Sal DiCiccio - not letting facts get in the way of campaign posturing

From AZCentral.com -

Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio and members of an Ahwatukee Foothills residents' committee say they have studied state and county plans to link Chandler and west Phoenix with a 22-mile freeway and come to a conclusion:

Put the South Mountain Freeway on the Gila River Indian Community.

{snip}

DiCiccio said Monday that neither ADOT nor MAG has formally asked Gila River officials if they would consider a freeway deal.

"I'm telling you, when the public finds out about what has not happened, people are going to be outraged," DiCiccio said.

{snip}

Alia Maisonet, a Gila River Indian Community spokeswoman, confirmed that neither state nor county officials have presented a formal proposal to put Loop 202 on tribal land. But she said the tribal council has twice considered the matter internally and twice voted against it, although she noted that the council could change its mind.

"Things can change," she said.

But ADOT spokesman Timothy Tait said he was baffled by DiCiccio's implication that Gila River officials have been left out of freeway negotiations.

"They (Gila River officials) attend MAG meetings and have been part of the process all along," he said. "We have not approached them because they have passed resolutions against the freeway."

So basically, DiCiccio is trying to pander to Ahwatukee voters by telling them that the freeway that they've known was scheduled for Pecos Road for almost a quarter century can be redirected onto a reservation (the residents of which, shockingly enough, aren't his constituents) at no cost to them.

Leaving out the fact that the reservation government has repeatedly said "NO!" or that it would cost Arizona taxpayers billions of dollars to do so anyway. And that they themselves are Arizona taxpayers.

It's one thing to engage in a little pandering during a campaign (hey, it *is* a campaign after all), but this move is so cravenly transparent as to speak of a deep level of contempt for the intelligence of the residents of District 6 (and an all-encompassing contempt for the residents of the Gila River Indian Community).

It also doesn't speak well for Mr. DiCiccio's own intelligence and political acumen - if he really wants to "protect" the well-heeled residents of Ahwatukee from the that big meanie ADOT, he'd run for his LD's Republican nomination for a legislative seat.

Only he's not running for lege - he's running for City Council against Dana Kennedy. Who is focused on City of Phoenix and District 6 issues, not legislative ones.

Not the exactly the epitome of breaking news

From the Phoenix Business Journal -

Conservative radio commentator and former Scottsdale congressman J.D. Hayworth is consider a run against U.S. Sen. John McCain in next year’s Republican primary.

There has been speculation/expectations regarding this for months, both here and elsewhere. The Business Journal is something of a johnny-come-lately here.

I truly don't believe that Hayworth would have a serious shot against McCain, but I'm not a Republican insider (so that's not exactly the epitome of breaking news, either :) ). As such, I can't offer any definitive insights into the minds of Republican primary voters. Based on what I've seen though, the only way that McCain loses the primary next year is if he isn't *in* the primary.

However, there has been a quiet rumor, and I don't have details, that a Democrat with a higher profile than Stuart Starky is considering a run for U.S. Senate next year. That seems to indicate that some folks with better sources inside the GOP (or at least within the McCain camp) believe that McCain may end up retiring, creating a race for an open and poachable seat.

If the Reps nominate somebody like Hayworth, somebody who appeals only to their shrinking base, not the growing number of independents in AZ, it will give a major boost to the Democratic nominee, whoever he or she may be.

Hell, Starky may have been steamrolled by McCain in 2004, but even he'd have a fighting chance against somebody like Hayworth.

Later...

John Shadegg - low profile even among his fellow Kool-Aid drinkers

This one is pretty minor, but still to funny to pass up....

From NaplesNews.com -

What do you say we move the capital out of Washington and transport it to Omaha or somewhere in the center of the nation where people still exhibit common sense and a deep-seated patriotism! Certainly this idea has crossed my mind more than once. If only we could completely shut down the bloated, intrusive, metastasized, arrogant federal government and reopen it somewhere in the Midwest under new management and dramatically scaled down. What a vision that would be!

