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Joyce Clark Unfiltered

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Jul 24

24

One last look at the two Lupes

Posted by Joyce Clark on July 24, 2024
Posted in Barrell District • Cactus District • City issue and actions • City of Glendale • Glendale elected officials • Glendale election 2024 • Primary Election August 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.

The primary election is in one week, July 30th. Please do vote. It’s now too late to mail your Early Ballot but you can drop it off at the Glendale City Clerk’s office at the Civic Center Annex in downtown Glendale or you can drop it off on Election Day at a polling location.

Here are a couple of recent observations that have come to my attention. Lupe Encinas in a recent mailer used this photo:

I have learned that a complaint has been filed for its use of Glendale’s employees, namely police officers with no disclaimer or permission. A candidate cannot use Glendale’s employees in campaign literature. She will probably plead ignorance and that she didn’t know it was a violation. If she is found to have violated election law I suspect she will be fined.

At the candidate forum held by the Glendale Women’s Club, only the Lupe twins appeared. The Vice Mayor had a previous commitment and Dianna Guzman had had emergency surgery. During the forum, Conchas said at one point, “When I’m knocking on doors I hear a lot about speed enforcement and speed safety… I have been talking to residents about solutions and that includes more motorcycle police and giving out a few more speeding tickets.” This is the height of irony considering that Conchas has two traffic citations in his background and a Failure to Appear at one of those court hearings. Yet now he’s concerned about traffic safety and speeding. Check out these:

A recent anti-Vice Mayor Hugh was mailed out recently. It was paid for by the political action committee, Moving Glendale Forward, ID# 24-02. It was created specifically to do one action – print and mail a hit piece on Councilmember Hugh. The contributors to this PAC are 3 people, no one else, Art Othon of Othon Consulting, donated $500; Andy Konasek of Arizona Strategies, donated $500; and surprise! Bart Turner, Glendale City Councilmember representing Glendale’s Barrell district, $2,325.09. The printing and mailing cost $3,325.09. Bart Turner paid for 70% of the mailer. It appears that Turner despises Hugh and not just Hugh, but me, Mayor Weiers and Councilmember Malnar. In other words, the majority on Glendale’s city council.

He is financially supporting the two Lupes, Conchas and Encinas, both Democrats. There are more skeletons in Turner’s closet, but they are for another day in his future.

Turner appears to be a RINO Republican. When Democrat Mark Kelly was running for office Turner endorsed him and was subsequently censored by Republican Legislative District 24.

Several observers from that night at the Women’s Club shared their comments with me. One said Encinas is really “dumb” and another said she has “no grasp of the issues.” The last observer to reach out to me said both candidates had a golden opportunity to share specific solutions and to identify specific issues. Instead, they used platitudes and spoke in generalities. They both showed that they had no real understanding of Glendale’s policies or issues.

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “Me thinks thou doth protest too much.” It’s from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The continual protests coming from the Encinas camp about connections with the radical Conchas should raise eyebrows. They had more than one Meet n Greet together. It certainly wasn’t a one-off.

The last thing Glendale needs right now are radicalized Democrats who espouse Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), defunding the police, higher taxes, gender transformation of children and open borders…the Democrat Pary platform.

Glendale is in a good position, economically and socially. Let’s keep it on a path of prosperity and safety for all of Glendale. Please vote for Ian Hugh and Dianna Guzman.

© 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.

Jul 24

3

Last look at Glendale candidates

Posted by Joyce Clark on July 3, 2024
Posted in Cactus District • City issue and actions • City of Glendale • 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.

Today Early Voting ballots were mailed out. I would expect you to get yours within the week. Please do vote. Fill out your ballot when you receive it and mail it back promptly. The longer one waits to vote, the more likely it will be forgotten and never mailed back.

Two incumbent candidates, having no opponents, are reelected. Mayor Jerry Weiers has no opponent and Councilmember Ray Malnar has no opponent.

The two district city council seats yet to be determined in the Primary Election on July 30, 2024, are the Cactus and Yucca districts.

In the Cactus district incumbent Vice Mayor Ian Hugh faces off against Lupe Conchas and in the Yucca district, Dianna Guzman is vying for the seat against her challenger, Lupe Encinas.

I endorse Vice Mayor Ian Hugh and I encourage you to vote for him. I have worked with Ian Hugh for 8 years, since 2016. I know Ian very well. He is smart, reliable and his word is his bond. He has an extensive understanding of the issues Glendale faces. What you may not know about him is his kindness and compassion toward others. He doesn’t make a big deal about it but he often drives people around to go food shopping or to make medical appointments. The same compassion he voluntarily offers to others is the same compassion he feels for all of Glendale’s residents. I know he makes policy decisions taking into consideration, his concern for others. Over the years he has demonstrated time and time again his love for his hometown, Glendale. He is a genuinely good person.

