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 many of you know I have previously stated that this will be my last term of office. From the very start of my term as the Yucca district councilmember I have been asked repeatedly to run again. Lately the pressure to do so has become very intense and has caused me to reconsider. If I were to decide to run again I would need to make that decision soon in order to begin fund raising for another election run.
To assist me in making that decision let me share factors that I, and you, should consider in making the decision. Perhaps the most important is my age as that is determinant of my mental and physical acuity. This October I will celebrate my 77th birthday. Every year I take an executive physical and the most recent results are that my health is excellent. The only medication that I have taken for many years is for my low Thyroid. I take nothing else. My eyesight and hearing are excellent. Physically the most challenging aspect for me is walking. I no longer climb stairs. My knees are not in good shape but are not drastic enough to require surgery.
It’s not as if I would be the first elderly councilmember. Councilmember Lieberman and Councilmember Martinez each served well into their 80’s. Each had physical challenges but they were not an impediment to service.
In terms of my mental acuity I have no signs or symptoms of any Dementia or Alzheimer’s. I am still as sharp as ever. With regard to council deliberations I continue to do my homework by reading all materials as well as questioning staff incessantly. I still enjoy the work as no two topics are ever the same. I possess a great deal of city/council historical memory which has proven invaluable to me and stood me in good stead on issues that come before us.
What about the political aspects to be considered? In my last run in 2016 my campaign was funded exclusively by the citizens of Glendale, many of whom resided in the Yucca district. I raised in the neighborhood of $15,000 while my opponent out raised and out spent me at a ratio of about 5:1. I suspect I would need to raise at minimum the same amount I previously raised and probably more.
Some of the current councilmembers have urged me to run again. I enjoy and respect my fellow councilmembers. It’s been a breath of fresh air and the way in which previous councils should have operated. I wish I had had the same experience in the early terms of my service. Alas, that was not the case.

Library stem walls Sept. 5, 2018
My priority continues to be the completion of Heroes Park, long, long overdue. I am pleased and grateful that the current council has funded Phase I of the West Branch Library. As I write this it is currently under construction and we should see the walls go up within the next few weeks. But there is so much more to be done to complete the park. My next goal is to secure funding for the design and construction of the long awaited water feature that is planned to be sited just east of 83rd Avenue. Then there are still the ball fields, Phase II of the library, a dog park and a Recreation/Aquatics Center yet to be built.
I have been accessible and transparent in my service. I reinstituted district meetings and twice a year I sent out district newsletters to every household in the district. I use Facebook regularly to post information about city and district issues.
There is certainly more to share in the coming months but for now in order to make my decision I need to hear from you, the people of the Yucca district, for if I do not have your support then it becomes a moot issue.
I am not going to run an informal poll because I have learned that it may not always be accurate. Instead, please comment to this blog. Please take the time to express your point of view. Your reaction is extremely valuable to me and I can’t make a final decision until I hear from you. If you do not wish to comment publicly, please send a personal email to me at clarkjv@aol.com .
Thanks. I look forward to comments…the good, the bad and the ugly!
© Joyce Clark, 2018
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Although I am not a resident of the Ocotillo District, you are the check-mate for our Council. Please, you are still in the prime of your life and doing a great service to our City as a whole. Your questions during Council Meetings reconfirm that you have studied each of the agenda items and vote according to what you feel is best for the City of Glendale and not special interests.
Joyce I will gladly help you get reelected you are stable force that is greatly needed in Glendale.
Oh HECK YES!!! Glendale will need you now more than ever, since the August primary went so very wrong. I don’t live in your district, but I will help you in that race.
Ahem…YES!!! Hmmm, said my comment was too short, ok…Heck yeah twice!
Please consider running again. You ask insightful questions and do your research. The citizens of the Yucca district are fortunate to have you as their Councilmember.
Hello Joyce, You have been a ray of light for the City of Glendale. Although I’m not in your District, your actions have significance and impact for all of Glendale. I can always count on you to keep us informed, and whether or not I agree with your position I have no doubt why and where you stand on the issues. More importantly, your stance on issues is always well researched and based on what you believe to be in the best interests of Glendale and your District. You get five stars from me for your dedication, research, and communication. So, the bottom line is if you are willing to serve we will all benefit!!!! Warmest regards, Larry
Glendale need a council member that works for Glendale’s citizens.
I am so glad you are back on the council.
Please, please, please run again.
We need you.
I don’t live in your district, but I know how you handle your business. If you don’t run, it would be a shame. The City of Glendale needs your levelheadedness and candor.