After reading that opening paragraph, most sstute readers will realize that the author of the piece, one Edward Wimberly, is as anti-government and anti-public services as even the most extreme winger in the Arizona Legislature (Ron Gould, perhaps?)

In other words, one of Congressman Shadegg's fellow travelers, just without the title "Congressman.".

Yet a later paragraph shows that Mr. Wimberley doesn't really have much of a clue about Arizona's native son (who seems to spend more time canoodling with out-of-state lobbying groups like the Heritage Foundation and the Club for Growth than he does working for his constituents). (emphasis mine)

This steady drain on the people’s rights has not gone unnoticed. For instance, a little known Congressman from Arizona by the name of James Shadegg has been introducing a bill entitled “The Enumerated Powers Act” every year since 1995 which would require the sponsors of every piece of legislation to specify just where in the Constitution the particular bill derives its authority.

Maybe it really *is* time for Shadegg to retire. Between his lack of regard for the people who hired/voted for him, and the obvious lack of regard that his ideological peers have for him, it's likely that no one will miss him when he's gone.

Sunset provisions and the lege - Intersession silly season

During yesterday's post regarding political events scheduled for the coming week, I mentioned a couple of hearings that will be taking place at the lege this week.

There will be "committees of reference" holding sunset review hearings on various state agencies. (Agendas here and here)

This was something of a strange (but not totally unheard-of) concept to me, so a little further research was called for.

Turns out that during some previous legislatures, ARS Title 41, sections 2951 through 3102 (aka Chapter 27 of Title 41) were passed into law, creating the sunset process for all state agencies, departments, boards, commissions, institutions and programs. It also establishes a sunset review process of legislative hearings for each agency, etc.

In essence, it's a system of killing off agencies and programs that the current legislature doesn't approve of for ideological reasons.

For instance, during this week's meetings, agencies like the Arizona Neighborhood Preservation and Investment Commission, Legislative Council; Ombudsman for Private Property Rights, Office of Ombudsman-Citizens Aide, Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records; Board of Library Examiners, and State Board on Geographic and Historic Names and the Board of Athletic Training will have to justify their continued existence.

With the likely exception of the Ombudsman for Private Property Rights (that one falls completely within the ideology of the wingers in the lege), all of those agencies will be raked over the coals and (probably) be ended. Regardless of much value they provide to the people of Arizona (I mean, who needs neighborhoods in a place whose economy is based on the massive cookie-cutter residential subdivision?)

If the committees of reference recommend for the continuation of a particular agency, they must get a bill through the lege that changes the sunset date, something that is far from guaranteed even if the committee of reference supports it.

In addition to this week's hearings (and those next week, which will include a sunset review of JLBC), the following agencies, etc. will face a legislative star chamber in the near future:

Department of Water Resources

Department of Juvenile Corrections

Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing

Department of Insurance

Department of Health Services

Motor Vehicle Division


Anybody want to start a pool to bet on which ones the lege's Republicans kick to the curb?

Later...

The coming week...

As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevant political bodies/agencies (except where noted) and subject to change without notice.


...The floor action in the U.S. House is going to be dominated by money issues, but there will be a few other issues of interest.

- H.R. 3590, Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009;

- H.R. 1016, Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009, CRS summary here (note: this one is cosponsored by CD5's Harry Mitchell and most of the Democratic members of the Arizona delegation);

- S. 1717, "A bill to authorize major medical facility leases for the Department of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2010, and for other purposes."

...all of the above bills will be heard under suspension of the rules, meaning that a 2/3 majority will be needed to pass the measures.

The following budget-related items will be heard "under a rule" -

- The conference report for H.R. 2997, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010;

- Possible consideration of the conference report on H.R. 2892, Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2010;

- Possible consideration of the conference report on H.R. 2647, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010.

- Also to be heard under a rule, H.R. 2442, Bay Area Regional Water Recycling Program Expansion Act of 2009.

