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Joyce Clark Unfiltered

For "the rest of the story"

May 16

6

E is for Environment, Part V

Posted by Joyce Clark on May 6, 2016
Posted in City issue and actions • City of Glendale • Glendale finances  | Tagged With: , , , | 1 Comment

It has been 18 years and 140 days since the city’s pledge to build the West Branch Library.

The final E of my vision for Glendale and campaign platform is the Environment. We must implement responsible city growth. The city’s delivery of its essential, core services of public safety, water, sewer and sanitation are our first priority. Yet we cannot afford to ignore maintenance of the city’s visible assets: its streets, its city right-of-way landscaping, its parks and its major buildings.

  • I pledge to work with city council to ensure that comprehensive laws and adequate resources are adopted and used for responsible growth of our core service delivery
  • I pledge to work with city council to ensure necessary funding is identified to preserve and improve our streets, roads and other city infrastructure
  • I pledge to challenge the city’s senior management in its recommendations to ensure that city resources are used to meet its highest priority needs
  • I pledge to ensure that city resources are placed where the needs are the greatest in terms of service delivery to our residents

Too often, especially during the crafting of the city’s annual budget, senior management makes recommendations that grow government rather than meeting essential needs of our citizens. Local government must be lean and technologically adept to deliver the flexibility needed as new challenges arise. It is not always a question of adding employees but rather the adoption of new and innovative strategies to meet those challenges. As the city grows new employees delivering our essential, core services must be added to meet that new growth. As technology continues to evolve non-prioritized services will be able to meet their goals not by employee growth but by smarter, more efficient ways of doing business and by the use of continual employee training in new technologies. There is room for both strategies and it is critical to balance both.

© Joyce Clark, 2016

FAIR USE NOTICE

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which is in accordance with Title 17 U.S. C., Section 107. The ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Section 107 of the US Copyright Law and who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democratic, scientific and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such material. For more information go to http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use,’ you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

May 16

4

It’s official

Posted by Joyce Clark on May 4, 2016
Posted in City issue and actions • City of Glendale • Glendale elected officials  | Tagged With: , , , , , , | 3 Comments

It has been 18 years and 138 days since the city’s pledge to build the West Branch Library.

Signatures thermometer 2It’s official. I am now a candidate for the Yucca district city council position. On Wednesday, May 4, 2016 I turned in my nominating petition signatures to the Glendale City Clerk. Having verified the signatures we know that there are far more “good” signatures than are required.  From March 10, 2016 to April 30, 2016, in 8 weeks, we collected all the signatures needed.

The City Clerk and staff did an excellent job. They were very professional. I had paperwork to fill out which was then notarized. The staff counted signatures and verified that my petitions were correct as to form on the front and the back. I actually turned in more than the maximum number of signatures allowed (927). So at the end of the 927th signature a red line was drawn to indicate the maximum number had been turned in.

We personally verified signatures to make sure we had enough registered voter

City Clerk Pam Hanna and Yucca district city council candidate Joyce Clark

City Clerk Pam Hanna and Yucca district city council candidate Joyce Clark

signatures and know that out of the 927+ signatures submitted, 682 were verified as “good,” signed by registered voters.

By now the entire city council has been informed that I have turned in my paperwork. That is standard operating procedure. If and when Sammy turns his nominating petitions the City Clerk will notify me.

There are so many people to thank. My apology if I have not included your name. The list is long. People included, but were not limited to, Tom Traw, Norma Alvarez, Michael Hernandez, Sue Komernicky, Michael Socaciu, Monica Toby, John Fernandes, to name a few, and of course, my family – and many others. All walked faithfully and for that I am very grateful. I walked and secured many of the signatures personally so that I could talk to the voters

Many volunteers met no registered voters who said that Sammy or his representatives had been by to solicit signatures. Only twice did any of my volunteers meet a voter who indicated that someone from Sammy’s camp had been by. Well, not really Sammy’s camp. People have been circulating petitions for several state legislative candidates as well as Glendale mayoral candidate Burdick and Sammy. It appears that Sammy will rely on mayoral candidate Burdick and the fire union to obtain his petition signatures. Could it be that Sammy can’t be bothered with something as mundane as getting some of his own petition signatures?  Out of the over 900 voters we contacted, only 2 said the opposition had been by.

