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Joyce Clark Unfiltered

For "the rest of the story"

Feb 26

20

Farewell to Glendale City Manager Kevin Phelps

Posted by Joyce Clark on February 20, 2026
Posted in City Council Actions • City issue and actions • City of Glendale • Glendale Economic Development • Glendale elected officials • Glendale finances  | 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’s February 2026, and City Manager Kevin Phelps has departed as Glendale’s city manager.   The Business Journal named Phelps as one of the Most Admired Leaders in 2024. Due to Phelps’ focus on employee culture, Glendale also received the Best Place to Work, 2025, in the extra-large category from the Business Journal and was named Best City for Business in AZ by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce in 2025.

When Kevin Phelps was first hired by Glendale in 2015, Glendale’s finances were a mess, and the Wall Street Journal said Glendale was in “worse financial straits than any city except Detroit.”

Among Kevin’s many accomplishments as Glendale’s city manager, two stand out for me. The first is Glendale’s thriving economy. Phelps took a city in financial trouble to a city whose bond ratings are outstanding. Property taxes have not gone up in eleven years. The city’s economic base is diversified. The Bell Road corridor is a retail powerhouse. Westgate is known as an experiential entertainment district. The Loop 303 corridor has become a prime submarket for industrial, distribution and manufacturing facilities. This economic triangle provides financial stability for Glendale for many years to come.

Instead of the traditional role of a city as a regulator, it has become a facilitator for businesses. Now city departments focus on working together to support our businesses. All city departments seek ways to ensure that this community thrives, from small businesses to the largest.

The second area of note is the employee environment. Employees are financially recognized by their peers annually for their unique contributions to the organization. Department heads are encouraged to assist one another. Employees annually learn the ‘why’ of current city goals. Employees are encouraged to take risks and to innovate. The culture of the organization has improved dramatically.

During my twenty-four years of service, I have worked with many city managers. Only two have earned my admiration and respect. When I first became a councilmember, I worked with Dr. Martin Vanacour. He stood out for his financial acumen and his support for city employees. Kevin Phelps has done the same. Both have been exceptional leaders of Glendale.

Despite our mutual respect there were policy issues with which Kevin and I disagreed. Two that stood out are the city’s current logo and the placement of council offices in the renovated city hall. I abhor the current city logo. It will always be the Google logo to me. It conveys nothing and delivers no message about what Glendale is. As for council offices, placing them in the former basement of city hall has never been appropriate and symbolically devalues the city council. We agreed to disagree and remain respectful of one another. Make no mistake. Kevin Phelps’ departure as Glendale’s city manager is a profound loss.

Former Gilbert City Manager Patrick Banger has assumed the position. I wish him good luck for he certainly has enormous shoes to fill.

© Joyce Clark, 2026   

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.

Feb 26

12

83rd Avenue is Alligator Alley…long overdue

Posted by Joyce Clark on February 12, 2026
Posted in City issue and actions • City of Glendale • Former Councilmember Joyce Clark • Glendale Economic Development • Glendale finances • Glendale zoning issues • 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.

The last four years I served on Glendale city council, from 2020 to 2024, I pushed hard to have 83rd Avenue from Glendale Avenue to Northern Avenue (I call it Alligator Alley) reconstructed. I call it Alligator Alley because it is possibly the worst road in Glendale. It has so many patches you would think you were riding on an old-fashioned, rippled washboard.

I have to say that the city’s Transportation department has always accommodated any previous concern I have had but this time, they have dropped the proverbial ball. Or should I say they have not picked it up.

The necessary funding and reconstruction design are there. In 2023, staff revealed that there were right-of-way issues with several property owners along 83rd Avenue. I was told at the time that if the city could not acquire the necessary right-of-way through negotiation it would have to condemn the strips needed. Three years later, this is still an unresolved issue.

In 2024, staff said they were waiting for Salt River Project to resolve their issues at the intersection of 83rd and Glendale Avenue. Two years later, the Transportation department is still waiting. They have the ability to reach out to SRP to prioritize this project. They have not done so.

This situation is unacceptable.

83rd Avenue is a traffic reliever road when there are major events such as football games and concerts at Westgate. The heavy traffic makes a terrible road even worse.

It is way past time for the Transportation department to get its act together. If there are still property owner hold outs, then it is time to condemn the strips needed for reconstruction. It’s also time for staff to get SRP to immediately resolve its issues.

If you share my view of 83rd Avenue, I urge you to send an email expressing your concerns to our Director of Transportation, Purab Adabala and to Jamsheed Mehta, Assistant City Manager overseeing the Transportation department. Their email addresses are:

Haven’t we waited long enough? It reminds me of the city’s commitment to finish Heroes Park.

© Joyce Clark, 2026   

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.