Lupe Conchas is not good for Glendale. He is a radical Democrat that believes in the far-left ideology of that party. He supports diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) but at what cost to African-Americans and Hispanics? He is endorsed by the LGBTQ community and supports gender reassignment for children. Police officers are the very people we rely upon to keep us safe yet his record is one of disrespect and non-support for them. His background includes traffic citations with a failure to appear and financial judgements against him. When he breaks the law he shows that he cannot or will not support the laws. If he can’t manage his money, he cannot be expected to manage the city’s $1.2 billion dollar budget.  He is ambitious and would use this city council seat to move to higher offices. Some unions are throwing a boatload of money-tons of it- into his campaign. He is more than willing to have them buy his seat on city council.

I am also endorsing Dianna Guzman for my Yucca district city council seat when I retire this December. Dianna Guzman has proven to me that not only is she working hard to get your vote but that she is ready for the job. She has lived in the district for 27 years and was part of our citizens’ group that saved Heroes Park land from being sold for yet another cookie cutter residential development. She has attended every city council workshop and voting meeting in person since she announced her run for office. She serves on Glendale’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission. She is a graduate of Glendale University and the Citizen’s Police Academy. In the crazy heat of July, she is out there three times a week with her volunteers door knocking and talking to residents. In fact, just now, one of Dianna’s volunteers knocked at my door. She is supporting Dianna as they are fellow church members. She knows Dianna and believes in her candidacy by walking and knocking on doors. Dianna not only has my support but my respect as well. If, and I hope, she is elected I know the Yucca district will be well represented.

Lupe Encinas is a well-meaning person, but she is just not ready for the job. It appears that she went into this race half-heartedly. She was slow on getting nominating petition signatures and just barely got enough to qualify. Her campaign finance statements are rife with errors.

What has proven to be interesting and amusing is that her campaign manager, Natalie Stahl, co-founded a group called Arizona Law Enforcement Wives Network. It is a small, mostly inactive group. It’s last Facebook post was in December of 2021 and its site, www.alewn.com doesn’t go to any page. If you have seen Encinas’ campaign signs they say endorsed by the Arizona Law Enforcement Wives Network. Yes, the same, small inactive group co-founded by her campaign manager, Natalie Stahl. Sounds great but signifies nothing.

Encinas is simply spread too thin as an owner of 4 different companies. I don’t care how good a time manager she claims to be, she won’t have sufficient time to do justice to you as a councilmember. She has aligned herself with Lupe Conchas and shares his values as a registered Democrat espousing a “Woke” agenda. It’s not Lupe Encinas’ time and deep down I suspect she and her supporters know that as evidenced by a lack luster campaign.

Police and fire support and endorse Vice Mayor Hugh and Dianna Guzman. You can trust their judgement. They vetted all of the candidates before making their endorsements. Please don’t let them down by choosing candidates that don’t wholeheartedly support them.

Please make sure that you vote by Early Ballot or at the polling location on July 30th. This may prove to be the most crucial election in Glendale’s history and the nation’s.

© 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

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

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.

Apr 24

6

Desperation

Posted by Joyce Clark on April 6, 2024
Posted in Cactus District • City issue and actions • City of Glendale • Glendale elected officials • Glendale election 2024 • Sahuaro District • 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.

As of April 1, 2024, we know the final slate of candidates running in Glendale’s Primary Election this July. This is the final slate of candidates:

MAYOR                                Incumbent Mayor Jerry Weiers vs. Jamie Aldama

CACTUS DISTRICT              Incumbent Vice Mayor Ian Hugh vs. Lupe Conchas

YUCCA DISTRICT                Dianna Guzman vs. Lupe Encinas (to fill my seat as Councilmember)

SAHUARO DISTRICT           Incumbent Councilmember Ray Malnar unopposed

Now is when desperation begins to set in for some candidates. Two cases in point.

Dianna Guzman’s campaign manager is a person by the name of Darius Diggs. I have met Darius. He is a fine, young man with a bright political future. It has been said that Dianna’s opponent, Lupe Encinas, has passed around a social media assertion from a person claiming to have been assaulted by Darius. It is defamatory, untrue, and pure, unadulterated dirt. In fact, Darius filed charges of assault against this person. Recently in court, the judge ruled in favor of Darius and found against the person who had been circulating his unfounded claim. Hopefully, this will put this episode to rest but I think we all know it will continue to be used to smear Darius and by association, Dianna Guzman.

Another case in point is the other Lupe, Lupe Conchas, and his recent actions. Recently Vice Mayor Ian Hugh hosted his twice yearly Cactus District meeting/BBQ. I attended as did the Mayor and Councilmember Malnar. All of council is invited. Some attend and some have other commitments. Also in attendance was the Vice Mayor’s opponent, Lupe Conchas. He appeared to be actively campaigning to those citizens in attendance. Not only that, but he stood on the street at the entrance to the event, waving his campaign sign. Was it illegal? No. Was it classless and tasteless. Yes.

