Candidates share vision, passion in forum

Eleven candidates sat collectively in the hot seat on a chilly Saturday night at the University of Arizona Agricultural Center.

One council candidate equated the experience to being a medical cadaver without the benefit of anesthesia with everyone wanting to cut into you to find out what they can. A mayoral hopeful said it was a political baring of the soul. But all the candidates were willing and eager to have the opportunity to share their vision and passion for Maricopa in the hope of winning your vote in the March 9 primary election.

The 2010 Maricopa Candidate Forum on Saturday was the public’s first, and most likely only, chance to hear all 11 candidates in one room — three running for mayor and eight vying for three council seats — answering questions about critical issues facing the city of Maricopa. The event was also taped for broadcast on Maricopa Channel 20.

Between 90 and 100 people turned out for the forum, which was sponsored by the Maricopa Chamber of Commerce, and four news organizations, which included InMaricopa.com. Questions posed by media members covered the gambit of hot-button topics, such as economic development, high utility rates, air-quality issues, MUSD facility sharing, public safety staffing and transportation.

Rusty Akers, Maricopa Chamber of Commerce president and the forum moderator, was pleased with both the turnout and candor of the candidates.

“I think the forum was very beneficial to our community at large, as well as the business community,” Akers said. “The media did a great job in structuring the questions to give the candidates room to answer them in a number of ways.  I thought all of the candidates came prepared, and most gave those of us in attendance a view into their personal goals and ambitions for our city. I came away with insights to all of the candidates on a personal level.”

And if those in attendance were looking for fireworks between the candidates, they left disappointed. There were no personal attacks; the candidates kept to the issues and tended to agree more than disagree across the board, at least among the city council hopefuls. In the mayoral forum, challengers Ken Hunt and Leon Potter were quick to point out their differences with incumbent Anthony Smith.

On the subject of high utility rates, Smith said utilities are a top priority, and a dialogue needed to continue between the city and the utility companies. Hunt disagreed, especially as it pertained to Global Water Resources. “I’m not interested, really, in talking to them,” Hunt said. “I’m interested in us solving our own problem ourselves. If that means taking it over, running our own utility system, then I’d be completely for that.”

Potter took Smith to task on the subject of transportation. “I was against the MAX bus,” Potter said. “I remember the first time the city council said no (to the funding transit program). But now that it’s back on the table, my vision is to make it work to benefit the most people in Maricopa.”

While many of the city council candidates were in agreement on the issues, including incumbents Edward Farrell and Brent Murphree, they differed on the approach. Farrell and Murphree asked to stay the course. Council challengers Peg Chapados, Julia Romero Gusse, Bridger Kimball, Alan Marchione, Dallas Paulsen and Rosalin Sanhadja look to inject new ideas into city government.

Their efforts were appreciated by many of those who attended the forum to learn more about the candidates. “This is a good thing to be able to get all these candidates together and hear them talk about the issues,” said Oliver Anderson, whose son, Kelly, was Maricopa’s first mayor. “I think it’s great to see so many people come out.”

For Jim Montgomery, public affairs director for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Maricopa, the forum will definitely help dictate his vote. “I thought it was great,” Montgomery said. “I made seven pages of notes. I wrote the questions down, and I wrote each candidate’s response. And I kind of graded them in my own mind. This is how I’m going to make my decision.”

Montgomery felt the candidates came off as sincere and honest. “I didn’t see anyone dodging the issues. There were several comments that I definitely disagreed with, but at least they made a statement, and I think that was what this was all about.”

For Marty Hermanson, who is the chairman of the Pinal County Republican Party, it was the quality of candidates running in the primary that impressed him.

“There were a lot of good candidates up there, and I think the talent is very good this year,” Hermanson said. “I think a couple people stood out based on their answers. I was happy to see some leadership qualities come out.”

“It was nice to see everybody was informed on the issues, and they had a stance and an idea on how they would address those issues,” Hermanson said. “I had an idea who was in my top five; this pretty much solidified it.”

With the primary a little more than a month away, candidates are pushing to the finish line. Candidates who do not receive the required 50 percent plus one of the total vote in the March 9 primary election will move on to a runoff on May 18, with only the top two vote getters for each of the seats moving forward.

“On behalf of the chamber I would like to again congratulate all of the candidates and thank them for taking the time to be a part of the evening,” Akers said. “We hope that we can continue to get the word out to the voters and have as many as possible at the polls this spring.”

Maricopa 20 will start airing daily replays of the forum beginning Sunday, Feb. 7 at 9 a.m. and again at 9 p.m. through Saturday, Feb. 13. The forum will also be available “on-demand” via the city Web site at maricopa-az.gov.
 

For more election coverage, click here.

Pool photo by Howard WaGGner/News Of Maricopa