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Joyce Clark Unfiltered

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May 24

15

Glendale’s Guzman Picks Up Key Endorsement From Arizona Fraternal Order Of Police

Posted by Joyce Clark on May 15, 2024
Posted in City issue and actions • City of Glendale • Glendale elected officials • Glendale election 2024 • Yucca district  | Tagged With: , , , , | No Comments yet, please leave one

Disclaimer: The comments in this blog are my personal opinion and may or may not reflect an adopted position of the city of Glendale and its city council.

It is no secret that I am endorsing Dianna Guzman to replace me as the Yucca district councilmember when I retire after 24 years of service this December. Dianna has proven that she wants your vote. Every week she and her crew go to different Yucca neighborhoods and place door hangers. She is attending every city council workshop meeting and voting meeting so that she is prepared to hit the ground running when she takes office. She attends city events with regularity. She can carry out the duties of the office. She understands that there is a major time commitment and is prepared to fulfill it.

Not so much with Lupe Encincas. Her campaign thus far has consisted of attending two Meet n Greets at Bitzee Mama’s. At the most recent one coming out to support her were failed mayoral candidate Jamie Aldama and the radical Democrat Lupe Conchas, Cactus district candidate. Has anyone ever told her that we are judged by the company we keep? She was overheard to have said that she wasn’t sure why she was running but she did want to help people.

Lupe Encincas is a nice person but she’s in way over her head. It appears she has no idea how to run a campaign for office. If she is not committing the time needed to run, that demonstrates that she will not be committed to giving the time needed to be a councilmember.

On May 9, 2024, the Arizona Independent ran the following story about Dianna Guzman, Yucca district city council candidate:

“A long-time advocate for the residents of Glendale, Dianna Guzman, received a key endorsement from the first responders who provide for the residents’ safety. Guzman, a candidate for the Yucca District seat on the Glendale City Council, picked up the endorsement from the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police.

Supporters say the endorsement underscores Guzman’s commitment to ensuring public safety for the residents of Yucca District.‘Receiving the endorsement of the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police is a tremendous honor,’ said Guzman. ‘I am deeply committed to ensuring the safety and security of the residents of Yucca District, and I am grateful to have the support of the brave men and women who serve on the front lines of law enforcement every day.’

Guzman says her platform focuses on implementing proactive strategies to address public safety concerns, advocating for increased resources for law enforcement, and fostering stronger relationships between the community and local police departments.

Guzman’s comprehensive approach to public safety has resonated with voters and community leaders alike, say politicos, putting her on the Ballot with the maximum number of signatures and receiving the endorsement from current Yucca District Councilmember Joyce Clark.

In an official endorsement letter from the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police, it states, ‘based on your demonstrated support of significant public safety issues and reflects our belief that you best understand the difficult job faced by members of the law enforcement community. Your support of those efforts has not gone unnoticed.’

‘As a lifelong resident of Glendale of 27 years and a passionate advocate for her community, Dianna understands the unique needs and challenges facing the Yucca District,” said Clark. ‘With the support of the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police, she is poised to bring positive change and effective leadership to the Glendale City Council’.”

I urge you to vote for Dianna Guzman in Glendale’s Primary Election on July 30, 2024. Early ballots will be mailed out starting on July 3, 2024. Please mark your ballot for Dianna Guzman and mail it back promptly.

© Joyce Clark, 2024    

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 24

7

A SPECIAL ALERT!

Posted by Joyce Clark on May 7, 2024
Posted in City of Glendale  | No Comments yet, please leave one

Disclaimer: The comments in this blog are my personal opinion and may or may not reflect an adopted position of the city of Glendale and its city council.

These bills could and will affect your property values if passed by the Arizona Legislature. I ask you, no… I urge you to email these Arizona Senators letting them know you oppose these bills.

Cities such as Glendale did not find out until 4 pm today that these bills will be voted upon at 10 am tomorrow, Wednesday morning.

This was done deliberately so as to offer no time for opposing them.