...Over in the Senate, scheduled floor action includes consideration of H.R. 2847, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. Committee schedule here.


...Back here in Arizona, the budget is still out-of-balance and the legislature is still out of session. However, there is still activity on West Washington this week.

- On Monday at 9 a.m. in HHR1, the Senate Education Accountability and Reform and House of Representatives Education Committee of Reference will meet regarding the school performance audits of Chandler Unified School District, Tolleson Union High School District, Somerton Elementary School District and Flagstaff Unified School District.

- On Thursday at 1:30 p.m., the Senate Government Institutions and House of Representatives Government Committee of Reference will meet in HHR4 regarding the sunset review of: Arizona Neighborhood Preservation and Investment Commission, Legislative Council; Ombudsman for Private Property Rights, Office of Ombudsman-Citizens Aide, Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records; Board of Library Examiners, and State Board on Geographic and Historic Names.

- Also on Thursday in HHR4, but at 9:30 a.m., the Senate Commerce and Economic Development and House of Representatives Government Committee of Reference will meet regarding the sunset review for the Board of Athletic Training.


...On Thursday at 10 a.m., the Arizona Corporation Commission will hold an open meeting dealing mostly, but not exclusively, with securities matters. The ACC's hearing schedule is here.


...The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has two meetings this week.

The highlight of Monday's informal meeting is item 3 -

Authorize legal action including filing and/or defending an appeal and taking other legal actions as may be appropriate regarding the Judgment in the matter of Andrew Thomas et al v. Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, CV-2008-033194 (C-06-10-114-M-00)



There will also be an executive session.



Wednesday's formal meeting agenda looks to be fairly non-controversial, though there are a number of items related to the offices of the county sheriff and county attorney.



There is a special/executive meeting scheduled to take place immediately after the formal meeting.





...The Tempe City Council is meeting on Thursday. The agenda is here. The Council's calendar of events is here.





...The Scottsdale City Council is meeting on Tuesday. The agenda includes an item for approving the employment agreement with the interim City Treasurer, David Smith.



The Council has an executive session scheduled immediately prior to the regular meeting.



- The City's Charter Review Task Force is scheduled to meet Monday evening at 5 in the City Hall Kiva. The agenda includes consideration of language that would allow the Council and Mayor to directly appoint City Staff, apparently to bypass the City Manager's influence over the hiring of professional employees.



Yippee - when the Task Force isn't pushing language to protect the profit margins of favored corporations, they're helping Jim Lane gather power to himself and his professional staff.



I wonder if everyone, even *anyone*, involved realizes that they are supposed to be working to help Scottsdale, not just themselves or their friends.



Scottsdale's community meetings schedule is here.



Not scheduled to meet this week: Arizona Board of Regents, Citizens Clean Elections Commission, the Boards of Directors of both the Maricopa Integrated Health System and Central Arizona Project, Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District.

Scottsdale looking to turn its charter on its ear

The City of Scottsdale has a task force reviewing its charter, looking toward voter approval of changes at a special election in March. Most of the changes suggested are of the "technical correction" variety (updating language for current usage or for clarification purposes, etc.)

However, some of the proposed changes that they are considering are somewhat less innocuous.

Here is the public comment that I submitted to the Charter Review Task Force regarding some very specific language proposed for the charter -

Good afternoon,

At the Charter Review Task Force meeting on September 28, I submitted a written comment on the appropriateness of inserting into Scottsdale’s charter language written by the “ORANGE Coalition”. At the time, I advised against doing so, but because of the short notice, that comment wasn’t quite as specific as it should have been.

The Charter Review Task Force was established to make recommendations for updates to the City Charter, with an eye toward making it more citizen-friendly, among other things. More generally, the Task Force is charged to work on improvements and updates to the Charter that benefit Scottsdale’s citizens as a whole.

However, the language suggested by the ORANGE Coalition has only one beneficiary - American Water.

