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Wednesday, August 8, 2018
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LD18 fundraising hottest for election coming this fall BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
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s candidates for both major parties battle it out for Aug. 28 primary election victories in the Legislative District 18 House campaign, the biggest battle for bucks has been for the election that won’t occur until November. The campaign war chests amassed in the LD18 Senate race between Republican Frank Schmuck and incumbent Democrat Sean Bowie total more than twice the cash raised by all seven House candidates combined, according to reports filed with the Arizona Secretary of State.
From the day after the Nov. 8 General Election in 2016 through June 30 of this year, Schmuck has raised $184,710 and Bowie, who defeated him two years ago, has raised $148,834. SEAN BOWIE As of the last campaign report, both candidates’ campaign treasuries were almost dead even: Schmuck began the third quarter of 2018 with $125,745
in the bank while Bowie had $125,545. Schmuck, who received only $1,000 in political action committee donations in that 20-month period, reported loaning his campaign $55,000 FRANK SCHMUCK and raising $51,471 in donations from family members See
CAMPAIGN on page 21
More South Mountain trailhead Chase-ing the dream upgrades due in Ahwatukee BY JIM WALSH AFN Staff Writer
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t’s easy to dismiss the upcoming trailhead improvement projects at South Mountain Park because their scale is so much smaller than the extensive makeover performed a year ago at Pima Canyon. But the improvements planned for later this year at the busy Desert Foothills trailhead and the convenient Beverly Canyon trailhead should contribute to more visitors enjoying the park, even if it’s just a matter of having a clean restroom to use or having a ramada available for a picnic. With both projects, Phoenix Parks and Recreation hopes to build on its successes at Pima Canyon, despite some controversy that forced an overhaul of their original plan because of pushback from neighbors. Following the Pima Canyon game plan, the department will replace a group of portable toilets at Desert Foothills with two modern
flush toilets. The restrooms will be located in the center of a small parking lot that almost always fills up during the cooler months, when hikers and bicyclists flock to enjoy the popular Telegraph Trail. A new ramada will be built closer to the trailhead, located on the south side of the park off Desert Foothills Boulevard. Beverly Canyon, off 46th Street on the south side of the park, will feature a repaved parking lot and two new ramadas, but the improvements are limited to avoid disrupting historic artifacts, which will be highlighted through interpretive signage. “We’re repeating the lessons we’ve learned through Pima Canyon,’’ said Joe Diaz, lead landscape architect for Phoenix parks, adding that the Pima Canyon facelift has worked out better than anticipated. Mike Francis, parks supervisor for South Mountain Park and the Rio Salado habitat, said he has received reports from rangers that See
PARKS on page 3
(Kimberly Carrillo/AFN Staff Photographer)
One-time Ahwatukee Little League hero Scott Kingery played his first Big League Dream at Chase Field Monday as his Philadelpia Phillies played the Diamondbacks in a nailbiter that went 14 innings. Kingery got some playing time in the second half of the marathon game. For details, see page 49.