment.com.

BUSINESS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

CREDIT �� 42

He has launched many programs for his community and his employees – among them InvestED, which rolled out in June. “Desert Financial was founded by teachers so we understand the value of education,” said Meshey. “Our new InvestED makes it possible for full-time employees of Desert Financial and its subsidiaries to earn a graduate or undergraduate degree online at Arizona State University with fully-paid tuition.” Meshey is a strong advocate of work-life balance and keeping physically �it. At 62, he begins each day exercising in his work-out room at his Chandler home and when plans were being made to renovate the six-story Desert Financial Headquarters building at 148 N. 48th Street, an employee �itness center was high on his list of must-haves. “I believe getting up early and exercise are keys to a long life,” he said, adding his 87-year-old parents still live in Lancaster County. “There were many things I told myself I wanted to do when I became CEO and I knew I wanted to put in a �itness center for our employees.” With more than 80 other perks available to Desert Financial employees – including paid parental leave, sick leave for elderly parents, $250 per child to pay for needs related to school/remote learning – the company is often voted One of the Best Places to Work in Phoenix. And Meshey as CEO is often mentioned alongside those. He is well respected by his employees as well as others with whom he comes in contact professionally. His thick snow-white hair spills over his forehead from a left-sided part and the cleft in the center of his jaw often brings comparison to Kirk Douglas’ famous chin feature. Meshey’s friendly face is frequently wreathed in a smile, his blue eyes twinkling behind his reading glasses. He said his two elementary school daughters with wife Debbie do much to keep him young while his two older adult daughters, two grown stepsons and with three grandchildren add to the mix, making it easy to relate to his employees of all ages. “I attribute a lot of my success to my own family and the values they instilled at me at a young age. And now, with my family, I think it really guides a lot of my decisions running a company,” he said. “And since I

Jeff Meshey displays envelopes for teachers from 2020 Fiesta Bowl Charities. (Instagram)

have young adult children as well as schoolaged ones, this helps me to relate better to what our team members at Desert Financial are experiencing, and it’s a big reason why I’ve worked tirelessly to improve our bene�its for parents and their children.” The pandemic has complicated life for the credit union and its 47 branches due to the changes in working conditions, including many employees working from home, but had a silver lining for families, said Meshey. “One of the positive things coming out of the coronavirus is the additional time that we’ve been able to spend with our families, and hopefully we are all making those moments count,” he said. For his Chandler family, the lockdown and a recently remodeled kitchen brought unexpected culinary talents to light. “I discovered that in addition to being a great mother and executive coach, my wife makes a fabulous lasagna,” he said of Debbie, his wife of 14 years. “With both of us working, and then a busy life with the girls, we really hadn’t cooked much. “And I have this dish I’ve been making - a shrimp boil with corn, audouille sausage, potatoes and onion seasoned with Old Bay. We miss the Maryland Shore where we’d go every summer. I used to take my older daughters there, too. So, this is our east coast dish, and a really good thing to do on weekends and we love it.”

If family togetherness was a boon, the loss of professional baseball is the family’s bane. “When I moved here in 1994, the Diamondbacks didn’t even exist, but when they played their �irst game on March 31, 1998 I was there. I’ve had a season ticket ever since that �irst year, and I was also in attendance at all four winning home games against the Yankees in the 2001 World Series,” he recalled proudly. “Our family enjoyed watching baseball together, and we would often go on Sundays after church; we really miss doing that.” A long-time fan of former Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken, Jr., “The Iron Man” who was recently honored on his 25th anniversary of shattering Lou Gehrig’s consecutive-game streak, Meshey said he still ‘laments’ missing the Sept. 6, 1995 record-setting game.

GOT NEWS?

Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak @timespublications.com

He is a member of Ahwatukee’s Mountain View Lutheran Church, where his wife is active in the children’s ministry. “I’d be remiss if I didn’t say I was a Christian,” he said. “The principles guide me in all I try to do as a servant leader.” Meshey said there are many things he’s proud of as CEO of Desert Financial Credit Union including the commitment to the communities they serve through a wealth of projects. As a not-for-pro�it cooperative, in 2019 Desert Financial gave nearly $11 million to Valley nonpro�its, the community and members. And in the same year, Desert Financial employees, also referred to as team members, volunteered nearly 8,000 hours, donated more than $248,000 through their Random Acts of Kindness program, donated $719,000 for community grants, donations and program sponsorships and supplied $106,000 for 53 teacher appreciation events at Title 1 schools. And though “school” is no longer a part of the credit union’s name, helping teachers remains a big focus of Desert Financial. The credit union is the title sponsor for the Arizona Education Foundation’s Teacher of the Year Award. The 2021 roster of 10 nominees from throughout the state include Sarah Wyffels, Chandler High School Spanish Teacher, and two Mesa Public School teachers: Sharisse Nunes, Falcon Hill Elementary, and Nicole Powell, Las Sendas Elementary. “I feel we are a good corporate citizen,” said Meshey. “Our employees give of their time, their talents and their money, and we do so because we care about the communities we live in.” In 2018, Desert Financial established the Desert Financial Foundation as their �irst nonpro�it entity. Their �irst year, the credit union donated $6.27 million to the Foundation.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

