FREE SUBSCRIPTION
New lawmaker picked PAGE 10
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
Inside This Week
FREE ($1 OUTSIDE OF GILBERT) | GilbertSunNews.com
Sunday, May 7, 2023
Electric scooters pit cops against kids, parents BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
BUSINESS................. 25 Gilbert golf course closing for $2.6M renovation.
SPORTS......................27 Williams Field star Saira Prince shines on track.
D
ominique Hypolite purchased an electric scooter from West Coast Scooters in Gilbert last year for her son’s 16th birthday. “He didn’t have his license yet and quite frankly I didn’t have the funds to buy a car,” she said, telling Gilbert Town Council May 2 it is her son’s only way to go to school, the gym and work. But Hypolite and others at the meeting said Gilbert Police has been confiscating the scooters and issuing tickets because the Town considers the electric devices to be motorcycles – meaning a license, registration and insurance are required and they can only be used on the road. But West Coast Scooters co-owner Scott Risley begged to differ. He told the council the Arizona Department of Transportation doesn’t classify the scooters
see SCOOTERS page 6
GETOUT .................... 28 Gilbert thespians bring new Limelight musical to life. COMMUNITY..............................21 BUSINESS .................................. 25 SPORTS ...................................... 27 GETOUT .....................................28 CLASSIFIEDS ............................ 33
Co-owner Scott Risley of West Coast Scooters in Gilbert said the Arizona Department of Transportation won’t register motorized scooters like the ones he sells or issue operator’s licenses for those who use them even though Gilbert Police say they must be. (David Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)
Citizen rips Gilbert’s low pay for council, mayor BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
A
s elected leaders tasked with shaping Gilbert, Town Council members should be worth its weight in gold but are earning peanuts, according to one Gilbert resident.
“I’m here this evening to point out a huge discrepancy in compensation in the Town of Gilbert, the largest town in the United States,” Realtor Tom Smith told the council at its May 2 meeting. “Gilbert’s median household income is $142,804, the highest in the state, seventh highest in the country – largely due to the past
council decisions in attracting great employers. Thank you and all you past ones.” Gilbert currently has roughly 280,000 residents and is expected to reach build out within a decade, boasting a total expected population of 330,000. According to an April
The latest breaking news and top local stories in Gilbert!
www.GilbertSunNews.com .com
see PAY page 14
JUST A CLICK AWAY