january newspaper

www.InMaricopa.comJanuary 2011

NEWSThere is another boom coming for Arizona Page 8

BUSINESSAttorney Jose Chaidez charted his course early 2

steven m. thomas

POSTAL CUSTOMER

BY THE NUMBERShow concerned are you with city finances?

Source: InMaricopa.com poll: 295 total votes

the federally subsidized maricopa Unified school District food service program serves more than 100,000 meals each month, including ones provided free to needy children.

Extremely concerned

Somewhat concerned

No opinion

Not concerned

58%

29%

10%

3%

MUSD fights fraud, feeds kids Page 6

“We really hope we can give the biker community a positive outlet.” — Curt “Preacher” Chamberlain, founder of mountain view Community Church’s biker Bible study

COMMUNITYCanadians key to Maricopa’s wintertime economy Page 16

2 InMaricopa.com January2011

OnNov. 2 the ballots werecast;thevoteswerecountedand the results are in. TheRepublicans won clear ma-jorities in the state Houseand Senate as well as thegovernorship and otherstateoffices.

Now the Republicansmustdosomethingthattheyhavefailedtodoforthepast40years—govern.

You see for the past 40years they have controlledthe Arizona Legislature. Inthatposition,theyhavebeenrequiredbythestateconsti-tution to pass a balancedbudget — something theyfailed to do over the pasttwo years. In fact, it wouldbe even longer if previousgovernorshadnotused theveto pen to get a balancedbudget.

Now Republicans mustdigArizonaoutofthefiscalmess that they are mainlyresponsible for. However,given some of the rumbleswe are hearing from theirleadership it sounds liketheygoingdigusdeeperintodebt.

The Republican legisla-ture,withconcurrenceoftheRepublicangovernor,closedstate parks, cut off fundingfor low income healthcare,closed highway rest areasand took away funding fornumerous other programsthatmainly effect low- andmiddle-income citizens ofArizona. Nothing has beendone to secure more jobsin the state, even though itisclear thatArizonacannotrelyonjustthehousingandtourist industries for em-ployment.

Inpast sessions,Repub-licans have pushed moreandmorecostsoffontocit-iesandcounties.Becauseofthat practice, these entitiesare already strapped to thedegreethatourpublicsafetyand infrastructure are notjust suffering, but may infact put citizens of Arizonain imminent danger. Cit-ies are laying off police of-ficers and firefighters, clos-ing parks and cutting backon essential services. Stategovernment must stop thepracticeofforcingcitiesandcountiestopickupthecostsfor their inability to do thejobtheywereelectedtodo:Govern.

Yes, Republicans wonclear majorities across Ari-zona. With that win comesresponsibility. That issomething that they have

Maricopa NotebookPublisherScott Bartle

EditorSteven M. Thomas

ReportersJoyce HollisTom KesslerMichael K. RichSteven M. Thomas

ContributorLinda Melone

PhotographersTom KesslerCindy PriceMichael K. RichSteven M. Thomas

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Operations ManagerCarolyn Struble

Customer Loyalty CoordinatorMichelle K. Winegard

Advertising ConsultantsJennifer BakerKathy Dodge

ClassifiedsKathy Debevec

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The Democrats are sup-posedtobethepartyof theworking folks. The Demo-cratsaresupposedtobetheparty of opportunity. TheDemocrats are supposed tobethepartyofhope.Really?Instead,DemocratsseemtowanttopasstheblameontoRepublicans instead takingsomeoftheblame.

Let’s start with the bud-getcrisisandgobacka fewyears. In March 2007, theprojection was that statesales tax receipts would in-crease by 8.5 percent overthe next two years. Andthatwasconsideredaprettyconservative projection. In-stead, theyhavegonedownbyover16percent.Andthesales tax is themost steadyandpredictableofthestate’stax sources. The governor’soffice comes upwith a rev-enue forecast as does thelegislature. Agreeing on acommon one is part of thebudgetnegotiations.

State Treasurer DeanMartin went to GovernorNapolitano inMarch, 2008and told her that the statespending needed to stopand that a revised budgetneeded to be negotiated orthe state would go into thered. Governor Napolitanocalled DeanMartin “Chick-en Little,” and said that hewasnot fully informed.Thegovernor said that the statehasmoneythatthetreasurer

didn’t know about. Really?Thatisillegal.GovernorNa-politano quickly retractedher statement knowing shecouldfacesomelegalbattlesifherstatementweretrue.

Therearethreeareasthatthe legislatures need to fix,andthatmeansbothRepub-licansandDemocrats.Thosethreeare theeconomy, jobsandtheborder.Let’slookathowwegetourstatebackontrack.

Economy: We need tocut useless spending, andeven though that soundssimple, it isn’t. If you lose30 percent of your income,you cut expenditures, butthe problem is that thestate expenditures are 30percent higher. We passedthe sales tax propositionthatwillbring inaround$1billion, but that still leavesabouta$2billiondeficit. Ifwe do nothing, the deficitwill be around $4 billionby 2014.The state reliedformany years on tourism,

Legislatureshouldconcentrateonjobs,economyandimmigration

By Brenda Hermanson

NowRepublicansmustgovern

By Joe roBIson

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NowRepublicansmustgovern

Continued from page 2 shunned for thepast fourde-cades.Oureducationsystemisin serious trouble. Class sizesare ballooning, teachers arebeing cut, dropout rates areclimbingandnothinghasbeendonetocurbanyofit.

Wecontinue tohearaboutproposals to increase bordersecurityandtochasedownille-galimmigrants.WithRepubli-cansintotalcontrolonewouldthink that rather than spendArizonataxdollarsonwhatisclearly a Federal responsibil-itytheywouldbeworkingwithour congressional delegation,whereRepublicanshaveama-jority,tohavethemsecureour

borders as they are requiredto do. Arizona’s tax dollarsshouldbespentonourneeds,not doing what the FederalGovernmentisrequiredtodo.

Iamclearlyapartisan,buttheelectionisoverandnowitis time to govern and tend tothe state’s needs. All electedofficialsmustbeapartofsolv-ing Arizona’s problems. Bal-ancing the budget, caring forour cities and counties, im-provingourcrumblingeduca-tionalinstitutionsandcreatingjobsshouldnotbepartisanis-sues. Getting Arizona’s houseingoodordertakesinputfromeveryone, Republicans andDemocratsshouldbeinvolvedin crafting solutions to ourpressingneeds.

Good legislation comesfromworking with all partiesand on some if not most oc-

casionsmaking the necessarycompromisestohaveourstatemove forward and start tosolveourmanyproblems.Wecannot wait another four de-cadestogetthejobdone.Thetimeishereforthoseelectedtotake responsibility and moveourArizonaforward.

Joe Robison is chairman of the Pinal County Democratic Party.

Legislatureshouldconcentrateonjobs,economyandimmigration

Continued from page 2

sales taxes, and income taxes

foritsrevenue.Jobs: Tax incentives, and

how the state governmenttargeting on how to use taxincentives to create jobs isessential. If tax incentivescreate a flow of money intojobs, employed people payingtaxes will keep governmentrunning. Over 308,000 jobshave been lost in Arizona, soif government is going to liveon sales tax revenues, thenlegislaturesmustpayattentiontojobcreation.

The Border: Arizona’sillegal immigrant populationiscostingthestate’staxpayersevenmore than once thought— a whopping $2.7 billion in2009,accordingtoresearchersattheFederationforAmericanImmigration Reform, thepublic interest group thathelped write the state’s new

immigration law. FAIR’s newbreakdown shows that illegalimmigrants take $1.6 billionfrom Arizona’s educationsystem, $695 million fromhealthcare services, $339million in law enforcementandcourtcosts,$85millioninwelfarecostsand$155millionin other general costs. JackMartin, the chief researcheronthereport,sayshisdata,infact, do include benefits likethe estimated $143 millionin taxes paid by an estimated500,000illegalimmigrants.

These3areaswillhelpim-prove the state ofArizona formany years to come. This isgoing to takebothDemocratsand Republicans working to-gethertomakethishappen.

Brenda Hermanson is president of the Maricopa Republican Club.