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Ahwatukee stadiums will largely be empty BY ZACH ALVIRA AFN Sports Editor

ttending a fall high school sporting event will be a different experience than in years past for Desert Vista and Mountain Pointe fans due to the pandemic. Many school districts are limiting the number of tickets sold to a household and the public – and Tempe Union High School District is among them. At many district stadiums, other measures, such as the use of masks and social distancing, will also be in place as the high school football season in the Valley begins Friday. Both Ahwatukee stadiums will largely be empty – at least for a while. “We are not to in-person learning yet and do not feel it would be appropriate to allow fans and students into campus prior to students being in class at school,” said Dave Huf�ine, the Tempe Union High School District Athletic Director. “We are also keeping an eye on the ZIP code and district numbers. That has a big role as well.” Currently, the district plans to open classrooms on Oct. 13 Monday-Tuesday for one group of students and ThursdayFriday for the other group. Huf�ine said each athlete will be able to reserve two tickets for home football and volleyball games. At this point, however, no student or general public tickets will be sold. Social distancing guidelines will be in place at Mountain Pointe, Desert Vista and the other Tempe Union high schools. That includes spectators wearing masks at all times. Additionally, Huf�ine said concessions stands and merchandise tables will not be open for fans. The home band, however, will be in attendance. Huf�ine added the district will continuously monitor the day-to-day changes as it relates to the virus. He hopes to allow more fans and students when Tempe Union returns to in-person learning. The fan limits at games will undoubtedly cause a dramatic change in the overall

and a little weird,” Mountain Pointe junior wide receiver Jordan Huff said, “but not so much that it will affect us as a team. “We will really have to cheer for each other and bring that energy and �ire since there aren’t as many fans.” Even with fan attendance down Fans at both Mountain Pointe and Desert Vista will be limited when the football season compared to recent kicks off on Friday, Oct. 2, as only two tickets per athlete will be sold. (AFN File Photo) years, the annual energy that typically surrounds stadiums Tukee Bowl rivalry between Desert Vista on Friday nights. and Mountain Pointe continues to draw “I feel like the atmosphere will be com- near standing-room only crowds. pletely different and make it harder to The Tukee Bowl is currently scheduled hype up my teammates and get them to to be played the last week of the eightplay 100 percent for all four quarters,” game regular season on Nov. 20. By then, Desert Vista junior running back Devon students and general public ticket sales Grubbs said. “The excitement of the crowd may be allowed. But there will still be also fuels players to do better.” some restrictions in place. Grubbs, who has been at the varsity “I’ll de�initely miss the crowds because level since his freshman year, has become both sides bring an incredible amount of accustomed to the raucous energy Desert excitement that fuels me to perform even Vista’s student section and fans bring on a better,” Grubbs said. weekly basis. “I think that we will miss the packed He added it will take extra motivation crowds but hopefully in the near future from the sideline to remind players even if they will give us a little more leeway with loud cheers aren’t heard, that doesn’t mean the fans,” Huff added. to not approach each play at full speed. With reduced crowd sizes and no con“I feel we’ll have to adjust by reminding cession stands allowed to operate, boostmy teammates that we aren’t playing for er clubs have been forced to raise funds in the crowd,” Grubbs said. “We’re playing other ways. for each other and to win.” Jim Sawitzke, the president of the MounJordan Huff, a junior wide receiver tain Pointe football booster club, was told who transferred from Pinnacle to Moun- early on to expect concessions to be closed. tain Pointe during the offseason, echoed In a typical season, $5,000 to $6,000 is Grubbs’ statement. typically made at concession stands and He believes the atmosphere will differ merchandise tables. This year, they’ve had greatly from what he was accustomed to rely on other fundraising opportunities. to at Pinnacle and what he has been told “It de�initely hurts,” Sawitzke said. “But about Mountain Pointe. it’s kind of offset, as it is for most teams, be“The atmosphere on Friday nights with cause we didn’t take kids to camp this year, less fans will de�initely be a little different we didn’t have a travel game like we had

