Is An Attorney, CPA, and Former Mayor The Best Qualified Choice For Valley Metro CEO?

Some people want the Valley Metro Board of Directors to stop looking for anyone else, other than Scott Smith who's there in an interim arrangement to clean up the mess left when Steve Banta, shown with Sally Jo Harrison and John Giles on the cover of Compass Magazine, was thrown off "the gravy train".

Are all these Valley politicians afraid an "outsider" - not Scott Smith - with all the executive management expertise in mass transit systems the job requires will get hired and de-rail the wheeler-dealer Valley politics that are the trademarks of Mesa's ex-mayor who wanted the governor's job and didn't get it?.

Nice try, folks. . . and best wishes to Scott Smith looking for another job after his interim appointment is up

 

 

Copy of Letter to the Valley Metro Board of Directors

 August 17, 2016 

 Valley Metro Board of Directors
101 N. 1st Avenue
Suite 1300
Phoenix AZ 85003 

Members of the Board: 

Valley Metro has had a challenging year to say the least. The misuse of taxpayer funds and executive staff time left the organization shaken and the public frustrated. The swift and corrective action taken by the Valley Metro Board of Directors is commendable. The Board's action set a much-needed new direction for the organization and its management. 

While much of the corrective work is underway, much more is needed. The appointment of Scott Smith as Interim CEO was a tremendous step forward. Scott is a respected business and government leader with the experience Valley Metro needs. 

Scott has made and is making many needed changes in his short time at Valley Metro. However, there is only so much someone with an "interim" title can do. From problem employees that try to outlive the interim status, to processes and policies that need time to fully implement, a temporary leadership title has its limits. 

What Valley Metro needs at this stage in its progress is steady and decisive leadership. As an attorney, CPA, and former mayor with national connections, Scott's background is ideal for the contract management and grant pursuit work of Valley Metro and its members. 

The Valley Metro organization needs a CEO that has the respect of the municipalities that depend on our transit system. Equally important, the agency needs a leader that has the respect and trust of the public. 

For these reasons, we respectfully ask the Valley Metro Board of Directors to cease the national search for a new CEO and offer Scott Smith a contract with appropriate parameters that ensures the success and proper management of the Valley Metro organization and area transit system. 

Valley Metro is a valued partner of the Valley business community. A strong transportation system that includes and effective transit system is a catalyst for economic development. The successful planning, development, and operation of the regional bus and rail systems are critical to the efficient movement of customers and employees. As funders and users of the regional transit system, we hope you will consider our request and act accordingly. 

 

Respectfully,

Larry Johnson
President/CEO
Apache Junction Chamber of Commerce

Deanna Kupcik
President/CEO
Buckeye Valley Chamber of Commerce

Patty Villeneuve
President & CEO
Carefree/Cave Creek Chamber of Commerce

Terri Kimball
President/CEO
Chandler Chamber of Commerce

Scott Soldat-Valenzuela
President/CEO
Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce

Kathy Tilque

President/CEO

Gilbert Chamber of Commerce

Robert W. Heidt, Jr.
President/CEO
Glendale Chamber of Commerce

Sally Harrison
President/CEO
Mesa Chamber of Commerce

Chris Clark
President/CEO
Queen Creek Chamber of Commerce

Mark Hiegel

President/CEO

Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce

Mary Ann Miller
President/CEO
Tempe Chamber of Commerce

Julie Brooks
Executive Director
Wickenburg Chamber of Commerce

Retrieved from Email Inbox on 18 August: 2016

August 2016
Mesa Chamber of Commerce Monthly Newsletter
Mesachamber.org

 

 

2016 EAST VALLEY BUSINESS EXPO

Business Vendor Registration is now open for the 2016 East valley Business Expo. A showcase of the diverse business community of the east valley organized by it's Chambers, EVBE is a great opportunity to network and do business with a wide range of businesses.

 

See chamber website for other news and stories

 

Some Winks for Winkle > No Endorsements Intended

Goodbye Michael!