You and I are the same age Joyce and I plan on working full-time for a few more years or longer.
Retirement is not good for the body or the brain. We need y0u more than ever since so much building is going on in Glendale. Look what you have done to get Heroes Park moving with much more to be done. The citizens of Yucca district t will help you get reelected because they appreciate the many hours you spend serving Glendale.
If you are willing to run and serve the Glendale Council once again, I see it being a plus for the citizens of the Yucca District and City of Glendale. You are smart, thoroughly research issues and want what’s best for our City. Age is not a factor in my opinion if you are willing to give it another go.
Joyce,
You have proven to me that you are a person of your word, a straight arrow, a great listener, fair, one who says what she means, and means what she says, a caring passionate person, intelligent, and a fighter for what she deems is right for her constituents and the city. If you run I will help you. Glendale and your district still needs you.
You do not look 77 years, you are doing a great job Joyce. I would like to see you run for another term. You keep your mind active, it’s keeping sharp. I will do my best to help you. I can make calls, not good for the walls, but anything stationary or run errands. I’m not that immobile. I have a bad sciatica.
Joyce….absolutely YES we’d like you to continue and run again. Having you on the Glendale City Council and representing the Yucca district has been like a breath of fresh air. We know you always have our best interests at heart and will fight the good fight in a fair business like manner. I don’t have to tell you this now….I’ve expressed this to you several times over the past few years in all your dealings with the city. You haven’t always won every battle with the city, but you’re there with us to the very end and we know it. Every district should be so lucky to have a Joyce Clark. Yes, I will support and help you in any way possible…whenever I’m around! And, to all of the above let me add a big Thanks!
Joyce,
You provide an invaluable service to all citizens of Glendale, not just Yucca District! Please, please, please run again!
Definitely YES. Keep working on getting the park completed and push for code compliance and street improvements in our district.
Your influence in the city council has definitely put Glendale on the map…. Your visionary work in the council made Glendale the sports and destination place it is now as well as a nice city to live in. You’re the voice of reason and fact bases decision making that is so rare today….. please run we all agree.
So I would ask you, what do YOU want to do? Do you enjoy the circus that can be the Glendale Council? All the same players are in it again, good bad or otherwise. That’s not always a good thing. You’re experienced, you do the job as it SHOULD be done, you’re independent, maybe a bit stubborn sometimes, and make your own choices. but if it’s not FUN for you, I say no shame in bugging out and enjoying the coi pond, golden years, life, etc. Politics these days can certainly be a stressful battleground. I’d ask, what say YOU?
Doug, I will answer your questions and offer my final decision in an upcoming blog…unwritten as of today’s date.
I know you well enough to know you aren’t running for the power or money. Rather it is intrinsic and wanting to do what is best for Glendale. After the results of the last election your opinions and vote are even more important than before the election. You need to do what is best for you and your family. I certainly hope it works out so you run again. Glendale needs you. Regardless of what you decide THANK YOU!!!
Joyce, Kim and I will support you in any way we can, as we did before. You are one of only two politicians in the country we can think of who serve because you truly want to improve the quality of life for the people you serve.
At a time when most politicians have only 2 goals: 1- getting elected and 2- getting re-elected, you are a ray of sunshine streaming out from the dark abyss of today’s political culture.
You are honest and ethical. You aren’t afraid to state your position even if it isn’t in line with the current “political wind”. You ask the tough questions that other council members don’t or won’t, because you know they need to be asked.
You always do your best to do the job you were elected to do. You put the needs of the community first and temper your actions with experience, compassion and honesty.
Without your balance on the council, things will only get worse. Who knows what projects you’ve gotten started, will be shelved after you’re gone? We need you now more than ever- hopefully your example will inspire others with the “right stuff” to serve.
By the way- er, what was the question?
Joyce. I would like you to run another term. You have fought for the Yucca District and kept us updated with meetings, emails and newsletter. Without you , I doubt construction would have started on the library
Thank you for your service.
Joyce, I have only been involved in what is going on in the city for three years, I go to the counsel meeting and express my concerns about the code compliance issues. I joined the planning commission so I could learn about zoning and ordnance’s of the city. What I have seen so far is there are lots of complaints and plenty of meetings but zero accountability against staff. Now I will get to my point, I have seen you many times confront and express your opinion and your knowledge is top notch. And I believe it’s time to get more residents involved with the issues that plague this city and everyone knows what they are! So I highly would support you if you ran for re-election because I see you are committed to the PROBLEMS! And even though I’m not in your district we have the goal and the more residents that get involved and express their concerns at city Council meetings the more attention it will get!