originally planned, and we didn’t have any 7-on-7. So �inancially, it hurts but not spending money on those things helped a bit. “Our corporate sponsors, the discount cards and other fundraisers we’ve done have helped.” Other East Valley districts have similar plans to allow fans into stadiums. Higley was the �irst district to announce its plans for fans to attend fall sporting events. The district decided not to put a limit on the number of fans that can attend. The only limitation is for an athlete’s household, which is set at four. Mesa Public Schools will allow athlete’s families to purchase four tickets per game. Gilbert Public Schools will allow only 25 percent capacity in its stadiums and gyms, with each athlete allowed to purchase two. When capacity is reached, general admission tickets will no longer be sold. Chandler Uni�ied School District is also limiting capacity to 25 percent for football volleyball and swimming competitions. Four tickets will be available for football, cheer, pom and marching band participants, while only two will be available for volleyball. While different, parents, coaches, players and school and district administrators all admit they’re happy to see sports this fall. Sawitzke, whose son, Kevin, is a senior tight end for Mountain Pointe, knows he won’t be able to high-�ive or �ist bump other parents in the stand this season, but being able to watch his son play is worth the restrictions. “It’s going to be a lot different and having a senior, I’m a little depressed about it,” Sawitzke said. “It’s a great feeling being in the stands with all of your friends and other parents when they score. Hearing the roar of the crowd is exhilarating. While there will still be cheering, it won’t quite be the same. But us parents realize playing football is a blessing, especially this year.” Mountain Pointe and Desert Vista kickoff the 2020 season on Friday at 7 p.m. The Pride will host Higley while the Thunder visit Corona del Sol.

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

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Schnepf Farms’ Halloween tradition is a go BY PAUL MARYNIAK Executive Editor

he pandemic has cost the Valley scores of annual public events this year – from fundraising galas and community gatherings to well-established traditional celebrations like the Ostrich Festival and even the Arizona State Fair. But Mark and Carrie Schnepf are refusing to bow to COVID-19 and scrap one of the East Valley’s signature fall events – the Chili and Pumpkin Party on their 300-acre farm at 24810 S. Rittenhouse Road, Queen Creek. “Someone needs to do normal because for families, it’s tough,” Carrie said. “It’s tough for everyone and we have a big space. … This is just for everyone to just enjoy each other. COVID-19 has been devastating to many families who have lost loved ones or those who have lost jobs. It’s time to finally have some positive memories.”

With that theme, the Schnepfs are determined to help families eke some fun out of a year that’s been hard for everyone – including them. Their annual Peach Festival earlier this year was crimped by COVID-19 as they had to forego the traditional peach-picking by patrons, who instead ordered the fruit online and had it picked by the couple’s employees. Scores of spring weddings were canceled, further impacting the bottom line of an operation that depends on such events – as well as the Peach Festival and Chili and Pumpkin Party – to augment the revenue their more traditional farming generates. The Schnepfs have added a number of attractions to this year’s 23rd annual Halloween tradition, which runs Oct. 1-31 and draws thousands of families and couples on many weekend days and evenings.

The Hyper Loop is normally a staple at the Arizona State Fair but since there is none this year, it will be at Schnepf Farm all October for people who visit the Chili and Pumpkin Party. (Special to AFN)

see PUMPKINS page 50

ImprovMania welcomes back audience with talk show BY KEVIN REAGAN AFN Staff Writer

mprovMANIA is welcoming back audience members to its theater in downtown Chandler after a six-month hiatus was taken to protect patrons from the coronavirus. Owner Dave Specht is excited to perform comedy again before a live audience after he and his staff were unexpectedly forced to only produce digital content for the last few months. The actor and comedian had transformed his home office into a mini television studio in order to continue posting weekly sketches and commercial parodies. But Specht said he’s eager to get back onto a stage again and be able to elicit reactions from actual people. The videos were a great way to keep ImprovMANIA’s fans entertained during quarantine, he added, yet they couldn’t offer the same satisfaction a performer feels

ImprovMANIA owner Dave Specht is welcoming back live audiences to his downtown comedy theater after a six-month closing. (Pablo Robles/Staff Photographer)

when they’re in front of an audience. The theater’s slowly begun introducing live events at its downtown location and will soon offer a live talk show that fea-

tures Specht as the master of ceremonies. The spectacle will include sketches, jokes, special guests, and lots of interactions with the audience. It will be in the spirit of what Conan

O’Brien or Johnny Carson did with their shows, Specht said, and hopefully provide some comedic relief during a chaotic time

see IMPROV page 51

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Scottsdale artist featured on new web series AFN NEWS STAFF

cottsdale oil painter Nancy Breiman is the featured “creative” on the latest episode of AZ Creates!, a new biweekly web series created and hosted by Chandler artist and author Laurie Fagen. The new installment in the recently launched half-hour web series highlights artists, writers, dancers, musicians, film, theater or TV creatives in Arizona began last week. Fagen, a crime fiction novel writer, designed the program to connect art patrons with artists, and to work on something more positive during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’ve found it challenging to write about death and murder for my fiction,” Fagen explains, who was working on “Bleeder,” her third novel in her “Behind the Mic Mysteries.” “It’s much more inspiring and fun to chat with artists, and I’m enjoying working with my son, Devon Hancock, who is composing original music and editing the video programs,” she said. Breiman enjoys painting nature, and especially flowers, explaining, “I’m in my happy place when surrounded by creative people, bright colors and beautiful things

