SanTan Sun News;12-5-15: opinion

Community Commentary

There is much to appreciate during this year’s holiday season

BY MAYOR JAY TIBSHRAENY

Many people like to share their annual highlights with friends and family through holiday letters. And why not? The holidays are a perfect time to reflect and give thanks. We certainly have much to be grateful for here in our community.

Things like new parks and renovations to existing ones. The people who make our community tick. Those neighborhood leaders and outstanding volunteers who are so engaged in making Chandler the outstanding place it has become. Events like our annual Tumbleweed Tree Lighting, Parade of Lights, Fourth of July celebration and my annual Day of Play. Companies like Wells Fargo, Infusionsoft, Intel as well as the many small businesses that continue to invest so much in our City through expansions and goodwill efforts. And, much is happening in downtown Chandler as we work to develop more amenities, welcome new businesses and continue to build on our university presence there.

And we want your help in seeing that continue. Please take a few minutes to let us know your thoughts through the annual online budget survey at www.chandleraz. gov/budget

While this is a time to spend celebrating with friends and family, remember also that there are those in the community who continue to struggle for various reasons. If you can, please donate some time or contribute to one of the many nonprofit agencies in Chandler who help those in need now and throughout the year. A good place to find information is at www.211arizona.org.

Police, fire spread holiday cheer to the young

BY CITY COUNCILMAN TERRY ROE

When police officers knock at the door, residents typically aren’t expecting them to deliver presents to their children. Unfortunately, too often children who have witnessed violence and crime perceive officers to be the bearers of bad news. During the holidays, this perception is changed as officers show a softer side by bringing gifts, hugs and smiles to the most vulnerable in our community.

Toy drive is available at www.911toydrive.com.

Our Fire, Health and Medical Department also is involved in a large toy drive campaign. Working in collaboration with the Chandler Unified School District and several local nonprofit organizations, they target disadvantaged youth from ages birth to 18.

We can also be thankful for our continued financial stability. We learned just recently that our AAA Excise Tax Revenue Obligation Bond ratings have been re-affirmed by Standard & Poor’s and Fitch rating agencies. These ratings pertain to both our existing debt and upcoming bond sale that will fund future water and wastewater expansion projects that are critical to our city’s operations. It is great news for the City, as we continue to maintain a strong fiscal outlook.

And, as always, remember to “Shop Chandler” for your holiday gifts, as those tax dollars are critical to maintain city services. Sales taxes from the money you spend here help support City services, such as public safety, road improvements, neighborhoods—and our economic development efforts. These taxes also support a quality of life enhanced by parks, sports fields, trails, pools and recreation programs.

To stay in touch throughout 2016, please follow me on Twitter (@ jaytibshraeny) and visit the City’s awardwinning website (www.chandleraz. gov) for more news on the community. Finally, here is to a very joyful New Year for all Chandler residents.

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

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With your support, the W. Steven Martin 911 Toy Drive makes it possible for public safety personnel throughout the Valley to pick up toys at a private warehouse and deliver them to children’s homes. This holiday giving tradition started more than 30 years ago and continues to be an extraordinary way for officers and firefighters to touch the lives of many local families.

Further back in time than I care to confess, while I was with the Mesa Police Department, delivering gifts provided by W. Steven Martin’s toy drive meant as much to me and our police family as it did to those who received them. In multifamily complexes our squad of deputized elves made it a point to carry extra gifts and cookies to share with neighboring kids who may have been missed when families were selected to benefit through this program. Information about the W. Steven Martin Annual

preferred submission method, to Letters@ SanTanSun.com.

If you can help, unwrapped toys, gift cards and cash donations are accepted at all Chandler Fire and Police stations. Also, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, firefighters will be collecting items at the Chandler Fashion Center and providing free fire truck rides to those who contribute.

In addition to gift donations volunteers are needed to help sort and wrap gifts prior to Friday, Dec. 18. On that day, Santa will distribute gifts to registered children at the Chandler CARE center. To register as a family wishing to receive gifts or sign up to volunteer, call the CARE center at (480) 812-7900.

The holiday season is a wonderful time to show kindness and generosity to our loved ones and those in need. As a community, let’s work together to help children celebrate with smiles and warmth in their hearts, while supporting public safety personnel and the message of peace and safety that they always carry with them.

Terry Roe, whose term expires in January 2019, can be reached at terry. roe@chandleraz.gov.

All submitted Letters to the Editor and Community Commentaries become the property of the SanTan Sun News and may be reprinted in part, quoting the letters’ authors, or in their entirety. Your submission to the SanTan Sun News is considered your permission to print your written opinion. Opinions expressed in Community Commentaries, Letters to the Editor or cartoons are those of the author, and not that of the SanTan Sun News.

Have a story idea or news tip? Know of an interesting photo opportunity? How about positive feedback or constructive comments? We’d like to hear from you. Email us at News@SanTanSun.com. We know you have an opinion! Share it with the SanTan Sun News. Please keep your Letters to the Editor around 200-300 words, or they may be edited for length. Include your first and last name, community or development name in Southern Chandler (Cooper Commons, Ocotillo, Sun Groves, etc.) or ZIP code and daytime phone number for verification. Anonymous letters are not typically accepted. Email is the

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Editorial and Advertising

12 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015, for the Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015, issue 35,000

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

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Community Commentary

Discrimination of the elderly extends to pets

BY DENNY BARNEY

November was Adopt a Senior Pet Month in Maricopa County. It may not be a surprise that a little age bias occurs in the animal world, too. Senior pets are often the hardest to adopt.

It often happens that a great dog sporting a few grey or white hairs on its muzzle is often passed over for a playful puppy. The lounging cat doesn’t hold the same attraction as the energetic kittens climbing all over each other. We are often drawn to the younger, feistier animals and ignore the mature and equally loving. That’s a shame. It’s a loss for the animals—but also for many whose lives would be enhanced by a loving, loyal companion. These older pets need help finding homes to live out their golden years. Many of them find themselves at one of our shelters through no fault of their own. In some cases, the owner has relocated and is unable to keep them, or regrettably, they find themselves alone when their owner has passed away or developed a medical condition. These animals get transitioned over to one of our adoption facilities, where they patiently wait for someone to love.

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Too often, they never get that chance. Allow me to share some of the great qualities and benefits, particularly for empty nesters, of adopting a senior pet from one of our shelters.

• Older pets are often less high maintenance. They’ve been through the rambunctious years. Most are housebroken and respond to simple commands. And yet they’re still teachable.

• The more mature dog will walk alongside you at a steady pace, not race ahead of you dragging you along uncomfortably as you strain to keep them leashed.

• Older pets are already fully grown. You see what you get and there are usually few surprises.

Many resources and benefits are available to those adopting senior pets here in Maricopa County. Dogs older than 5 are only $20 to adopt. For cats more than a year old, the adoption fees are waived. Veterans also have the benefit of waived adoption fees through the “Pets and Vets” program. Our Maricopa County Animal Care & Control volunteers and staff can help you find the perfect pet and answer any questions you may have when

looking for your new furry friend. If you are looking for ways to get more involved, our newly implemented Adoption Ambassador Program allows volunteer ambassadors to foster difficult-to-place dogs, including seniors, until they can find permanent homes. Ambassadors are in charge of marketing and handling adoption paperwork. In most cases, foster dogs will be in an ambassador’s care for an average of three to four weeks. This program simultaneously provides great

opportunities for senior dogs as well as creates more space in our shelters for other animals.

This holiday season please consider adopting a senior pet and adding a companion to your life.

Denny Barney is a Gilbert resident and a member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.