Jan 26

25

Braggin’ on Glendale

Posted by Joyce Clark on January 25, 2026
Posted in City Council Actions • City issue and actions • City of Glendale • Glendale Economic Development • Glendale elected officials • Glendale finances • Glendale zoning issues • Luke Air Force Base • VAI Resort • Westgate • 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.

When I first began serving as a Glendale city councilmember in 1992, its population was 159,023 and its square miles were 52.2. In 2025, its population exploded to 265,599, an increase of over 100,000. Its square miles increased to 67.2, an increase of 15 square miles.

In 2019, Glendale’s city council adopted its vision for the Loop 303 corridor. It rejected the concept of adding more residential and instead chose to earmark that area for manufacturing and industrial development.  In 6 short years, the Loop 303 corridor has become the premier site for such development.

In December of 2025, recent news from many trade publications highlighted Glendale, Arizona, as a leader in economic growth and investments across multiple sectors. Did you know that Glendale leads all U.S. submarkets in industrial sales volume, surpassing $1 billion this year alone, driven by major deals like Walmart’s $152 million purchase of a 1.28 million-square-foot warehouse near Luke Air Force Base?

This reflects the city’s booming industrial sector along the Loop 303 corridor, where developments like a 2.4 million-square-foot industrial park by Lincoln Property Company are attracting logistics and manufacturing firms. Additionally, Glendale was named Arizona’s Best City for Business in June 2025 by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, citing its pro-growth policies, job creation (nearly 13,000 jobs added in six years), and over $1.5 billion in ongoing investment projects, primarily in the Sports and Entertainment District.

This includes high-profile developments around Westgate Entertainment District, such as hotels, retail, and entertainment venues tied to attractions like State Farm Stadium.

Key projects contributing to these figures include:

  • The $1 billion VAI Resort, a 70-acre complex with a Mattel Adventure Park, hotels, and entertainment features, approved for construction and expected to boost tourism.
  • Nestlé USA’s $675 million beverage factory, which opened in early 2025 and created over 350 jobs.
  • Mark Anthony Brewing’s $250 million facility for White Claw and other products, operational since 2020.
  • Walmart acquired a 1.28 million square-foot building near Luke Air Force Base.

The $152 million purchase is Phoenix’s second-largest industrial building sale ever recorded.

These investments have helped Glendale diversify beyond sports and events (e.g., Super Bowl economic impacts exceeding $1 billion in regional activity), positioning it as a top West Valley hub for business and development.

Businesses in the Loop 303 Corridor, Glendale, AZThe Loop 303 corridor in Glendale, Arizona, has seen significant industrial and commercial development, attracting various companies focused on manufacturing, distribution, and logistics. Below is a compiled list of businesses located in this area (not all inclusive as I may have missed some), based on available information from economic development reports, real estate listings, and news articles. The list includes details of their operations where available:

  • Red Bull

             Manufacturing facility (first in North America, over $280 million investment,

             750,000 sq ft)

             Reems and Peoria Roads

  • Amazon

             Distribution operations; leased industrial building

             VT303; also surrounding The Cubes

  • REI

             Warehouse complex (400,000 sq ft)

              Loop 303 corridor

  • Williams Sonoma

              Distribution or warehousing

             The Cubes at Glendale

  • S. Merchants

             Distribution or warehousing

             The Cubes at Glendale

  • White Claw

              Production facility

              Surrounding The Cubes at Glendale

  • Ball Corporation

             Manufacturing (food storage and aluminum cans; supplies Red Bull)

             Surrounding The Cubes; Loop 303 corridor

  • Walmart

             Distribution center (1.25 million sq ft)

             Park303 Phase 1

  • FedEx

             Distribution or logistics

             Surrounding The Cubes at Glendale

  • Sub-Zero

             Manufacturing center (nearly 700,000 sq ft, luxury appliances)

             Loop 303 corridor (opened 2011, expanded 2016)

  • Dick’s Sporting Goods

             Distribution center (624,000 sq ft, high-tech)

             Loop 303 corridor (opened 2013)

  • Chewy

             Online pet products distributor

             Loop 303 corridor

  • UPS

             Distribution operations

             Loop 303 corridor

  • Bimbo Bakeries

             Distribution operations

             Loop 303 corridor

  • Dollar Tree

             Regional distribution facility (1.3 million sq ft)

             Park303 Phase 2 Building C

  • Logisticus Group

             Third-party logistics (550,000 sq ft lease)

             Park303 Phase 2

  • Axle on Demand

             Logistics specialist (126,075 sq ft pre-lease)

             Echo Park 303

Several developments like VT303 North, Bethany Bay, and Latitude 303 Logistics are under construction or recently completed as of 2025 but do not have publicly announced tenants yet. The area continues to grow with speculative industrial projects attracting e-commerce, manufacturing, and logistics firms.