PUMPKINS from page 49

But the pandemic also has forced them to alter some aspects of the party – particularly the number of people they can allow on the premises at any given day. “Extreme steps have been taken to assure visitors that when visiting this fall,” Carrie said. “Their safety and health is our top priority.” The Schnepfs figure they can allow 4,000 people to attend the event, where masks will be required in close quarters like on the hayride, in the country store and a few other places and amusements – and will be mandatory throughout the farm 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Fridays for those grandparents who want to bring their grandkids. Hand sanitizing stations have been installed throughout the site, as well as autoflushing toilets, soap dispensers and hand dryers. Sanitizing teams will be cruising the farm to keep high-touch surfaces safe and all staff will have daily temperature and symptom checks.

NANCY BREIMAN

with a paintbrush in my hand.” Breiman shares her passion with others through volunteering, teaching art workshops and providing one-on-one instruction in oil painting. She is a juried member of Oil Painters of America and a member of The Sonoran Arts League, Arizona Artists Guild, The Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance and the Arizona Arts Alliance. Award-winning Chandler author Albert

To keep the crowds manageable, people must buy their tickets online at pumpkinandchiliparty.com so that the Schnepfs know how many people are planning to come. While all-season passes are available and good any time, they are included in the count of single-visit tickets to help them count the crowd. “Once we get around 4,000 people, then there’s no more tickets to be purchased for that time,” Carrie said, adding that military, law enforcement and first responders can get in for $10 instead of the regular $23 admission – which entitles visitors to free rides and all other activities except food, the hayride and pumpkins. For those people who enjoy dropping by the party to pick a pumpkin or be one of the 50,000 visitors who gobble up the event’s famous chili lunches and dinners – but are nervous about mingling among others on the farm – the Schnepfs have you covered. They can order bowls of chili – complete with corn on the cob, a slice of corn bread

ALBERT QUIHUIS

Quihuis will also be featured on the second episode of AZ Creates! in the “What Are You Reading?” book segment. Quihuis, who has written a series of children’s books to honor his parents and family traditions, has also penned the young adult “Better Than Me,” a true story of three generations of “women’s hardships and misfortunes” and their strength to overcome them. He will read a short selection from “So-

and a brownie – and even caramel apple pies and pumpkins online at Schnepffarms.com. The online pantry also has other baked goods and food products. For those who do enter the grounds, the Schnepfs have added some amusements in addition to fan-favorite attractions like the pig races, petting zoo, bonfires and the 4-acre and 10-acre corn mazes. The larger maze is always cut in honor of a local sports celebrity and this year it will be Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps. Because the Arizona State Fair will not be held, the amusement ride supplier, Kastl Amusements of Casa Grande, is renting the Schnepfs a super slide and the Extreme Hyper Loop to add to the normal array of amusement rides like the roller coaster and kiddie ferris wheel. In the open-air pavilion, Molly Jacobs, the director of the Queen Creek Performing Arts Center, has choreographed a small troupe of three costumed girls and two costumed boys to provide country-western shows every couple hours and there will be

fia’s Summer Adventure.” In the events segment, called “Something to Look Forward To,” co-host and graphic designer Cathy Beard of Chandler will highlight arts events including Pinetop-Lakeside’s Fall Artisans Festival, Gilbert’s Art Intersection, a Sedona Arts Center fundraiser, jazz programs at The Nash in Phoenix and more. The featured nonprofit for the second show will be the Sonoran Arts League, an 800-member state-wide arts organization. The program will close with a “Creative Quote of the Day.” The first episode launched Sept. 10 and featured choreographer Pamela Cannedy of Phoenix and author Lee Travathan of Queen Creek. The new episode will be available on the AZ Creates! YouTube channel at any time. Sponsorships are available with introductory rates and discounts for multi-show commitments. Sponsors for the premiere show include Mary Contreras State Farm Insurance, Sibley’s West, an Arizona and Chandler Gift Shop and Times Media Group. Subscribe to the AZ Creates channel on Youtube.com at is.gd/AZCreates, visit the Art Online AZ Facebook and Instagram pages or email AZCreates.ArtOnlineAZ@ gmail.com for details.

continuous line dancing for everyone. The Schnepfs also have had success with their drive-in movies on a 50-foot screen and they’ve planned family-friendly Halloween-themed major motion pictures for people who feel like taking in a movie at $20 a carload in an area apart from the Chili and Pumpkin Party. “We can only take up to 150 or 200 cars but people love it,” Carrie said. “I get emails and phone calls every day about doing the drive-in now. We let them bring their own food and their snacks and they can sit in front of their vehicle or in the back. They just can’t sit beside their cars because of the social distancing.” They’ve also added additional times and days for the event, with 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday-through-Thursday opportunities for families whose kids might be on fall break or can sneak away from their laptops if they’re doing distance learning. Other times are 1-9 p.m. Thursdays, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 10 a.m.- 9 p.m. Sundays.

