Header image alt text

Joyce Clark Unfiltered

For "the rest of the story"

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.

Mar 16

9

Clark is doing it again

Posted by Joyce Clark on March 9, 2016
Posted in City issue and actions • City of Glendale • Glendale elected officials  | Tagged With: , , , , | 9 Comments

This afternoon I will be visiting the City Clerk’s office at Glendale City Hall for the purpose of picking up a nominating petition packet and establishing a political committee. Yes, I have decided to run for the Yucca district councilmember seat.

I took my time to really think about it. I weighed the pros and cons. I talked to family and friends and asked for their unvarnished opinions. Since Norma Alvarez’ Letter to Editor was published I have been inundated with positive phone calls and emails. My former constituents want me to run. They want to “get their voice back.”

Why am I running? For fame and glory? Hardly. Being a councilmember is time consuming. There are not just the Tuesdays one gives up for council meetings and workshops. There are weekends doing “homework” after council books are delivered. There are small meetings with neighborhood groups. There are the countless phone calls to solve a constituent problem, to listen to a constituent concern or to hear a constituent opinion. There are local functions and regional meetings representing the leadership of our community. It’s a thankless job where more often than not, complaints rather than compliments prevail.

I can and will be the voice of my constituency. I can and will resume holding district meetings. I can and will send out district newsletters. I can and will be available by phone, email and in person to listen to constituents. I can and will use my abilities to make the best decisions possible for all of Glendale. I can and will seek innovative ways to deliver the best possible services to all the people of Glendale.

Sammy has failed to do all of those things. Sammy has failed to reach out to and to listen to his constituents. Sammy has failed to have district meetings and in his term had only one, in early 2013. Sammy has never sent out a district newsletter instead relying on his e-newsletter written by staff. Sammy has not been available and has often canceled scheduled meetings with Glendale residents. Sammy has taken to participating at council meetings telephonically. Sammy has done nothing at council meetings other than to thank everyone.

Perhaps more importantly Sammy has squandered taxpayer dollars with trips that did not serve the interests of Glendale such as going to D.C. to see the Pope or to witness his buddy’s induction into Congress. Sammy has squandered taxpayer dollars by financially supporting Glendale festivals that failed such as $8,000 of taxpayer money for a Watermelon Festival and      $2,500 of taxpayer money at a festival that promoted political candidates of just one political party. Sammy has squandered taxpayer dollars by picking up the tab for lavish meals such as a $420 dinner in D.C. for his boss, the Phoenix Fire Chief, and others including her husband. Sammy appears to be using his position as a councilmember who voted for supporting the casino to obtain a job at this casino from the Tohono O’odham. Sammy has not only failed to serve his constituency but he has also failed to work in the best interests of our entire community.

I have done the job before. I know that I can be effective and responsive. We may not agree on every issue but on those issues where we do not agree I will listen respectfully. I am ready and willing to serve my community again.

Here is the Press Release issued today:

Press Release Mar 2016

As I run you can expect blogs on how and what one does when one runs for a local office. I suspect that you will learn things that you did not know or never considered. I do know one thing. I cannot take this journey without your support. You answered the call when I asked that you share your opinion about my running but there is more to be done. I need your support. I need your help in collecting nominating petition signatures. Can you canvass your neighborhood for me? If you cannot walk, can you make calls? Can you help to prepare political mailings? Can you host a get together at your home so that I might answer questions posed by you and your neighbors? Can you plant a yard sign in front of your home? Lastly, can you contribute to my campaign? Even $5 will help. Many small contributions do add up.

Let the race begin and let’s “get your voice back.”

© 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.