There is no doubt that Glendale has become a powerhouse in the Valley. Thirty years ago, it was a small town with an economy that was unremarkable. With the advent of the Bell Road corridor, the growth of Luke Air Force Base, the development of the Westgate area and the Loop 303 corridor, it has become a vibrant community with a diversified economic base.

It’s braggin’ time! If you are a manufacturing, logistics or distribution facility and need to grow where the weather is perfect year-round with a great roadway system and an abundant labor force, welcome to Glendale, Arizona!

© Joyce Clark, 2026   

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.

Dec 25

20

People who live in glass houses should not throw stones

Posted by Joyce Clark on December 20, 2025
Posted in 2026 general election • Barrell District • Cactus District • City Council Actions • City issue and actions • City of Glendale • Glendale elected officials • Glendale finances  | 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.

On December 10, 2025, Councilmember Lupe Conchas gave a TV interview on ABC with Adam Mintzer regarding his opposition to councilmember stipends. Here are some quotes from that TV story.

In 2022 an administrative policy was initiated giving councilmembers $900 per month for incidental costs and $450 monthly for car allowances. The allowances are intended to cover personal incidental expenses, including home-office costs, internet, technology, office supplies, incidental meals, mileage and repairs. 

 In August of 2025, Councilmember Lupe Conchas brought the issue to a council workshop and called the policy “a slush fund.” Yet at one time he had no objection to it and accepted the stipend for the first 6 months of his term. Then someone whispered in his ear that this might make for a good campaign issue.

His mentor, Councilmember Bart Turner, supports Conchas’ position. He characterizes the policy as a potential conflict with existing city expense systems. “There is no data to back this policy up,” Turner said. “Feels to me like it would be double dipping to take this…and for the record, I never have.” He may not have double-dipped, but he appears to have been very cavalier in his use of taxpayer dollars for his many trips.

A majority, four of the other six councilmembers and the mayor expressed support for maintaining the current policy during that August meeting.

Councilmember Ray Malnar defended the allowances, saying he spends significant money on home-office expenses. “We are being reimbursed for legitimate business expenses,” Malnar said. “I spend a lot of money on printers. I print a lot of things at home.”

Mayor Jerry Weiers said the numbers are justified for active councilmembers. “If you work for it. If you put in time. Your mileage…I find it entirely justifiable,” Weiers said.

Councilmember Lauren Tolmachoff disagreed with characterizing the policy negatively. “I don’t think our residents expect us to behave like martyrs,” Tolmachoff said.

The City of Tempe has a $12,000 stipend for councilmembers’ cars and other expenses that don’t require them to submit receipts. So, Glendale is not the only city with such a policy.

A week later, December 17, 2025, the Phoenix New Times reported that the very same Councilmember, Lupe Conchas, directly asked the public in October 2025, to send him money through ApplePay and Zelle for his personal home repairs. He says he received $650 but he expects us to take his word for it.

People who give money directly to a politician, with no transparency as to who gave how much creates an appearance problem. It could also evade campaign finance requirements. Conchas admits that he did not think about a perception problem. He appears to be either very stupid or very arrogant. In essence, he used his official position to obtain money for personal use.

He did not consult with the City Attorney. Why? Perhaps because he knew that if he had the City Attorney would have advised against it whether it was legal to do so or not.

Then there is Councilmember Turner’s support of Conchas on this issue. I wrote a series of 4 blog posts on Turner’s fast and loose use of his City ProCard (city credit card). Turner talks about the need for data but often, after repeated staff requests, never supplied the requisite information or receipts to back up expenditures incurred on his many trips using city funds. Many of his trips to the same events attended by other councilmembers cost more than that of any other councilmember. He even asked the city to cover his Renaissance Weekend trips which were purely personal enrichment events.

Clearly, neither of these two councilmembers can legitimately question stipends when they appear to have financially sinned. Conchas deliberately used his elected position to solicit money from the public for personal expenses and Turner has a very questionable history with his use of the city ProCard.

A majority, five councilmembers, support and defend this policy, as do I. For 20 years of my 24 years of service as a councilmember, I paid personally for the very items the stipend covers. In my last 4 years of service, I was grateful that there was a stipend to cover the very expenses I had personally incurred and paid for over many years.

Why did these two men bring this forward? This is an election year. Conchas is supporting Rory Goree who is running against the incumbent, Councilmember Leandro Baldenegro. Turner, who has decided not to run again (perhaps because of his questionable use of the ProCard) has endorsed Lisa Baker. They need to help their chosen candidates and what better way than ginning this up an election issue. Just watch, both of these candidates will use stipends as a campaign issue. After all, if they were to run on their merit, both candidates lose.

© Joyce Clark, 2025   

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.

