City Election 2008 Candidate Profile Series: Carl Diedrich

As part of inmaricopa.com’s in-depth city election coverage we will be running candidate profiles each week in no particular order between now and the primary election in March. This is the fourth in a series.

Name: Carl Diedrich

Office Desired: Maricopa City Councilman

Family: Married to Kimberly Diedrich since June of 2002. One son, Nate, 4, who is in pre-school at Santa Rosa Elementary.

Why I moved to Maricopa: A series of events led us to choose this desert town. In the winter of 2004, my family and I lived in St. Paul, Minn. We realized how vital the family connection was and how important it was for us to spend as much time as possible with our family. My mother, Linda, had been living in Show Low, Ariz., for nine years and had begun to have some medical issues. She was going to need some health management and most of what was available was in the Phoenix area. Kimberly and I talked at length about moving to Phoenix. In March of 2004 we made the decision. My brother Paul and his family lived in Maricopa. I visited during Memorial Day 2004, and after looking all over the East Valley and Maricopa, I sent pictures of a “spec” house to Kimberly. We decided on a home in Maricopa. It would be perfect for having my mother stay with us when she was down in Phoenix and we moved forward. On July 30, 2004, we loaded up our SUV, hitched our car and with my then 9-month-old son, three dogs and two cats, headed south. We received word just before our trip that my mother was diagnosed with brain cancer, to which she succumbed in late August. Her spirit lives on and I know she would have really enjoyed spending time in Maricopa.

Neighborhood or subdivision: Rancho El Dorado.

How long in Maricopa: Since August 2004.

Prior political office(s): Vice-Chairman of the Maricopa Fire District Board of Governors (2006/2007), vice-chairman of the Maricopa Public Safety Committee (2005-Present), chairman of the Committee to Pass Proposition 400 (2006).

Community service: Founding member – M*A*S*H Coalition, founding member – Traffic Task Force, volunteer – F.O.R. Maricopa (Food Bank), volunteer youth teacher – Community of Hope Church., volunteer for PetSocialWorker.org and Tails of Hope, helping find homes for homeless, stray and abandoned pets and re-homing lost pets in Maricopa, member of the Maricopa Chamber of Commerce Marketing Committee and member of the Maricopa Mutt March Committee.

Occupation: Marketing design consultant.

Personal vision statement: I am focused on spending time with my family, the commitment to our community through service and action, and a commitment to God and my Church through deeds. I will learn from my mistakes and work hard to improve myself and my relationships with others. I will do all of this in a creative way and work hard to add value to the lives of all those with whom I interact.

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