GET OUT

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

Chandler artist in Prescott Plein Air Art Festival DAVID M. BROWN GETOUT Contributor

att Sterbenz of Chandler is among 14 Arizona artists participating in the first Plein Air Art Festival in October in Prescott. Sponsored by The Highlands Center for Natural History and the city of Prescott, the event features live outdoor painting Oct. 1–3 followed by a reception and sale event Oct. 4 and an online sale Oct 6–17. “I’ll have three days to paint as much as I can,” said Sterbenz. “I’m hoping to get a good variety of subjects: a sunset or sunrise, Watson Lake, and maybe a historic building or downtown scene.” “In plein air” artists try to capture the spirit of a landscape or subject by incorporating natural light, color and movement into their art, explained Janet Humphrey, a Prescott resident and one of the event coordinators. The public can observe and speak with the artists as they work dawn to dusk at seven sites, chosen to celebrate Prescott’s diverse landscape: Granite Dells, Granite Mountain, Highlands Center for Natural

IMPROVE from page 49

for Chandler residents. And the talk show will be broadcast live online thanks to some new video equipment Specht has set up inside ImprovMANIA. Specht said it is important for the theater to maintain a digital presence despite its return to in-person shows. ImprovMANIA had always planned to offer digital content at some point in the future. But the theater’s staff just wasn’t expecting a pandemic to come along and force them to completely reimagine how they do comedy. Staffers weren’t sure at first how it would work since something that’s funny in-person might not translate well over to a Zoom call. “It’s been difficult but it’s also been a blessing,” Specht said. The theater had to find a way to innovate, he added, which proved to be arduous because the service ImprovMANIA provides can’t be easily packaged and delivered to someone’s front door. As restaurants around Chandler found ways to quickly continue feeding custom-

The ticketed event will incorporate the CDC with guidelines staggered arrival times. The public will view, purchase and judge the works for a People’s Choice Award. A “Best of Show” will also be awarded. The online sale of the remaining Plein Air artists’ paintings will take Chandler artist Matt Sterbenz is an accomplished “in plein air” master who will be place at 32aucpresenting some of his work next month in Prescott. (Special toGetOut) tions.com/pleinair2020. History, and four lakes, Goldwater, Lynx, “Our goal is to make the Highlands CenWatson and Willow. ter Annual Prescott Plein Air Festival a On Oct. 4 from 1–7 p.m., the paintings sustainable event for the artists, the public completed in the previous three days will and the community, inspiring reverence be displayed during the reception and for nature through art,” said Humphrey. sale in The Finn, Touchmark at the Ranch, She is a board member for the nonprofit 3150 Touchmark Blvd. Each artist will center, which was created in 1996 to help submit three to five pieces for display. people discover the wonders of nature

ers during the shutdown, Specht struggled to shift ImprovMANIA to a digital format. “Having a theater closed for six months is probably one of the most challenging businesses to close because we have no ‘to-go’ option or curbside pickup,” Specht said. He named the theater’s first online show “Curbside Pickup” as an ironic wink to the fact that ImprovMANIA’s comedy wouldn’t quite be the same online as it would normally be on stage. And finding ways to be humorous during a deadly pandemic led to another challenge for Specht and his performers. They didn’t want to do jokes that only focused on COVID-19, yet there wasn’t much else going on in the news that they could use as source material. “It was a challenge for a while to find non-COVID related details so we would just take spins on it,” Specht said. The comedy team did playful parodies of “The Masked Singer” – in reference to the fact everyone is now being forced to wear masks – and penned a holiday song titled “The 12 Days of COVID-19.” The content always attempted to be uplifting and lighthearted, Specht said,

because the theater didn’t want to get too dark into the harsh realities of how COVID-19 had radically changed the world. And that’s the attitude Specht has tried to adopt himself for the last six months; he’s remained optimistic and upbeat even during the pandemic’s darkest days. He’s not ignorantly shying away from the bleakness of the current moment, he said, but instead offering a moment of joyful respite that may be sorely needed by many people. “I’m going to smile in public and cry in my car,” Specht joked. “I’m going to be that beacon of levity.” Before the onset of the pandemic, ImprovMANIA seemed to be on a prosperous path that included an expansion of its space and a growing popularity in its youth theater programs. The pandemic has interfered with some of ImprovMANIA’s plans for this year, Specht said, but staff has found creative ways to keep educating and entertaining its younger students. Rather than perform a production of “Beauty and Beast” in front of an audience, ImprovMANIA’s youth theater decided to film the show as a movie and post it online