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By steven m. [email protected]

There is some fraud in the free andreduced-price lunch program that 51percent of children in the MaricopaUnified School District participatein, with students who don’t qualifyreceiving federally funded mealassistance. However, due to diligentlocal oversight, the percentage ofbenefitsthatgotothewrongpeopleismuch lower here than inmany otherschooldistricts.

According to MUSD Directorof Child Nutrition Suzette Moe,who oversees the district’s foodservice, approximately 16 percent ofapplications for free or reduced-pricelunchesflaggedforofficialverificationthisyearwererejectedformisreportingincomeornotrespondingtorequestsfordocumentation.

That percentage compares very fa-vorably to some other districts whereupto93percentofauditedapplicationswere rejected in the 2007-08 schoolyear,butstillmeansthatasmany440of the 2,730 local students participat-ing in the program may be ineligiblefor the benefits they are receiving.Since children in the program receiveanaverageof$462 inbenefitsduringaschoolyear,asmuchas$200,000inmealassistancemaybegoingtoMUSDkidswhodon’tqualify.

“Thereisabitofanhonorsystem,”said Tom Beckett, MUSD human re-sources director. “We generally trustwhatpeoplesay,butSuzettealsohandenterseachoneoftheapplicationsandflags them if there is something thatdoesn’tlookright.”

The Department of Agriculture,whichadministersthemealassistanceprogram, requires districts to verify3 percent of what are called “error-prone” applications, ones that show

incomelevelsclosetoqualificationcut-off amounts for freeor reduced-pricemeals.Moegoesbeyondtherequired3percent,usingherknowledgeofthelocalcommunitytoidentifysuspiciousapplications.

“Ipulltheonesthatarejustridicu-lous,”shesaid.“IfIseeafamilyoffourlivinginoneofthenewersubdivisionsreportinganincomeof$100or$200aweek, I contact themtofindoutwhatisgoingon.IwouldsayIverifyabout10percentoftheapplicationsintotal,betweenthe3percentthegovernmentrequiresandtheextraonesIflag.”

Richard B. Russell national school Lunch act

The Federal School Lunch Pro-gram—which alsoprovides free andreduced-price breakfast and after-school snacks for children in need—was originally founded as a nationalsecurity measure. During WWII, 8percentofSelectiveServiceregistrants

werefoundtobeunfitforarmyservicebecauseofmalnutritionorunderfeed-ing.Afterthewar,Congresssoughttoremedy this situation with legislationcraftedbyGeorgiaSenatorRichardB.Russell and signed into law by Presi-dentTrumanin1946.

Section2oftheactreads:“It is hereby declared to be

the policy of Congress, as a measure of national security, to safeguard the health and well-being of the Nation’s children . . . by providing an adequate sup-ply of foods and other facilities for the establishment, mainte-nance, and expansion of non-profit school-lunch programs.”

Today, the program provides nu-tritionally balanced, low-cost or freelunches tomore than 31million chil-dreneachschoolday,inpublicandpri-vateschools.

All lunches served by the MUSDfoodservicedepartmentaresubsidizedtosomeextentbycashpaymentsfrom

thefederalgovernment,eventhoseforwhichchildrenpaythegoingrate.

According to figures provided byMoe,reimbursementratesare$2.72forfreemeals served, $2.32 for reduced-pricemeals, and26cents for regular-pricemeals. The district also receivesan allotment of surplus food such ascheese and pasta that Moe draws onthroughouttheyear.

Childrendonothavetobelivinginpovertytoreceivefreeorreduced-pricemeals,sothehighpercentageofMUSDstudentsintheprogramdoesnotmeanthatthecommunityispoverty-stricken.Children from families with incomesatorbelow130percentofthepovertylevelareeligible for freemeals.Thosewithincomesbetween130percentand185 percent of the poverty level areeligible for reduced-price meals, forwhich they cannot be charged morethan 40 cents. Currently, 130 percentof the poverty level is $28,665 for afamilyoffour;185percentis$40,793.

Children who are homeless orwhosefamiliesreceivefoodstampsorparticipate in certainotherprogramswith independent income verificationare automatically eligible for mealassistance and not subject to MUSDreview.

2 types of fraudBesides individual cheaters, who

misreportincomeorfamilysizetogetmeal assistance, some school districtshavebeencaughtwiththeirhandinthetill. Because many federal programsuse lunch assistance numbers as anindictor of need, districts with a highpercentage of participating studentsgetmoreTitleIfundsandothertypesoffederalandstateassistance.The$30billionTitleIprogramdispensesmoneytoimproveacademicopportunitiesforthe disadvantaged, recruit and trainteachers,reduceclasssizeandupgradefacilities, and themore lunch-assisted

MUSD fights fraud, feeds kids6 InMaricopa.com January2011

Cover Story

maricopa elementary school students (left to right) Rigoberto Guillen, Guadalupe Flores, Brian homar and allan Rodriguez enjoying their lunch break on a Friday in December.

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studentsdistrictshave,themorefundstheytendtoget.

“Districts have a vested interestin having a high number of studentsenrolled in the Federal School LunchProgram,”Moesaid.

According to investigative reporterDavid N. Bass, writing for EducationNext, “Some districts encourageparents to fill out applications evenif they are not sure they qualify. OnedistrictinChillicothe,Missouri,offeredparents a $10 Walmart gift card forturninginanapplication.”

MUSDdoesnotofferanyincentiveforfillingoutapplications,but itdoessend an application home with everystudent, according to Rick Neilson,assistant principal for career andtechnical education atMaricopaHighSchool.

Sometimes districts go beyondenthusiasmfortheprogramtooutrightfraud. In September the CaliforniaDepartment of Education determinedthat the Oxnard Union High SchoolDistricthad topayback thestateandfederalgovernments$5.6million thatitoverbilledforschoolmeals.

“We found systematic over billingon free and reduced-price meals atevery school in our district,” OxnardUnionattorneyJackParhamsaid.

Moe said there was no chance ofthat kind of fraud happening here.“We are audited by the state and thedistrict auditors, so there isnoway Icould be claiming students that wedon’tactuallyhave.”

According to Moe, auditors fromtheArizonaDepartment ofEducationgoover everyapplication she submitsto make sure the students meet theguidelines — on paper, at least. Buttheydonotattempttoverifythefactson the applications, leaving open thelikelihood that parentswho give falseinformationwillnotbedetected.

The application parents fill out forchildren to get meal assistance has aclause above the signature line thatstates,“IunderstandthatifIpurposelygive false information, my childrenmay losemeal benefits and Imay beprosecuted,”butMoesaysshedoesn’tknowofanyonewhohasactuallybeenprosecutedforgivingfalseinformation.

In fact, it is unclear who would havejurisdictioninsuchaprosecution,sincelocal, state and federal agencies areinvolvedinadministeringtheprogram.

Putting children firstAccording to paymentaccuracy.

org, an official website of the UnitedStates government, the $9 billionNational School Lunch Program hasthe highest percentage of “improperpayments” of any federal program,with$1.5billion going astray infiscal2009.Thatnaturallyraisesthehacklesoflegitimatefiscalconservatives.

On the other side of the scale,despite fraud and errors in payment,the program clearly benefits societythrough lower healthcare costs andhighereducationalattainment.

“TheEffectsoftheNationalSchoolLunch Program on Education andHealth,”an in-depth reportpublishedinJanuary2010,foundthatincreasedaccesstomealassistanceaddednearlya year to the level of educationalattainmentformalestudents.

This could be due in part tostudents attending school in orderto eat when food is not available athome,andsodoingbetterandstayinginschool longer,or tobetter learningand success rates for students whoreceiveadequatenutrition.Eitherway,totheextentthateducationisgoodforindividuals, and educated people aremore productivemembers of society,there is a direct connection betweenthe school lunch program and thebettermentofthenation.

Alsoweighingintheprogram’sfavoristhenaturalcompassionmostpeoplefeel for hungry children. At MUSDschools, kids who might otherwise

go hungry receive a hot, nutritionallybalancedluncheachdaythatincludesunlimited fruit and salad that theyservethemselvesfromasaladbar.

“Childrenwhoneedbreakfastshowup half an hour early, get in line andgivethecashiertheirnameandreceiveahealthybreakfast,”saidMoe.

