April 12, 2020 | www.santansun.com
Relentlessly local coverage of Southern Chandler
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
6 to vie for 3 Chandler Council seats BY KEVIN REAGAN Staff Writer
Chandler voters will get to pick from six candidates to fill three city council seats in the Aug. 4 Primary Election. The six candidates who filed petitions by the April 6 deadline include Beth Brizel, Christine Ellis, OD Harris, Rick Heumann, and incumbents Jeremy McClymonds and and Mark Stewart. Stewart is seeking a second term on the council and McClymonds will be campaigning for the first time since he was appointed to fill an empty council seat in 2018. Heumann previously sat on the
council from 2008 to 2016 before he got termed out. He has since spent the last few years serving on the Chandler Planning and Zoning Commission and has headed the Chandler Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Committee. At least one new person will join the council this year because Councilman Sam Huang has chosen to run for congressional office rather than seek re-election to the council. Huang is in a three-way race for the Republican nomination in the 9th Congressional District with businessman Dave Giles and pharmacist Nicholas Tutora. They are vying for a chance to take on first-term Congressman and
former Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, who is facing a challenge in his party from activist Talia Fuentes-Wolfe. Brizel, Harris, and Ellis will all be running their first campaigns for a council seat. Brizel previously served a four-year term on the Kyrene School District Governing Board. It’s unclear how much the ongoing COVID-19 crisis will interfere with this year’s campaigns, but the pandemic was enough to convince one potential candidate not to turn in ballot petitions. Joseph Curbelo, a real estate broker, discontinued his campaign in order to dedicate more time to his career and family during this tumultuous pandem-
ic.
The remaining candidates are adapting to a new campaign reality that’s dictated by social distancing and no person-to-person contact. Ellis, whose background is in the medical field, said her campaign has begun focusing more on digital strategies as the pandemic continues to keep voters indoors. She said she has not shifted away from her focus on higher education and neighborhood resources due to the lingering health crisis but she has begun thinking about how Chandler is being See
ELECTIONS on page 15
Adapting Chandler Presbyterian Church Pastpr Rev. Mike Japenga misses human contact with his congregants after socialdistancing restructions prompted him and other religious leaders to cancel on-site church services. (Pablo Robles/Staff Photographer)
Churches confronting virus-related challenges BY KEVIN REAGAN Staff Writer
Pastor Mike Japenga describes himself as a hugger. He likes being able to calmly reach out and comfort members of Chandler Presbyterian Church during moments of grief, sadness, and despair. But the COVID-19 pandemic has suddenly forced Japenga to keep a safe distance from his parishioners. Even
during a recent graveside funeral for one of his member’s fathers, Japenga had to remind himself not to make contact with the mourners. “It was so weird to see each other and just wave,” Japenga said, “that’s the way it has to be for right now.” The pastor finds himself facing the same challenge as all faith leaders across the country – maintaining a See
CHURCHES on page 3
Business rent relief order fraught with uncertainty BY PAUL MARYNIAK Executive Editor And HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services
Saying some landlords are weighing evictions, Gov. Doug Ducey last week ordered judges around the state to immediately suspend such legal actions against commercial tenants affected by
the pandemic. But a major Valley strip mall owner and others fear that may not offer much of a lifeline to many struggling small businesses. Chandler Chamber CEO/President Terri Kimble says that while Ducey’s order “is another tool in the toolbox” for businesses to use in their struggle to See
RENT on page 20
Social-distancing closures have forced Ginger Monkey owner Jackson Armstrong to turn his Chandler eatery into kind of a grocery store. For details, see page 27. (Pablo Robles/Staff Photographer)
F E AT U R E STO R I E S Closures create challenges for CUSD . . . . . . . . . . . .COMMUNITY . . . . . Page 12 Empty grocery shelves explained . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BUSINESS . . . . . . . Page 28 Little Leaguers benched by social distancing. . . . .SPORTS . . . . . . . . . Page 33 Chandler author pens thriller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NEIGHBORS . . . . . . Page 36 Take a hike without a crowd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ARTS . . . . . . . . . . Page 40
Clip It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Center Section
More Community . . . 1-23 Business . . . . . .27-32 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 33 Opinion . . . . . . . . 35 Neighbors . . . 36-39 Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Faith . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Classifieds . . . 42-43 Eat . . . . . . . . . . . . 46