Jul 25

9

Councilmember Turner and his use of city ProCard, Part 5, final

Posted by Joyce Clark on July 9, 2025
Posted in Barrell District • City Council Actions • City issue and actions • City of Glendale • Glendale elected officials • Glendale finances  | 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

On January 16, 2025, I submitted a Public Records Request to the City of Glendale for all records pertaining to Councilmember Bart Turner’s travel expenses and the use of his city ProCard. That request was completed and given to me on March 12, 2025. It included over 500 pages of documentation. In the past four months, I have reviewed them over and over again.

All of the information I have provided on this 5-part series on Councilmember Turner and his use of his city credit card, the ProCard, have been taken from the city provided documentation. They are facts.

What have we learned?

  • Councilmembers Malnar and Tolmachoff have been transparent and accountable for their use of their ProCards. On the city Follow Your Money site they have listed all trips from 2018 to the present. Councilmember Turner has listed only 3 trips in 2019. Nothing is presented for his numerous trips through 2024. Turner throws out the buzz words, ‘transparency’ and ‘accountability’ whenever he can. He portray himself to be a watchdog of taxpayer dollars. Yet when it comes to spending your money on his numerous trips, it becomes a situation of ‘Rules for thee but not for me’. So much for practicing what he preaches. I did not compare with Councilmembers Baldenegro, Guzman or Conchas as they are new and have no history to date.
  • Staff repeatedly gave Turner all policies related to expenditures and travel and made numerous requests for back up documentation and/or receipts. He was minimally responsive. Consequently, staff put together a chart showing his lack of response and back up. That chart reflects over $22,000 in travel expenses without the proper information required to back up his expenses. Turner needs to come out of the closet, take responsibility, and repay you, the taxpayer, for his poor judgement.
  • Turner’s Renaissance Weekend trips totaling over $8,300 are clearly self-enrichment trips and are not related to city business. These trips show a clear lack of judgement and awareness. How he could possibly charge these trips to the city demonstrates his lack of ethical judgement. It appears to be an abuse of city policy.
  • His Vertical farming trips are questionable as well. The city does not engage in farming, vertical or otherwise. They are not related to city business.
  • City policy dictates that airfare upgrades, additional baggage fees, seat upgrades and tipping above 20% are not allowed. Turner violated all of these policies on multiple occasions.
  • Turner’s Pro Card was deactivated in December of 2024. When I received the city provided public documents in March of 2025, there was nothing to indicate it had been reactivated. If it has, it occurred after March of this year.

This 5-part series is Bart Turner’s “Sammy Chavira moment.” For those of you who may not recall, former Councilmember Sammy Chavira took a trip to NYC on your dime to see the Pope. Unfortunately for Sammy, the closest he got to the Pope was to watch him on TV. Sammy abused you, the taxpayer, and your dollars and demonstrated his lack of ethics and judgement. In doing so, he lost his bid for reelection as councilmember.

Bart Turner has done exactly as Sammy Chavira did. He has abused you, the taxpayer and your dollars. As he berates everyone for not being fiscally responsible, he displays an arrogance toward taxpayers by refusing to acknowledge his trips publicly or to provide the necessary justification for the use of his ProCard as a business-related trip with proper documentation.

Councilmember Turner will undoubtedly run for reelection next year, 2026. All of the material, based on factual documentation in this 5-part series, should be taken into consideration when the time comes to vote on a Barrel district councilmember. His lack of financial disclosure and lack of ethics disqualify him for another term as the Barrel district councilmember. I suspect when the time comes there will be better choices for the Barrel voters.

Councilmember Bart Turner of the Barrell district has shown through his actions and his judgment his disdain for Glendale taxpayers. His public pronouncements are not the same as his actions when it comes to travel expenditures paid with taxpayer dollars. He does not deserve a single vote from Barrell district voters.

If the media or any potential Turner-opposed candidates would like to view the requested public information I am happy to share. Please email clarkjv@aol.com or text me at 602-320-3422.

© Joyce Clark, 2025   

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.

 

Jul 25

2

Councilmember Turner and his use of ProCard, Part 4

Posted by Joyce Clark on July 2, 2025
Posted in Barrell District • City Council Actions • City issue and actions • City of Glendale • Glendale elected officials • Glendale finances  | 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.

In Part 1, I explained the use of a city ProCard and how seriously it is taken. In Part 2, I showed what travel expenditures Councilmember Turner has publicly posted as well as all of the trips he has not posted publicly. In Part 3, the public information request I made includes any and all emails between city staff and Councilmember Turner.

In Part 4 we see what trips Councilmember Turner put on his ProCard and whether they reflected a city business interest. As part of my public information request, I received a staff generated chart that reflects all Turner trips where documentation in the form of agendas, itineraries or receipts were NOT supplied by Councilmember Turner.