Thedegreeofsupportforchildren’swell-being was demonstrated whentheU.S. Senate unanimously passedtheHealthy,Hunger-FreeKidsActonAug.5.Thebillwasdelayedformonthsafterward by Republican obstructionin the House of Representatives, buteventuallypassedthereaswellonDec.2.WhenPresidentObamasignsitintolawitwill,inthelanguageoftheHouseCommittee on Education and Labor,“dramatically improve children’saccess to nutritious meals, enhancethequalityofmealschildreneatbothin andout of school and in childcaresettings, implement new school foodsafety guidelines and, for the firsttime,establishnutritionstandardsforallfoodssoldinschools.”

Theactwillprovide$4.5billion innew funding to expand school mealprograms,combathungerandimprovechildren’shealthoverthenext10years.

“Myofficeisatdistrictheadquartersnowinsteadofinaschool,butIstillseethechildrenintheschoolsallthetime,”saidMoe.“Whenyouseesomeofthemcoming in who have obviously gottenready for school by themselves thatmorning, you know they really needthisprogram.”

Meals served in MUSD schools in NovemberBreakfastFree meals 16,590Reduced-price meals 2,626Paid meals 5,195LunchFree meals 39,376Reduced–price meals 7,692Paid meals 22,576 Including snack bar meal equivalents and adult meals, the MUSD food service program overseen by Suzette Moe served 108,781 meals in November.

allan Rodriguez (left) and trevaughnte minous enjoy the ‘all you can eat’ salad bar.



Realestateexpertandeconomicfore-casterElliottD.PollacksaidtheworstisoverforthePhoenixarea,includingPinalCounty,butthatrecoverywillbeslow.

“2012 and 2013 will be a hell ofa lot better than 2011,” Pollack tolda group of 200 or so governmentofficials, developers, financiers andother business people at the PinalCountyPartnership’sannualeconomicforecastonDec.17.“And2011willbeahellofalotbetterthan2008and2009.By2014and2015,youallwillhavebigsmilesonyourfacesagain.”

In the short term, according toPollack’s analysis, economic progresswillbemodest,mainlybecauseofthedepthandaftereffectsof the collapsein homebuilding and real estateprices,includingthecontinuingglutofforeclosures. Tight credit conditionsfor both homebuyers and businessesand continuing unemployment willalso act as dampers, preventing thekind of robust bounce-back typicalaftermostpreviousrecessions.

PollacksaidArizonacannothavea

robust recoveryuntil theconstructionindustry gets back on its feet andthat sucha reboundwon’t fullyoccuruntil 2014, when the current excesshousing inventory is finally absorbedandpopulationinflowbecomesstrongenoughagaintosupportathrivingnewhome building industry with all itsattendantbenefitsinjobs,cityrevenueandpositivepsychology.

Going from 2nd to 49th in growth

To illustrate thedegreeof theeco-nomicdisasterinArizona,Pollacknot-edthatfromthe1950sintothe1990s,Arizonawasconsistentlyoneofthetoptwostatesintermsofgrowth,butthatby2009ithadfallento49th.

Theviciouscyclethatbroughtaboutthis reversal included the real estatebubblebursting,whichputahalttothenewhomebuildingindustryandvapor-izedhundredsofthousandsof jobsaswell flooding the resale market withforeclosuresandshortsales.

At the same time, commercial realestateprices“fellthroughthefloor”ac-cordingtoPollack,withoffice,industri-alandretailpropertyvaluationsdrop-pingbyasmuchas50percent,leadingtohighvacancyratesandastandstillinnewcommercialconstruction.

With houses plummeting in value,even those who could stay in theirhomes suffered from a depletion ofthe psychological “wealth effect” thatcaused people to feel confident andspend freely when their houses wereappreciatingrapidlyduringtheboom.Reduced consumer spending accom-paniedbyhighunemployment inAri-zonaandthecountryledtothedeepestrecessionsincetheGreatDepression.

the good news for 2011 and beyond

The template for gradual recoveryand renewed growth in the Phoenixarea Pollack outlined included thesefactors: Credit frees up, consumersbecome more confident, overall U.S.economy improves, stock marketcontinues upward as business profitsincrease, excess housing stock isabsorbed, people start to move toArizona again, housing prices rise,

construction jobs are created, all jobsectorsgain,stillmorepeoplemovetoArizona,governmentrevenueimprovesandtheindustrialbasegrows.

As positive indicators of a currentmodest recovery, Pollack noted thatjobsarenowbeingcreated inGreaterPhoenix. From October 2009 toOctober2010, the area added24,300jobs,comparedtoanetlossof226,900jobsovertheprevioustwoyears.

“Allthosejobswilleventuallycomeback,”Pollacksaid.“But it isgoingtotakeawhile.”

Pollack said business spending onequipmentwillbeupnextyearascom-panies invest in upgraded computersand software to increase productivityandthatbusinessinventorycorrectionwillenhancegrowthdata.

Anotherpositiveindicator,perhapsthe most basic one of all, is that allprognosticators Pollack cited believethat long-termpopulationgrowthwillresume and continue with millionsmore people coming to Arizona overthenextseveraldecades.

Morenewarrivalsmeanmorehous-eswillhavetobebuilt,morestoresandrestaurantsopened,morejobscreated,more government revenue generated,leadingtoabrightereconomicpictureoverall,aversionoftherisingsunthatisArizona’sstatesymbol.

Unfortunately, Pollack added thatthefundamentalhousingrecoverywilllag in Pinal County compared to therest of the Phoenix area “because somuch of the speculative housing wasbuiltthere.”

Nevertheless, therecoveryisonitsway in Pinal and throughout Arizonaaccordingtothishighlyregardedfore-caster.

“Believe it or not,” he told thepacked room, “there is another boomcomingforArizona.”

‘There is a another boom coming for Arizona’

Real estate expert elliott D. Pollack addressing the Pinal Partnership’s annual economic forecast meeting on Dec. 17.

steven m. thomas


Top 10 stories of 2010

By mIcHaeL K. [email protected]

Maricopaexperiancedsomedramatichighsandlowsduringthepastyear.Hereisalookatthe10eventsthathadthegreatestimpactin2010.

CaC plans campus In one of the year’s brightest mo-

ments,CentralArizonaCollege’sGov-erning Board voted unanimously inAugusttopurchase217acresofvacantlandsouthofBowlinRoadandwestofWhite and Parker Road for construc-tionofafull-scalecollegecampusthatwill eventually serve 15,000 studentsand employ hundreds of faculty andstaff. The new campus will replacethecollege’sMaricopaCenter,asmallstorefront location at 20800N. JohnWayneParkway.

Biomass plant comes to town Thecityreceivedsecondpieceofex-

cellenteconomicnewsinAugustwhenPinalPowerannounceditwouldbuilda30megawattrenewableenergypow-erplantinMaricopa.Theplant,whichwill generate enough juice to light35,000homes,willemploy125duringconstructionandcreate25permanentfull-timejobsinthecity.Constructionisscheduledtostartsoonandtheplantisexpectedtobeoperationalbythelat-terpartof2012.

City manager Kevin evans steps down

The Maricopa City Council votedSept.29tograntCityManagerKevinEvanstheseveranceagreementhere-quested.

During his three-year tenure, Ev-ansoversawa criticalphaseofMari-copa’s growth. Accomplishments in-cludedimplementingastrategicplan,creating theMaricopa Economic De-velopment Foundation, establishingcommunications with neighboringtribalgovernmentsandpassinga$65million parks, recreation and librarybondpackage.

“WhenKevinEvansfirstarrivedthiscitywas justababy learningtocrawl,andwhilewemaynotberunningyet,wearecertainlywalkingnow,thankstohim,”saidVice-MayorEdwardFarrell.

Global Water increases ratesGlobal Water’s 2010 rate increase

generated great controversy. HOAs,government leaders and individualhomeowners throughout the citydecried the company’s initial rate-increaseproposalascatastrophic.

