City seeks applicants for appointments to new committees

Hoping to expand on community relationships, the Maricopa City Council is accepting applications for appointments to its two newest committees.

The recently-founded Cultural Affairs Committee and Veterans Affairs Committee will be tasked with organizing events aimed at developing relationships in the community, celebrating diversity and creating a sense of solidarity.

According to U.S. Census data, 42 percent of Maricopa’s population is a non-white confection of Hispanic, African-American, Asian, Native-American and Pacific Islander; 58 percent represent a mix of various European cultures. This patchwork contributes to a unique ethnology the city is now hoping to exalt.

City Councilmember Henry Wade played a role in creating the Cultural Affairs committee. He believes Maricopa, like many other similar cities, should have a governmental body promoting its diversity.

“I thought it’d be a good thing to have here in the city of Maricopa, so that we’d have an opportunity for people to participate, to create or support activities throughout the year,” Wade said. “But it’s also an opportunity for groups to discuss diversity and the need for diversity in the community.”

Aside from cultural assortment, Maricopa is also unique in its veteran population. Councilmember Julia Gusse, a veteran herself, is an advocate for this sizable group of Maricopans. Re-elected in November after a hiatus from the council, she is hoping to continue her work with local vets, a group she feels is often overlooked.

“That’s one of the biggest challenges that I see here in Maricopa,” Gusse said. “We have no resources for our veterans.”

Former Councilmember Bridger Kimball took on the mantel of veterans affairs and now both of their efforts are partially coming to fruition through the Veterans Affairs Committee.

City Manager Gregory Rose: “First and foremost we are trying to ensure that we provide good information to veterans and their dependents about the services and benefits that are available to them at the local, state and federal level.”

Rose said the committees will be in charge of organizing an event each year to promote their causes, and each committee will submit annual reports about their group’s state of affairs.

Each of the six council members and the mayor will choose an appointee to fill the seven seats on each committee. Anyone seeking an appointment can apply at Maricopa-AZ.gov/web/Boards-Commissions-Committees.

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This story appears in the February issue of InMaricopa.