These kinds of actions by candidates speak to their desperation. Let’s hope they will talk about issues. What are their platforms? What are the most important initiatives they seek to champion? What are their qualifications to serve?

Rest assured, as we go through the next several months before the Primary Election, I will be sharing answers to just such questions. Let’s hope the candidates have publicized their answers!

© 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.

Jan 24

22

Encinas responds to Council Campaign Financial Reports

Posted by Joyce Clark on January 22, 2024
Posted in Candidate campaign committee financial reports • City issue and actions • City of Glendale • Glendale elected officials • Glendale election 2024 • Yucca district  | Tagged With: , , , , , | 2 Comments

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 Sunday, January 21, I posted a blog about the first Glendale City Council Campaign Committee Financial Reports filed with the City Clerk on January 16th.

Today, Monday, January 22nd, Ms. Encinas emailed our neighbors copying my entire blog. Thank you, Ms. Encinas. The more people that get to read it, the more informed our community is. One of the blocks of information I provided was a review of Ms. Encinas’ Candidate Committee Financial Reports. Here is a copy of one of the report’s pages regarding contributions to her campaign.

Encinas

I made the following observation:

“Watch Encinas’ level of missing information in her reports. She fails to enter information that is required. Some of the contributors’ addresses and ALL job titles and employers are missing. These are glaring omissions of fact that are reporting requirements. If she can’t follow the state law for reporting requirements what else will she fail to report?”

Here is her response to our neighbors:

“Here is my response, I will bring unity not violence or hate ,but solutions and change for our yucca residents!  It was my first time filing and I think I did an amazing job, the titles will be updated but nothing was missing from my reporting. We have so much to do, here in Glendale ,and I can wait to speak with each one of you!”-Lupe Encinas 

I don’t think it was an “amazing job” and neither should you. The State crafted these reporting forms to make sure every candidate is as transparent as possible. It requires the job title and employer of every donation over $50 so that the public can learn what communities of interest are supporting a candidate. It requires cumulative totals of an individual’s campaign contributions as well as the Candidate ID Number. All of which are missing.

It’s not rocket science to fill out the reporting forms completely. When I ran for the office if a contributor had not supplied all the information required, I would call and ask for it.

This reporting form is required of every candidate running for public office in the State. There are many first-time filers who manage to do it right the first time.

Attention to detail is important, not just for reporting purposes. In one’s job as a Councilmember details are important. Especially when City Councilmembers are reviewing the annual city budget or reviewing the City Council workshop or voting agendas. By reviewing these items in detail, it provides a Councilmember the opportunity to reach out to appropriate staff if there are any questions about an item. 

Also please note that in Ms. Encinas’ report, she fails to put the Committee ID Number on any of her pages.  This is another necessary state requirement so that if the physical pages ever became comingled with another report, the correct pages could be easily identified and reassembled. She also fails to fill in the two right hand columns which ask for cumulative totals.

Again, more detail that was omitted from her campaign financial report.

Here is a page from incumbent Mayor Jerry Weiers’ report. It is done correctly and provides contrast to that which Ms. Encinas submitted.

Details do matter. Filing out forms correctly demonstrates a level of respect for the process of running for office. It can also forecast how a candidate will approach the job.

© 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.

Jan 24

21

City Council Candidate Committee Reports of January 2024

Posted by Joyce Clark on January 21, 2024
Posted in Barrell District • Cactus District • Cholla District • City issue and actions • City of Glendale • Downtown Glendale • Glendale elected officials • Glendale election 2024 • Primary Election August 2024 • Sahuaro District • 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.

City Council candidates never seem very interesting to the public as a Mayoral candidate or a Congressional candidate. I don’t know why because your city councilmember is the closest form of leadership to you, the public. These are the people who determine what your water bill is. When you have a problem with the city, these are the people you call. They determine city policies on virtually every aspect of your daily life and represent your city on a myriad of regional, state, and national committees.

Your choice of a city councilmember should be guided by someone who shares your values and who is responsive to your comments, questions, and concerns. If they can’t be bothered doing that as a candidate, I can assure you that they will not be responsive when elected.

Let’s look at the very first Candidate Financial Reports for those running and who is no longer running for council seats in Glendale. In general, none of the candidates have raised a lot of funding yet. Their campaigns start off slow as they hustle for signatures from registered voters for their nominating petitions. Once those petitions are turned in this March, they will be in full candidate mode as they start to raise money in earnest, order their campaign material and go to any groups’ meeting that they are invited to.

Patty Ortega expressed an interest in running for the Yucca Council seat last spring. Since then, she has changed her mind and is no longer interested.