Heatedpublicmeetingsandseverallegal hearings followed, resulting inrate increases that, while still painfultomany,wereconsiderablylowerthanfirstplanned.Thefinalincreasewillupthe average homewater/sewer bill inMaricopa from $76 to $96 by Jan. 1,2012. The increase, while significant,isnearly$40amonth less thanwhatGlobaloriginallyrequested.

The future rate increase forreclaimed water, which HOAs use toirrigategreenbelts,wasalso reduced,fromaproposed$2per1,000gallonsto 57 cents, up from the current 33centsper1,000.

Republicans sweep Pinal County races

November brought a red tide asRepublicans Steve Smith, FrankPrattandJohnFillmore led a sweepof theStateLegislativeDistrict23.Itmarkedthe first time in the county’s historythedistrictwascontrolledbya trioofRepublicans.

Fragrant feedlot shuts downInJuly,thecitycouncilapproveda

dealthatremovedonefeedlotfromthecityandsetthestagefora futureem-ploymentcenter.

The city purchased 68 acres of a900-acre parcel for $3million to usefortheconstructionofarailroadover-passatWhiteandParkerRoad.Inturn,theownerofthe900acres,ElDoradoHoldings,canceledMaricopaFeedlot’slease,andagreedtotherezoningof50acres in theparcel fromresidential tocommercialuse.

“This isa landmarkchange for thecityofMaricopa,”saidMayorAnthonySmith.“ItisasimportantforthecityastheexpansionofStateRoute347fromtwotofourlaneswas.”

ThefeedlotwasscheduledtovacateMaricopabytheendof2010,reducingthe cow population ofMaricopa from84,000toabout50,000.

two hotels promised to maricopa

Mayor Smith announced inFebruary that aHoliday Inn Expresswas on its way to Maricopa, with aplannedcompletiondateofNovember2010.

However,constructionwasdelayedbecause of issues with the ArizonaDepartment of Transportation and

the project is now scheduled forcompletion in late 2011, accordingto Larry Miller manager of MatrixxManagement,thecompanybehindthehoteldevelopment.

While the Holiday Inn is still adrawing, construction of a 152-roomaddition to Harrah’s Ak Chin CasinobrokegroundinJuneandisslatedforcompletioninJuly2011.

“This is going to be a fabulousaddition,” said Geoff Andres, thengeneralmanageratHarrah’sAk-Chin,notingthatthe$20-millionprojectwillcreateneededspaceattheresort,whichisbookedtocapacityonanightlybasis.

mUsD override failsThe Maricopa Unified School

District made headlines throughoutthe year due to budget reductionsimposedbythestateandtherepeatedfailure of an override continuationmeasure. Cuts in fiscal 2009-2010totaledmore than$5millionand ledto the elimination of 10 custodians,two groundskeepers, three busdrivers, a shop supervisor, a handfulof teachers and23paraprofessionals.Hours and benefits were reduced forallremainingparaprofessionalsalongwith the amount of money paid toteacherstocoachsports.

Makingmatters worse, the districtnow faces an additional$4million to$5millionincutsduringthenextfiscalyearduetostaterevenueshortfallsandcontinuedexpirationoftheoverride.

City employees bring suits, face indictment

2010 was full of drama involvingcurrentandformercityemployees.

steven m. thomas

miChaeL K. RiCh

sUBmitteD

Aki Stant The Maricopa Policesergeant’s turbulent career withthe city came to an end June 21 forfailure to comply with an internalinvestigationintotheactionsofoneofhissubordinates,officerElliotSneezy,whowasbeinginvestigatedforsendingane-mailwhileoffdutytocitycouncilquestioning the police department’slackofaninvestigationintoSgt.JamesHudspeth.Stanthassincefileda$1.5million claimagainst the city allegingviolation of his constitutional dueprocessrights.

James Hudspeth Hudspeth wasdemoted from sergeant to officer inMay at the recommendation of ChiefKirk Fitch and Director of PublicSafetyPatrickMelvinafterheviolateddepartment policy by taking propertyfrom a suspect’s vehicle. Hudspeth

contested the demotion and the cityMeritBoardultimatelysidedwithhim,givinghimbackhissergeant’sstripes.

Marty McDonaldFiredin2009fromhispositionasdirectorof communityservices, Marty McDonald fought offlegal charges that he used the city’sFedExdiscounttoshippersonalitems.In2010McDonaldwashitwiththreenew felony charges alleging that hestolebyfraudnearly$8,000fromtheFriendsoftheMaricopaPublicLibraryand then fabricated documentationto have the fraud charge dismissed.McDonald continues to maintain hisinnocenceofall chargesandhasfiledtwo suits against the city, one for$500,000 in 2009 and another for$50,000thisyear.

Real estate market fails to revive

Therealestatemarketwasawfulin2009,butthereweresignsofarecov-ery -with sales and prices increasingmodestly - and hopes were high that2010wouldbesignificantlybetter.

It wasn’t. Once the first-timehomebuyertaxcreditexpiredlastfall,unsold inventory and foreclosureswent up and prices went down. Inthe fall, new home sales, which hadbeenweak all year, ground almost toahaltwithonlytwopermitspulledinOctober. Through the first twoweeksofDecember,Maricopaaveragedonly16newhomepermitspermonth.


BY THE NUMBERStop 10 stories of 2010

Source: InMaricopa.com poll: 301 total votes

Global Water

increases rates

Fragrant feedlot

shuts down

Republicans sweep Pinal

County races

Real estate

market fails to revive

Two hotels promised to

Maricopa

CAC plans campus

here

City Manager

Kevin Evans resigns

City employees

bring suits, face

indictment

MUSD override

fails

Biomass plant comes

to town

44%

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“TowantwhatIhaveandnotworryaboutnothavingwhatIwant.”–Kirk-Fitch, Chief of Police“Tobeabetterperson”–Debashri Sen-gupta, InMaricopa Facebook friend

“Tomaintainabalanceofbusiness,family,community,healthandhumor.”–Mike Richey, Owner, ACE Hardware

“Tocontinuetochallengemyselftolearnnewthings.”–Danielle Casey, Maricopa Econ. Dev. Manager

“Tobemorepatientwithmychildren.”–Lori Bannister, Maricopa resident

“Tobeabetterman…abetterhusband...abetterdad.”–Tom Beckett, MUSD Human Resources Director

“Tovolunteermytimetomorecharitablecausesandreadasmanybooksaspossible.”–Councilmember Marquisha Griffin

“Todedicatemoretimeforphysicalfitness.”–Mayor Anthony Smith

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“NottoworryaboutthingsIcannotchange.”–Jeff Kleck, MUSD Superintendent

“Tobehandieraroundthehouseandfinishthoseprojectsthathaveloomedforthepastfewyears.”–Jenna Chitwood, Maricopa resident

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JoseChaidez,whoopenedhislawfirminMaricopainSeptember,knewfromanearlyagewhathewantedtodowithhislife.

Born in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico,hemoved toTucsonwithhisparentsAbrahamandFranciscawhenhewas3yearsold.

“For the longest time, both myparentsworkedinatortillafactoryinTucson,”Chaidez said. “Then,when Iwas 10, my father was injured whenhis hand got caught in the machinethatmixesthedough.Istillrememberhowhardthatwasonmyfamily,withmy father out of work and trying toget compensation from the employer.The employer had its attorneysinvolved andwe felt overwhelmedbythe situation. I could see the stressand fear inmyparents’ faces. Iknewright then that Iwanted tobecomealawyertohelppeopleandassistthemthrough difficulties like we faced sotheywouldn’thavetofeelthewaywefelt.”

That is justwhatChaidez is doingtoday at Chaidez Law Firm, PLLCwhere he and a dozen associatesspecialize in renegotiatingmortgagesforpeoplewhoareindangeroflosing

theirhomes.Chaidez graduated from Thomas

M. Cooley Law School in Michigan,which was recently ranked the 12thbest law school in the country. Hisvaried experience includes stintswiththeMichiganAttorneyGeneral’sOfficeandthePinalCountyAttorney’sOffice, and he does a range of legalwork, including estate planning,personalinjuryandcriminallaw.Butloanmodificationsarethebiggestpartofhisbusiness.