and become responsible caretakers of the land. Sterbenz isn’t sure where he will be painting in Prescott. “That’s what I like most about plein air painting. When I set out, I might have a vague idea about what I want to paint, but ultimately nature is the deciding factor,” said Sterbenz, a frequent hiker. “I enjoy painting Watson Lake, so I will definitely spend some time there, but I also want to explore more of the surrounding areas.” He grew up in Phoenix and graduated from Arizona State University in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in fine art and has participated in some of the nation’s top plein air invitational events, including the Grand Canyon Celebration of Art and the Sedona Plein Air Festival. “Most of my childhood, I had a pencil in hand, drawing my surroundings,” he recalled. “After receiving an oil painting set at the age of ten, the pencil was always accompanied by brushes.” His style is contemporary Impressionist

see PLEIN page 52

for family members to watch from home. This strategy ended up being quite successful, Specht said, and the youth theater intends to keep filming productions for the foreseeable future. The theater plans to remain cautious with how it reopens and begins to invite back audience members. Seating in the downtown theater has been drastically scaled back to allow for more space between patrons and everyone’s expected to wear a mask whenever they’re not eating or drinking. Despite these changes to how the theater operates, Specht feels like the future is once again bright for ImprovMANIA since there’s so much buzz and excitement with how they’re going to stage their live talk show. The format will be fresh and new while still preserving elements from ImprovMANIA’s original shows. “The x-factor, I think, is going to be the fact that we’re improvisers at heart and we’re just not afraid of the unknown,” Specht said. More information about ImprovMANIA’s upcoming shows can be found at ImprovMANIA.net

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Family Dining Guide

PLEIN from page 51

style with oil paints. “When working on location, I try to finish the painting in one session. In the studio, however, I will work on a painting over the course of several days or weeks,” he said. “The studio paintings tend to have more texture and layers than plein air paintings do. In the studio I have the advantage of time, and I can utilize techniques that are not normally possible when painting plein air.” Sterbenz frequently finds himself hiking and painting outdoors – a process which he Mat Sterbenz’s work has won numerous awards, most recently believes is critical for producing the People Choice Award by the Grand Canyon Conservancy last weekend. (Special to AFN) effective studio work. Tickets for the event are available at The former president of Arizona Plein Air Painters, he has participated in some prescottpleinairfest.eventbrite.com. of the nation’s top plein air invitational To see the artists’ bios and samples of events, including the Grand Canyon Celebration of Art and the Sedona Plein Air their work and the various painting sites: highlandscenter.org/prescott-plein-air Festival. His work has appeared in publications or call 928-776-9550 for more inforincluding Plein Air Magazine and South- mation. Learn more about Sterbenz at msterbenz.com. west Art Magazine.

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PUZZLES ANSWERS on page 46

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Specials

Lawn Mowing Starts At $40 Full Service Starts At $70 15 + Yrs Exp! All English Speaking Crew

602.515.2767

SPRINKLER DOCTOR Repairs - Installs - Modifications Timers/Valves/Sprinklers DRIP-PVC-COPPER Backflows & Regulators LANDSCAPE LIGHTING

SONORAN LAWN

480-745-5230

Is your lawn ready for the holidays? Call for a clean up.

Licensed • Bonded • Insured Technician

Specializing in Controllers, Valves, Sprinklers, Landscape Lighting, P.V.C. & Poly Drip Systems

25 years Experience & Insured Not a licensed contractor.

Complete Lawn Service & Weed Control Starting @ $60/Month! • One Month Free Service • Licensed, Bonded Insured for your protection.

Call Lance White www.irsaz.com

kjelandscape.com • ROC#281191

INSTALLING A WINTER LAWN?

Arizona Specialty Landscape

480-586-8445

ROC# 256752

Serving the Valley for over 28 years

The Possibilities are Endless

480-940-8196

Custom Design and Renovation turning old to new

IMPROVE RYEGRASS GERMINATION AND REDUCE SOIL COMPACTION

theplugman.com

FERTILIZER PROGRAMS * SOIL TESTING * LAWN SERVICE ROC 282663 * BONDED * INSURED YOUR LAWN EXPERT SINCE 1995

New & Re-Do Design and Installation Affordable | Paver Specialists All phases of landscape installation. Plants, cacti, sod, sprinklers, granite, concrete, brick, Kool-deck, lighting and more!

Free Estimates 7 Days a Week! ROC# 186443 • BONDED

480.844.9765

Call for a FREE consultation and Estimate

MISSED THE DEADLINE?