Encore! What a way to go
Uploaded on Aug 17, 2016
Views: 196

Two New Endorsements in Mesa City Council Election Campaign 2016 > District 3

Follow The Money > Mesa City Council Election Campaigns 2016

Campaign Finance Reports are available online here
Current mayor John Giles is playing the hand he was dealt to get elected in 2014, apparently with no issues in front of the voters here according to his campaign website and oftentimes making public statements that "Everything is great".
It's a no-contest.
Three seats [half] up for grabs in Districts 1, 2 and 3.
What's it gonna be? More diversity or more of the same political machine that's controlled Mesa for generations?

There's a certain demographic group here, now after 135 years after Mesa's founding, less than 10% of the population, who have dominated and monopolized both elective and appointed offices inside City Hall and city government with just a few things in common, one of them being their religion that directly informs public service when they get elected by a system organized by LDS connections in meeting houses, stakes and wards. This is evident not only in local Mesa government but in Arizona state government as well, holding onto top positions in the state senate and state legislature.

Overwhelmingly they graduated from BYU in Provo, Utah, or through inter-marriage have "family connections" in religion and government, or make claims to office based on heritage of successive generations with extensive land holdings held in family or suburban land trusts and - most importantly - at the same time frequently tapping into a machine that delivers votes to chosen hand-selected candidates who usually say they got "a calling" [or a call from a crony] for public service whereby incumbents in elected office pass their positions on to those who get called time and time again. . . Call it "rigged" if you want with one minority group controlling what's supposed to be a democratic process. 

It is the reason why so many residents and voters here in Mesa choose not to get involved in city governance, rarely show up at public City Council sessions or citizen advisory board meetings and are effectively not engaged in government for the people.

While most conservatives condemn the so-called East coast "liberal elite" who attended Ivy League universities [Harvard, Yale, Georgetown, Princeton] those with other progressive political perspectives tend to not question the politics of a private religion-run university except in the public sphere where assertions of religion into politics has constitutionally-mandated limits for good reasons - a product of The Age of Enlightenment.
So, let's throw some light into the arena of politics here in Mesa - you, dear readers NEED TO DO THE WORK

• Follow the money for contributions and expenditures
• Are there some underlying business relationships?
• Who gave what to who
• Why are certain individuals and groups giving money to certain candidates
• Keep an eye out for amounts over $100, $250, $500 or $1,000 and higher
• What about PACs - political action committees?

Just  a couple of examples:
1. Why has a union of public employees - Firefighters - getting paid salaries and other benefits like insurance and pension/retirement costs [that have escalated by 35%] by the city, established a PAC that contributed $2500 to District 3 candidate Jerry Lewis?
2. Why has a suburban mall developer contributed over $6500 to the same candidate?
3. Looking back to the 2014 John Giles for Mayor campaign, why was over $25,000 paid to just one company for copies of campaign materials?

Candidates
The underlined links open in another window to access the reports provided by the Mesa City Clerk's office.
There are other links for City Council Election campaigns going back to 2008 if you want to trace donations and expenditures that might have influenced actions of City Councilmembers once they got elected.

Mayor
John Giles for Mayor 2016

Council District 1
Guinn for Mesa
Mark Freeman for District 1
Pat Gilbert for Mesa

Council District 2 
Jeremy Whittaker for Mesa
Shelly Allen for Mesa
Winn for Mesa City Council

Council District 3
Jerry Lewis for Mesa City Council
Ryan Winkle for Mesa Sparks for Mesa
Yarbrough for Mesa District 3

                                                                                                                          
This web page link at the start of this post is a public resource for general information. Use it for the intended purpose. 

Please be advised that The City of Mesa makes no warranty, representation or guaranty as to the content, sequence, accuracy, timeliness or completeness of any of the database information provided herein.
The reader expressly agrees that use of the data provided herein is at the reader's sole risk.
The City of Mesa explicitly disclaims any representations and warranties of any kind, express or implied, including, without limitation, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
The City of Mesa shall assume no liability for: 1) any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in the information provided regardless of how caused; or 2) any decision made or action taken or not taken by reader in reliance upon any information or data furnished hereunder.

           

       

MesaZona Reaches A Milestone

Thank you, dear readers, so much . . . up online for 18 months now.