“When you get on the phonewithan individual who is in danger oflosing their home, you can sense thestraintheyareunder,”hesaid.“Theydon’t knowwhat todo andoften feeloverwhelmed. It is wonderful to beable to ease theirmind and let themknowthatsomeoneisontheirside.Bythetimewegetoffthephone,theyfeelmuch better because they know theyhave found an advocate who will tryhardtohelpthem.

“Talking to those clients triggershowIfeltwhenIwasyoung,whenmyfatherwashurt.Itisveryrewardingtobeabletoassistthem.ThatiswhyIaminthisbusiness.”

Chaidez’sstaffismadeupmainlyofparalegalsandloanunderwriters.Theofficetakesonupwardsof60newloanmodification clients eachmonth, andthe process can take anywhere from

30to120days.“The first thing we do is a very

diligentinformationgatheringprocessand analysis to get a clear picture ofthe client’s situation and see whattypesofprogramstherearethatmighthelp them,” Chaidez said. “Then wegather all the proper paperwork andsubmitthattothelenderandgetintonegotiations.Someinstancesarefairlyclear-cut, where people qualify forprogramsthatObamahasputinplace.Iftheydon’tqualifyforsomethinglike

that,welookateachlender’sin-houseloan modification program. We havea97percentsuccessrateforthecaseswetakeon.”

Chaidezsaidhehopestogrowwiththe Maricopa community, opening asecond location, and plans to involvehimself in public affairs, offeringhis legal expertise to help civicorganizations and eventually servingasajudgeorelectedofficial.

“That is probably in the 10-yearplan,”hesaid.

ProfIle

Attorney Jose Chaidez charted his course early

JoSe CHAiDezFounder, Chaidez Law Firm, PLLC

PersonalBorn: Nogales, MexicoRaised: TucsonResides: PhoenixFamily: Parents, Abraham and Francisca Chaidez

FavoritesFood: SushiBeverage: Iced teaBook: Law booksMovie: “Momento”Actor: Bruce WillisBand: Maroon 5Place: “A” mountain in TucsonTV show: “Survivor”

Sport: BaseballTeam: Arizona Diamondbacks Athlete: Michael JordanCharity: Arizona’s Children Association Saying: “The acts of this life are the destiny of the next.”

Jose Chaidez and his staff (standing, left to right) Roland hairston, Paul De vries, Dino serrano, Chaidez, Robert Rader, Denie howie, Daniel smith, mosha Kyburz; (seated, left to right) Jennifer Levitan, natasha mays, amber Wheeler.


BUSINeSS BrIefS

eD3 promises no base rate increase

ED3plansnobaserateincreaseforresidential,commercialand industrialcustomersin2011.

The not-for-profit utility allocatesits costs where they are incurred ineach rate and customer class. ThishasrequiredED3tomakeafewsmallchangesinexpensesfor2011.EffectiveJan.1,2011,thefollowingfeechangeswillbemade:• The facility charge for time-of-use

meters will be going up by $1.00duetothecostofthesesmartmeterswhichstoredataevery15minutes.

• Streetlightfeeswillincreaseslight-lyduetorisingmaterialcostsand-increases in electricity costs since2008.

• Anewminimumbillwillbeaddedtocapturecostsofseasonalcustom-

erswho are not here full time butshould help to pay for the infra-structurethathasbeeninstalledfortheirservice.

• TheNSF (non-sufficient funds) feewillbeincreasedto$35.00tocoverthecostofbadchecks.

• A$5.00feeforeachtimeapaymentarrangement is set up ormodifiedwillalsogointoeffectatthebegin-ningoftheyear.

Formoreinformation,contactED3at(520)424-9021ored3online.org

new business center opening Local CPA Myron P. Trafelet Jr.

andhisdaughterHollyplantoopenanewbusinesscenterinMaricopa.Des-ert Greens Professional CooperativeSuites, located next to the MaricopaPublicLibraryat thecornerofSmith-Enke and Porter, will offer fully fur-nishedofficesforlease.

“Ourintentionistoofferanafford-ableplacetostartorgrowaprofession-al business.” Trafelet said. “Maricopa

isfilledwith talented individuals,andwewant tobe a resource to see greatthingshappeninthiscity.”

The business center will house aconference andmeeting room seating14aswellassingledeskspaceavailablefordailyuse.

Construction on the environmen-tally friendlybusiness center is set tobegininJanuary,andthegrandopen-ingisplannedforMay2011.

Trafeletsaidallproductsandservic-esusedtoupgradeandequipthebuild-inghavebeenorwillbepurchasedlo-cally.

Anyone interested in leasing space

can apply online at TrafeletAccount-ing.comorinpersonat19756N.JohnWayneParkway,Suite109.

sheraton Wild horse Pass Resort & spa wins 2010 Platinum Choice award

Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort&SpahasreceivedaPlatinumChoiceAward recognizing it as one of thetop meeting facilities in the westernregionasvotedbyreadersandeditorialstaff of “SmartMeetings.” The awardrecognizes excellence among meetingfacilities in the western U.S., Canadaand Mexico. Votes are submittedfrom first-hand experience, ratingpropertiesoncriteriaincludingqualityof amenities, guest services, meetingspace,restaurantanddiningfacilities,staffattitude,technicalsupport,facilityquality, recreational activities andambiance.Outofthousandsofqualifiedproperties, only 100 are awarded thisprestigiousdesignation.

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Desert Greens

To get a sense of what the housingmarketwillbe like in2011,weaskedseveral local real estate professionalstolookaheadandgiveustheirassess-ment of likely sales and price trendsinMaricopa.Despite a few glimmersofoptimism,mostagreehomepriceswill not recover next year and mayevendeclineslightly.

Dayv Morgan, RealtorByTIG Real Estate Corporation

What is your general expectation for the real estate market next year? Ianticipatethatmarketconditionswilllikelyremainthesameoverthenextyear, and prices may take anotherslightdrop.

Do you think housing prices here will rise or fall next year?Supplyskyrocketedover the summer after the first-timehomebuyer tax credit expired. Asa result, the median home price inPhoenix dropped from $135,000 inApril to $125,000 in October. Therearestillalargenumberofanticipatedforeclosuresfor2011,asmany5-year

adjustable loans from the “peak” in2006arescheduledtoreset.Untilthesupply of foreclosures decreases andnew home sales increase, prices willremainrelativelyflat.

Do you think the number of sales will increase or decrease? Economicfactors point towards a decreasingunemploymentrateandcontinuedlow

interest loans,which should increasedemand.Additionally,anewsegmentofbuyerswillenterthemarket:peoplewho have previously done a shortsale.Buyerscanre-qualifyforaloaninaslittleastwoyearsaftercompletingashortsale.In2009therewasa1,000%increase over 2008 in thenumber ofclosed short sales in Arizona, andthese same people will be eligibletofinanceahomein2011

What will be the main factors impacting the market? Canadianbuyers remain an importantpart of the housing marketrecovery, especially in Maricopa. Ifthe Canadian dollar remains strong,look for market to improve the lastfew months of 2011 as the summerheatbeginstofade.

Rita Weiss, Broker/ownerDesert Canyon Properties

What is your general expectation for the real estate market next year? Generally,therealestatemarketinMaricopahasnot changed appreciably in 2010 andwillcontinueonthedownwardtrendthrough2011accordingtomosthous-ing industry experts. With statisticswhattheyare,2011willbearepeatof2010inMaricopa,sadbuttrue.

Do you think housing prices here will rise or fall next year? The housingrecovery has stalled and theNational

Association of Realtors recentlypredictedthathomeownerscanexpectlittle, if any, increase in home valuesnationwidein2011.

Do you think the number of sales will increase or decrease? The rateof foreclosures has slowed over thepast year but the number of shortsales has increased due to mortgagedelinquencies. There were 953foreclosuresalesinMaricopathisyearcompared to last year’s 1,651. Thisyear there are 564 closed short salecomparedto467in2009.

What will be the main factors impacting the market? Maricopa isranked 35th out of 40 in the greaterPhoenixareaforpricepersquarefoot—down2percent in2010—makingMaricopaatopcontenderforthemostaffordablehousing.For thefirst timein nearly three years, repeat buyersand investors have taken over first-time buyers as sales leaders. As aresult, prices of bank-owned REO’sandpropertiesinvolvedinshortsalesarebeingbidupbymultipleoffersandcashbuyers.