To learn more about us, view our photo gallery at: ShadeTreeLandscapes.com

Call us to place your ad online!

Bonded/Insured/Licensed • ROC #225923

480-898-6465

480-730-1074

Your Ad can go ONLINE ANY Day! Call to place your ad online! Classifieds 480-898-6465 Painting

HOME IMPROVEMENT & PAINTING Interior/Exterior Painting 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE Dunn Edwards Quality Paint Small Stucco/Drywall Repairs

We Are State Licensed and Reliable!

Free Estimates • Senior Discounts

480-338-4011

ROC#309706

• Call or Text for a Free Quote

480.721.4146

Custom Built-ins, BBQs, Firepits, Fireplaces, Water Features, Re-Designing Pools, Masonry, Lighting, Tile, Flagstone, Pavers, Culture Stone & Travertine, Synthetic Turf, Sprinkler/Drip, Irrigation Systems, Clean ups & Hauling

Complete Clean Ups

Juan Hernandez

Irrigation Repair Services Inc. Landscape Design/Installation

Landscape/Maintenance

Juan Hernandez

TREE

Starting as low as

Install/Design We do it all!

Landscape/Maintenance

The Valley’s Premier Painters Proudly Serving Ahwatukee for 15 Years! Family Owned & Operated Residential • Commercial • Best Painters EVER! • Epoxy Floors & Concrete Coatings • Interior & Exterior “Professional, Punctual & Clean”

ACP is 100% Veteran Owned Like us on Facebook to stay current & Receive 5% Off Services

www.AcpPaintingllc.com Licensed - Bonded - Insured ROC 290242

FREE ESTIMATES • CALL TODAY!

(480)785-6323

CLASSIFIEDS

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

Painting

Jose Dominguez Painting & Drywall SEE OUR AD IN DRYWALL! Quick Response to your Call! 15 Years Exp 480-266-4589 Not a licensed contractor

“We get your house looking top notch!” ★ Interior/Exterior Painting ★ Drywall Repair & Installation ★ Popcorn Ceiling Removal

Pool Service / Repair

Painting

★ Elastomaric Roof Coating ★ Epoxy Floors ★ Small Job Specialist

Scott Mewborn, Owner 480-818-1789

PROFESSIONAL PAINTING Interior, Exterior House Painting. Stucco Patching. Gate/Front Door Refinishing. Quality work/Materials Free Estimate Ignacio 480-961-5093 602-571-9015 ROC #189850 Bond/Ins'd

Plumbing

PLUMBERS CHARGE TOO MUCH!

$25 OFF

Filter Cleaning! Monthly Service & Repairs Available

602-546-POOL 7 6 6 5

HOME FOR RENT? Place it here!

www.barefootpoolman.com

Beat Any Price By 10% • Lifetime Warranty Water Heaters Installed - $799 Unclog Drains - $49 FREE RO UNIT w/Any WATER SOFTENER INSTALL NO INTEREST FINANCING - 60 Months!! ‘A’ RATED PLUMBING REPAIR Free Estimates • Same Day Service

Licensed, Bonded & Insured ROC# 272001

81% of our readers, read the Classifieds!

MISSED THE DEADLINE? Place your ad online!

Call Classifieds 480-898-6465

Call 480-898-6465

Bonded/Insured • ROC #223709

480-405-7099 ItsJustPlumbSmart.com

AHWATUKEE SPECIAL $

Off 40work done *Any

Pool Service / Repair

Juan Hernandez

Pavers • Concrete • Water Features • Sprinkler Repair

PPebbleOcracking, O L Plaster R Epeeling, P ARebar IR

Plumbing

showing, Pool Light out? I CAN HELP!

SUN TECH

PAINTING

SERVICE • REPAIR • REPLACEMENT

INC.

Serving Ahwatukee Since 1987 Interior / Exterior

• High Quality Materials & Workmanship • Customer Satisfaction Free Est imates • Countless References • Carpentry Services Now Available

We offer personalized service for our customers. We use the best materials that we can find.

Visit us at Suntechpaintingaz.com or view our video promo at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM5pbvpZJlg

602.625.0599 ROC #155380 Family Owned • Free Estimates

East Valley PAINTERS

Owned and Operated by Rod Lampert Ahwatukee Resident Serving Ahwatukee for over 25 years

Our services include: Sinks, Toilets, Faucets, Water Heaters, Garbage Disposal, Drain Cleaning, Pressure Reducing Valves, Pressure Vacuum Breakers, Hot Water Circulation Systems, Main Service Valves and Hose Taps.

(480) 279-4155 Licensed • Bonded • Insured • ROC 189848

FALL SPECIAL! $500 OFF COMPLETE REMODEL! 25 Years Experience • Dependable & Reliable

Call Juan at

480-720-3840 Not a licensed contractor.