THE TOTAL PAID BY THE CITY FOR WHICH DOCUMENTATION AND/OR PROOF OF A BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP TO THE CITY WAS NOT PROVIDED TOTALS $22,555.61.

  • AG Tech Summit $3,201.99
  • Sister Cities, Germany $872.68
  • August 2023 League Conference $858.04
  • Renaissance Weekend October 2023 $3,706.71
  • Airfare to DC October 2023 $803.22
  • League of Cities Summit November 2023 $1,934.50
  • Colorado Water Users December 2023 $1,885.00
  • Renaissance Weekend December 2023 $4,661.51
  • League of Cities March 2024 $4,631.93

As stated previously, trips are required to have documentation for expenses and a stated business purpose. Although Turner did not provide all the documentation required for the League trips, they do qualify as a business purpose.

However, some trips (excluding League trips) are questionable. One was tCity ohe AG Tech Summit. This conference was held by The Center of Excellence for Indoor Agriculture. Its key themes from its website state:

  • Finding New Sources of Funding in a Changing Economic Landscape
  • Alleviating the Impact of the Energy Crisis through Efficiencies and Alternatives
  • Accelerating Automation to Improve Crop Care and Reduce Operational Costs
  • Balancing Biology and Technology for Crop Growth and Profitability
  • Unlocking the Potential of Plant Genetics to Sow the Seeds of Growth
  • Growing Margins Through New Product Innovation from Crop to Shelf
  • Exploring the Global Potential of Indoor Farming and the Next Regional Hotspots
  • Promoting CEA as a Critical Piece of the Food Security Puzzle
  • Creating Industry Standards to Build Confidence and Communicate the Benefits of CEA

The site describes the conference as: “From multi-acre scale facility design to seed optimization for vertical growing, and from multi-million-dollar funding rounds to the fine margins of running profitable farms, an international speaking faculty will discuss the critical success factors for CEA in today’s economic environment.”

How this conference and his attendance benefitted the city is unknown. The city does not engage in vertical farming, nor is it looking for investors for such a project.

In part of the Sister Cities trip to Germany, Turner took a Vertical farming tour. Again, the city does not engage in farming or vertical farming.

The most egregious use of your taxpayer dollars was for two Renaissance Weekend trips totaling over $8,300.00. Please go to their website, https://www.renaissanceweekend.org/

These trips were purely personal enrichment trips with no city business to be derived from them. It’s a rather secretive organization with no agendas of any kind to be found on its website. I did find the following description: “Renaissance Weekend’s primary purpose is to create an environment free of partisanship and commercialism, where substantive conversations can thrive. It is described as more than a conference, emphasizing a casual, welcoming culture where all participants are heard, and all opinions are welcome. The gatherings are inter-disciplinary, inter-generational, and family-friendly, with provisions for children, including Camp Renaissance programs for younger attendees accompanied by adults. The organization’s mission is to discuss urgent questions of today and essential issues of human experience, fostering bridges among thought-leaders, trend-setters, authorities, and rising stars.

Activities at these weekends include seminars, discussions, informal lectures, and performances, with attendees designing their own schedules from available talks and sessions. Events are held several times a year, with the largest gathering traditionally around New Year’s and smaller weekends throughout the year. Locations are often chosen for their scenic beauty, such as sun-drenched beaches with panoramic Pacific views, snow-capped Rockies, or dramatic coastal areas like “Steinbeck country” near Monterey, California. Specific venues mentioned include Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Rimrock Resort & Spa, and the Monterey Plaza Hotel, offering amenities like hiking trails, golf, spas, and proximity to cultural attractions like wineries and aquariums.”

The Colorado Water Users trips may or may not have been related to city business. However, Turner did not provide the necessary information to justify these trips.

Since Turner did not comply and provide the necessary information to justify these trips after repeated requests to do so, I believe he has been asked to reimburse the city. To my knowledge, as of the end of June, 2025, he has not done so. It is logical to assume that since he will be running for reelection to his Barrel district city council seat, he will reimburse. If he does not do so, it will be used by any candidate that opposes him. Reimbursement, should it occur, does not excuse the abuse of his city credit card for what can be viewed as personal enrichment activities.

In the final Part 5, comments and conclusions regarding Councilmember Turner’s use of his ProCard will be offered.

© Joyce Clark, 2025   

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.

Jun 25

11

Councilmember Turner and use of ProCard, Part 3

Posted by Joyce Clark on June 11, 2025
Posted in Barrell District • City Council Actions • City issue and actions • City of Glendale • Glendale elected officials • Glendale finances  | 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.

To date in Part 1, I explained the use of a city ProCard and how seriously it is taken. In Part 2, I showed what travel expenditures Councilmember Turner has publicly posted as well as all of the trips he has not posted publicly.

