Profile: City council candidate Julia Romero Gusse

InMaricopa: Who are you?

Gusse: I am a wife and mother of three living in Maricopa. My husband is a supervisor with Verizon Wireless call center in Chandler. He and I are both veterans and proudly served our country for 5 years, respectfully. Our family made Maricopa home in 2005 with the hope of a bright future. Over our years here, I have been an active member of the community through volunteer services as well as having worked within the city offices. Not only am I a citizen of Maricopa, my brothers, Jorge and Humberto Romero, currently live here with their families as well.

InMaricopa: Why are you the best candidate?

Gusse: As I have watched Maricopa, there have been many changes. Some for the better, others not. I have attended many council meetings and listened to the concerns of citizens. Although I am not a politician by trade, my honesty and integrity have given me cause to run for city council in the upcoming election.

InMaricopa: What specific experience would you bring to this office?

Gusse:  In my time with the city, I assisted in the economic development department (with the redevelopment district), the planning department (with the general plan amendments, variances, zoning, permits, etc.), the city engineer (with the flood control and bridge Spanish notices), the assistant to the city manager (with the annexation), the global information system coordinator (with the GIS addressing), the building safety department (with building permits and inspections in the medical and pregnancy absence of two employees), and was the planning and zoning commission secretary (while Councilwoman Griffin and Mayor Smith sat on the commission). This experience has given me a basic principle of how the city is run and the confidence to feel qualified for a seat on the council.

InMaricopa: If elected, what is the first thing you would change on the council?

Gusse: My goal when elected to council will be to put the people of Maricopa first and politics second. To question things like why a city of our size has so many political figures in higher offices. To impose a pay study of departments and personnel and illuminate unnecessary spending. It is my desire to use other cities of comparable sizes and demographics as a basis for this investigation. We as a community need to question if perhaps some of those higher positions could be eliminated or restructured to better serve the community.

InMaricopa: What are the three most important issues facing your Maricopa area constituents and what would you do to address each?

Gusse: In every council meeting that I have attended, there seems to be similar concerns, concerns that I would like to begin to address: higher than normal utility bills, lack of jobs in the area and community-based activities for the youth and elderly.

Having formerly worked with a large grant program, I am knowledgeable in research and use of many types of grants. When elected, I will immediately begin researching grants that will impact our community for the better and address some of these concerns.

We have all read the local news regarding our police force; there is no need to discuss the discontent amongst the ranks. When elected, I would request a full outside investigation of the allegations made by our police force, which would allow for non-bias input. There seems to be rules and regulations that apply to some and not to others; however we need to be sure that all policies are withheld regardless of who the individual is. City council must intervene and address these issues before they affect the people of Maricopa.

As previously stated, I not a politician, but an informed and concerned resident with the city’s best interests in mind. I do not take this election lightly and have done much research before diving into this. I recently met with Senator Rebecca Rios and her endorsement and words of advice meant the world to me. I am a no-nonsense individual — I do as I say and say as I do. I have no ambition of being a “typical politician,” but an honest representative of the people of Maricopa.

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