1st Month of Service FREE For a limited time

Call Now!

Ahw Resident • Owner Operated Maintenance & Repair Professional and Superior Service

We maintain, repair and service all types of pools, equipment, filters, cleaning systems, fresh water and salt water systems

Call me, Howard:

Plumbing

480.231.9651

AZPoolExpert.com BBB Member

Voted #1

Not a licensed contractor.

Paint Interior & Exterior • Drywall Repair Light Carpentry • Power Washing • Textures Matched Popcorn Removal • Pool Deck Coatings Garage Floor Coatings • Color Consulting

PLUMBING

10% OFF

We Beat Competitors Prices & Quality Free Estimates! Home of the 10-Year Warranty!

480-688-4770

www.eastvalleypainters.com Bonded/Insured • ROC#153131

Plumbing

See our Before’s and After’s on Facebook

License #ROC 298736

Family Owned & Operated

Now Accepting all major credit cards

$35.00 Off Any Service Call Today!

A+ RATED

We Repair or Install ROC # 272721

AHWATUKEE’S #1 PLUMBER Licensed • Bonded • Insured

704.5422

(480)

MORE CLASSIFIED ADS ONLINE! www.Ahwatukee.com

CLASSIFIEDS Rooﬁng

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Rooﬁng

Family Operated by 3 Generations of Roofers! We have a “Spencer” on every job

Family Owned & Operated for over 30 years

and every step of the way.

ROC #152111

480-699-2754 • info@monsoonroofinginc.com

Quality Repairs & Re-Roofs Complimentary & Honest Estimates

Call our office today!

480-460-7602 Ask us about our discount for all Military and First Responders!

www.porterroofinginc.com

602-938-7575 $ 1000 OFF when you show this ad

on qualifying complete roof replacements

Let us show you the IN-EX Difference!

10% Discount for Ahwatukee Residents 100% NO Leak Guarantee Re-Roof & Roofing Repairs Tile, Shingles & Flat Roof

MonsoonRooﬁngInc.com Licensed – Bonded – Insured – ROC187561

CLASSIFIEDS 480-898-6465 class@times publications.com

Serving The Valley Since 1996

Licensed, Bonded, Insured

Over 30 Years of Experience Family Operated by 3 Generations of Roofers!

Spencer 4 HIRE ROOFING

inexroofing.com Call for your FREE Roof Evaluation

Ahwatukee’s Premier Tile, Shingle & Foam Roofer!

FREE Estimates • Credit Cards OK www.spencer4hirerooﬁng.com ROC#244850 | Insured | Bonded

Over 30 yrs. Experience

480-706-1453

Licensed/Bonded/Insured • ROC #236099

TILE ROOFING SPECIALISTS

Valley Wide Service

480-446-7663

10% OFF COMPLETE UNDERLAYMENT

10% OFF

Commercial & Residential Family Owned & Operated AZROC #283571 | CONTRACTOR LIC. AZROC #312804 CLASS CR4 | FULLY INSURED

with this ad

FREE ESTIMATES 602-736-3019

Ahwatukee’s Premier Tile, Shingle & Foam Roofer! FREE Estimates • Credit Cards OK www.spencer4hirerooﬁng.com ROC#244850 | Insured | Bonded

Tiles, shingles, flat, repairs & new work Free Estimates • Ahwatukee Resident

480-446-7663

SHARE WITH THE WORLD!

Place a Birth, Anniversary, Wedding Announcement, In Memoriam, Obituary or any life event in this paper today! Call us for details.

Licensed • Bonded • Insured ROC # 269218

SELL YOUR CAR IN THE CLASSIFIEDS! 2 WEEKS STARTING AT $20.80

480.898.6465

CLASS@TIMESPUBLICATIONS.COM

class@timespublications.com or call 480-898-6465

CLASSIFIEDS

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

palmabrisa.com

NOW SELLING

A new gated resort community is coming soon in the Ahwatukee Foothills with a dramatically different style. It feels exclusive, but also lively and exciting — and it's called Palma Brisa. • Modern resort-style gated community with stately palms

• Diverse architecture: Modern Bungalow, Urban Farmhouse, Italian Cottage, Andalusian, Modern Craftsman, French Country, and Spanish Mission • Four amenity areas connected by expansive lawns

• Homes from 1,700 sq. ft. to 4,000 sq. ft. from the $400’s

ERIC WILLIAMS

480-641-1800

TERRY LENTS

© Copyright 2019 Blandford Homes, LLC. No offer to sell or lease may be made prior to issuance of Final Arizona Subdivision Public Report. Offer, terms, and availability subject to change without prior notice. Renderings are artist’s conceptions and remain subject to modification without notice.

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | SEPTEMBER 30, 2020