American Water’s subsidiary, Arizona American Water (AZAm Water), has a small but troubled presence in the Scottsdale water market. Its approximately 2000 customers and their families have repeatedly been faced with TCE-contaminated water pouring from their taps. This situation has led to some residents, including members of the Scottsdale City Council, to call for looking into acquiring AZAm Water’s system and adding those customers to Scottsdale’s water system.
(http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/06/23/20090623srwater0624.html)
Naturally, American Water objected to this, and while the movement to acquire AZAm Water has fizzled, American Water is taking no chances. The ORANGE Coalition seems to have been created specifically to ensure that such an idea is removed even from the realm of possibility.

- The ORANGE Coalition was incorporated as a non-profit corporation on November 12, 2008 with two directors listed as having the address of 1025 Laurel Oak Road in Voohees, New Jersey. (http://starpas.azcc.gov/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=wsbroker1/names-detail.p?name-id=14878680&type=CORPORATION)

- That address is the same address as that of the corporate headquarters of American Water. (http://www.amwater.com/about-us/contact-us.html)

- One of the directors listed on the incorporation paperwork, Daniel Kelleher, is a retired American Water executive and currently serves as a consultant to American Water on defending it against condemnation initiatives. (http://pr.amwater.com/PressReleases/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=261448)

The members of the Charter Review Task Force are attorneys, professional lobbyists, and current and former elected officials. To a man and woman, you all
are familiar with the idea of representing the interests of others. As Task Force members, your chosen duty is to represent the interests of the people of Scottsdale.
If any member of the Task Force (or, for that matter, the Mayor or the City Council) wants to stand before the community and argue that the residents of the City are best served by protecting the revenue stream of a corporation that has a documented history of poor customer service and threats to public health (as if forcing overpriced and contaminated water on its customers is merely “poor” customer service), of course they are free to do so.

However, it isn’t the place for the Task Force members to provide political cover for such a scheme by burying the ORANGE Coalition’s charter changes among a large number of innocuous technical corrections and housekeeping changes, expected to be the subject of a special election in March.

I urge you to reject the ORANGE Coalition’s proposed changes. If there is enough support in the community for the changes they desire, they should have no problem gaining the signatures needed to place a stand-alone referendum question on the ballot next fall.

Thank you for your consideration.

Among the fine observations that I left out of the comment that one of the benefits of creating the ORANGE Coalition at a non-profit corporation instead of a political committee is that political committees have to disclose their donors while non-profit corporations do not.

Why bother though?

Using the same address as American Water's corporate HQ shows that they don't really care if people know who is behind the ORANGE Coalition.

Mayor Jim Lane and his friends are being as subtle as baseball bats in their quest to consolidate power in Scottsdale and to protect their friends' profits, both at the expense of the best interests of Scottsdale's residents.

Lane and his supporters may rail against the influence that the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce had during the Manross administration (complaints that have more than a little merit), but the only thing that has changed with his election has been the names of those pulling the strings, not the facts that strings *are* being pulled, and that enough money gets you a turn at tugging on one of the strings.

Later...

Arizona court slaps down most of the lege's misogynistic anti-abortion laws

From AZCentral.com -

A state judge on Tuesday blocked implementation of several key parts of a new Arizona law restricting abortions, while allowing a few provisions to take effect.

The preliminary injunction issued by Judge Donald Daughton of Maricopa County Superior Court allows a 24-hour waiting period to take affect, but he blocked requirements that a woman see a doctor in person for advance disclosures before getting an abortion.

{snip}

The state judge also blocked provisions prohibiting nurse practitioners from performing surgical abortions, requiring the notarizing of parental consent forms and expanding an existing law that now permits health-care workers to refuse to participate in abortions.

The Center for Arizona Policy and their water carriers on West Washington have already promised to continue their fight enact a de facto revocation of a woman's right to control their own bodies, so stay tuned. If all or part of the new laws are struck down permanently, expect them to return in some form in the new session of the lege in January.

There are five more Republicans in DC tonight...