Sammy has truly become the Invisible Man. No one knows who Sammy is. When I revealed to petition signers that he was their councilmember and asked if they had read a news story about his travel expenses, some said they had and others expressed surprise that he was actually their councilmember. They were angry to read of his wasteful travel expenses paid by them as taxpayers and usually shared an earful with me.

Sammy has a problem. He has only been responsive to the big donors to his previous campaign. Some told me that they scheduled time to meet with Sammy, only to have him cancel their meeting, never to be rescheduled.

Sammy had only one district meeting during his term and that was in early 2013. Since then he has been neither seen nor heard. He’s lazy and relies upon council staff to produce his weekly Friday e-newsletter.

Sammy missed a record number of 12 council workshops or voting meetings during his term. There were other council meetings when he participated telephonically or arrived late. He even arrived late for the most recent council budget workshop of May 3, 2016.

What was gratifying to me was that many knew who I was and expressed their gratitude that I was running again and volunteered that they would be voting for me. Some offered to help in any way that they could.

There is an avalanche of change approaching and Sammy is directly in its path. Sammy has no one to blame for his poor performance and invisibility but himself. He squandered his voter-granted opportunity to serve the people of the Yucca district. Instead Sammy has only served Sammy and his agenda. He has not earned the privilege of continued service as a councilmember in the City of Glendale.

Since there are only 2 candidates for the Yucca city council seat the winner will be decided in the Glendale Primary Election. That is why it is so critical that you send in your Early Ballot or take the time to vote.  I ask for your vote at the Primary Election on August 30, 2016. You have a dramatic choice between a man who has failed to serve the people of his district and has been invisible and me, with a proven track record of availability and service to my district.

Please vote for Joyce Clark on August 30, 2016.

© Joyce Clark, 2016

FAIR USE NOTICE

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which is in accordance with Title 17 U.S. C., Section 107. The ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Section 107 of the US Copyright Law and who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democratic, scientific and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such material. For more information go to http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use,’ you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

May 16

3

Glendale council budget workshop, May 3 2016

Posted by Joyce Clark on May 3, 2016
Posted in City Council Actions • City issue and actions • City of Glendale • Glendale elected officials • Glendale finances • Heroes Park • O'Neil Pool • University of Phoenix Stadium • West Branch Library  | Tagged With: , , , , , | 2 Comments

It has been 18 years and 137 days since the city’s pledge to build the West Branch Library.

On May 3, 2016 city council had another budget meeting. I am always surprised about councilmembers’ lack of in-depth questioning of senior staff about specific budget items. To be fair, Councilmembers Turner, Tolmachoff and Aldama are asking questions but are they the right ones? Just one would be to ask senior staff to justify the hiring of new employees (Full Time Employee, FTEs) being requested in the proposed budget. Specifically adding employees to the city’s core services, public safety, water, sewer and sanitation is a no-brainer and should be approved for they comprise essential city services. However, adding employees to non-essential services should have been thoroughly vetted by council.

I have a lot of questions about the proposed budget but without serving on city council it becomes an exercise in futility for the average Glendale citizen to get any meaningful answers. Instead I offer some observations about the May 3rd session.

Senior staff recommended that three council identified requests go back to the

O'Neil Pool abandoned

O’Neil Pool abandoned

appropriate citizen board or commission with yet another subsequent city council workshop. An increase in library hours will go back to the Library Advisory Board. When library hours were cut it was just announced by the city as a cost saving measure and no citizen input was sought. The repair/replacement or even necessity for the O’Neil Pool will go back to the Parks and Recreation Commission. When the pool was closed due to leaks it was simply announced by the city and no citizen input was sought. Heroes Park is scheduled to receive a $50,000 reevaluation of its Master Plan and it will go to the Parks and Recreation Commission. The city never

Southwest Heroes Park

Southwest Heroes Park

announced its inattention to Heroes Park, it simply ignored it for 18 years. I can tell you what the result of this $50,000 study will be: citizens will say overwhelmingly complete the darn park; build the ball fields, the dog park, the urban fishing lake, a permanent branch library building and an aquatics and recreation center. It appears that city is betting through this wasteful study that citizens will be willing to settle for less in this park.