In this Part 3, the public information request I made includes any and all emails between city staff and Councilmember Turner:

  • February 15, 2022, Councilmember Turner is sent an email with an attachment that specifies his councilmember responsibilities with regard to travel as well as other items.
  • March 7, 2022, Councilmember Turner is sent an email with the city’s Travel and Reimbursement Policies.
  • February 1, 2024, Councilmember Turner is sent a ProCard audit of his ProCard use.
  • February 2, 2024, Councilmember Turner’s ProCard limit is increased to $7500; there     are also requests for receipts covering April 7, 2023; September 12, 2023; October 24,  2023 and February 2, 2024.
  • March 18, 2024, Councilmember Turner is sent a request for various receipts.
  • March 25, 2024, Councilmember Turner is sent a request for various documentation.
  • April 17, 2024, Councilmember Turner is sent the City Travel Policy.
  • April 24, 2024, Councilmember Turner is sent a request for documentation of travel
  • April 24, 2024, Councilmember Turner is notified that his ProCard is suspended.
  • April 24, 2024, Councilmember Turner is notified that his ProCard limits are set to zero and his card is inactivated.
  • June 25, 2024, Councilmember Turner is sent a request for receipts.
  • June 28, 2024, Councilmember Turner is sent a request for receipts.
  • December 20, 2024. Councilmember Turner is notified that his ProCard is deactivated.

Please note that I received no emails reflecting Councilmember Turner’s responses to repeated staff requests for receipts and documentation. He may have responded verbally and that would not be within the scope of my public information request. However, verbal responses are not sufficient according to city policy. All documentation and receipts are to be in writing.

There is no problem with elected officials attending the National League of Cities and Towns (NLC) meetings. It is a good way to learn by attending workshops and lectures. There is also the opportunity to network with other elected officials from throughout the country.

Typically, elected officials will attend the annual state and national NLC Conferences and in March will go to Washington, D. C. to meet with Congress members to lobby for projects that benefit their communities.

It was at one of these NLC conferences that Mayor Weiers learned about veterans’ housing. He brought the concept back to Glendale where it was then implemented.

Councilmember Turner seems to have no problem spending money – your taxpayer dollars – when traveling. For example, he, Councilmembers Malnar and Tolmachoff and the Mayor attended the National League of Cities Summit in Kansas City, MO from November 16-19, 2022. Mayor Weiers’ total for the trip was $1,968.23. Councilmember Malnar spent $2,269.60. Councilmember Tolmachoff spent $2,296.29. Councilmember Turner spent $3,285.79. Turner spent 67% more than Mayor Weiers; 45% more than Councilmember Malnar and 43% more than Councilmember Tolmachoff.

Here’s another example. Mayor Weiers and Councilmembers Malnar, Tolmachoff and Turner attended the National League of Cities Conference in Washington, D. C. from March 9 to March 13, 2024. Mayor Weiers’ total was $4,038.66; Councilmember Malnar’s total was $3,844.89; Councilmember Tolmachoff’s total was $2,973.60 (may have used airline miles to reduce the cost of her airfare); and Councilmember Turner’s total was $4,631.96. Turner spent 13.47% more than the mayor. He spent 20.47% more than Councilmember Malnar and 55.77% more than Councilmember Tolmachoff.

It was also on these two trips that Councilmember Turner received seat upgrades. On his Kansas City NLC trip an additional $96.59 was spent on seat upgrades and on his Washington, D. C. he spent $143.00 on seat upgrades. This is contrary to city policy which states the ProCard cannot be used to pay for seat upgrades.

He also tends to overtip (more than 20%) Uber drivers. Again, city policy caps tips at 20%.

As is documented under my public information request, Turner was asked repeatedly for receipts and documentation for various trips which apparently, he did not provide. This lead to the termination of his ProCard in December of 2024. 

Why did he not respond to repeated staff requests for further documentation and receipts for his travel expenditures?

He tends to spend more than any other Glendale official on these trips. It appears that he certainly doesn’t have you, the Glendale taxpayer, in mind. It may be that he forgets exactly whose money is being spent.

In Part 4 and last of this series, we’ll look at some problematical trips Councilmember Turner has taken and then draw some final conclusions about his travel expenditures.

© Joyce Clark, 2025   

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.

 

 

Jun 25

6

Councilmember Bart Turner and his use of a City Procurement Card, Part 2

Posted by Joyce Clark on June 6, 2025
Posted in Barrell District • City Council Actions • City issue and actions • City of Glendale • Glendale elected officials • Glendale finances  | 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.

In Part 1 of this series, I explained the use of the city’s credit card and how seriously travel expenditures using the ProCard are viewed. It is taxpayer-funded, and the expenditure is expected to benefit you, the taxpayer, by attending conferences or meetings that will improve an employee’s productivity. The city requires accountability in the form of receipts and transparency by publicly posting.