...and they joined the Soullessly Corrupt wing of the GOP.

From the New York Times (emphasis mine) -

After a half-day of animated debate, the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday rejected efforts by liberal Democrats to add a government-run health insurance plan to major health care legislation, dealing the first official setback to an idea that many Democrats, including President Obama, say they support.

All of the other versions of the health care legislation advancing in Congress — a bill approved by the Senate health committee and a trio of bills in the House — include some version of the government-run plan, or public option.

{snip}

The committee on Tuesday afternoon voted, 15 to 8, to reject an amendment proposed by Senator John D. Rockefeller IV, Democrat of West Virginia, to add a public option called the Community Choice Health Plan, an outcome that underscored the lack of support for a government plan among many Democrats.

Mr. Baucus voted no, as did Senators Thomas R. Carper of Delaware, Kent Conrad of North Dakota, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, and Bill Nelson of Florida, joining all 10 Republicans in opposition.

This development isn't the end of the debate on a public option, in fact it was expected - the committee chair Baucus has staunchly opposed a public option (surely he hasn't been influenced by the hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions that he has received from health insurers over the years, right?), so one was never going to get through his committee.

It's still frustrating though - one of the reasons that Democrats have a majority in both chambers of Congress (and one of the reasons that I personally am a proud Democrat) is that in 2006 and 2008, we could point to the Republicans and their outright sellout of America and Americans to corporate interests and say "that's not us."

Tonight it is us.


If you live in a district represented by a Democratic Congressman/woman, contact them now and let them know that if they truly support the best interests of their constituents, they will push for and support a health care reform bill that contains a viable and robust public health insurance option.

Anything less is no reform at all.


Gabrielle Giffords (CD8) has a contact form here

Raul Grijalva (CD7) here

Ann Kirkpatrick (CD1) here

Ed Pastor (CD4) here

Harry Mitchell (CD5) here


Later...

Fear and Loathing in Phoenix - state Sen. Sylvia Allen on climate change

On Monday, State Sen. Sylvia Allen (R-6000 years) held a meeting of her anti-science committee (aka the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Climate Initiatives).

The agenda featured a number of industry lobbyists presenting to an "adjusted" committee membership (Chuck Gray and Russell Pearce were added to the committee late last week).

With a mix like that (Allen, industry lobbyists, and Pearce and Gray) expectations were low at the outset of the hearing, and it lived down to those expectations.

It was clear from that outset that this meeting was not concerned with science, Allen made that clear in her opening remarks when she pointedly thanked "business leaders" for attending.

Allen herself set the tone for the meeting, also in her opening remarks, when she announced that she was "quite frightened" by the initiatives to address climate change.

The other speakers tapped into that fear vein.

Michael Curtis of the Arizona Municipal Power Users Association railed against H.R. 2454, better known as Waxman/Markey or the "American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009."

He objected to the bill's "economy-wide approach" and derided it as a "transfer of wealth."

Kimball Rasmussen of Deseret Power (Utah), a long-time skeptic of climate change, reiterated the wealth transfer theme, as well as creating an "us vs. them" atmosphere, with small states vs. big states and middle states vs. the coasts (aka - red vs. blue states).

Craig Idso, chair of the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change, argued that climate change was real, but that higher temps and increased CO2 levels in the atmosphere would be good for plants. He disregarded the impact of increased CO2 levels on human and animal life. It wouldn't be good (see the atmosphere of Venus).

Chuck Gray (R-East Mesa) served up a softball question, asking the presenters what the lege could do to facilitate the construction of a nuclear plant or oil refinery in Arizona.

One presenter advised him to put aside safeguards (you know, safety standards and such are such an unnecessary drag on corporate profit margins) and another advised him to short circuit the Arizona Corporation Commission's permitting process.

When all was said and done, Sylvia Allen though had the best line of the day -

Socialism and Marxism are about concentrating the wealth in the hands of the few who are going to make billions off of this cap and trade scheme

Apparently, Sen. Allen pays as much attention to the finer nuances of economic theory as she does to those of scientific theory.

