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An election primer for Tempe

Editor’s note: Pam Goronkin, a longtime South Tempe resident, is a member of the Tempe City Council. The following represents the second and final part of her series on the Tempe election scheduled March 9. The first installment is available at www.WranglerNews.com.

In my previous column, I offered what I felt was an “insider’s” take on the processes that lead up to a local election. In this issue the candidates get a more in-depth look.

No matter what new information, if any, you gain from this column, or which candidates seem to best represent your views, please remember to vote. As South Tempe residents, you have a history of turning out in great numbers, and in the past two elections South Tempe been a big factor in the outcome. That makes you both powerful and subject to quite a lot of electioneering as the candidates court your vote.

Early and by-mail voting begins Tuesday, Feb. 9; those who haven’t already cast ballots will go to the polls on Tuesday, March 9. 

Especially noteworthy is the fact that Tempe will choose only its third new mayor since 1978.  Harry Mitchell became mayor 26 years ago and served continuously for 16 years. Mayor Neil Giuliano was elected to succeed him in 1994.

Many feel this stability has enabled Tempe to pursue a visionary agenda. But Mayor Giuliano says he is now ready for some new challenges. This leaves Tempe with the necessity to elect new leadership. Some feel a change is just what our city needs, even as a recent poll indicates that 71 percent of city voters feel Tempe is on the right track.

Since current council member Dennis Cahill is seeking the mayor’s office, at least one new council member will be added to replace him. Just how much change are Tempe voters prepared to make?  That’s mostly what this election is about: to change or stay the course of the past 26 years.  The mayor’s race will be determined in the primary, since there really are only two contenders. 

Dennis Cahill, a 12-year veteran of City Council, moved to Tempe more than 50 years ago. A former bricklayer and small business owner, Cahill and his wife, State Representative Meg Burton-Cahill, reside in the heart of Tempe and express a shared love of community service. 

Cahill has served on the council with Mayors Mitchell and Giuliano. As chair of the Neighborhood Enhancement subcommittee, Cahill urged council to pass the recently enhanced loud party ordinance. He was the only member of City Council to advocate voter-approval of the Smoke-Free Workplace Initiative in the spring of 2002. 

Cahill would most like you to know that he sees himself as a unifier and a team player, and that he has nurtured relationships to help Tempe achieve stronger regional cooperation on the issues of transit, resolution of Sky Harbor disputes and supporting ASU as an economic engine.

Hugh Hallman, an attorney, served Tempe as a City Council member from 1998 to July of 2002.  He had filed petitions to run for mayor when a challenge to a voter-approved initiative extending the mayor’s term of office advanced to the Arizona Supreme Court in the fall of 2001. 

Such an outcome would have ended Giuliano’s self-imposed four terms in July 2002. But in January 2002 the court upheld the term extension and it was too late for Hallman to re-run for his council seat. 

He is now making a bid for the mayor’s job based on his experience and strong neighborhoods approach to governance.

Hallman, his wife Susan and three sons live in north Tempe. On the council, Hallman chaired the Finance and Economic Development subcommittee.

What he would most like you to know is that he believes he is the independent leader who can rebuild Tempe’s economy by taking advantage of ASU’s BioDesign Institute to make ASU one of the finest research institutions in the country.     

There are three council seats up for grabs, with two incumbents opposing three newcomers. Because a single candidate must garner 50 percent plus one vote to win outright in the primary, a run-off for one or more of these seats is likely in the May 18 general election.  At least one new face is guaranteed.

Vice Mayor Barb Carter, a special education teacher in Tempe for 25 years and now a teacher at Corona del Sol High School, has resided in Tempe since 1972 with husband Wade and their two sons.

Carter also co-owns Interior Surfaces Guild. Current chair of the council’s subcommittee on Cultural and Community Programs, Carter spearheaded the successful tax referendum to fund the Tempe Center for the Arts. She continues to chair the Executive Committee overseeing design and development of the Center for the Arts, scheduled for 2006 completion.  Carter seeks re-election believing strongly that continuity on the council is important and most wants you to know that she brings a unique voice to council as an educator, wife, mother, community volunteer and small-business owner.

Incumbent Mark Mitchell seeks re-election, stressing his advocacy of new strategies for economic development in Tempe, with particular focus on Tempe as a destination for youth and amateur sports and optimizing ASU assets. Mitchell is a third-generation Tempean and shares a home in Tempe with wife Debi and their two pre-school daughters. Preserving neighborhoods has been a key issue for Mitchell during his first council term. Also a member of Kiwanis Club of Tempe, Mitchell was recently elected to serve as chair for the National League of Cities’ University Cities’ Caucus.  As Chair of the subcommittee for Tourism and Economic Development, Mitchell would most like you to know that he is enthusiastic about the opportunities for Tempe’s future as “The Smart Place to Be” and feels his relationships with colleagues in surrounding communities and ASU are assets he brings to his council role.     

John “Hut” Hutson is a 40-year Tempe resident and has two adult children with wife Sandi.  Hutson has served on Tempe’s Board of Adjustment, chaired seven Tempe bond elections, served as treasurer for 20 years on Tempe’s Independent Development Board, and is a Life Member of Jaycees International as well as Tempe Old Settlers’ Association. He supports enhanced public safety, strong neighborhoods, quality education and responsible economic development.  A retired warden with Arizona Department of Corrections, Hutson would most like you to know that he believes his unique combination of public and private sector experience is unequaled by his opponents in the race.

Augustus “Gus” Shaw says he is running for City Council because he has a strong desire to serve the citizens of Tempe. A practicing attorney who served as vice chair of the Tempe Redevelopment Review Committee, Shaw and his wife Andrada grew up in Tempe and are both graduates of Tempe High School. Shaw pledges to return all phone calls and e-mail messages within 24 hours, improve Tempe’s working relationship with ASU, and encourage redevelopment of areas in Tempe that have begun to decline. Shaw would most like you to know that he has a vision for making Mill Avenue and Tempe Town Lake the “jewels of the city” by making them entertaining, diverse and accessible to business.

David Strang moved to Tempe in 1983 and has made contributions to the community via Tempe Community Council, Open Horizons, Tempe Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Human Relations Commission. Owner of Dimension Communications, Strang is a video writer/producer and has researched and produced videos for Tempe Historical Museum and Tempe’s Community Land Trust. He worked in SRP’s video production department for 12 years.  A voice for social services and economic development in Tempe, Strang would most like you to know that he has been privileged to be a part of Tempe’s growth and wants you to believe along with him in Tempe’s future, where he hopes to contribute his wealth of experience on the council.

There you have them, the candidates of 2003. You may select one for mayor, three for City Council…and be grateful for their courage.

Running for office isn’t easy. Why do people do it?  Why are they willing to put themselves into the gristmill of public scrutiny and criticism?  Why are they prepared to sacrifice personal time and energy not only to campaign but to serve if elected?  Do the rewards of prevailing outweigh the burdens, enriching the community as well as the lives of those who serve?

The answers to these questions are as varied as the candidates who seek your vote. Yet there is probably one common motivation:  To serve the community where one resides and to help make it even better.

Philosophies about how to do this may vary, but I’ve encountered no local official in my short political life for whom enhancing their community was not a top priority.

Regardless of what you hear or read about these candidates, rest assured that they are neither as superior as their advocates boast nor as awful as their critics insist. They are human beings, both flawed and wonderful. Regardless of your choices, some changes for Tempe will occur…a little or a lot, it’s up to you.

Let the voting begin!

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