Bill Wasowicz, Associate BrokerThe Wizards of Waz Real Estate

What is your general expectation for the real estate market next year? I expectinventorylevelstoremainhighastheflow of short sales and foreclosures


Local real estate pros predict lackluster 2011

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continues.Buyerinterestwillincreaseas they are drawn to the exceptionalvalues. Inventory is currently at thelowest level since mid-July, but thisismostlyduetotheforeclosuremora-toriums imposed by a number of themajorlendersafewmonthsback.Un-fortunately,thishasbuiltupabacklog—BankofAmericacurrentlyhasover16,000homesreadyforforeclosure—andthis“shadow”inventorywillbere-leasedintothemarketshortlyafterthefirstoftheyear.

Do you think housing prices here will rise or fall next year? Housing priceswill most likely continue to declinedue to the increase in inventory.Another 10 percent or more wouldnotbeasurprise.It’sasimplecaseofsupply versus demand. I expect thistrendtocontinuewellinto2012untilthemajorityofforeclosuresandshortsaleshaveruntheircourse.

Do you think the number of sales will increase or decrease? The number ofsalesshouldincreaseandreturntothelevelsof2009.Ibasethisinpartduetothedeclineinhomepricesbutalsoamcountingonagradualupswingintheeconomyingeneral.

What will be the main factors impact-ing the market? Distressedhomeswillcontinue to be the driving force im-pactinghomeprices.Aslongasthereisa constantflowof thesepropertiesintothemarketplace,homevalueswillcontinuetodecline.Untiltheeconomyrecovers,Ionlyexpectmodestgainsinthenumberofsalesasmanypotentialclients that wish tomove to Arizonaarebeingheldbackbytheinabilitytoselltheircurrenthome.

Malcolm Macewen, CRB, GRiColdwell Banker Residential Brokerage,

Arizona

What is your general expectation for the real estate market next year? AccordingtorecentarticleintheArizonaRepublic,the real-estate market and the factthatpopulation growthhas slowed toabout 1.5 percent a year, remain thebiggest drags on the local economy.HomepricesinArizonahavefallenfor15 of the past 17 quarters and todaystandataboutwhattheywerein2000.Economist Elliott Pollack estimatesthatthereare50,000to70,000excesssingle-familyhomesinmetroPhoenixaloneandthatitwilltakeatleastfourmoreyearsforhousingsupplytoequaldemand.

Do you think housing prices here will rise or fall next year? A report fromArizona Regional Multiple ListingService Inc. shows prices flat goingintotheNewYear.

Do you think the number of sales will increase or decrease? The widely-read real estatenewsletter “CromfordReport” reports that the pool ofprospectivebuyer-occupantscontinuestoshrink.Overall,expertsbelieve2011willbeaslowyearfornew-homesales.

What will be the main factors impacting the market? Reportssuggestthatahighlevelofdistressedproperties, the lack of a first-timebuyer tax credit, and negative equityinhomespeoplemightselltomoveupwillbeadragonthemarket.Agradualimprovement in the economy andinvestorsbuyinguphomesatbargainpriceswillbepositivefactors.

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CanadaClub

Each year during Arizona’s mild-weathermonths,Canadian’swhoownwinter homes in Maricopa provide acriticalstimulustothelocaleconomy.We surveyed business owners andmanagers to get their thoughts onthe positive effects our friends fromCanadabringtothelocalmarketplace.

Raceway Bar and Grill49237 W. Papago Road

Jeanna Del Cotto, Co-owner

How important are Canadian winter residents to your business?OurCanadianresidents are extremely important toouroverall success.We look forwardtotheirreturneachyearastheyplayasignificantroleinourbusinesssuccessandallowustosustainemploymentinourcommunity.Mostimportantly,wehave built great friendships over theyearsandhavealotoffunwhentheyarehere.

What months do they impact your business? They positively impact ourbusinessfromNovembertoApril.

During that time, what percentage of your customers are Canadian? Fifty

percent.How would you characterize your

Canadian customers? Good friends,fun, witty, well-balanced, family-orientated, caring — just genuinelygoodpeople.

Do you do anything special to meet their needs?We welcomed them backby hosting a Grey Cup party withthe support of several other businessowners in Maricopa. We televiseCanadian sports, National RodeoFinalsandanyotherviewinginterests.We also serve gravy with fries ifdesired.WemakeagreatCaesarandmakedessertstoorder.Ourhomemadecakes andpies are a big hitwith ourCanadianfriends.

HairFocus LLC44400 W. Honeycutt Road, Suite 111

Dick Crew, Owner

How important are Canadian winter residents to your business?TheCanadianvisitorsaregettingtobeanimportantpartofourwinterbusiness.Wereallyappreciate their business and whattheycontributetothecityofMaricopa.

What months do they impact your business? We see an increase inour business from them startingin November into April. This alsoincludesallwintervisitors.

During that time, what percentage of your customers are Canadian? Theymakeupabout18to20percentofourbusinessduringthosemonths.

How would you characterize your Canadian customers? We find theCanadians to be a great group ofpeople—verypolite,friendlyandwithagoodsenseofhumor.

Do you do anything special to meet their needs? We were one of thesponsors for the welcome party atRaceway which was enjoyed by theCanadians.WehaveanicecoffeecupwiththeCanadianmapleleafonitthatwegivetothem,plusadeskcalendarandpens.

The Duke at Rancho el Dorado42660 W. Rancho El Dorado Parkway

Corey Parker, Manager

How important are Canadian winter residents to your business? They are

extremely important for both thegolf course and the restaurant. Weappreciate them.Weunderstand thatthere are a number of choices forcustomerstopickfromwhentheyaredecidingonagolfcoursetogoto.Weenjoy their company and appreciatetheirbusiness.

What months do they impact your business? Frommid-Novembertomid-April.

During that time, what percentage of your customers are Canadian? It hasto be well over 50 or 60 percent. Itis tough to distinguish if a group isonly from Canada. We get a lot ofcustomersfromWashingtonstateandtheMidwestaswell.ButIwouldsayitisover60percent.

How would you characterize your Canadian customers?Theyarefantastic.Theyareloyalcustomers.

Do you do anything special to meet their needs? Wedon’thaveanythingthatisnecessarilydesignatedtoCanadiansspecifically.Webring inball-markersthat are Canadian-specific. Sales ofouryearlyGoldCarddefinitelypickupduringthewintermonths.

Canadians key to Maricopa’s wintertime economy

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Steve Murray, Designated Broker

How important are Canadian winter residents to your business? They areabsolutelycritical forus.Theyare themaingroupofhomebuyersrightnow,withoutadoubt.

What months do they impact your business? It is year-round, but we seethe influx when the weather cools.September and October bring anenormous increase for us. We startslowing down inMarch. It is amajorimpact. It has been substantial formanyyears.Iwouldsaythelasttwoorthreeyearsithassteadilyincreased.

During that time, what percentage of your clients are Canadian? Upwardsof50percent.

How would you characterize your Canadian clients? They are alwayscash buyers, so the transactions areshorter.Weclosequickerandcleaner,especially with some of the changesin lending. It is obviously a desirabletransaction.Withcashbuyers,youaregoing to close a lot higherpercentageofthem.

Do you do anything special to meet their needs?The service isdifferent. Itsomeways it isprobablya littlemorehigh-tech.Wehelpthemwithopeningaccounts.Weusuallytakethemtothebank and get their accounts open forthem.Wedoalotofsendingdocumentsout versus getting them signed here

locally. The whole process is moreservice-oriented.We completequite afewtransactionssightunseen.Wehavesoldalotofhomesthatthebuyershaveneverseen.

orbitel Communications

21116 N. John Wayne Parkway, Suite B-9Gina Linville, Vice President of Operations

and Customer Service

How important are Canadian winter residents to your business? Aswithallofourcustomers,welookattheseasonalMaricopacustomersasavaluablepartofourcommunity.

What months do they impact your business? Canadian visitors impactour business all year long but arean especially welcome sight as theyreturntotheirwinterhomesasearlyasOctober.WeusuallyseethelastofourseasonalcustomersleaveinMay.

