With city reps Arnold Jackson (far left) and Sara Delgadillo (second from left) are committee members Bree Lyons, Jennifer Scribner, Bridger Kimball, Marvin Harrison, Tracy Davis and Marc Montgomery. Not pictured: Derek Jeske. Photo by Mason Callejas

The newly organized Veterans Affairs Committee met for the first time Tuesday at Maricopa City Hall to appoint a chair and vice chair for the organization and to create their first plan of action.

Without much discussion, the seven-person committee unanimously voted to select former city councilmember Bridger Kimball as the chair, and Blue Star Mother Tracy Davis as vice chair.

Kimball, chosen in part due to his familiarity with the inner workings of the city, led the committee through their first agenda, discussing a variety of items including addressing veteran suicide, the need for a veteran’s survey and the potential creation of a Veterans Day parade.

Speaking to the suicide epidemic among veterans, Maricopa City Councilmember and Veterans Affairs Committee liaison Julia Gusse said this should be one of the committee’s primary concerns.

“The recent number is, 20 veterans are committing suicide on a daily basis,” Gusse said.

To help with this, Gusse is encouraging the committee to coordinate presentation and service with a veteran’s suicide awareness organization – The Ripple Effect.

To better understand how they can serve Maricopa’s veterans, the committee hopes to launch a survey they will use to develop a more exact tally of veterans as well as aid in identifying specific needs within the veteran community.

There are somewhere between 3,200 and 5,000 veterans or active duty military personnel living in Maricopa or its surrounding areas, according to U.S. Census and Veterans Administration numbers. Of those, only 750 are reportedly over the age of 65.

Part of the committee’s discussion also included an assessment of the city’s annual veteran’s event – the Veterans Town Hall.

Despite nearly doubling in size from 2016 to 2017, the event held this past March was still considered by some on the committee to be lackluster.

Committee member and retired Army veteran Marvin Harrison suggested using more traditional methods of communication such as postcards and flyers to reach older, less tech-savvy vets.

The Town Hall event is primarily geared at helping vets access resources and services. There is the potential for adding a second, more celebratory event – a Veteran’s Day parade.

Harrison also stressed that though he is appreciative of the committee’s concerns with celebrating veterans, he wanted to keep the committee aimed at helping veterans.

“My purpose is to give vets tangible things they need to survive,” Harrison said, “not just things that make you all warm and fuzzy.”

Per their Mission Statement, the committee was created to do a little of both the warm-and-fuzzy things and the tangible things: The city of Maricopa Veterans Affairs Committee is to provide counsel to veterans and their dependents on benefits offered by the federal, state, and local governments; to assist in the preparation of forms and supporting documentation, and to support events and activities that honor veterans and active military personnel.

Members of the committee are Bridger Kimball (chairman), Tracy Davis (vice chair), Marvin Harrison, Bree Lyons, Derek Jeske, Marc Montgomery and Jennifer Scribner.