Well, that's assuming that the basic tenets of Marxism qualify as a "finer nuance."

Sylvia Allen's anti-science hearing going on now

So far, it is going as expected, with the presenter who is supposed to inform the panel about current federal legislation related to climate change instead engaging in a diatribe against all such legislation.

Go to the lege's video page and select "view live proceedings."

Question of the day

From AZCentral.com -

Dealer accidentally fires gun, injures 2 at gun show

A woman and a girl received minor injuries when a gun dealer inadvertently fired a loaded handgun during a gun show in Mesa late Saturday morning, police said.

Police responded to the Mesa Convention Center about 11:30 a.m. to a call of a shot being fired during a gun show, said Det. Mike Melendez, a police spokesman.

Investigators learned that a presenter at the gun show brought a loaded gun into the event, which is not permitted, Melendez said.

Could somebody explain something to me?

How is it that the Republicans in the lege think that guns are safe enough to force them into schools, bars, and others' private property, all places where a majority of the people present will have no clue about handling dangerous weapons, yet people in a place where the the vast majority (if not all) of the folks present are experts on the safe handling of weapons are in immediate danger from those very same "safe" weapons?

Welcome to Arizona, the place where blind ideology trumps stark reality.

The coming week...

As usual, except where noted, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies, and subject to change without notice.

The normal format of these posts is a simple one - start with the highest level of government (federal) and work down. This week, a slight change to that template is merited.


...The Arizona Legislature is still out of session and the budget still isn't balanced. However, they still have the time and energy to canoodle with some industry lobbyists in a propaganda session.

From a press release from the Senate Republicans, posted on the lege's website -

The Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Climate Initiatives is holding its second meeting Monday. Committee Chair Sylvia Allen contends federal proposals targeted at global warming are quickly moving forward without consideration for scientific evidence and we are going after problems that do not exist. She wants Arizonans to understand how cap and trade regulations will impact their energy supply and utility costs. “They need to evaluate the claims behind 'green jobs' and climate scare tactics,” she said. The agenda includes an update of federal legislation and an economic forecast/industry roundtable. The committee’s first meeting was June 8.

The list of "distinguished" panelists includes: Michael Curtis, executive secretary, Arizona Municipal Power Users’ Association; Kimball Rasmussen, CEO, Deseret Power; Dr. Craig Idso, chairman, Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change; Cynthia Zwick, president, Arizona Community Action Association; Cathy Reheis-Boyd, COO, Western State Petroleum Association; and Steven Regis, vice president of engineering services, CalPortland Company.

Zwick appears to be the token "non-industry lobbyist" on the panel. However, she is not a scientist.

Sen. Sylvia Allen is the Arizona politician best known for her deep understanding of science. Or not.

The meeting is at the Senate in SHR1 from 8:30 - noon.


...In the U.S. House of Representatives, the agenda looks to be fairly light on controversial floor action, though not without some (hey, this wouldn't be the House if they didn't have stuff to yell at each other over.)

Of interest to AZers -

- Rep. Raul Grijalva's H.R. 1333, "To amend chapter 40 of title 18, United States Code, to exempt the transportation, shipment, receipt, or importation of explosive materials for delivery to a federally recognized Indian tribe or an agency of such a tribe from various Federal criminal prohibitions relating to explosives." Heard under suspension of the rules.

- Conference report on H.R. 3183, Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. This is money-related, so it is likely the most controversial matter subject to floor action this week. House Report 111-203 on the bill, including earmarks and "directed spending" is here.


...Over in the U.S, Senate, floor action will focus on Defense Appropriations. Committee hearing schedule here. The highlight, or at least the one that will receive the most attention, is the Senate Finance Committee's continued consideration of Max Baucus' Health Insurer Wish List health care reform bill.


...On Tuesday, the Arizona Corporation Commission is holding a special open meeting in Yuma related to APS and rates. Full hearing schedule here.


