D5 applicant names released; Council sets public interviews for December 20
Surprise, AZ (December 11, 2018) Nine residents of District 5 (D5) have applied to fill the vacancy on City Council, following former D5 Councilmember Skip Hall’s appointment to Mayor.

The application filing period closed at 5 p.m., Monday, December 10.

The following applicants (read complete applications) are listed by the order in which applications were received by the City Clerk:
Aaron Bacon
Adam Chilton
Leo Mankiewicz
Charles Manuel
Eddie Cunningham
David Sanders
John Hastings
Christina Ramirez
Alexander Brown
The City Council will interview the applicants in a Special City Council Meeting, Thursday, December 20, beginning 4p.m., in Council Chambers. Each applicant will have 10 minutes to give an overall summary incorporating qualifications, resume, and background. After the interviews, City Council will pose questions, followed by a public comment period from those in attendance.

Following the meeting, public comments may be received by email, mail or dropped off at the clerk’s office up until 5 p.m., Thursday, December 27. They will then be shared with City Council and posted online at www.surpriseaz.gov/cityclerk by the end of the day Friday, December 28.

The Council may vote on an appointment selection at their Regular City Council Meeting on Thursday, January 3, 2019 or Tuesday, January 15, 2019, at 6 p.m.

To view the candidates applications visit www.surpriseaz.gov/cityclerk.

mayor skip hall city of surprise

Public Safety Retirement Commission Meeting – Fire
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Individuals needing reasonable accommodations, such as large print materials or interpreters, should contact the Clerk’s office at 623.222.1200 (Voice); or 623.222.1002 (TTY) at least 24 hours prior to the event so arrangements can be made.

Southpaw

Mayor Skip Hall & Vice-Mayor Ken Remley

First time I saw this, wonder if they corrected it?

Surprise leaders sound off on tearing down city’s ‘Berlin Wall’ to unify residents
Jessica Boehm, The Republic | azcentral.com Published 10:17 a.m. MT Feb. 27, 2017

Surprise Mayor Sharon Wolcott stood before more than a hundred West Valley leaders on Wednesday and proclaimed the need to unite the diverse cross sections of her city in order to continue the northwestern suburb’s positive growth.
“We are business people, veterans, students. We are kids, young families and retirees. We represent high-income and mid-range earners, people living on a fixed income and some of our neighbors even struggle to make ends meet.
“And while our needs may be different, together as a community, we are all one Surprise,” Wolcott said in her annual State of the City address.
But getting residents to see themselves as one city hasn’t always been an easy undertaking in Surprise. Some residents and even community leaders have jokingly referred to Bell Road, the city’s main thoroughfare, as the “Berlin Wall.”

Mayor Skip Hall & Vice-Mayor Ken Remley

Perry Vandell, The Republic | azcentral.com Published 11:59 a.m. MT April 16, 2018

2017 Mayor and City Council travel costs
Some Surprise City Council members represented Surprise in other cities more than others. Here’s how their travel expenses broke down in 2017.

Sharon Wolcott: $6,932. Roland Winters: $6,188. Todd Tande: $3,429. John Williams*: $2,731.
Patrick Duffy*: $2,575. Ken Remley: $1,146. Jim Hayden*: $1,146. Skip Hall: $1,011.

Vice Mayor Ken Remley

Perry Vandell, The Republic | azcentral.com Published 11:59 a.m. MT April 16, 2018

Mayor Sharon Wolcott and two city administrators exceeded the federal maximum lodging guidelines by $133 per night during a trip to Washington, D.C., last spring.
They spent two nights at a four-star Westin hotel a mile from the White House. The hotel bill was $2,582.
Each of the three rooms cost about $375 per night plus tax. The federal maximum at the time was $242 per night.
Wolcott said they were there to “obtain transportation and transit support for the city.”
The mayor said the city is still lobbying for a slice of federal money in President Donald Trump’s infrastructure bill. She said she’d rather not have to travel to Washington, D.C., to do so but said a physical presence was necessary.
“To have a government official stay in a high-end hotel and to have other high-priced travel expenses is not in the best interests of the taxpayer.”
Diane Brown, executive director of Arizona Public Interest Research Group
Wolcott didn’t respond to a request for comment regarding the price of the hotel.
Councilman Patrick Duffy stayed at a four-star hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina, for several days while attending the National League of Cities City Summit in November. The nightly rate of the hotel near the conference was $229 when the maximum federal rate was $127.
Senior Management Analyst Gloria Bianco, who assists the City Manager’s Office, said she often books rooms at the hotels hosting the conferences for the safety of female employees.
“We want to keep our employees as safe as possible,” Bianco said. “So we keep them as close to where the conference is at.”

Assistant City Manager Nicole Lance, who traveled to Washington, D.C., with the mayor, said employees try to “economize” by fitting as many meetings as possible into their stays.
City Manager Bob Wingenroth conceded the city probably paid more to stay at hotels closer to conferences, but said he was OK with the current policy.

Perry Vandell, The Republic | azcentral.com Published 11:59 a.m. MT April 16, 2018

Five Surprise employees spent $15,500 on a trip to Toronto, including a four-star hotel stay, late last summer.

That stay and others reviewed by The Arizona Republic exceeded a federal government guideline for lodging costs. The expense limits that are in place for federal government employees can be used as a guideline for other government employees.

Economic Development Director Jeanine Jerkovic and four employees in the department were in Canada for the International Economic Development Council, where economic developers network and strategize how to attract businesses to their cities.

Jerkovic said the trip allowed staff to market Surprise while receiving advice from experts on what Canadian businesses look for in a city. The group also gave the city three awards for economic development projects.

Taxpayers paid $276 per night for Jerkovic’s six-night stay at the Grand Hotel & Suites, a four-star hotel near the conference in downtown Toronto. The federal maximum at the time for Toronto was $181 per night.

Distracted Driving
Driving and using mobile devices that are not operating in a hands-free mode, is illegal within Surprise city limits.

The ordinance, which went into effect September 6, 2018, penalizes driving and using a mobile communications device unless usage is in hands-free mode or if the driver is communicating an emergency situation to emergency personnel.

Ordinance violators will be subject to a civil penalty of up to $250 plus any other assessments authorized by law.

Public safety personnel operating in their professional capacity are exempt from the ordinance.

Drivers can continue to use two-way radio communication as long as they continue to safely operate the vehicle.

READ THE ORDINANCE

While phone use is the only distracted driving behavior covered in the city’s Distracted Driving Ordinance, there are other distractions that should be avoided while operating a vehicle to reduce the risk of an accident.;

Simple things that may not seem distracting include: Changing a CD Adjusting controls
Talking with a passenger Fastening your seatbelt Applying your makeup
These actions cause you to take your mind off driving and your eyes off the road!

Learn more about the city’s effort to promote safe driving. Drive Wise, Surprise!Contact Us
Contact Surprise Police  14250 W Statler Plaza Suite 103 Surprise, AZ 85374 Phone: 623.222.4000 Fax: 623.222.4001 Emergency: 911 TTY: 623.222.4004 Sharing the Road: Safety Tips & Laws Road Rage Know how School Zones Work Know the speed limit Use the phone while driving Drowsy Driving Eat While Driving Distracted Driving Watch for Traffic Signs
Avoid anger while driving Flashing Lights and Siren
Driver Inattention

Sun City Grand web site says that Grand Learning offers interesting educational opportunities for adults in the Sun City Grand community of Surprise, Arizona and the surrounding area. I live in Surprise and cannot go to their computer classes.

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