Maricopans: Did you know?

InMaricopa.com runs, on a regular basis, opinion pieces submitted by community members. The following article is the opinion of the author, and does not necessarily reflect the views of InMaricopa.com.

I want to take the opportunity to thank all the individuals that were involved in putting together the “Maricopa 2010 Debate.” ALL Candidates (3 Mayor Candidates and 8 City Council Candidates) were present, and, although I was extremely nervous, I did enjoy this forum. Unfortunately, we were limited to speaking on important topics with only a 90-second window, and I feel as if I did not have sufficient time to get my platform out to the people of Maricopa. Therefore, I have summarized some important topics in a “did you know” series.

Did you know that senior citizens are the most underrepresented minority in Maricopa?  I worked at the West L.A. VA Medical Center, and, while at the VA, I met several seniors who had an entire world of knowledge to share. These individuals are essential to our community. I have been a member of the Maricopa Friends of the Library for over a year, and I have to tell you that this group of volunteers (95% of whom are senior citizens) is keeping our library fully functional. Maricopa must establish a senior center and give our senior citizens an opportunity to flourish into a power force of volunteers and educators.  I will represent our seniors on council and push for a senior center within our Redevelopment District Area.

Did you know that a large percentage of people living within Maricopa’s Redevelopment District are Spanish-speaking households?  Presentations have been made to propose a new city hall/city government offices and businesses within Maricopa’s Redevelopment District Area (RDA). These are all great ideas but these presentations were conducted in English only.  Although these owners speak and understand English, they would have a better understanding if the presentation were done in Spanish, given that the English language is not always self-explanatory. By doing the presentation in both languages, we would bridge the gap for ALL citizens alike. After all, how can Maricopa build this RDA without the full consent of the property owners? The entire Redevelopment District can end up being a costly failure much as Maricopa’s proposed annexation was.

The city of Maricopa spent thousands of dollars on an annexation process in the attempts in incorporate a group of people that had NO intentions of being within the incorporated city of Maricopa. Now we have a group of city residents that have lived within the “city limits” of Maricopa for decades – our neighbors – that are not being taken into consideration for this master plan that the city has designated as the “RDA.” I am fluent in Spanish and have built a rapport with these residents, and I will take appropriate measures to assure that the Redevelopment District Area is not another costly failure at the expense of the Maricopa taxpayers, and that all citizens are in understanding and have the same consideration.

Did you know that there are many city employees with no education, experience or training to perform their jobs that are currently getting paid twice the amount of the salary of a first year teacher in Maricopa? I come from generations of teachers (my aunt was a teacher for over 40 years, and my sister has been a teacher for close to 20 years), and I was a substitute teacher for the Maricopa Unified School District. It is a fact that teachers are underpaid and this group is the largest educated workforce in Maricopa.  It is an unfortunate fact that the city of Maricopa has hired individuals because of who they know, not what they know.  These hiring practices must stop, and the city has the obligation to hire highly qualified individuals (with experience or an education) to run our programs and provide a high quality of services for our residents. 

Did you know that the city of Maricopa has four individuals within city management?  There is currently a City Manager, Assistant City Manager and two Assistants to the City Manager. These four positions impact the city budget with combined salaries totaling to $430,000 a year (this amount is just salary and does not include benefits). Maricopa must re-evaluate these positions and assure that there are no cutbacks within our city’s essential providers and public safety officers.

Did you know that a Maricopa city employee and Mayor/City Council members absorb over $13,000 (for a family, over $6,000 for a couple and over $3,000 for a single person) of the city’s budget in healthcare benefits? Healthcare is a huge topic in our country, and these benefits are essential in keeping a good work force. Many married employees have spouses with healthcare benefits through their employers. Many City Council members have health care benefits through their primary employer. Those individuals with “dual coverage” should have the option to opt out and receive a compensation equivalent to their highest deductable (approximately $2,500 – $3,500 a year). The city of Maricopa has no “opt out” options that can potentially save the city thousands of dollars. These are the cost saving ideas that I will bring to Maricopa. 

Do you know that the air we breathe is worse that the air we smell?  Let’s face it – the cows were here when we moved to Maricopa, and we smelled it right away. But when you moved here, did you know that the air we breathe can be detrimental to our health?  Maricopa’s city council has been aware that there is a serious air quality problem in Maricopa and chose to ignore and de-prioritize this matter. Did you know that Shamrock Farms (in Stanfield, AZ) has over 10,000 cows and only 82 employees?  This industry does not bring high paying jobs to the area. There was a comment made that you can “smell the money in the air,” but who is benefiting from the money and is our health the cost? When on council, I will not ignore this matter and will designate it the highest priority.

Did you know that the city of Maricopa’s Economic Development Department is run by one individual who is also the Manager for the Marketing and Communications Department for the city?  How much attention is being given to economic development when there is only one individual doing this work?  Our Economic Development Department must be staffed properly, and these individuals must be aggressive in bringing industry that will provide high paying jobs and a strong economic corridor that will sustain this city for centuries to come.

Did you know that before Pacana Park was built, the city’s Parks and Recreation activities were being run out of the schools? The city government must rebuild their relations with the Maricopa Unified School District and continue with the agreements to utilize the schools for recreation programs. Maricopa’s youth must have activity centers or at minimum open access to their schools, and the city must share the upkeep, staffing and maintenance of the facilities. The city must provide programming to keep our children active and participating in our community. I am determined to promote youth centers and activities for our children with focus on our teens.

On March 9 Maricopans will be asked to elect a mayor and three council members. I have the experience, dedication and education to lead Maricopa, and I ask that if you have doubts about my qualifications, please contact me. I arrived in Maricopa in 2005 and do not give in to the “good old boy club” mentality that has been witnessed and called out by many citizens. I was a city of Maricopa employee, but I have no personal relations with the current mayor nor have I ever had one single conversation with him or the two incumbent council members that are running for re-election. I only own my personal property, I have no business interests in Maricopa, and I severed my real estate license to concentrate my time on my kids, schooling and this election. I love Maricopa, and I would love the opportunity to represent us all. Lastly, I would like to thank my husband, my three kids, my brothers, campaign manager and campaign assistant for all their time and dedication to this campaign.

Maricopa:  Be in the know!

Submitted photo

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