...The Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System is holding two special meetings on Monday. The noon meeting has an executive session component and general session discussion on contract renegotiations with MedPro and an employment agreement with Betsey Bayless, current MIHS CEO. The meeting at 5 p.m. covers approval of the new MedPro contract.


...The Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project has a busy week planned.

- On Wednesday, there will be a joint meeting of the CAP Board and the Board of Directors of the Arizona Municipal Waters Users Association at the Embassy Suites Phoenix Biltmore.

- Thursday, there will be a meeting of the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District and Underground Storage Committee immediately following the regular meeting of the CAP Board.

- Thursday, there will be a meeting of the Board's Public Policy Committee at 9 a.m. (aka - immediately before the regular Board meeting.)

- And, of course, the full Board will meet in open and executive session on Thursday.


...The Tempe City Council isn't scheduled to meet this week, but a calendar of Council-related events is here.


...The Scottsdale City Council will be holding a joint meeting with Budget Review Commission on Tuesday. There will also be a special meeting of the Council with an executive session concerning the interim treasurer appointment/hiring mess. Scottsdale's community meeting calendar is here.


Not scheduled to meet this week: Citizens Clean Elections Commission, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (though an executive session called on short notice would be the norm for this group), Arizona Board of Regents, Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District.


Later...

More 2010 campaign committees...

Edit on 9/28 to update with candidate info...

Another in the heretofore irregularly timed series of posts (but one which will probably become a regular weekly topic for the foreseeable future)...

- Republican Vernon Parker, mayor of Paradise Valley, has opened an exploratory committee for a run at the Governor's job. He's had some legal issues, but he is a credible candidate.

- Republican State Senator Thayer Verschoor has opened an exploratory committee for a run at State Treasurer, apparently assuming that Dean Martin, a fellow Republican and the incumbent, is going to run for Governor.

- Republican Beth Price has formed a committee for a run at Superintendent of Public Instruction. The committee address is in Casa Grande, and she used to work at Central Arizona College (page 4 of the linked .pdf). I'm not sure about her current activities. Her name makes for lousy search terms.

She joins a cast of thousands in next year's Rep primary for the post (actually the number is five, for now).

- In LD8, one W. John Williamson, no party listed, has formed a $500 Threshold committee for a run at state representative. Another name that makes for lousy search terms, but I'll call the number on his committee paperwork later this week.

Update on 9/28 - Mr. Williamson returned my call and graciously spoke to me about his candidacy. He's running as a Democrat and his focus is on education. He is a 40+ year Arizonan who graduated from Saguaro High and ASU. Currently, he is a high school English teacher and is concerned about the "punitive tone" exhibited by the lege and the leadership there toward education and teachers. (See the BRB language [page 62 of the linked .pdf] regarding teachers and professional association activities [i.e. - union activities] and barring compensated days for such activities being part of district contracts). He's going to "try to make a difference."

I wish him well with that and with his candidacy.

End update...

- And, in the "blast from the past" portion of our program, the "legendary" David Burnell Smith, the first sitting legislator to be removed from office for violating Clean Elections rules, is again running for state representative from LD7. There are already five Republicans running for the two state rep slots from LD7, including an "exploring" Jim Waring, the soon-to-be termed out state senator from the LD. With his history and the crowded field, Mr. Smith has a seriously uphill battle, even in a group at morally bereft as the AZGOP.


...Other committees -

- Dean Martin, well into his third year as State Treasurer, has finally gotten around to opening an "officeholder expense" committee, named "Treasurer Dean Martin Community Service."

Either he never had any officeholder expenses before this or he's running for Governor.

Guess which one I think it is?

:)

Later...

NIBW Update - contaminated water release on September 23, 2009

From an email from Rachel Loftin, project manager for the North Indian Bend Wash Superfund area, to the NIBW Community Involvement Group -

Dear NIBW Community Involvement Group:

I am Rachel Loftin, the new EPA Project Manager for the Indian Bend Wash site, and I'd like to share information with you regarding a release that occurred yesterday, September 23, 2009, at Well PCX-1, a groundwater extraction well that pumps water to be treated at the Miller Road Treatment Facility (MRTF).