During that time, what percentage of your customers are Canadian?Roughly6percentofourcustomersarehereonlyaswintervisitors.

How would you characterize your Canadian customers? Our Canadianvisitors,aswellasvisitorsfromacrossthe United States, are a friendlygroup presenting us with some greatopportunities.

Do you do anything special to meet their needs? We have a variety ofprograms in place for our wintervisitorsofferingreducedoreliminatedfees for equipment rental and

connection fees. Inaddition,weofferpackagessothatcustomerscanretaintheir telephone numbers, accessvoicemail and access e-mail duringthose hotArizonamonthswhen theyarebackinCanada.

State Farm insurance44480 W. Honeycutt Road, Suite 103

Courtny Tyler, agent

How important are Canadian winter residents to your business? TheCanadianshavereallyhelpedsoftentheimpacttomybusinessfromalltheforeclosures.

What months do they impact your business? It’s year-round for me. Imaybe insuringmorecarsduringthewintermonths,butnot toomuchofadifferencethanothermonths.

During that time, what percentage of your customers are Canadian? Over thepastyear,they’veequatedtoabout20

percentofmyhomeinsurancebusiness.How would you characterize your

Canadian customers? I love theCanadians. They all seem to be superfriendly, outgoing, and so nice tomyteam.Itreallyisapleasureservingournorthernneighbors!

Do you do anything special to meet their needs? We have very competitiverates on homes that are classified assecondaryresidences,butthosearethesameforallofourwintervisitors.

Welcome winter visitors!

Courtny Tyler, AgentMaricopa Business Center44480 W. Honeycutt Road, Suite 103(520) [email protected]

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A 2007 Harley Davidson Road KingrumblestoastopinfrontofMountainViewCommunityChurch.Astherider,clad in a black leather jacket, stepsoff the motorcycle, one might thinka harrowing scene from the classicfilm“EasyRider”isabouttogodown.But long-time Maricopa residentCurt Chamberlain has no intentionof harming anyone or anything. Hehappens to be theminister of a newbikerministryatthechurch.

“Sooften,bikersdon’tfeelwelcomein a traditional church setting,”Chamberlain said. “We want to helpbringGodtothem.”

Chamberlain, road name“Preacher,” held his first Bible studyDec.4andhassinceseenthenumberofmembers slowly grow. “It is just amatter of getting the word out,” hesaid.

The Bible studies take placeSaturdaymorningsat9a.m.insidethe

Mountain View Community Church,50881W.PapagoRoad.

Chamberlain said he is hopefulotherbikersinMaricopaandacrosstheValleywilljoinhim.

“ThisBiblestudyisagreatreasontogetonyourhogandgoforaSaturdayride.”

Chamberlain, who is finishinghis bachelor’s degree in theology,developedtheideatohostabikerBiblestudy in November. “I have a callingto spread the word of God and thisseemedlikeanexcellentopportunity.”

MountainViewCommunityChurchelders and Chamberlain’s wife andfellow rider, Linda, are helping himformthegroup.

“Bikerscanleavebehindtheirwildlifestyle,buttheycannevershakethedesire to ride,” Linda said. “We hopetoformagroupthatnotonlyspreadsa positive message, but provides anoutlettoride.

“Asabikeryouneedtoaskyourself:‘Do you want to ride your hog inheaven?’”

ChurchelderDonHerrensaid,“We

support this group 100 percent. It isourdutyasareligiousorganizationtobringthewordofGodtoall.”

While the Bible study is a newventureforChamberlain,involvementinreligionisoldhat.

The road warrior grew up as thesonofanevangelicalministerandwasalways involved in church activities.“Iwas blessedwith this gift to teachandalwaysfelttheneedtospreadthe

word,”hesaid.As the weather improves,

ChamberlainisthinkingabouttakinghisBiblestudyontheroad.

“We really hope we can give thebiker community a positive outletthroughthisgroup,”hesaid.

FormoreinformationonthebikerBible study, contact Chamberlainat 520-423-7735 or [email protected].

relIgIoN

Church kick-starts biker ministry


Santa Cruz Elementary School19845 Costa del Sol

9:00am Sunday School 10:15am WorshipSanta Cruz Elementary School

19845 Costa del Sol

9:00am Sunday School 10:15am Worship

Santa Cruz Elementary School19845 Costa del Sol

9:00am Sunday School 10:15am Worship

MaricopaA S S E M B LY O F G O D



Join us!

Sundays 10:30 a.m. – Worship & Children’s MinistriesSundays 6 p.m. – Connections

Wednesdays 7 p.m. – Bible Study20038 Taft Ave.

(520) 568-4867Satellite home of Western Bible College

Curt Chamberlain, whose road name is “Preacher,” holds a weekly Bible study for bikers at mountian view Community Church.

miChaeL K. RiCh

edUCAtIoN

By tom KessLer

Newly elected school board membersfrom across the state gathered inPhoenix on Dec. 15 for the ArizonaSchool Boards Association’s annualNewBoardMemberOrientation.

AmongtheattendeesattheBiltmoreConference Center were Scott BartleandPattiCoutre,whowere elected inNovember to seats on the MaricopaUnified School District GoverningBoard and will begin their terms inJanuary.

The New Board Member Orienta-tion was a daylong seminar that waspart of the 53rd annual ASBA/ASAConference, a three-day event con-ductedeachyearbytheArizonaSchoolBoards Association and the ArizonaSchoolAdministrators.

“Itwasajam-packeddayofthedosanddon’tsandtheinsandoutsofbeinga school board member,” Bartle said.“It is really imperative that everybodygoesthroughthatprocess.”

Coutreagreed.“Itwasveryvaluableforme,”Coutre

said about the New Board MemberOrientation. “It addressed a lot of theopenmeetinglaws,whichareextremelyimportanttoknow.”

ASBA lists four main goals for itsNewBoardMemberOrientation:• To provide new governing board

membersandsuperintendentswithan accurate look at school gover-nance,includingrolesandresponsi-bilities.

• Tohelpnewboardmembersunder-

standthelegalandethicalresponsi-bilitiesoftheoffice.

• To provide an overview of Arizonaschoolfinanceandbudgeting.

• To create opportunities for newboard members to ask questionsand develop professional relation-ships with other board members,superintendentsandASBAstaff.Oneoftheevent’scentralpremises

emphasized that school board mem-bersalwaysneedtodowhatisbestforthechildreninthedistrict.

“There seemed to be a recurringthemethatwhenyoumakeyourdeci-sions you ask yourself, ‘Is this goingto be in the students’ best interest?’”Coutresaid.

The orientation consisted of 10topic-based workshops, including onethatwastitled“YouAretheAdvocatesforChildren”andanotherdescribedas“Putting Students First—WhyWe’reHere.”

Aseminartitled“Board-Superinten-dentRelationship”definedtherolesofboard members and superintendents.Presented by John Gordon, ASBA di-rectorof leadershipdevelopment,andKarenBeckvar,ASBAleadershipdevel-opmentspecialist,theseminarstressedthat theschoolboardandsuperinten-dentmustworkcooperatively.

“Thebestboardmemberistheonewho is part of a team,” Beckvar said.“You have to be in sync with whereyou’regoing.”

Beckvar said boardmembersmustunderstand the difference betweentheir responsibilities and those of the

superintendent.“The board’s role is to govern,”

Beckvarsaidtothefutureschoolboardmembers. “The superintendent is the

onewhoisactuallygoingtorunthedis-trict.Theyhavethequalificationstodoso—youdon’t.”

Beckvar and Gordon emphasized

Coutre, Bartle ready to ‘hit the ground running’

newly elected mUsD Governing Board member scott Bartle listens to a presentation on“Putting students first — Why We’re here.”

tom KessLeR


that the school board’s role is toestablish a plan and set the district’sgoals,whilethesuperintendent’sjobistoimplementtheplanandmakesurethegoalsareachieved.

“The superintendent cannot man-ageunlesstheyknowwhereyouwanttogo,”Gordonsaid.

“Asboardmembers,we’renotlook-ing for you to be education experts,”said Beckvar. “We’re looking for youto represent the interestsof the com-munity.It’snotyourjobtosolveprob-lems. It’s your job tomake sure thatproblemsgetsolved.”