Please email the senators listed below at the email addresses I have provided. You can email them tonight and up until 10 am tomorrow morning. Let’s flood them with opposition.

Thank you,

Joyce Clark

Councilmember, Yucca district, Glendale

Over the past few months, the Legislature has debated several zoning and housing bills, under a premise of improving housing supply at the expense of reducing community input or infringing on existing property owners. The city of Glendale has worked diligently to negotiate reasonable compromises, but the proponents behind these housing bills have accepted very few of our requests. Now it is up to you to determine the impact that these bills will have on your community. If you read the bill summaries and feel these bills will impact your property or communities, I encourage you to engage with your state Senators. 

HB2720 Accessory Dwelling Unit

If passed, HB2720 would require the city of Glendale to allow up to two accessary dwelling units (mother-in-law suite or casita) to be built in a backyard. This bill is expected to be voted on by the Arizona State Senate tomorrow. Unfortunately, the Senate has rejected our ask to allow cities the authority to prohibit the use of ADUs for AirBNB’s which is something Glendale residents asked for when Glendale updated our zoning ordinance last year. Under this bill, cities are also prohibited from establishing design standards for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) that are visible from the street. The bill sponsor, Representative Michael Carbone, has agreed with these requests, but the Senate has rejected them. We thank Representative Carbone for his efforts, but still remain concerned with the bill as written. 

HB2584 Building Materials; Prohibition

If passed, HB2584 would prohibit the city of Glendale from requiring certain building materials in construction, renovation, maintenance or other alteration of a residential building if the building materials are approved by a national model code. These codes are very broad which allows cities to adopt building codes and require certain materials based on the location of their city. For example, Glendale and other cities in Maricopa County require different building materials than colder climates like Flagstaff. The city adopts building material requirements after thoughtful consideration and feedback from our residents.  

Both bills are scheduled to be voted on tomorrow at 10 a.m. If you wish to share your feedback, please email the following Senators who represent Glendale.

Senator Flavio Bravo – fbravo@azleg.gov

Senator Anna Hernandez – anna.hernandez@azleg.gov

Senator Frank Carroll – fcarroll@azleg.gov

Senator Sine Kerr – skerr@azleg.gov

Senator Anthony Kern – akern@azleg.gov

Senator Eva Diaz – eva.diaz@azleg.gov

Senator Janae Shamp – jshamp@azleg.gov

© Joyce Clark, 2024    

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 24

6

Joshua Gunn selected as Glendale Chamber of Commerce President/CEO

Posted by Joyce Clark on May 6, 2024
Posted in City issue and actions • City of Glendale  | Tagged With: , , , | No Comments yet, please leave one

Disclaimer: The comments in this blog are my personal opinion and may or may not reflect an adopted position of the city of Glendale and its city council.

Mr. Gunn hails from Peoria, Illinois where he held the position of CEO of the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce. He also worked in North Carolina as vice president of member investment of the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce. He becomes the President and CEO of the Glendale Chamber in June of this year.

I welcome Mr. Gunn and wish him much success in growing the Chamber’s membership and assisting its members to thrive and succeed. In a recent Phoenix Business Journal article Mr. Gunn said, “Glendale stands as the epicenter within the rapidly expanding West Valley, and I am fully committed to harnessing the collective power of our diverse community and continuing the tradition of excellence at the Glendale Chamber. We will foster a collaborative culture among our members, both large and small, visionary business leaders, in tandem with our dedicated staff and esteemed non-profit, educational, and community leaders, to forge a more prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable future for all.”

It appears that Mr. Gunn embraces DEI (diversity, equality, and inclusion). It is hoped that he will work to achieve those goals within the framework of the philosophy of the Chamber. However, he is not an elected leader within Glendale’s city government.

The City Council’s goals are broader than this one issue.  We look to grow Glendale, culturally, socially, and economically. Our job includes maintaining and improving basic infrastructure, providing reliable and cost-effective services, supporting our public safety, and maintaining a sound financial structure.