Here's what EPA has learned from the Salt River Project:

First, and most importantly, we want you to know that the spill did not impact the drinking water supplied by the Miller Road Treatment Facility.

Between approximately 6:00 am and 7:00 am yesterday (September 23, 2009), a release from Well PCX-1 occurred. The spill lasted a little over 40 minutes. The SRP reports that a valve at Well PCX-1 failed, leading to the spill of untreated water. It appears from photographs taken immediately after the incident, as well information from witnesses of the actual spill and the visual evidence regarding the slope of the surrounding terrain, that most of the spilled water flowed away from the canal and on to Miller Road. A small portion of the spill appears to have leaked into the Arizona Canal adjacent to the well. The spill contained up to 75 ug/l (micrograms per liter) of trichloroethelyene (TCE) and the volume of water spilled is estimated to be less than 20,000 gallons.

The Arizona Canal provides water to downstream water purveyors, including the cities of Tempe, Phoenix, Glendale, and Peoria. The closest downstream plant is the City of Tempe's Johnny G. Martinez Water Treatment Plant (JGMWTP), which is roughly 5 miles downstream. The next closest downstream plant is City of Phoenix 24th Street Plant, which is roughly 7 miles downstream.

We believe, and the preliminary data indicates, these water purveyors were not impacted by the release because of their distance from the PCX-1 location, the fact that the released water became mixed with water that was already in the canal thereby reducing the concentration of TCE, and the fact that TCE tends to dissipate rapidly. SRP notified both water purveyors immediately. At EPA's request, and as a precaution, the City of Tempe's JGMWTP and the City of Phoenix 24th Street Plant sampled for TCE to be sure the water meets the safe drinking water standard for TCE which is 5 ug/l. Expedited results from water samples taken in the Arizona Canal at a location about 50 feet downstream from PCX-1 well, at Chaparral Road, and at Camelback Road indicate no detectable concentration of TCE in the canal. Preliminary sampling results taken at the City of Tempe's plant also indicate no detections of TCE. We expect to receive results from the City of Phoenix plant in a day or so.

The SRP acted very quickly to:

1. Determine what and where the problem was;
2. Stop the spill by turning off the well;
3. Obtain samples of the spilled water on Miller Road, in the canal, and downstream of the release;
4. Vacuum the spilled water along Miller Road;
5. Sample the soil on the canal bank and Miller Road; and
6. Contact appropriate parties including EPA, ADEQ, the Cities of Phoenix and Tempe water utility districts, and the City of Scottsdale where the MRTF is located.

What happens next?

•The SRP is gathering additional information and will provide it along with sampling results to EPA in the next day or so.
•The Cities of Phoenix and Tempe will also provide sampling data for the 24th Street Plant and the JGMWTP.
•The SRP will provide a report on the incident within seven days.
•I will share the sampling data and incident report with all of you when I receive them.

I look forward to planning the upcoming annual meeting with you in the short term, and meeting you all in a few weeks. In the interim, please contact me at 415/972-3253 or by e-mail if you have any questions.

Regards,

Rachel

My work week has started, so I won't be able to follow up on this until next week at the earliest. For more information, please contact Ms. Loftin at the above number.

Later...

Anybody have a good pic of the Sword of Damocles?

After last night's kangaroo court, Scottsdale needs a new logo. The old one (above) hasn't fit Scottsdale for years (witness the loss of horse property in Scottsdale over the last decade plus).

Maybe a nice drawing of someone sitting under the point of a sword...someone with curly hair and a mustache?...with someone else with a pair of scissors, reaching out to the single horsehair holding it up...someone also with a mustache, and with a shiny (perhaps sprayed-on?) tan...just musing out loud here.

:)