Beckvar told attendees of the thatduring their terms they are alwaysgoing to be perceived by the publicas school board members, whetherthey are sitting at the dias in themeeting room, watching the Fridaynightfootballgameorshoppingatthegrocerystore.

“Your community is making judg-mentsonyoubasedonyourbehavior,”Beckvarsaid.“Thisisa24/7job.”

Beckvar said that board membersare ambassadors for their schooldistricts.

“Youarearolemodel,whetheryouwanttobeornot,”Beckvarsaid.“Youonly get to choosewhether you are apositive ambassador for your districtoranegativeone.”

Coutre took note of the seminar’semphasis on school board membersmaintaining a positive relationshipwiththecommunity.

“Part ofwhat they stressed, some-thingIhavefeltverystronglyabout,isopencommunication,gettingthecom-

munityinvolved,”Coutresaid.The New Board Member Orienta-

tion also included a workshop titled“SchoolFinanceBasics,”whichBartlesaidwasparticularlybeneficial.

“It is important tohave aworkingknowledgeofwhatschoolfinanceisallabout,”Bartlesaid.

Brian Mee, assistant superinten-dentforbusinessservicesforthePen-dergastElementarySchoolDistrictinPhoenix, explained Arizona’s educa-tionfinancingformulaandhowitre-latestoschoolboards.

“Wecannotprintmoney,”Meesaid.“ThebottomlineiswehaveXamountofdollars—whichisshrinking—andwemuststaywithinthatlimit.Itisveryimportantthatweprioritize.”

Meesaidschoolboardsmustmakebudgetdecisionsthatincludewhetherto pay people more or to pay morepeople.

“Thoseareharddecisions,butthosearedecisionsthathavetobemade,”hesaid.

Coutre and Bartle said the NewBoard Member Orientation providedthemwithinformationandbackgroundthatwillhelp themmake thedifficultdecisionsasmembersoftheMaricopaUnified School District GoverningBoard.

“Ifeelmoreconfident,moreknowl-edgeable,sothatIcanmaketherightdecisions,”Coutresaid.

“Undoubtedlywearegoingtolearnmore as we progress through ourfour-year term,”saidBartle. “But thispreparedmetohitthegroundrunninginJanuary.”

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heAlth & fItNeSS

By LInda meLone, cscs

I was never as embarrassed as thetime I attempted to introduce a goodfriend of mine to someone else anddrewacompleteblankonmyfriend’sname.Jim—Iwon’t forgethisnamenow, even after 15 years— glared atmeasIstutteredandstammered,atacompletelosstodislodgethememorybyteinmybrainwithhisnameonit.

Temporarymemorylosshappenstothebestofus,butitcanbemortifyingin social situations. Other times, it’sjustannoyingorupsetting:forgettingwhereyouleftyourkeysorarrivingatwork without your wallet may makeyouwonderwhat’shappeningtoyourmind.And,unlikeyourcomputer,youcan’t simply add a memory chip toyourbrain.Notyet,anyway.

Until that becomes a reality, herearewaystoremainthesharpestknifeinthedrawergoingintotheNewYear:

Be a muscle headThenexttimeyoucan’tremember

the name of that song, try runningaroundtheblock.Exercisersperformbetteronmemoryteststhansedentarypeople, according to research fromaColumbia University Medical Centerstudy.

Researchers found that, not onlydoes exercise increase oxygen to thebrain, but it also targets a region ofthe brain within the hippocampus,the dentate gyrus, which underliesnormal age-related memory declinethat typically starts around the ageof 30. Fred Gage, Ph. D. of the SalkInstitute demonstrated in micethat new neurons generate in thedentate gyrus and exercise improvesthe process. Specifically how muchexercise and how often remains to

be seen, although it only took threeweeks of regular aerobic exercise forsubjects to grow new nerve cells inthebrain,aprocesslongthoughttobeimpossible.

exercise makes you smarterExercise not only improves your

memory — it may also make yousmarter. A protein called IGF-1releases each time a bicep or othermuscle contracts. It travels throughthe bloodstream and into the brainitself,promptingproductionofseveralchemicals, including BDNF, a brain-derivedneurotrophicfactor.

Referredtoas“Miracle-Groforthebrain” by Harvard psychiatrist John

Ratey,theauthorofthebook,“Spark:The Revolutionary New Science ofExercise and the Brain,” BDNF fuelsalmostallactivitiesthatleadtohigherthought.

Asregularexercisebuildsuplevelsof BDNF in the body, brain nervecells branch out, join together andcommunicatewith eachother innewways. Since this process occurs eachtime thebrainpicksupanew factorskill, a higher level of BDNF equalsa greater capacity for knowledge.Exercise equals smarts, plain andsimple.

Linda Melone is a health and fitness writer and certified personal trainer.

exercise sharpens memoryJanuary2011 InMaricopa.com 21

6 tips to retain and improve

memory function

By Dr. Courtney Cronin, NMD

The brain is truly an incredible organ, doing everything from cataloguing our days in memory to sending the signals for our muscles to move. Our brains function well when they are exercised regularly (like muscles)

and when they can efficiently send and receive nerve signals. Keeping that in mind, here are some tips for improving your memory!

1Drink more water. Our brains are 75 percent water,

and the blood that feeds our brain is 82 percent water. Without enough water, our nerves can’t send their signals as efficiently, and we start to feel “foggy” and tired. Aim for half of your body weight in ounces every day. (If you weigh 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces of water.)

2 Exercise your brain. Just like muscles — if you don’t

use it, you lose it. For most people, a mentally strenuous job is enough the keep the brain active, but if you aren’t working it’s important to give your brain

some extra work to do. Read books, do crossword puzzles, play cards and strategy games, have lots of interactions with other people, keep a journal, etc.

3 Eat a well-balanced diet with lots of fruits and

vegetables. This will keep your blood sugar more stable, prevent energy spikes and crashes, and provide lots of nutrients and anti-oxidants. All of those things will improve memory and brain function.

4 Get some movement in the rest of your body

every day. Especially if you work at a desk or computer, give your brain some time to “disconnect” and re-charge. You will be more efficient in the end, by taking a small break.

5 Get good sleep. Your brain “downloads” the day’s

memories into storage at night, while the rest of you is powered down. If you are awake during the night, the brain can’t do its job very well and you won’t retain information.

6 See your doctor for testing. Thyroid conditions,

hormonal changes and a myriad of other conditions can create a lot of memory trouble. A simple examination and some lab tests can determine if that’s the case for you.

Dr. Courtney Cronin, NMD is a

naturopathic physician with Desert

Wellness Center in Maricopa. She

practices family medicine with a

specialty in natural therapeutics and

prevention. For more information, visit

Desert WellnessCenter.com.

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GARAGE SALES

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For a map of garage sales, including items available for sale at each, visit InMaricopa.com/Community/GarageSaleMap.aspx each Thursday afternoon.

GIFTS

DSPA Gems Cookbook on sale now! Your $10 purchase supports our non-profit program, promoting dance education & opportunities for kids in Maricopa. 520-483-8915

Need an inexpensive gift? The Friends of the Library cookbook “Home Cookin’ from Maricopa Arizona” is filled with 400+ recipes donated by your neighbors. Only $5. Call Kathy 520-568-3274 or buy at Maricopa Public Library.

HELP WANTED

InMaricopa now hiring Maricopa’s premier media company seeks highly energetic, ambitious “A player” to join its winning team. This 6-year old company has set the standard as the city’s

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SERVICES

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Best Wishes for a Joyous Holiday Season to you and yours. At this time of sharing, giving and love, I want to express my sincere gratitude for the warm welcome I felt in your community. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, desires and needs so I can work for you. I am excited to be giving my time

and efforts for the next two years to make Arizona a better place to work and live. I truly have grown

to love our beautiful southern Arizona and it’s people. You are tremendous and I am happy to

be acquainted with each of you and to serve you. Please feel free to call me (520) 507-1735 or email me [email protected]. This is going to a great year for Arizona as we build a brighter future together. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from

Representative-Elect Peggy Judd.

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january newspaper

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