There is a lot of information that had to be organized and simplified. It was no easy feat. That is why it is taking so long to share this information with you. Special thanks goes to “anonymous” who helped me to break down the over 500 pages of documents I received through my public information request.

One way that anyone can view travel expenses for city councilmembers is to go to the city’s Follow Your Money page. Here is the link: https://www.glendaleaz.com/your_government/city_council/council_expenditure_reports

Since we are reviewing Councilmember Turner’s expenditures, for purposes of comparison I also looked at Councilmembers Malnar’s and Tolmachoff’s expenditures. I did not compare the Mayor’s travel expenditures as they would be quite different to those of a councilmember. I also did not compare with Councilmembers Guzman, Baldenegro or Conchas as they are new and have no previous years of expenditures. Here is what is publicly available regarding Councilmembers Malnar, Turner and Tolmachoff:

Malnar travel

Malnar Maricopa Association of Governments Economic Development Committee Trip Mexico City February 2019

 Malnar NLC Washington DC March 2019

 Malnar Annual League of AZ Cities & Towns Conference in Tucson, AZ

 Malnar NLC City Summit in Kansas City, MO Nov 2022

 Malnar Annual League of AZ Cities & Towns Conference in Tucson, AZ 2023

 Malnar NLC City Summit in Atlanta, GA Nov 2023

 Malnar NLC Conference Washington DC March 2024

 

Turner travel

Turner NLC Washington DC March 2019

 Turner AZ League of Cities August 2019

 Turner WATEC Conference Nov 2019

 

Tolmachoff travel           

Tolmachoff NLC Los Angeles Nov. 2018

Tolmachoff NLC Washington DC Mar. 2019

Tolmachoff NLC San Antonio Nov. 2019

Tolmachoff NLC City Summit in Kansas City, MO Nov 2022

Tolmachoff NLC Congressional City Conference Mar. 2023

Tolmachoff League Annual Conference Aug. 2023

Tolmachoff NLC City Summit Atlanta Nov. 2023

Tolmachoff NLC Washington DC Mar. 2024

What is astounding is that Councilmember Turner has only listed travel expenditures for one year, 2019. Yet expenditures from 2019 to 2024 should be listed but are not. The question is why? Your guess is as good as anyone else’s. I’m sure he’ll try to provide a reasonable explanation, but it does not excuse the fact that he has not bothered to list 5 years’ worth of travel expenditures.

So much for a councilmember that repeatedly calls for transparency and accountability. We can see that he has traveled quite a bit and yet not bothered to publicly list any of it. All information obtained through a public information request as it is not publicly posted under Follow Your Money.

Let’s begin with a list of all of the travel that Turner did not bother to post publicly. (This information was obtained via my public information request. Please note I received no public information on travel expenditures prior to November, 2022. It is most likely due to COVID in 2020 and 2021). Here is the list of Turner’s travel not publicly available:

  • National League of Cities Summit, Kansas City, MO, November 16-19, 2022, $3285.79
  • National League of Cities Conference, Washington, D.C., March 26-28, 2023, $3650.37
  • Indoor AG Tech Innovation Summit, New York City, Jun 29-30, 2023, $3165.36
  • Sister Cities trip, Memmingen, Germany, July 19-23, 2023, $917.46
  • League of Cities and Towns Conference, Tucson. AZ, August 29 – September 1, 2023*
  •  Renaissance Weekend, New York City, October 5-9, 2023, $3683.63
  • Colorado River Water Users Association, Washington, D.C., October 17-20, 2023, $1353.21
  • National League of Cities Conference, Atlanta, GA, November 15-18, 2023, $1979.50
  • Colorado River Water Users Association, Las Vegas, NV, December 13-15, 2023, $1651.32
  •  Renaissance Weekend, Charleston, SC, December 28, 2023 – January 1, 2024, $4661.51
  • National League of Cities Conference, Washington, D.C., March 9 -13, 2024, $4631.96

Total expenditures for these 10 trips: $28,980.11 (*League August 2023 expenditures unknown).

City travel policy states under Section D, examples of what is not allowed: “Priority boarding fees and airline seat premiums or upgrades, unless other options are not available.”

For the trips listed above $836.73 was charged for seat upgrades/preferred seats/main cabin extra seats.

There is certainly more to cover but this is enough overload for you, the reader. In Part 3 of this series, we will take a deeper dive into Turner’s travel expenditures.

© Joyce Clark, 2025   

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 25

22

Councilmember Bart Turner and his use of a City Procurement Card, Part 1

Posted by Joyce Clark on May 22, 2025
Posted in Barrell District • City Council Actions • City issue and actions • City of Glendale • Glendale elected officials • Glendale finances  | 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.