What is more troublesome is that when senior staff deems something to be a priority, it is accomplished…quickly…and money is no object. Take the need to meet the parking requirements for the football stadium. Senior staff was able to identify the necessary debt capacity of $32 million dollars, purchased the necessary land for $22 million and has already begun construction on the actual parking lots for another $10 million. The entire project will be completed in less than a year.

When it is not a senior staff priority the issue gets punted…er, delayed. Hence the maneuver to send back to citizen boards and commissions the very projects that enhance the quality of life for citizens in our community…extended library hours, reopening of O’Neil Pool and completion of Heroes Park with a definitive timeline. It appears as if it’s not a senior staff priority…you can forget it for a long time.

It’s time for city council to stamp its feet, have a hissy fit and insist that these projects get the attention they deserve…long overdue.

© Joyce Clark, 2016

FAIR USE NOTICE

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which is in accordance with Title 17 U.S. C., Section 107. The ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Section 107 of the US Copyright Law and who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democratic, scientific and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such material. For more information go to http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use,’ you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

May 16

2

E is for Engagement, Part III

Posted by Joyce Clark on May 2, 2016
Posted in City issue and actions • City of Glendale  | Tagged With: , , | 4 Comments

It has been 18 years and 136 days since the city’s pledge to build the West Branch Library.

Our world is changing rapidly. We live in an age when social media is vital to ensure th6XB820H7that all of Glendale’s residents’ voices are sought and heard. You, who live within our community, are eager share how best to build an even stronger Glendale and Yucca district.

It is no longer “enough” for the City of Glendale to hold public meetings, often sparsely attended. People are just too busy living their lives to make a commitment to attend. However, I believe there is still a place for them in communicating with the people of the Yucca district through twice yearly district meetings.

It is time to use social media and all of its potential. More and more of us use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. and mobile platforms such as tablets and smart phones. These conduits have the capability to get information out instantly to large groups of Yucca and Glendale residents.

There is yet another use for social media that has been generally ignored by the city to date. Too often, the city announces decisions without the benefit of socialth7NYL9EW7 media’s use to engage residents in its decision making process. I’m not referring to big decisions such as the update and adoption of Glendale’s next City Plan for that is an issue where city solicitation of residents’ opinions is robust but rather relatively smaller issues where social media could be a valuable tool.

  • I pledge to advocate for city use of on online surveys and polls on city and district issues.
  • I pledge to resume hosting of regular district meetings, at a central location within the district.
  • I pledge to provide the opportunity at district meetings to express your concerns on issues important to you and to offer you the opportunity to submit complaints with regard to the performance of city services.
  • I pledge to resume the issuance of Yucca district newsletters mailed to every home.
  • I pledge to be accessible by use of the phone, the internet, other social media or in person.
  • I pledge to use social media to not only explain my point of view on issues but more importantly, to give you a venue where you know your opinion will be heard and valued. Be assured that I will listen and I have been known to change my position on an issue as a result of listening to Yucca residents.

A councilmember’s duty is to reach out to district residents. Reaching out to district residents has always been my priority and was practiced during my previous service to you. From time to time you may have a complaint about the level of service you receive from the city. It will remain my responsibility to advocate for you and to work to get your complaint resolved.

© Joyce Clark, 2016

FAIR USE NOTICE

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which is in accordance with Title 17 U.S. C., Section 107. The ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Section 107 of the US Copyright Law and who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democratic, scientific and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such material. For more information go to http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use,’ you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

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