The only uncontested city council race is that of incumbent Councilmember Ray Malnar, representing the Sahuaro District. It’s easy to see why. He’s doing a good job. He is sensitive to and responsive to his district residents. He is also even-handed in his policy discussions and decisions. Here’s what his financial report states. He started with $1,830.37 from his last campaign for Sahuaro district and loaned his committee $250.00. He has received $853.70 in campaign contributions. His expenses to date have been $954.21 leaving him with a balance of $1,729.86. His campaign contributors to date are:

  • Connie Kaiser
  • David Mitchell
  • Marion Malnar
  • Ron Kolb

He has received no Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions.

His major expenses are:

  • GoDaddy, $46.34 for a domain site
  • Wix, $267.87 for a web site

There are no rumors or speculation to report.

Incumbent Councilmember Ian Hugh also has a good record with his constituency. His policy decisions have been good for the city. He is one of the best and most responsive councilmembers. He is caring and will help his constituents out personally whenever possible. Here is his financial report. He starts with $23,753.74 from his last campaign for the Cactus District. He has raised $6,800.00 and has spent $843.14 to date leaving him with a balance of $29,710.60. He has received one maximum contribution of $6,550:

  • Louis Sands, owner of Sands Chevrolet

His other contribution:

  • Ron Kolb, Glendale business owner

He has received no PAC contributions. His expenses to date have been:

  • Costco, $650.57 for election announcement refreshments
  • Staples, $68.97 for petition copies and walking maps
  • Mail and More, $51.60 for petition copies and walking maps

There are no rumors or speculation to date.

A recent contender has surfaced to oppose Councilmember Hugh, Guadalupe “Lupe” Gonzalez, Jr. He pulled a packet and filed a Statement of Organization last week. Consequently, there is no Candidate Financial report available. According to his filing he is the Organizing Manager for a non-profit organization, ONE Campaign, devoted to fighting poverty and disease throughout the world. He is also running for the Alhambra Elementary School Board.

Diana Guzman is a candidate for the Yucca Council seat. She has raised $5,304.84 with $1.602.71 coming from a state legislative senate campaign committee. She has loaned her committee $3,102.13. She spent $1,602.64 leaving her with a balance of $3,702.20.

She has no contributors who have given the maximum amount of $6,550.00. She has received no PAC contributions. Here are her contributors:

  • Ernie Guzman, relative
  • Jane Breakiron, Behavioral Health

Her expenses to date include:

  • Vista Print, $98.27 for business cards
  • Office Max, $64.73 for petition copies
  • Hondo’s Screen Printing, $390.20 for ?
  • Next Day Flyers, $171.11 for pull up sign
  • Phoenix Print Shop, $651.60 for flyers
  • Hondo’s Screen Printing, $168.00 for shirts
  • Plotters Doctors, $52.13 for laminate map

Rumor and/or speculation to date is that I am supporting Diana. This is true. I encouraged her to run and am endorsing her wholeheartedly. She is smart, compassionate and shares our values and goals for the Yucca District and the City of Glendale.

Guadalupe “Lupe” Encinas is also running for the Yucca District Council seat. She has raised $2,618.07and has loaned her committee $1,270.70. She spent $967.69 leaving her with a balance of $1,650.36.

She has no contributors who have given the maximum amount of $6,550.00. She has received no PAC contributions. Here are her contributors:

  • Lauren Tolmachoff, occupation not listed, incumbent Glendale Councilmember, Cholla District
  • Luiz Guzman, occupation not listed
  • Craig Jennings, occupation not listed
  • Grant and Dana Hickman, occupation not listed
  • Glenn and Audry Hickman, occupation not listed
  • Yvonne Knaack, occupation not listed, former Glendale Councilmember
  • Bart Turner, occupation not listed, incumbent Glendale Councilmember, Barrell District
  • Natalie Stahl, occupation not listed, Chair of Encinas Campaign Committee
  • David Serey, occupation not listed, husband of Treasurer of Encinas Campaign Committee

Her expenses to date have been:

  • GoDaddy, $78.49 for email
  • La Art Printing, $889.90 for shirts, flyers and yard signs

Rumor and/or speculation include Councilmember Lauren Tolmachoff encouraged her to run and is or will be, endorsing her. Watch Encinas’ level of missing information in her reports. She fails to enter information that is required. Some of the contributors’ addresses and ALL job titles and employers are missing. These are glaring omissions of fact that are reporting requirements. If she can’t follow the state law for reporting requirements what else will she fail to report?

As you can see, these initial reports don’t contain a great deal of information and the next set of reports due March 2, 2024 won’t have much new information. Once these people have turned in their nominating petitions later in March, more information will be available.

In my next blog I will be discussing the current atmosphere of politics in Glendale. Watch for it. There will be some interesting dynamics to share.

© Joyce Clark, 2023     

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