On January 16, 2025, I made the following Public Information Request of the Glendale City Clerk: “All available information held by the city relating to Councilmember Bart Turner and his travel and any requests for reimbursement as a result of the use of his ProCard for his travel from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2024. That includes, but is not limited to, correspondence, emails, charts, and memoranda between the Councilmember and any member of the City of Glendale staff.”

On March 12, 2025, I received the public records I had requested.

I had heard from various sources that Councilmember Bart Turner’s Procurement Card (also referred to as ProCard or pcard) had been terminated. This is highly unusual. That is why I made the Public Information Request. It was to verify that his ProCard had indeed been terminated and why.

All of the information used is a public record and can be obtained by making the same request to the City Clerk for information that I did.

If anyone from the media wishes to confirm this public information or do further reporting, I will make the public records I received available.

First, it is important for you, the reader, to know some background information. A ProCard is, in essence, the city’s credit card. Certain levels of department personnel and elected officials have a ProCard issued to them. Routinely it is used for educational courses, office supplies, event supplies and travel. With the exception of travel, the charges are usually small.

The city takes the use of a ProCard very seriously. It must be used exclusively for small purchases, education, travel or city business that will benefit an employee’s (including elected officials) productivity by learning new methods or procedures related to one’s job or by networking with others in the same field or by gaining instruction on new or amended federal or state laws that can impact the city. There are miscellaneous reasons, such as grant procurement, for use of the ProCard but they must be related to and in some way bring a benefit to the city. Under no circumstances may a ProCard be used for any personal reason or to purchase alcohol.

Here is the city policy regarding employee reimbursement from SimpliCity Employee Expense Reimbursement (EER) dated 4/14/2020:

“An employee expense claim can take the form of a travel expense per Financial Administrative Policy (FAP) #7, education expense, or other expenses such as vest/supplies/professional development/miscellaneous expense.”

Many years ago, the Glendale City Council adopted a policy that it, too, would be subject to the very same employee policies related to reimbursement for travel or any other legitimate expenditures.

The city’s Travel and Expense Reimbursement Policy dated 12/15/20 and last revised on 4/01/2022 states,

Purpose: “It is the duty of all travelers to carefully weigh any expenditure of public funds. Travel expenditures should only be incurred when there is a clear business need that benefits the city. It is the responsibility of the traveler to maintain correct and proper records to report only authorized city business related expenses when reporting expenses for travel. In addition, it is the employee responsibility when requesting reimbursement for expenses to make sure the expenditures reflect allowable City business, are documented and receive proper authorization.”

Application: “This policy is applicable to all City of Glendale employees, contract employees, temporary employees, agents, volunteers, and contractors unless otherwise specified. To the extent that elected officials resolve to follow this policy, certain exceptions may apply.”

Now that I have shared the responsibilities and requirements for the use of a city issued ProCard, in Part 2, we will take a deeper dive into Councilmember Turner’s use of his ProCard. Look for Part 2 to be posted soon.

© Joyce Clark, 2025   

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 25

1

Beware

Posted by Joyce Clark on May 1, 2025
Posted in City Council Actions • City issue and actions • City of Glendale • Glendale Economic Development • Glendale finances • Glendale zoning issues • VAI Resort • Worker Power Super PAC  | 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 has come to my attention that Worker Power while sending people to knock on doors has been spreading lies about the upcoming May Glendale special election (costing you the taxpayer about $250,000) on Propositions 401 and 402 in an effort to get your vote.

They have become desperate enough to become unethical. The very latest tactic is to tell voters when going door to door that there already is a playground on the 9-acre parcel (subject of the Propositions) and that children are playing there.

This is an outright lie. Nothing could be further from the truth. VAI Resort bought that 9-acre parcel  over a year ago and has nearly completed its administrative building and parking lot. They acknowledge that they are building at their own risk should Worker Power’s latest attempt to stop VAI succeed.

Once again, let me reinforce, as the retired councilmember (24 years of service) for that area which is part of the Yucca district, the Open Space designation on that parcel was intended to be a placeholder until it was developed commercially. It was never intended to become any kind of park. Period.

Worker Power, instigator of this special election:

  • Has cost you the taxpayer to pay about $250,000 for this special election
  • Has told voters many lies about the parcel in question as they go door to door
  • Is trying to bring California-style governance to Glendale

Outside unions want to decide Glendale’s future for us, but we know what’s best for our city. Props 401 & 402 will approve the VAI Resort and ensure local control. Keep decision-making in Glendale, not out-of-state unions. Vote YES on Propositions 401 and 402 to determine our own destiny.

When you get your mail in ballot, please vote YES and guarantee that VAI Resort will be able to finish their development.

VOTE YES ON PROPOSITION 401

VOTE YES ON PROPOSITION 402

© Joyce Clark, 2025   

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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