Glendale is a diverse community, and the following statistics validate that claim:

White                           44.3%

Hispanic                       38.7%

Black                             7.9%

Asian                            3.7%

Native American            1.4%

Other                           4.0%

There is not a problem in Glendale in search of a solution. If Mr. Gunn believes that is not the case, if he becomes a Glendale resident, I would urge him to apply for Glendale’s Commission on Cultural Diversity and to work within that framework to strengthen our diversity.

Mr. Gunn is also a hip hop artist and goes by the stage name of Ahmaud Arbery. As a hip hop artist, this is an Instagram snapshot of his work: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_50ZgrnhwB/?igsh=OG9tM3NzMmFoMnBs

Again, I welcome him to Glendale and wish him much success.

© Joyce Clark, 2024    

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 24

4

What’s up with Lupe Encinas?

Posted by Joyce Clark on May 4, 2024
Posted in Candidate campaign committee financial reports • City issue and actions • City of Glendale • Yucca district  | Tagged With: , , , , | No Comments yet, please leave one

Disclaimer: The comments in this blog are my personal opinion and may or may not reflect an adopted position of the city of Glendale and its city council.

I am blocked from Lupe’s Facebook page. Gee, I wonder why? Is she that petty? It really doesn’t matter because my readers send me what she has posted. If her objective was to keep me from seeing her posts it hasn’t worked very well. Here are some of the latest FB posts that I have received from my readers.

This one is from Audrey Hickman’s FB page for Lupe (she is supporting Lupe). “She (Lupe) needs $20,000 to pay for her advertising materials and website expenses.” This post is very remarkable. It is two months before early ballots are mailed on July 3rd.  Candidates by this time have already raised money for signs and mailers. Signs are already being printed and will be put up in middle May, less than two weeks from now. Mailers are being designed and readied for mailing. Soon we will be bombarded with candidate mailers in May and June.

It seems that Lupe has not raised the money she needs to mount a campaign. We will know how she’s doing when the next campaign Financial Reports are due on May 11th, a week from now. Let’s hope that her next Financial Report is accurate. The last two have not been so.

Her seemingly lackadaisical attitude as well as her lack of financial accuracy in her reports as a candidate should not surprise anyone. After all, even though she filed a campaign committee a full year ago she didn’t bother to collect signatures until the very last month. As a result, she barely had over the minimum number of signatures required. I believe that she did not have the required number of valid registered voter signatures to qualify. I did not contest her petition signatures and her opponent Dianna Guzman chose not to contest because she is confident that she can beat Lupe in a head-to-head match.

If she cannot be accurate about reporting her financial activities as a candidate, will she be attuned enough to detail to report her councilmember expenses accurately? Will she pay enough attention to the city’s annual budget?

Then Adam Rolnick posted this on FB for Lupe. “Free auto insurance quotes if you’re elected!” Lupe responded with a ‘like’ and “100%.” She owns an insurance agency.

Or this observation, “Lupe is bribing constituents that if they vote for her they will get free auto insurance quotes.  Wow.”

I don’t believe this constitutes bribery because you, I or anyone can call an insurance agent and get a free quote. However, it can become a slippery slope if something of value is offered to obtain a favorable vote. She owns the Pink Door Tea Room. What if Lupe offers a free meal from the Pink Door Tea Room if you vote for her? She owns Goodie’s Glass. What if she offers you a discount on a vehicle glass replacement for your vote? She owns a real estate company. What if she offers a discount on the sale of your house in return for your vote? Then she will be on a very slippery slope indeed.

Lupe Encinas’ attitude and enthusiasm as a candidate for my Yucca council district seat has been lacking since she announced. That is troublesome on so many levels. Does she really want to be a councilmember? Will this be her attitude should she obtain office? Responding at the last minute? Whether it’s a constituent request or councilmember preparedness, this kind of service as a councilmember will not serve Yucca residents or all of Glendale well. Her attitude is not what Yucca district residents want or expect in terms of service.

© Joyce Clark, 2024    

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.